On the first session of the exciting series DEN meetings that would be held this year we were presented with a vibrant range of projects that would be a part of DEN. One such projects is called Words Heal the World. It was presented by a student of University of Westminster Beatriz Buarque ,who is studying in the Department of Politics and International Relations. Beatriz presented her project with a lot of passion encouraging other students to be a part of it. Here’s what she had to say to us-
“ Recently, many extremist groups have been using the Internet for recruitment/incite attacks all over the world. Despite global efforts to identify and eliminate violent content on the Internet, they keep appearing on Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter. On the other hand, we have many organizations that have been using words to fight extremism, but few people know their work. Therefore, I developed the digital platform Words Heal the World to increase the visibility of these institutions and deconstruct extremist messages. I invite you to visit our website to know how it works: www.wordshealtheworld.com
HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?
The students who join me will attend events held by these institutions and write stories/make videos about it in a creative way so as to catch the attention of young people. We´ll share these content on the website, our Facebook page, Twitter and on our You Tube account that has been recently created. Students will also be encouraged to attend academic events / events held by security institutions regarding radicalization/extremism – there are really many things happening here in London in this sense!
To sum up, we´ll use our creativity through words and images to show the world what has been done, what people have been discussing to prevent radicalization/extremism.
HOW WILL IT BE IMPORTANT TO YOU?
1- You´ll be part of a project that really intends to make a difference in our world. Some governments have encouraged civil society to come up with ideas to tackle extremism. Tech companies are trying to do their best and we can help because we have the freshness of youth. We use social media channels all the time. Let´s use it to spread peace!
2- Every content produced/edited by each of you will be credited. So, you can use it as portfolio.
3- I am a journalist with 10 years of experience in the newsroom. Therefore, I can help you finding the best way to write, finding a story that will be interesting and so on.”
Inside Westminster would soon be joining hands with Beatriz to work on her project together. Beatriz and Inside Westminster share several common believes and ideas when it comes to empowering the youth and giving them a chance to write about issues that matter to them. Inside Westminster as a team is thrilled to be joining hands with Beatriz to help her work on her project.
We request all the students to come join our team to make a difference. Let’s to do our bit and make this world a better place to live in.
