Hard Topics

The Hard Topics project addresses the challenge of the lack of conversation on social issues among young people. We live in a society with rising social polarization, enclosed in media bubbles and find it difficult to have a constructive conversation with people with different opinions. The project brings new methods and approaches to dialogue training, useful for youth workers, teachers and others working with young people across Europe.

A web app is being developed to help youth workers and teachers conduct "dates of political opponents". Dialogue workshops for young people and a handbook for practitioners are also being developed. Both app and workshop will be presented and implemented during the training. The project is also exploring the extent to which school systems are training young people in dialogue.

You can access the web application at: Hard Topics

The project is implemented by partners from four countries: Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia. It is co-funded by Erasmus+ programme and runs from 2022 to 2025. It will directly involve more than 850 young people and more than 100 youth workers.

In the project, Documenta developed the following questionnare, also accessible through the online application ( Hard Topics):

1) Questionnaire on political transitions

The events of the transitions are too recent to be looked at in an objective way

Y/N

Political transitions are mostly violent

Y/N

The transitions had positive influence on women’s rights

Y/N

Monuments of former regimes should be removed from public spaces

Y/N

Mostly old generations feel nostalgic for former regimes

Y/N

2) Questionnaire: Exploring history in cinema and literature (created by Alina Gavronina)

Should historical fiction/movies prioritise compelling narrative over strict adherence to historical facts?

Yes, the primary goal of fiction is to engage and entertain

No, historical fiction/movies have a responsibility to remain as accurate as possible to the real events and figures

Is it important to for historical novels/films to explore the perspectives of both victors and vanquished in conflicts?

Yes, presenting both sides of a conflict ensures a more balanced and view of history.

No, focusing on the perspective of the vanquished can lead to a «wrong» view of historical events.

Should modern values be reflected in works that depict historical periods, even if they are considered not historically accurate?

Yes, reflecting modern values is important to make historical content relevant and acceptable to contemporary audiences.

No, imposing modern values distorts historical realities and fails to faithfully represent the past.

Should different races and minorities be represented in the historical fiction/historical films even if it is considered by society that they weren't present back than?

Yes, it is important to maintain diverse representation in modern fiction/film

No, the characters should represent the historical time