Embrace Diversity
Start date: Aug 1, 2015,
End date: Jan 31, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) community face discrimination and harassment on a daily basis in many EU member states. These atrocities are often caused
by prejudices and misconceptions regarding homosexuality. FRA research showed that LGBT people face discrimination in all areas
of social and economic life, and are vulnerable to verbal and physical attacks.
Out of the 93,000 LGBT people who answered the online survey conducted by FRA, 26% had been attacked or threatened with
violence between 2007 and 2012 and 66% of them were afraid to hold hands in public with a same-sex partner. These numbers were
even higher for gay and bisexual men. The situation is especially alarming in the case of young people, with 80% of the respondents
recalling negative comments or bullying of LGBT youth in school.
There is a lack of cooperation throughout Europe when it comes to the topic of including members of the LGBT community into
society and it is the strong belief of Danish-Romanian Association and its partner organizations that the solution for this issue,
therefore, should come in the form of a widespread cooperation of organizations, program and partner countries alike.
A contact making event is the best way to start such a cooperation, as the participating organizations have a chance of learning
about each other’s aims and discover common interests. The event offers a platform to grow their networks with other organizations
involved in the same field from all over Europe and to start important collaborations, opening the much needed conversation about
LGBT inclusion and starting the process of finding a solution for the serious issue.
The aim of the project is to strengthen the cooperation of European organizations regarding the inclusion of LGBT community. It will
be reached through the following objectives:
- to provide an opportunity for the participants to form productive partnerships for working with the LGBT community
- to offer a platform to exchange ideas for potential future projects within the field
- to reflect upon homophobia and discrimination throughout Europe
- to discuss LGBT rights
- to explore the possibilities of the Erasmus+ program in order to be able to make a change.
By the end of the project, participants will gain knowledge on the Erasmus+ program which they can use in the future for
developing their own projects. They will also learn about the issue of the LGBT community throughout the whole of Europe in
comparison to their own countries. With the help of these information they will gain knowledge upon different practices on working
with the members of LGBT community in different countries and areas. By sharing their experiences, the participants will introduce
each other to the cultural impacts on the LGBT community in their respective communities.
The participants will have an extended knowledge on the state of the LGBT community in Europe, their hardships and rights. By
having better reflections on the seriousness and complexity of the situation, youth leaders will be inspired to take prompt action and
impact their immediate surroundings. Meanwhile, they will start working on the project proposals, having an international impact as
well. As they will gain new ideas from their work, they can further improve and find new ways to inspire other people. They will also
gather new knowledge and experience on Erasmus+ and the possibilities the program provides, thus having a new and efficient tool
at their disposal to make their work more comprehensive and effective.