Youth against fascism

The Youth Against Fascism initiative is part of the Youth civic association. Its main goal is to reduce the risk of youth radicalization. The initiative was launched in 2016. An innovative approach to youth education, focusing mainly on social networks, where young people spend most of their time, has reached out to more than 100,000 young people, who teach them about the values of human rights, tolerance and equality.

Extremist political views are reaching their highest levels of support among the youth in modern Slovak history. Across surveys and in student mock elections, the extremist political party, building on the legacy of the fascist WWII Slovak state, has been at the forefront for several years. Young people are often vulnerable to support the extremist views of these parties.

Youth against fascism (“Iniciatíva Mladí proti fašizmu”) focuses on engaging young people through online social networks. Our initiative aims to reach young people through social media before they become interested in politics and reduce their risk of radicalisation. We also publish short and easy-to-understand information online on human rights and democracy.

The project was founded by Marek Mach when he was 15 years old and is based on the “from young to young” principle. The project shares information adapted to young people ages 12 and older. Our largest audience is between 18 to 24 years old.

In over 4 years, the project has reached more than 100,000 followers on social media platforms. During election campaigns in Slovakia, we helped organize anti-fascist protests across the country attended by thousands. Pupils made anti-fascist and pro-democracy banners in art classes. Tens of thousands of students also watched discussions organized by our organization.

Since the project is primarily online, it is possible to transfer it to almost any country in Europe and internationally adapt it to a country’s specific political climate.