Mind The Gap
Start date: Jun 1, 2016,
End date: Feb 28, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Mind The Gap appeared during an open space activity within the frame of a Study Visit for trainers and multipliers active in the EuroMed field, held in Morocco in September 2014.After sharing all the topics we deal with during our work, especially in the EuroMed context, how it would be better to develop future projects based on real needs and considering that many forms of discrimination and violence related to gender and sexuality still prevail in our societies in Europe as well as Mediterranean Neighboring countries, we agreed to work on gender issues and sexuality. During the last year, we firstly analized how, in most cases, young people and youth workers lack on the awareness about gender and sexuality-based violence and do not know enough on how its mechanisms work. Afterwards, we worked for By Pass some obstacoles (by considering, for example, tha Omosexuality and LGBT organizations are considered illegal in the North Africa Countries) and we started to cooperate in order to plan and put in action the project Mind the Gap. As a multi-action project, Mind the Gap will take place in Lecce (Italy), and will involve participants from 10 different countries (Italy, France, Malta, Spain, Greece, Tunisia, Israel, Morocco, Jordan, and Lebanon). Specifically:- A TC to be implemented in September 2016 which will involve 2 trainers + 3 participant from each partner (30 youth leaders, youth workers and social workers);- A YE to be implemented in December 2016 which will involve 4 participants with fewer Social opportunities +1 leader group for each partner (50 participants).“Mind the Gap” follows the following specific Objectives:- in the TC phase: to develop the competences and knowledge of people working with youngsters in order to act as advocates of greater gender equality in their communities by using non-formal learning approach and tools;- in the YE phase: to test the effectiveness of the tools and metodologies acquired during the TC phase during the cooperation and the participation to Salento LGBT Festival.Coherently with the programme Erasmus+, during the TC and the YE, all methodologies will promote active participation and active learning of participants. The TC is based on learning by doing methodology, which means that participants will learn about non formal education by experiencing it directly and not by just by receiving information. Anyway, information sessions will be also integrated during the whole project in an interactive way. The main methodological approaches to be used are: Reciprocal Maieutic Approach, experiential learning, cooperative learning, participation and peer learning. The main methods we implemented were: brainstorming, team building and energizers, presentations, world café, Open Space Tecnology.The YE will be based on specific and targeted activities based on learning by doing methdologies. During the YE, participants will create different kinds of communication material on the Topic that will be tested and disseminated during the Salento LGBT Festival. In order to produce this material the project forsees the following activities: activities of mutual dialogue, exchange of personal realities in terms of discrimination against LGBT people, Group discussion, thematic workshops for the creation of the campaign, Role Play, Simulation Game, Problem Solving, visit to LGBT Realities working in Lecce, specific activities used as a group dynamic in order to find common points about the violation of the rights of LGBT people and to stimualte the creation of new ideas and follow ups.The result of the TC phase is going to be a Training Hand-Book that will be created which will include the most crucial theoretical inputs on the topic, information about the gender issues in our 10 countries and also tools that could be used for promoting gender equality at the local level. We would publish it also in SALTO Toolbox. Thus, the results from our training could be used also in other youth-work contexts and in different communities, as it is planned to be written in a simple language and designed in a youth-friendly way.The result of the Youth Exchange will be a campaign against the Homophobic Speech that will integrate the production of audio-video Products, photograpy and flash mobs to be shared at local and international level as a message of tollerance and inclusion thanks the support of the NO HATE SPEECH MOVEMENT.In a longer-term perspective we expect the young people and youth workers involved to be more gender-aware and sensitive, in oder to be able to detect situations and contexts where gender-based discrimination and violence occur and to take proper action for promote gender equality both locally, nationally as well as in EU-SMC contexts. By increasing knowledge, changing attitudes, developing skills and acquiring innovative tools, we expect the partner organizations and participants from EU and SMC to be able to involve young people in being change-makers.