“Gender Equality – Make It Reality!”

Equality between men and women is one of the important features of the “Youth in Action” programme. Nevertheless, gender issues are very often ignored in the projects and youth work in general. Many forms of gender discrimination and sexisim still exist in society and are “silently accepted”. To promote the gender equality it is highly important for youth workers to be aware about such concepts as gender/sex, gender roles, gender stereotypes, gender mainstreaming and gender education. If youngsters are aware about gender equality already during the period when they are growing up, it is later on easier for them to require respect for gender equality also during employment and in relationship with others in the society.

The main aim of the training is to increase the awareness of gender issues in youth work by providing youth workers and youth leaders with competencies in planning, facilitation and evaluation of non-formal learning processes during their daily work with youngsters, where gender issues ARE respected and by planning gender mainstreaming in their work.