From February to September 2024, we are implementing the project "West Pomerania for acceptance and equality", which aims to strengthen local communities to promote the provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR) on equality, in particular non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and thus to prevent and combat violence against LGBTQ+ people and to increase the effectiveness of crisis support for LGBTQ+ children and adults - victims of violence on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
As part of the project, we are conducting the following activities:
- workshops for parents of LGBTQ+ people on protection and defense against discrimination and violence
- workshops for local communities living in 5 localities in the West Pomeranian region on the CFR, in particular on taking action for non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity
- providing support for adult LGBTQ+ people - from the Foundation's team, dealing with support activities
The project is co-financed by the European Commission under the "Building Bridges - Civic Capital in Local Communities" project, implemented from the CERV program funded by the European Commission under the "Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values" program for 2021-2027.
Funded by the EU. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
News
We are starting the West Pomerania for acceptance and equality project! In the coming months, we will be conducting educational activities for parents of LGBTQ+ people and local communities from the West Pomeranian region. We will undergo training on conducting educational workshops, and our support team will benefit from individual support and group supervisions. Our project aims to increase equality and promote acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in our region.
In February (15.02) and March (15.03) we held trainings on conducting educational workshops for parents and local communities. We thank Maja Wencierska, a psychologist, sexologist, and therapist with many years of experience in conducting workshops and trainings, for answering our questions and doubts about conducting educational meetings.
In February (18.02) and March (17.03) educational workshops for parents of LGBT+ people were held at our headquarters. We talked about how to protect and defend LGBT+ people against discrimination and violence, what EU international standards deal with counteracting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, and how parents, who are a very important group of potential allies, can support and enforce the rights of LGBT+ people in cases of their violation.
17 people (3 men and 14 women) took part in the workshops in February, and 9 (1 man and 8 women) in March. On April 21, another workshop was held, attended by 9 women. In oral feedback, parents indicated that the most important thing for them is shaping accepting attitudes in the school, neighborhood, and professional environment, and overcoming fears related to counteracting discrimination.
In March, we also held the first supervision meeting for our support team. It turned out to be very important for the evaluation of our support and intervention activities, it allowed us to express doubts and difficulties we face when providing support to queer people.
On 13.05.2024, educational workshops for the local community of Czaplinek were held at the Czaplinek Cultural Center. The workshops lasted 3 hours and were attended by 11 people (4 men and 7 women). During the workshops, we talked about the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and what rights of LGBTQ+ people result from it, we explored issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity, primarily focusing on how each of us can counteract discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in our environment.
In their feedback, the participants indicated that they were not aware of and did not have knowledge about the scale of violence against LGBT+ people and to what extent discrimination and violence affect their functioning. They stressed that their knowledge about counteracting discrimination and relevant international documents on equality has significantly increased. They declared their commitment and participation in future activities.
In May, educational workshops for parents of LGBT+ people were also held. 7 people (6 women and 1 man) took part in them. We talked about how to protect and defend LGBT+ people from discrimination and violence, what international EU standards deal with counteracting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, and how parents, who are a very important group of potential allies, can support and enforce the rights of LGBT+ people in cases of their violation.
In June (23.06.2024), 7 people (6 women and 1 man) took part in the workshops. For many of the participants, it was the first such educational meeting and we devoted part of the workshops to explaining basic concepts related to sexual orientation and gender identity, due to the need reported at the beginning of the workshops. For the first time, we also experienced a situation where participants indicated the need to be directed to psychological help, due to high emotions and crisis related to the experience of discrimination by their children, and difficulties with accepting non-normative sexual orientation or gender identity.
In July (21.07.2024), during the workshops for parents of LGBT+ people, we focused on what rights protect LGBT+ people in Poland and what actions parents can take to support local and national advocacy for ensuring the rights of the LGBT+ community and how to shape allied attitudes in their environment. 7 people (5 women and 2 men) took part in the workshops.
In August (25.08.2024), 5 people (4 women and 1 man) took part in the workshops. During these workshops, in addition to discussing the Charter of Fundamental Rights, we talked about inclusive language, stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination. Some participants appeared at the workshops again, justifying their presence with the need to increase knowledge, but also to integrate with other parents of LGBT+ people who are struggling with similar problems.
In September, we conducted workshops in Drawsko Pomorskie, Wałcz, and Pełczyce.
On September 13, we conducted workshops at the Educational and Therapeutic Center in Drawsko Pomorskie. The turnout exceeded our wildest expectations - 65 people (60 women and 5 men) took part in the workshops. We touched upon not only legal issues or psychological support for LGBTQ+ youth, but also discussed barriers in social awareness, lack of acceptance, or even discrimination by the closest people or peers. There were many questions and examples, especially from teachers with longer experience, for which we are very grateful.
The workshops in Wałcz (17.09) took place at the Wałcz Cultural Center, with 10 people (8 women and 2 men) participating. During the workshops, the participants shared the difficulties they experience in their daily lives when supporting LGBTQ+ people, the reactions of their immediate environment, and the discrimination that LGBTQ+ people experience in their town; we talked about national and international law, how to support people belonging to marginalized groups. The Mayor of Wałcz, Maciej Żebrowski, also took part in the meeting.
On September 23, we organized workshops at the Municipal-Gmina Cultural Center in Pełczyce. 10 people (9 women and 1 man) took part in the workshops. The residents of Pełczyce were most interested in issues concerning knowledge about psychosexual orientations and gender identities, as well as information about the impact of discrimination on mental health, the functioning of LGBTQ+ youth in schools and the family environment, and what tools they can use to increase awareness and acceptance in their environment.
On September 29, the last workshop for parents of LGBTQ+ people took place. 7 people took part, all participants were women. The participants pointed to the importance of such workshops due to their educational and integration dimension. Parents who came to the workshops more than once particularly pointed out how important it is for them to be able to get to know each other and meet as an allied group.
In August and September, the support team also had three supervision meetings with a psychologist and benefited from individual psychological consultations. The possibility of psychological support and group supervision was very important for us to strengthen ourselves both individually as people providing support, and as a team of people who provide support for various beneficiaries.
After the end of the project, we took part in the II National Congress of Local Cooperation (10-11.10). We thank you for the opportunity to participate in the event, interesting debates, the opportunity to meet local groups and organizations that work for human rights and for the inspiration from initiatives undertaken by the Grantees!
