Let's put on our intersectionality glasses! International training course on intersectionality for practitioners in the field of youth work!

When working with young people in communities, youth workers can face dilemmas and challenges. They are related to the complexity of people's backgrounds and identities, which will make us wonder:

• How can we address different aspects of identity and create empowering spaces?
• How can we deconstruct power relations and stereotypes?
• How can we be more aware of our own standpoint and position when working with others?

We put the word INTERSECTIONALITY on the table and invite you to explore it together. We invite people who work closely with youth to join the TC where you will have the opportunity to: 

• Explore your own identity and its relation to your work with young people;
• Find a practical application of the concept of intersectionality in your work as a youth worker/educator;
• Explore tools and methods to deal with the complexity of identities, discrimination, privilege and power, to develop new tools and to improve existing ones;
• Meet like-minded people and learn from the experiences of people from different countries.

What do we mean when we talk about intersectionality?

We can introduce the concept of intersectionality as an approach that helps to gain a deeper understanding of the different layers that make up a person's identity, such as gender, culture, religion, color, mental/physical/economic condition, sexuality, nationality.

Therefore, intersectionality allows us to understand that each person belongs to different and intersecting social groups and, as a result, may face different and overlapping types of discrimination. This is the concept proposed by Kimberlè Crenshaw, feminist activist and lawyer, and you can find the precise definition as it is part of gender studies. We are aware that there are different interpretations and applications of this concept that we can discuss and explore together and how intersectionality affects youth work and what kind of values we can bring to our activities.

What is the approach of our TC?

Intersectionality is the main characteristic of the approach we want to follow, being able to open a space for safe relationships and exploration of ourselves and the reality around us, where every contribution is welcome and useful for the learning process of the group.

Therefore our journey will take this path:

We aim to start the journey from a personal and group collective reflection on identity and how it influences the people you work with. Then we will put on the intersectionality glasses and explore our work/volunteering environment in order to become more aware of the hidden aspects. Finally we will move on to the tools we use, where we offer two days of laboratory practice to learn and unlearn methods and approaches useful for your community work back home.

We will link the journey concretely to your work within the European Youth Programmes and explore possibilities with this holistic approach. During the TC we will use non-formal education approaches to reflect on the multiple realities and identities that shape each participant. 

You can expect group activities, where you will do some group activities with other participants and then reflect to learn more about yourself and others. We also plan to use theater methods, such as the Theatre of the Oppressed. We will provide space and tools for reflection, such as the Four Lenses model. And of course we will encourage you to share your experiences and expertise with other participants and to learn from each other.

How will you, your youngsters and your organisation benefit from this training? 

After the TC you will take home:

• New knowledge about intersectionality;
• Self-reflection and inspiration;
• New concrete tools and approaches to use in your daily work; 
• Connections to the community of practice;
• transferring the knowledge to your projects within the European Youth Programmes;

and, of course, a pair of intersectionality glasses!

Who is on the TC team?

We are colleagues who met during the training of trainers and we are connected by our need to contribute in our communities, on a local and European dimension. We decided to work together on "intersectionality", letting our identities be linked by a common goal, finding great value in our personal origins, backgrounds and life choices as inspiration to address the issue of social inclusion and the challenges it poses.

Please find in the attachment a short describtion of the programme, a brief introduction to our individual stories, the kind of work we do and how we have moved on this journey.

This training course is the international training project within the long-term Training of Training course of the European Youth Programmes (ToT).