Xàbia schoolchildren become activists against the culture of hate

Thursday 30th March 2023
Mike Smith

The Departments of Youth and Education in Xàbia have presented the project XÀBIA LOVERS, an initiative against the culture of hate in which the students of six schools in the municipality and the Children’s Council have been involved.

The term LOVERS is the opposite of HATERS. The rise of the Internet has encouraged those individuals who systematically show negative or hostile attitudes towards any matter, inciting social confrontation and without caring about the emotional impact that can cause in other people.

Councilor Montse Villaverde explained that this project is part of the strategy of educating municipalities with the objective of making young people aware of the importance of empathy, respect and help to improve as a society. The Department of Youth have developed a plan in several phases, the first of which was to carry out surveys in schools in the municipality to discover prejudices or stereotypes about groups such as the ethnic gypsy, Arabic or LGTBI as well as situations such as poverty, machismo or special educational needs.

Then the fifth and sixth grade children took part in a participatory dynamic that made visible the importance of words – intentional or thoughtless – and the impact they can have on others. Finally, the Children’s Council worked on how to deal with these hateful behaviors and prepared a leaflet for its prevention.

The representatives of the Children’s Council presented their conclusions that included using constructive communication, putting yourself in the place of others, respecting everyone equally, trying to intervene to end bullying situations, being kind and calm, encouraging friendship, empathy and solidarity, managing emotions, offering help to others, proposing solutions to conflicts and taking charge of the impact of their actions on others.

Mayor José Chulvi congratulated the promoters of the project and thanked the schools for their willingness to collaborate. The boys and girls have been encouraged to be part of this change from “haters to lovers” and to show that the climate of confrontation, gratuitous insults and prejudices do not contribute anything positive to society but rather make it a poorer place. and hostile where to live.

In the face of the frantic pace imposed by society, the mayor appealed to reflect on the impact that words and deeds have on others and not to discriminate difference as something negative.