Reinforced and upgraded youth group methodology on building healthy relationships

Background When children move into early adolescence, they begin to take on new gender roles, often reinforcing socially and culturally conventional gender norms related to being women or men. Harmful gender norms, beliefs and stereotypes have significant implications for both girls and boys in terms of early school leaving, unwanted teenage pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted infection risk, exposure to all kinds of violence, bullying in schools, which can lead to depression, substance abuse and suicide. It is crucial that countries address gender inequality, violence and healthy relationships in early adolescence. It is crucial that countries address gender inequality, violence and healthy relationships in early adolescence. To answer these identified needs, through the adaptation and piloting of the Youth Group Methodology (YGM), developed by MARTA Center, as well as through qualitative and quantitative research in the field of youth well-being and violence, the Re-GROUP project addressed the needs of youth (ages 12-18) in relation to rising awareness on gender equality questions, transforming harmful gender norms, thus reducing the risk factors for youth becoming victims or perpetrators of interpersonal violence. Objectives By implementation of this project, project partners aimed to achieve several goals: - reducing the risk factors for youth becoming victims or perpetrators of violence by strengthening their competencies of building healthy interpersonal relationships through experiencing YGM; - building capacities in the field of youth work through improved awareness of all forms of violence, experienced among and towards youth, and offering concrete methodologies, to prevent and combat it. - creating data-backed policy recommendations, and promoting the project's results across youth and youth workers' communities across Europe. Intervention sites of YGM implementation have raised awareness and increased sensitivity towards violence, acquired methods and educational tools on how to address a variety of topics, important for youth. Policy makers engaged through dissemination activities and presentation of national policy recommendations were invited and advised to critically analyze existing situations in local and national level and thus taking needed steps towards combating violence among and towards youth in local communities. All project activities worked towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals #4, #5 and #16. Implementation The Re-GROUP project implemented various activities to achieve its objectives. These activities included: - Adapting and piloting the Youth Group Methodology (YGM) in several communities in each partner country. - Conducting two international (one online and one in-person) youth worker trainings to improve competencies and support research efforts for the project. - Conducting national youth worker workshops (Multiplier Events) in every country to engage an even bigger number of youth workers and educators with the YGM. - Conducting extensive qualitative and quantitative research on the well-being and violence in youth in the partner countries. - Creating policy recommendations together with a wide network of actors in the field of youth, with which to address the policy framework as it relates to youth and their well-being (including violence prevention). - Promoting the topic and the project results across youth and youth workers’ communities across Europe via four National Multiplier events, an International conference, and many informal meetings with stakeholders, as well as with a broad spectrum of activities online. Achievements The concrete outputs and results of the Re-GROUP project include: 1. National Youth Group Methodologies (available in English, Latvia, Spanish, Romanian and Bulgarian languages) 2. National research on violence and well-being in youth (Research summary available in English, Latvia, Spanish, Romanian and Bulgarian languages) 3. National and EU-level policy recommendations (available in English, Latvia, Spanish, Romanian and Bulgarian languages) All Intellectual Outputs can be accessed and downloaded in the project webpage: https://regroup-project.eu/