Empowering Young People and Youth Workers to Become Active Upstanders in the Prevention of Violence Towards LGBTQI+ People in the Digital Era

Programme(s): Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme-REC Programme 2014-2020

Topic(s): REC-RDIS-DISC-AG-2019

Type of action: REC Action Grant

Funded under: Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme

Project ID: 881918

Objective: The prevention of violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ people is an urgent challenge in European societies. Initiatives such as the List of actions to advance LGBTI equality (2015) or the Council conclusions on LGBTI equality (2016) have set the pathway and action guidelines to fight against this problem in different social spheres. Young people and professionals working with them have a decisive role to play in the social transformation that is required to combat these forms of discrimination. This project aims to make progress in the training of secondary education teachers and staff working in youth organisations in different fields (leisure-time, political participation and civic engagement, sports, students’ organisations, etc.) to improve their knowledge and skills to better address the prevention of violence towards LGBTQI+ people, with an emphasis on the prevention of situations of violence and discrimination faced by intersex or transgender young people. The project’s approach will be twofold. On the one hand, the project will rely on the power of ‘upstander’ intervention, which seek to involve peers as agents of change in the prevention and resolution of situations of violence and discrimination. On the other hand, the project will pay close attention to the role of social media and digital technologies as key tools to engage young people. The project foresees the creation of a transnational network of professionals, and the design of training materials addressed to teachers and staff in youth organisations, which will allow them to give a more effective response to situations of violence towards LGBTQI+ people in their schools and organizations. Ultimately, the project is aimed to empower staff and young people to become active upstanders committed to helping create more positive and inclusive environments for the youth, free of any form of discrimination, prejudice, hate and violence against LGBTQI+ people.