The Tolerance project

The Segerstedt institute University of Gothenburg

Type of Organisation: Other

The project is a pedagogical model for use in schools which aims to prevent the recruitment of young people to extremist organisations, as well as combatting intolerance and racism in general.

The Tolerance project is usually led by a multi-professional team of teachers, social workers and youth workers.

A typical group consists of about 25 students from different social-, ethnic- and educational backgrounds who are usually from different schools within the same municipality.

Approach

The Tolerance Project requires time. A fundamental idea is that there is no “quick-fix” to change intolerant ideas and therefore the students participate in 7-13 whole day sessions, every two weeks during a school year. The “project” then ends with an excursion, most commonly to Holocaust memorial sites in Poland. Throughout the project the students are faced with the task of comparing thoughts and ideas from Nazi-Germany to modern day issues about antisemitism, racism and intolerance.

Instead of focusing on teaching students what is right and wrong the model aims to give the students both historical and philosophical tools to ask themselves the right questions. The focus is on the creation of a safe environment for students to express their ideas, even the controversial ones, and enter into dialogue with the teachers and with other students. The teacher’s role then becomes to educate rather than to engage in debate with the students in the group.

Address

The Segerstedt institute,
PO Box 135 SE 405 30
Gothenburg

Contact person: Christer Mattsson, Director
Telephone: 0766-06 29 38
Website