The first of the workshop series titled "Online non-formal training methods to combat hate speech" was held on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, under the facilitation of the Programs Director of Sofia Development Association Sevdalina Voynova. Based on the Positive Messengers project, which aims to combat online hate speech for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Europe, experiences about online tools and methods in combating hate speech were shared. Academicians, non-governmental organizations, private sector and media employees attended the workshop.

Voynova emphasized that the production and dissemination of online hate speech have increased since half of the world's population uses social media, and the source and reliability of information have become more ambiguous. She stated that this situation makes it necessary to use social media platforms and digital campaigns to combat hate speech. Underlining that campaigns and projects should target younger audiences who use social media more actively, Voynova said that it is important to attract young people's attention and to be popularized on the right platforms.

Stating that it is important to identify, report and advocate for combating hate speech, Voynova shared examples of the tools and methods they used in these processes. In the question and answer section of the workshop, she answered the questions of the participants from Turkey and concluded by emphasizing the importance of working together to combat hate speech.