Both NOA co-founders have now participated in the Communities Inc* ‘No Space for Hate’ training through Waltham Forest Council, to become ambassadors of bystander intervention. The main purpose of the training is to provide the skills, knowledge and confidence to people working across communities and social networks, to respond better when witnessing incidents of hateful behaviour both off- and online.
But where does this hateful behaviour come from?
Every year, tens of thousands of people in Britain are targeted by hateful behaviour because of their identity and perceived ‘difference’. This bias of assumptions, stereotypes and fear of difference manifests itself very quickly into more harmful and dangerous prejudiced attitudes that includes systemic discrimination, crime and genocide, as shown in the ‘The Pyramid of Hate’ created by the Anti-Defamation League. In this pyramid, the upper levels of hate build up from the ones below.
How does this relate to Be In The Noa?
The bias at the bottom of the pyramid is something that is within every individual’s power to change. This preventative approach correlates with one of the main aims of our own social enterprise, which is, to affect change through our vision of a kinder, happier, more empathic, authentic, and connected society, where young people can openly share and learn from each other’s differences, passions, ideas, mistakes and concerns, pushing assumptions and stereotypes aside.
It’s a big ambition, but we are greatly encouraged by the response of young adults we have interviewed on the streets of London as well as the engagement of our growing ambassadors and advocates. And there’s much more to come this the summer.
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*Communities Inc is a social enterprise established in 2011 with the purpose of tackling persistent and long-standing inequalities affecting the most disadvantaged communities. Click here to find out more.