UP End Hate (Unite. Prevent. End Hate) is a nationwide initiative that equips young people ages 12 to 22 with the skills and resources they need to prevent hate-based violence in their communities. Designed by youth, for youth, UP End Hate teaches young people what hate looks like online and offline, how to intervene, what the warning signs are, and when to seek help from a trusted adult. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the UP End Hate pilot program reached a broad youth audience with age-appropriate, hate-fueled violence prevention materials that were informed by a national Youth Advisory Council. UP End Hate’s materials are free, nonpartisan, and simple to implement.

Research shows that peers play a critical role in violence prevention, as they are often aware of attack plans before they occur. According to findings from the Safe School Initiative, in 81% of school shooting cases, at least one person was aware of the planned attack prior to its occurrence and in 93% of these cases, the person who was aware of a planned attack was a peer. Despite this, few resources exist to directly empower youth to speak up and seek help when they are concerned about one of their peers. Eradicate Hate, in partnership with Community Matters, The Reilly Group, and Moonshot created UP End Hate to fill this gap.

In its first year, UP End Hate launched a website of comprehensive resources, receiving over 33,000 visitors with 92% of viewers finding the content useful, targeted ad campaigns on YouTube and Reddit received 6.2 million impressions and helped drive traffic to the website, and 334 students from middle and high schools nationwide completed upstander trainings with Community Matters’ Safe School Ambassadors (SSA) program. Two students who participated in the training promptly reported seeing a gun in a fellow student’s backpack, averting a potential attack.

The project was initially funded by a Department of Homeland Security Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant.