Rainbow Youth 2.0

Background The reasoning behind this project was based on the fact that an increasing number of young people openly identify themselves as LGBTIQ+. This creates challenges for youth workers as they are often not equipped with the tools they need to work with this population, being uncertain, unable, or even uncomfortable to answer the specific needs of this group. The need for this project was also driven by feedback received from our practice. Prior to project preparation we had delivered several KA1 Rainbow Youth training courses and we had: - specific feedback as part of the evaluations of those courses - our analysis of frequently asked questions and issues on our community of practice page - answers to a follow-up survey which we conducted in early 2020 From this feedback, we discovered strongly that youth workers didn’t just need the knowledge or the understanding of the experiences, but they also needed to be able to practically apply this to their own contexts and to be able to relate these issues within their existing frame of reference in order to move away from it being seen as specialised work, to a new understanding that LGBTIQ+ inclusive youth work is something that can be delivered well within existing youth work structures. Objectives The project’s main aim was to promote the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ youth through creation of understanding and inclusive youth work experiences and spaces. The project had the following objectives: 1) To increase youth workers’ knowledge and understanding of the experiences of LGBTIQ+ young people, enabling them to create understanding and inclusive youth work 2) To improve the skills of youth workers to enable them to improve their work with LGBTIQ+ young people 3) To combat and reduce discrimination on the basis of SOGIESC within youth work 4) To strengthen youth work in Europe to ensure that it is equipped to meet European policy in respect of SOGIESC (including the goals in the EU Youth Strategy, the objectives of the Erasmus+ programme, and other key policies at European level) Specifically, we wanted to upskill youth workers and educators to train others in these topics, and provide resources and learning tools that help youth workers and educators to implement LGBTIQ+ inclusion in their practice. Implementation During the project we implemented three LTTAs: 1) July 2022 Slovakia, 2) January 2023 Scotland, 3) June 2023 Italy as part of a long-term Training of Trainers. Each training was attended by 22-26 participants representing all the partner countries. Each partner country organised local training events on the topic of LGBTIQ+ inclusive youth work. These were organised by the participants of the Training of Trainers in collaboration with the national project partners. The trainings were attended by youth workers and/or educators (depending on individual countries). The trainings were organised by individual partners in their respective languages. We organised Multiplier Events in each partner country. These were organised to support disseminating results at local, regional, and national level. Our aim was raising awareness and interest about the project and its results amongst stakeholders and bringing the project to new organisations. We also held four transnational project meetings to plan activities and manage the project: 1) December 2021 Spain, 2) March 2022 Italy, 3) November 2022 Slovakia, 4) November 2023 Scotland. These were attended by the core project team. Achievements The project developed three main results: 1) Competence Framework for working with LGBTIQ+ young people. This Competence Framework is a strategic guide for the advancement of professional skills, delineating the fundamental competences necessary to effectively engage with LGBTIQ+ children, adolescents and young adults. 2) Online Learning Platform The eLearning Platform offers a range of online training modules to develop competences in LGBTIQ+ inclusive youth work. The platform also serves as a space for members to share training materials, information related to course provision, methodologies, and innovative learning solutions around the globe. 3) The Rainbow Youth 2.0 Manual. The Manual is a guidebook offering good practices, theory, exercises, and activities to address Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) and inclusion and diversity themes related to youth work and education and their settings, in order to create an LGBTIQ+ inclusive environment for young people.