Dare to be Grey is many things; an organisation, a campaign, a platform, a movement. Regardless of what we call ourselves, there’s one key element that binds all of these identities together: our mission to elevate the Grey Middle Ground to a higher stage.
We do this both online and offline, through researching and sharing inspiring stories on our platform, and by facilitating debates, events, trainings and workshops.
Polarisation, disinformation, and hate are on the rise. This black-and-white worldview can lead to a downward spiral of division and alienation, and cause us-versus-them narratives. At Dare to be Grey, we work towards the prevention of this in society.
Our mission is twofold:
Creating awareness about the dynamics and pitfalls of polarisation, disinformation, and hate.
Providing positive alternatives where they are needed.
These two elements reinforce each other: the more we know about the underlying dynamics, the stronger our alternative narrative is.
At Dare to be Grey we are always looking to do justice to both elements in all our activities.
Jordy Nijenhuis is a storyteller, campaigner, consultant and trainer. He is the co-founder of Dare to be Grey, is involved in a variety of campaigns, and trains media professionals from all over the world in (social media) campaigning, storytelling and countering radicalisation, hate speech and disinformation. He believes that media is a powerful tool for behavioural change, and that we need new creative approaches to achieve fundamental change.
Laura Bucher is a researcher in the field of conspiracy theories and the psychological mechanisms behind them. Laura is originally from Italy, has a background in Psychology, and has pursued a Master's in Neuroscience & Cognition at Utrecht University. Her previous research was focused on investigating how science communication could better challenge conspiracy theories dissemination.
Dare to be Grey works with a network of trusted contributors including writers, experts, and content creators from Are We Europe, the European Observatory of Online Hate, and the Media Development Collective. If you have an idea for an article, opinion piece, multi-media story, or anything outside the box that fits with our mission, please email us at info@dtbg.nl.
Image credits to Eddie Stok at Are We Europe.
Dare to be Grey was founded at the beginning of 2016 by a group of students from Utrecht University, who wanted to see more nuance in the heated debates concerning the European refugee crisis. The original campaign was met with critical acclaim and a collective sigh of relief amongst the initial audiences. Within a couple of months, Dare to be Grey was mentioned by several Dutch news outlets, won an international competition in Washington D.C., and was proclaimed the Dutch ‘Embassy of Tolerance 2016’.
From this unique student collective, a permanent team of professionals arose to carry on Dare to be Grey’s mission. In the beginning of 2018, the Foundation of Dare to be Grey was officially created to oversee the various activities of the platform and the campaign.
Over the years, Dare to be Grey has worked on a number of different projects, with a range of partners all over Europe. Our projects are in both English and Dutch.
The European Observatory of Online Hate is tasked with conducting a two-year investigation into and reporting on the fundamental nature of the dynamics of online hate, how hate manifests itself, the connections between the perpetrators and their influence as well as disinformation strategies.
Find more information on the website here.
Grensverleggers is a challenging program for young people who want to improve themselves and their neighbourhood. Participants receive training in leadership, dialogue, and collaboration; after which they are challenged to set up new, connecting initiatives — in their own environment.
Read more on the website. Please note the video below is in Dutch.
Project Grey aims to oppose online and offline polarisation by amplifying opinions of the ‘grey middle’. Campaigners, data analysts and social workers join hands to combat polarisation and the processes of radicalisation that stem from it.
This project has now concluded, but you can find out more on the website.
Dare to be Grey were the winners of the 2016 Facebook Global Digital Challenge. The aim was to design, pilot, implement and measure the success of a social or digital initiative, product or tool designed to push back on hate and violent extremism.
Dare to be Grey works with all these fabulous partners. Click on their logos to head to their websites for more information.
Dare to be Grey officially registered as a Foundation on the 8th of January, 2018. The Foundation’s primary goal is to support the nuanced middle ground in polarised debates and situations, and as a secondary goal, to pursue any other possible activities that would further promote the Foundation’s primary goal. The Board is comprised of three members: Prof. dr. Jacco Pekelder (Chair), Susan Verstegen (Treasurer), and Jorrit Steehouder (Secretary). You can read more about Stichting Dare to be Grey in Dutch.
Dare to be Grey is registered at:
Castellum 1
2652HZ Berkel en Rodenrijs
The Netherlands
CoC-number: 70564116
We only respond to digital correspondence at info@dtbg.nl
