Responding to European Policy, consultations with young people, research and current social movements in Western Society the project seeks to provide SRE (Sexual & Reproductive Education) to young people in youth work settings in-line with the EU Youth Strategy and to involve the youth work sector in Europe in policy initiatives related to SRE. The features of this SRE generated by this project is that it is empowering, based on a participatory curriculum development process, accessible and relevant to seldom-heard groups and aimed at youth leaders, volunteers and front-line youth workers as the main deliverers. This strategy seeks to position the resulting SRE pack as complementary to formal SRE education and also as broadly accessible and appropriate. The project seeks to make the resources accessible as possible through two strategies: The first is that one of the project partners is a network composed of 18 members from 16 countries and has the capacity to disseminate the outputs of this project across Europe . The second strategy is to provide a digital version of this tool, specifically aimed at Youth Information Services and to disseminate this through informal partnerships and networks across Europe. Finally, in addition to providing SRE based on best practice and the lived experiences of participants, the project seeks to influence policy through developing a Common SRE Objectives in Youth Work document that will be disseminated throughout Europe and actively promoted to relevant policy makers. This document will present a combination of the views of the youth sector across Europe and best practice findings in relation to empowering and rights-based SRE.
** The project was premised as a response to European Policy, consultations with young people, research and current social movements in Western Society which indicaed that SRE (Sexual & Reproductive Education) for young people in youth work settings needed to come into line with the EU Youth Strategy and to better involve the youth work sector in Europe in policy initiatives related to SRE. Speciically, our understanding was taht SRE materials needed to be rights based and address the multiple identities of young people. Our basic assumptions, based on initial research were that some countries in Europe were far advanced in supporting effectie SRE. While, a second cohort of countries, including Ireland were not. The project specifically targetted and engaged with this latter cohort through partnering with ECYC. ECYC unites 20 member organisations in 18 Council of Europe member states. Together, they reach 2 million young people in Europe every year. Further research that took place in the lifetime of the project (Sexulalty education in Europe and Central Asia, IPPF, 2019) evidenced our assumptions. According to the IPPF, 14 of 25 countries have comprehensive Sex Education with an increasing prevalence of rights - based approach. In 11 countries sex education is either simple biological information or non- existent. Further, analysis of the European memmbers of our partner ECYC found a strong overlap between these 14 countries and the 18 member states of ECYC. Further, taking a rights-based view, ECYC is remarkable for containing a high proportion of the lowest ranking member states in Europe in relation to protections and rights for LGBT+ young people including the lowest two ranked states overall. Focused engagement with ECYC provided an opportunity to: 1. Engage in participatory development to understand waht SRE materials wuld be fit for purpose in youth work settings in states were rights-based SRE was non-existent 2. Develop fit for purpose education pack and traning of trainers 3. Develop and deploy an online learning platform for SRE 4. Develop policy initatitives to bind ECYC members to implementing SRE education The report that follows details the steps taken to achive these outcomes, the indicators of success and the overall learning from developing and implementing these products.