These previous weeks have seen the publication of several materials link to gender mainstreaming in Barcelona.
The Youth City Council with the support from the Municipality have develop some materials to support youth organisations to identify the level of gender perspective of their youth work. On this frames we would like to present here three of the most interesting materials. Continue reading New Developments in youth work
On the frames of the autumn meeting, AHEAD gathered its working group on gender mainstreaming to present the results of the strategic partnership implemented during these lasts months.
The project coordinators from Trajectorya and Ahead presented the results of the project including the website and its applications for users.
The youth workers from AHEAD found very useful the website concept and its content with very positive reaction to the thematic chapters proposed, the activities and the inclusion of the glossary.
As 
contribution to its development it was agreed that the contents of the website will be disseminated within the projects at local level. The proposed materials will be tested and feedback will be given to the authors. In this sense the coming course on human rights education for teachers currently in development is the first test to some of the methods.
On the other hand, it was indicated that this material, and specially the guidelines will be presented to the working group on gender of the Federation of NGOs (La Fede) in the next meeting as there is the need of developing a similar concept guidelines for the hundred and fourteen associated members. It is expected that this work will support its develop and give further feedback to the website.
On the frames of the exchange of best practices meeting in Vilnius, the group had the chance to visit the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
As defined in their site “The European Institute for Gender Equality is an autonomous body of the European Union, established to contribute to and strengthen the promotion of gender equality, including gender mainstreaming in all EU policies and the resulting national policies, and the fight against discrimination based on sex, as well as to raise EU citizens’ awareness of gender equality.
Equality between women and men is a fundamental value of the European Union. Therefore ‘Making equality between women and men a reality for all Europeans and beyond’ is our vision.”
On our visit the whole group of youth workers and activist from the seven partner countries were invited to visit the premises, the library and to meet personally the staff and the director of the Institute with whom we had a meeting.
Besides the presentation of the main challenges faced at European level and the work done by EIGE. The elements discussed with the director included some aspects which our group was missing in their work.
These included the surprise of non addressing gender identity and sexual orientation in the frames of their projects, the need of de-constructing binarism and the need to address masculinities as a tool to achieve effective gender equality and equity.
Recognising these deficits the main argument from EIGE was to “accommodate different sensibilities” of the different governments at EU level, what makes their work more delicate.
One of the interesting features in their work and in the website is the inclusion of best practices on gender mainstreaming. There is a list of inspiring projects taking place around Europe that could be potentially used as educational tools for further inspiration. You can find them here.
The Exchange of Best practices Meeting is hosted in Vilnius (Lithuania) by the National Institute of Social Integration, from the 23rd April till the 30th April 2016.
The event is held in the frames of the Strategic Partnership “Boys don’t Cry…? Mainstreaming Gender in Youth Work” and brings together experienced practitioners, youth workers and educators with best practices, projects and workshops, promoting gender mainstreaming through youth work.
The aim of the Boys don’t cry project is to develop and transfer educational tools and organisational practices to de-construct gender roles and stereotypes in youth work achieving a long lasting effect beyond a single course.
The concrete objectives of this event are:
To exchange best practices, raise awareness and develop mainstreaming gender competences through non-formal education methodologies;
To revise approaches and guidelines that supports the role of youth work in promoting gender equality;
To develop ideas for incorporating gender perspective in youth work and to promote the Erasmus+ programme.
The results of this event will contribute to the creation of gender mainstreaming educational materials.
AHEAD has submitted the project “Re-Thinking Masculinities” aimed at educators and youth workers with the main objective is the development of competences and the exchange of best practices aimed at mainstreaming gender in youth work.
The current proposal is the direct follow up of initiatives developed previous years by the Association of Human Rights Educators and its partners on the frames of the youth work mainstreaming gender. On these previous experiences it became obvious that it was essential to provide tools, guidelines and methodological proposals to incorporate young male into gender equality youth work.
This proposal responds to the ongoing follow up of these activities.
Through using human rights education and non-formal education methodological approaches, the course specific objectives are:
– To explore how gender roles are constructed and how social conventions impose specific norms for masculinities and femininities in diverse communities.
– To introduce gender mainstreaming methodologies and implement approaches and activities that support the role of youth work actively contributing to de-construct sexist attitudes.
– To develop youth work tools and ideas for incorporating gender mainstreaming specially addressing youth work with boys and young male at community level mainstreaming gender in youth work at the community level;
As concrete results of this mobility we expect to train twenty five Euro-Mediterranean facilitators, the creation of guidelines and of educational tools (modules based on the principles of non-formal education) in order to enhance the participation of young men in the deconstruction of gender roles and sexist attitudes.