WORKING WITH QUEER YOUTH

Queer young people experience risk of discrimination, bullying, hate speech and hate crimes at a higher rate than other young people throughout Europe. Which also puts them at a higher mental health risk and creates an environment of harder struggle in shaping their own identity and trying to develop a sense of belonging, bodily autonomy and self-determination (according to FRA 2019 LGBTI II Survey).

Youth workers can be a bridge for queer youth in accessing and/or creating safer spaces such as collectives, events and support groups. For this, youth workers need a broader understanding of queer experiences and the resources that are available to them locally and internationally.

The European Charter on Local Youth Work states that community building and strengthening local communities is a core value for youth workers. We believe that this approach can benefit queer young people by connecting them to, and supporting local communities. Therefore, this training course aims at developing youth workers competences and insights into queer and LGBTIQ+ youth and community experiences, in order for them to create safer spaces for queer young people through empathy, community resources and supportive allyship.

Objectives:

• To understand better what role could youth workers play in the lives of queer young people.
• To empower youth workers to become strong allies for queer youth, through direct support and/or the ability to access external resources.
• To learn about the complexities of LGBTIQ+ and Queer experiences.
• To deconstruct personal biases regarding gender and sexual identities.
• To understand the challenges that young queers could face and how they shape their lives and communities.
• To look into our practices critically and asses how supportive they can be for queer youth
• To plan how to integrate more inclusive practices in our local context

The activity consists of two events:

Online kick off: 9th of May 2023, 18.00 - 19.30 CET

Training course: 16th - 21st of May 2023 (travel days included) in Vilnius

At the end of the training, the participants will:

• Be able to reflect on their own biases about queer identity.
• Understand the challenges and complexities of LGBTIQ+ and Queer communities.
• Be able to reflect on the ally role among youth co-workers by using approaches and methods developed during the training.
• Have knowledge about queer theory and how to use it as a tool to better combat the prejudice that queer people face.
• Acknowledge the crucial role of youth workers in supporting queer young people and empathizing with them.
• Know how to create more inclusive practices within their own local context

Criteria for participants:

• Above 18 years old.
• Ability to understand and communicate in English.
• Youth work practitioners, youth work volunteers, trainers, facilitators.
• Other educators interested in the topic (teachers, advisors, peer educators,...)
• This is not a training for queer youth workers specifically, it’s meant for anyone working with youth;
• and interested in reflecting on how youth work practices can cater for queer youth needs.

Methodology and approach:

The course methodology in this training is based on experiential learning and non-formal education, aiming to create an atmosphere where participants can learn from each other (peer learning) and feel empowered to share their experiences, reflect and critically examine their practice. A specific focus will be given to the queer community organizing, resources, practices and their transferability to youth work.