The project aimed to strengthen the professional capacities of partner organizations by equipping staff, youth workers, and trainers with competences in gender education and non-formal methods, particularly through theater. By participating in 3 training events, they gained knowledge about gender identity, gender roles, and the impact of stereotypes, enabling them to combat gender-based violence (GBV), discrimination, and social exclusion. For young people, the project sought to: 1. Develop Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills through 9 workshops, empowering them to recognize and reject behaviors that perpetuate GBV and sexism. 2. Enhance digital citizenship skills by organizing a "3 Days of Activism" online campaign against cyber 2. harassment. 3. Foster empathy and collaboration through theater activities, encouraging a culture of gender equality and proactive engagement in addressing gender issues. By integrating these outcomes, the project addressed the needs of both organizations and target groups, building a sustainable framework for combating GBV and promoting gender equality.
We applied for this project to address the urgent need for professional development in gender education for youth workers, trainers, and educators. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, domestic and cyber violence increased significantly, exposing the lack of tools and competences among those working with youth to address gender-based violence (GBV) effectively. Extended use of digital devices led to a rise in cyber harassment. Surveys revealed that many victims did not report these incidents due to a lack of trust in adults or authorities. Meanwhile, strong gender prejudices were identified, some boys justifying violence as "how a man should behave" Partner organizations brought specific concerns: RomBel identified 300 young victims of cyber harassment A survey by ADI showed that 80% of harassment victims did not report incidents, citing a lack of trust in adults, NGOs, or authorities to take action TEKMED reported gender stereotypes and sexist attitudes among youth INPLANET highlighted the need to address harassment normalization and attitudes towards young people with disabilities This project aimed to equip youth workers with knowledge on gender and non-formal tools to empower young people to stand against GBV in real life& online