ABOUT THE PROJECT
EquAlley 2021-1-ES01-KA220-SCH-000032603
WHY?
Gender-based violence is one of the most important social issues, and street harassment is a serious problem that exposes gender inequality experiences by many girls and women every day. EquAlley aims to create a free, safe and equal environment for women. The priority of the project activities was to engage young people and invite them to discuss prevention and coping with street violence. Spreading knowledge turned out to be crucial for us, and including the voice of the young generation and getting to know their perspective allowed us to create educational materials that meet the needs and expectations of the recipients. An extremely important aspect of our discussions concerned not only ways of preventing, but above all, ways of coping with violence by people experiencing it and those who became a random observer, a witness. Each of them, regardless of the position they have found themselves in, can act and react. The educational materials we have prepared are a reliable and modern study that responds to contemporary problems that young people may experience. The package of materials we propose offers ready-made methodological solutions supporting the work of teachers.
HOW?
The educational materials we have prepared are the result of teamwork between researchers and educators. Thanks to focus interviews conducted with people who work with young people on a daily basis, we reconstructed the way in which street violence was defined by the respondents, as well as the ways in which educators dealt with this problem in the school space. Conversations with experienced educators enabled us to develop outlines for working with young people on street violence and gender stereotypes. The training materials we have developed are intended to support and encourage educators to raise awareness of prevention and intervention in situations of experiencing and/or observing violence in public spaces. In addition, the discussion on stereotypes, gender inequality and the consequences of being stuck in established (harmful) patterns regarding social roles assigned to gender constitutes a very important component of the training resources we have prepared.
Outcomes:
RESEARCH
The first outcome of the project is a booklet on street harassment as a form of gendered violence. It is based on results of the research conducted with educators. Empirical material was collected in each partner country, which makes our perspective even broader, as it reaches into the experiences of people working with youth in various European countries. Based on good practices and comparative analysis, we have developed a new model of working with young people on street violence. A problem that has not been explored much in the educational space so far has motivated us to prepare a package of materials for educators to use in their work with the youth.
COURSE
The second outcome – the course – is the core of the EquAlley project. As part of this phase, an educational blended-learning course for young people aged 12-16 has been created. The course consists of three parts: the first, intended for representatives of all genders forming one group/class. Participants will be jointly introduced to the topic and encouraged to exchange opinions on gender roles, norms and stereotypes. It is expected that this exchange will create empathy and change the perspective of perception of social roles based on gender among young people, as well as raise their awareness of the consequences of harmful use of stereotypes.
The next part of the course is designed specifically in terms of gender, due to the high sensitivity of the topic and the need to focus the content on the differences between male (part two of the course) and female (part three) youth. Non-binary/queer students will be able to choose to participate in one of the groups or not participate at all. In the "male" group, the main focus of the course will be on teaching and exploring masculinity, sexism, and how to become an ally in situations where gender-based violence occurs, especially street harassment. Boys will learn how to respond to street violence.
In the "female" group the focus will be on exploring (stereotypical) gender roles, teaching and promoting self-efficacy, self-sufficiency and ways to cope/respond to street harassment.
The aim is to sensitise participants to discriminatory behaviours and harmful attitudes, prevent them and provide tools to deal with them. This two-dimensional approach is innovative in itself and is the first to include an important aspect of street harassment in educational programmes focused on gender inequality.
GUIDE
The third outcome of the project is a methodological guide for educators working with young people aged 12-16, facilitating the implementation of the course. The guide aims to support educators. It contains important information on gender roles, norms and stereotypes, as well as street harassment as a form of gender-based violence (for example, information collected in focus groups, as well as a glossary of terms characterising the topic). It is available in English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and Polish.
On behalf of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, the project activities in Poland are managed by Dr Wanda Baranowska, the executors include Dr Justyna Ratkowska-Pasikowska and Dr Gabriela Dobińska.