Sostenere gli educatori verso l'educazione inclusiva LGBTIQ+

The background of the Streets Aligned project has been twofold: firstly, during the conception and application phase in 2021, Italy, the project lead country, found itself amidst a fervent public debate regarding the possibility of introducing legislative measures to support LGBTIQ+ inclusion, particularly within the realm of education at all levels. These measures were ultimately thwarted. Even the other partner countries, Czech Republic and Cyprus, though occasionally more progressive on the matter, do not represent "best practices" in this regard. Thus, from its inception, Streets Aligned has been conceived as a form of resistance and resilience, aiming to "create a sense of urgency" from the grassroots level and contribute, through alternative means, to the dissemination of information, tools, and relevant sensitivities supporting LGBTIQ+ inclusion, despite overtly hostile civic and normative frameworks. The second aspect of the background is one of learning, as the project aimed to disseminate knowledge regarding LGBTIQ+ inclusion to a target audience of adult European educators who, despite increasingly encountering such needs for recognition and affirmation among their learners, often lack familiarity with the topic.

The project objectives, which were achieved during the development and implementation phases, were: • Develop a toolkit comprising four publications, all addressing the key aspects of LGBTIQ+ inclusive education. • Disseminate these results through workshops and outreach activities, integrating the partnership and the Streets Aligned project into significant events, conferences, thematic moments, and public forums • Establish a resilient and competent partnership capable of serving as a future reference point in the field, engaging with new and potential education stakeholders interested in acquiring skills, resources, information, and tools to support LGBTIQ+ inclusion • Cultivate itself as a cultural and civic reference point beyond resources, workshops, and collaborations, to counterbalance the equally strong presence of educational centers and communities, institutions, and learning environments not conducive to the circulation of such key concepts. Streets Aligned was welcomed in the vast majority of cases; however, it also encountered numerous refusals and challenges from places and entities unwilling to include the "LGBTIQ+ agenda" within their educational offerings and internal regulations.

The implementations of the Streets Aligned project have been consistent with the produced results, the predefined objectives, and the desired impact throughout the project. Implementations were divided into two main categories: internal partnership implementations and external implementations involving beneficiary target groups, stakeholders, and other relevant entities for the project's purposes. Concerning internal implementations, four distinct workflow streams were primarily established for research, development, drafting, and optimization of the four Project Results (Research, Toolkit, Policy Recommendations, and the Pilot Course). These four implementations engaged partnership operators regularly and in accordance with the Project Plan, with a fair distribution of tasks and responsibilities. Another regular internal implementation was in communication and dissemination: all organizations structured their channels to share Streets Aligned information, opting during the application phase to use their institutional channels primarily. Furthermore, other internal implementations included regular workflow streams primarily in management and coordination, internal communication, and organizational direction to maximize cooperation among European organizations. External implementations were numerous and primarily lab-based, all aimed at participatory and open sharing of project results - conceived as a "humanistic" and thematic continuum on LGBTIQ+ inclusion. Idrisi Cultura e Sviluppo ETS, CIG NORA, Arista Deka, and IISS Pio La Torre, with varying degrees of intensity and commitment as outlined in the application, conducted lab cycles for adult educators affiliated with interest-bearing organizations. Over time, this facilitated the construction of a broad and transnational operational network. Three focus point labs (Italy, Cyprus, Czech Republic) were implemented for PR1, two introductory lab sessions (Italy, Cyprus) for PR2, two conference and debate sessions for PR3 (Czech Republic, Italy), and a lab pathway for self-learning in Italy to implement PR4. Additionally, Streets Aligned was featured in two conferences and/or public events in Italy and Cyprus, with partnership representatives obtaining speaker status and project inclusion in the respective agendas. Finally, three multiplier events of significant reach and relevance (Italy, Cyprus, Czech Republic) and three transnational meetings were implemented.

The concrete outcomes of Streets Aligned are as follows: -A more theoretical and discursive publication (Project Result 1, titled "Research - Analysis: Towards LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Education") available in Italian, Czech, Greek, and English. This publication delves into the essence of LGBTIQ+ inclusive education, providing thematic insights into Gender Studies, Feminism, Gay and Lesbian Studies, and Queer Theory. Despite dealing with LGBTIQ+ issues in their daily work, the project's target educators lacked a substantially structured theoretical foundation, often not understanding the origins of key terms and concepts. This research was conducted through focus groups in all partner countries. -A more practical and operational toolkit in Italian, Greek, and English (Project Result 2, titled "LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Education Toolkit: Actions, Resources, and Activities for Educators"), implemented through workshops in Italy and Cyprus. This toolkit offers concrete examples to "develop grassroots LGBTIQ+-sensed activities," providing educators with easily replicable models and examples. -A publication of Policy Recommendations in Italian, Czech, Greek and English, disseminated on numerous occasions in all partner countries, particularly in Italy. These recommendations, also practical in nature, provide an overview of potential operational actions, policies, and regulations "in support of LGBTIQ+ inclusion," which decision-makers could easily consider introducing within their respective contexts. Additionally, background elements from Italy and Cyprus were addressed to better understand what can be done at the decision-making and organizational levels to promote LGBTIQ+ culture and awareness. -A publication suitable for non-formal training for educators in Italian, Greek and English, as well as for self-learning, implemented through participatory workshops with target educators (Project Result 4, LGBTIQ+ Sensed Education: pilot training pathway). This outcome was further practical and direct, offering an overview, including glossary terms, of the most commonly encountered "LGBTIQ+ difference" elements by educators during their daily activities. Elements such as Families, Gender and Self-affirmation principles, homo/heterosexuality from diachronic and diatopic approaches, etc., were addressed, allowing for significant dialogue between partnership operators and project target educators.