How can effective advocacy be conducted in conditions of growing social and political polarization? This question served as the starting point for two trainings dedicated to communication and alliance-building in efforts against discrimination and hate speech, which took place in Brussels (October 29) and in Warsaw (February 23).

The training in Brussels, led by Dr. Hannah Starman—a specialist in communication and campaign management—focused on practical advocacy tools in an environment of strong social tensions and disinformation. Participants worked on building alliances between groups with different perspectives, creating value-based messaging, and responding in situations where facts collide with emotions and false narratives. A key component was practical exercises, including constructing arguments and responding to difficult, confrontational statements.

The training in Warsaw, led by Piotr Kwapisiewicz, a member of the Czulent Jewish Association, expanded on these issues in a national and operational context. The starting point was an analysis of the mechanisms of social polarization—both offline and in digital spaces—and their impact on the effectiveness of advocacy efforts. As in Brussels, the workshop was practical in nature. Participants practiced argumentation, responding to difficult statements, and designing messages in conflict situations. At the same time, they developed competencies related to values- and emotion-sensitive communication, which become crucial for maintaining dialogue and effectiveness in polarized environments.

Both trainings are part of a broader approach to advocacy in which the development of competencies is not an end in itself, but a component of building the capacity to drive lasting change. In conditions of increasing polarization, the ability to connect different communities, work with values, and conduct communication grounded in facts and relationships becomes one of the key conditions for effectively countering antisemitism and bias-motivated violence.