Gender Positive GP+

Gender Positive (GP+) project brought together youth workers, youth leaders and other professional working with youth, who are interested and ready to strengthen their competences and knowledge of gender and sexuality.

 

Within the transnational youth worker's training and networking project in the field of youth, 8 organizations from Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and United Kingdom created a space for 24 practitioners in youth work to challenge their understanding and knowledge on the main topics of this project proposal.

 

The youth worker's training course took place from November 11 to November 16, 2015 in Brežice, Slovenia. The primary purpose of this project was the construction of a space for dialogue between youth workers and other practitioners from different countries. As well as sharing of their knowledge on the subject of Gender and Sexuality in order to develop an overview of the status about the core topics of the proposed project in Europe.

 

Main topics addressed: Gender and sexuality, Gender equality, Equal opportunities, Sexual orientation, Sexual security, Sexual health, Gender stereotypes, Sexualisation of the media, advertising and objectification, Pornography.

 

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The group, made up of people with different backgrounds and cultures has been working intensively for a week in order to achieve a profound contribution. There were representatives of LGBT*IQA organizations, youth leaders, teachers and sociologists all involved in the struggle for gender equality.

 

The different levels of sensitivities present have been the most difficult challenge and at the same time the biggest potential of this meeting. Some participants enjoyed the opportunity to express for the first time their views on sensitive issues; others have deepened the complexity of some phenomena overcoming stereotypes and prejudices, while some of them have made the most of the methodologies of non-formal education offered by the trainers.

 

Each participant of the training course brought their expertise, skills and sensitivity; expressed in the first person, which created a meeting between life histories, values and ideas that we can define memorable.

 

The first step of the training represented the construction of shared rules for creating safe space in which all participants felt free to express themselves. This was essential in order to deal with sensitive issues such as gender stereotypes, sexuality and violence. In an escalation of emotions, the group went through the challenges and developed them problematizing it with passion, skills and courage.

 

We feel honest in saying that what happened in Brezice from 10th to 17th November 2015 was a revolution. Each of the participants, including trainers, received a deep personal enrichment and returned home bringing innovative views and concrete proposals for the future. From the group of GP + Gender Positive gets a great message against ignorance and violence, for the construction of a European culture of inclusion, equality and freedom.

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