Promoting Good Practice – Challenging Homophobia in Education
LGBT Youth Scotland, in partnership with Legebitra have been funded to deliver an EU wide project to share best practice examples of challenging homophobia within education. The project ’promoting good practice—challenging homophobia within education’ has been funded by the DG JLS, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship programme and will work with LGBT NGO’s and national governments in every Member State over 2010 –2011.
Why are we doing this work?
In 2006 LGBT Youth Scotland carried out research which demonstrated that both LGBT young people, teacher and education departments felt that LGBT issues were missing from the Scottish curriculum and school environment. This research informed the development of an education toolkit resource ‘Dealing with Homophobia and Homophobic Bullying in Schools: A Toolkit for Teachers’. This toolkit was developed by LGBT Youth Scotland, along with Learning and Teaching Scotland – the official Scottish education body, funded by the Scottish Government.
The findings from the Scottish research is echoed in the report Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identify in the EU Member States Part II: The Social Situation. This report shows significant evidence that discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in education settings takes place in the form of homophobic bullying and harassment. In fact LGBT NGOs in every Member State commented that issues around sexual orientation are invisible in schools and there is a distinct lack of positive representation within curriculum resources.
With the knowledge that education is not an inclusive environment or experience for LGBT young people not only in Scotland but all across the EU member states, this project is crucial to share the strategies LGBT Youth Scotland have used to develop best practices, supported by national government, teachers and school pupils across Scotland.
What do we want to achieve?
This project is a continuation of the work carried out in Scotland and will be delivered in partnership with Legebitra – a Slovenian LGBT NGO working with young people and the wider LGBT community. The project aims to:
Make EU member states more confident to develop strategies to combat homophobia within education settings
The delivery of the project will consist of five key stages:
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Research – a literature review of current material as well as the delivery of new research with LGBT NGO’s and member states Education Departments/Ministries
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Youth involvement – utilising the UNCRC as a framework to explore a young person’s right to education and experiences for LGBT young people in schools (this element will be carried out in both Scotland and Slovenia)
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Education pilot in Slovenia – using the strategies developed in Scotland, Legebitra will pilot similar work with the education ministry and local schools
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Resource development – A user friendly toolkit will be produce for all member states wishing to explore how partnerships between education departments/ministries and NGOs can tackle homophobia more effectively in education settings
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Conference – LGBT Youth Scotland will host a three day conference in Scotland, which will be fully funded and have space for 60 delegates from LGBT NGOs/Education Ministries
How can you get involved?
We are currently looking for representatives from LGBT NGO’s within EU Member States and representatives from Education Ministries within EU Member States to take part in the consultation and research stage of this project.
If appropriate these representatives will be offered a place at the project conference in Scotland, April 2011.
The consultation process has now closed, if you are a representative from an Education Ministry or LGBT NGO and wish to take part in the next stage of research but have not filled in the questionnaire, please contact esther.paterson@lgbtyouth.org.uk
If you have any questions or comments about the project please contact esther.paterson@lgbtyouth.org.uk
For more info about Legebitra please go to: http://www.drustvo-legebitra.si/
This project has been made possible with financial support from the EU’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme 2009 - 2010
