#Somtu wins President's call for projects against extremism

A project entitled #somtu (#I'mhere) sponsored by Veronika Pavlíková Klindová was the winner of a competition to fight extremism called by Slovak President Andrej Kiska. The project that finished on top of 139 submitted bids focuses on changing the course of online debates from negative and even hateful to positive and to offer a fact checking platform on a variety of topics that are prone to disinformation such as European Union, NATO, Roma ethnics, migrants and so on. "The purpose is to mobilise the silent majority and to infuse debates with decency, facts and empathy so that non-hateful views - which carry messages - will also filter through to people," said Pavlíková Klindová. Within two months, the project has recorded hundreds of comments. Boasting 2,000 members, #somtu cooperates with nine non-profit organisations. The members of the winning team will be able to accompany the president on one of his foreign trips, giving them an opportunity to familiarise themselves more closely with top-notch innovations, research and start-ups.