Identity & Language (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)

The fourth day of the program was devoted partially to gaining knowledge and partially to gaining concrete skills. As for knowledge, the focus was on gaining information about the role the Human Rights Defender Office (HRDO) and its importance in assisting minorities. The representatives from the HRDO drew a very broad picture of how the institution works, provided a description of its role in the Polish system of human rights protection, and gave many examples of how it can help minorities in difficult situations. In their examples they pointed out that knowledge of the majority language (or lack theirof) can be an enabling or disabling factor when it comes to participation in mainstream social life.

In connection with the day’s key topic, Mrs. Elżbieta Petrajtis O'Neill (Open Republic Association Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia, Board Member) shared her experience on how best to address instances of hate speech and how to fight Anti-Semitism and promote tolerance, sometimes against all odds. The day finished with a heated group discussion on how to draw a line between hate speech and freedom of speech.

In regards to practical skills, Mr. Łukasz Mielnik (trainer of Amnesty International) led an activity on the mission and activities of Amnesty International as a way of teaching the participants about the organizational aspects of implementing training. Project participants created teams and decided on the training topics, which they were asked to develop. During the group discussion the participants pondered the importance of language in forming national and ethnic identity.