Bystander to Upstander: Building a Culture of Intervention is an international Erasmus+ project led by Fairspace (Netherlands) and Status M (Croatia). The project was created to address one of today’s most pressing challenges: online harassment and gender-based violence
Online harassment is any form of unwanted, harmful, or threatening behavior that takes place in digital spaces. It can happen on social media, in group chats, during online gaming, or through direct messages.
Some examples include:
- Offensive or discriminatory comments (sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist, etc.)
- Spreading rumors or sharing private information without consent
- Exclusion from online groups or threads
- Cyberbullying, trolling, or coordinated attacks
- Sexual harassment or unwanted sexual messages
While harassment may start online, its impact is deeply felt offline. Online harassment is often rooted in the same inequalities that exist offline, like gender- based violence, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, islamophobia, ableism and other forms of discrimination and oppression. These forms of violence are interconnected and reinforce one another. This toolkit supports young people in identifying these patterns and standing up to them.
Young people who experience online harassment often feel fear, shame, and isolation. It can lead to high levels of stress, interfere with schoolwork, damage friendships and trust, and, in many cases, result in long-term trauma such as anxiety or depression. These experiences don’t stay online but rather affect a person’s mental health, sense of safety, and overall well-being in everyday life.
Together, Fairspace and our partner Status M developed this toolkit to empower young people, youth workers, and educators to take action against online harassment. By combining Fairspace’s practical bystander training expertise with Status M’s gender-transformative approach, this toolkit offers methods that are practical, inclusive, and youth- centered.
Find the toolkit here.
