- Soni Khanal
The way we understand information and communicate with others shapes how we see the world. Every day, we encounter messages, images, and stories that influence our perspectives, while our responses to others shape the relationships and communities we build. In a time when misinformation, harmful narratives, and polarising communication can spread quickly, critical thinking and empathetic communication are essential.
Following the summer holidays, Crossing Borders facilitated a half-day professional development session for the 130 staff members at International School of Hellerup on 4th of August 2026, focusing on two interconnected themes: media literacy and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
The session was part of our Decode the Hate project, an Erasmus+ KA210-YOU partnership between Portugal, Germany and Denmark. The project aims to empower young people and youth workers to recognise, analyse and challenge hate speech and disinformation through digital literacy, media literacy, critical thinking, positive storytelling and non-formal education.
The day explored a central question:
How can we better understand the information we receive and the way we communicate with others?
Understanding Information in a Changing Media Landscape
The first session, led by Crossing Borders’ media expert Leif Lønsmann, focused on media literacy and the challenges of today’s information environment.
Drawing on decades of experience in journalism, including his work training journalists in Ukraine, Leif explored how the media landscape has changed and why media literacy has become an essential skill for educators and young people.
Participants discussed the differences between fake news, propaganda, misinformation, disinformation and malinformation, gaining a deeper understanding of how information can be created, shaped and shared.
The session introduced practical tools for fact-checking and verifying information. Participants reflected on how to evaluate sources, question what they see online and make more informed decisions before sharing content.
An important part of the discussion focused on the connection between misinformation and hate speech. Harmful narratives often begin with misleading information or distorted stories about individuals and communities. When repeated and amplified, these narratives can contribute to fear, mistrust, and division.
The conversation highlighted that media literacy is not only about asking:
“Is this information true?”
It is also about asking:
“What impact does this information have? Who might be affected? And what responsibility do we have before sharing it?”
One message from the session stood out: it takes just as much time to verify information as it does to share it. A moment of checking can help prevent the spread of harmful or inaccurate content.
Building Empathy Through Communication
The second session, led by Crossing Borders’ Director Garba Diallo, focused on Nonviolent Communication and its role in education.
While media literacy helps us understand the information around us, Nonviolent Communication helps us understand each other. Through interactive discussions and practical exercises, teachers explored how communication shapes relationships, classroom environments, and responses to disagreement and conflict.
Participants worked with the four core components of NVC: observations, feelings, needs and requests. They also explored the Giraffe and Jackal model, a powerful metaphor that highlights different approaches to communication.
The giraffe represents empathy, compassion and deep listening, while the jackal represents communication that can be more reactive, judgemental or focused on blame. Through this model, educators enacted how greater awareness of feelings and needs can help reduce misunderstandings and create more constructive conversations through role-plays.
For educators, these reflections are particularly valuable. Classrooms bring together different experiences, perspectives, and ways of seeing the world. Communication based on empathy and respect can help create environments where students feel heard, valued, and included.
The half-day session offered an opportunity for the International School of Hellerup staff to reflect, question and practise new approaches together. Ultimately, building more inclusive and resilient communities starts with the everyday choices we make: what we believe, what we share and how we speak and listen to one another.
Through initiatives like Decode the Hate, Crossing Borders continues to support educators and young people in developing the skills needed to think critically, communicate with empathy and engage constructively across differences.
