Stand Against Gender Based Violence Through Theater

"<< Background >>We applied for this project to address the urgent need for professional development in gender education for youth workers, trainers, and educators. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, domestic and cyber violence increased significantly, exposing the lack of tools and competences among those working with youth to address gender-based violence (GBV) effectively.Extended use of digital devices led to a rise in cyber harassment. Surveys revealed that many victims did not report these incidents due to a lack of trust in adults or authorities. Meanwhile, strong gender prejudices were identified, some boys justifying violence as ""how a man should behave""Partner organizations brought specific concerns:RomBel identified 300 young victims of cyber harassmentA survey by ADI showed that 80% of harassment victims did not report incidents, citing a lack of trust in adults, NGOs, or authorities to take actionTEKMED reported gender stereotypes and sexist attitudes among youthINPLANET highlighted the need to address harassment normalization and attitudes towards young people with disabilitiesThis project aimed to equip youth workers with knowledge on gender and non-formal tools to empower young people to stand against GBV in real life& online<< Objectives >>The project aimed to strengthen the professional capacities of partner organizations by equipping staff, youth workers, and trainers with competences in gender education and non-formal methods, particularly through theater. By participating in 3 training events, they gained knowledge about gender identity, gender roles, and the impact of stereotypes, enabling them to combat gender-based violence (GBV), discrimination, and social exclusion.For young people, the project sought to:1. Develop Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills through 9 workshops, empowering them to recognize and reject behaviors that perpetuate GBV and sexism.2. Enhance digital citizenship skills by organizing a ""3 Days of Activism"" online campaign against cyber 2. harassment.3. Foster empathy and collaboration through theater activities, encouraging a culture of gender equality and proactive engagement in addressing gender issues.By integrating these outcomes, the project addressed the needs of both organizations and target groups, building a sustainable framework for combating GBV and promoting gender equality.<< Implementation >>The project implemented the following key activities:1. 3 Training Events for youth workers, trainers, and staff, focusing on:Gender identity, roles, and stereotypes, including tools to combat sexism, gender discrimination, and social exclusion.Using theater for gender equality education and developing social-emotional skills for young people.Promoting digital citizenship skills to empower young people as active citizens advocating for gender equality.2. 3 Series of Workshops with young people, where participants:Learned to recognize and reject the causes of gender-based violence.Used theater as a tool to address gender violence.Became digital citizens promoting gender equality and social inclusion.3. ""3 Days of Activism"" Online Campaign, where young people created and shared content to raise awareness about cyber harassment and gender equality.4. The Web TV, which showcased best practices, non-formal methods, and strategies developed by partners to combat gender-based violence and foster gender equality.These activities were designed to address the needs of both youth workers and young people, ensuring impactful and sustainable results.<< Results >>The project delivered significant results for both participants and partner organizations.1.Trainings (3 events)Participants gained competences to identify, prevent, combat gender stereotypes, sexism, gender-based violence GBVLearned to use Theater of Oppressed: Forum Theater, Social Theater, Invisible Theater, Statue Theater; Pantomime, Animation, Puppet Theater for gender educationDeveloped social-emotional and digital citizenship skills for young peopleAcquired expertise to train colleagues and implement workshops addressing GBV and social exclusionPartner organizations increased their professional capacity, acquiring tools to organize campaigns, workshops, conferences on gender equality2. Workshops: 3 series of 3 workshopsYoung people recognized and rejected sexism, stereotypes & GBVUsed theater to promote SEL skills, empathy, social inclusionVulnerable groups gained confidence&self-esteem, while aggressors became motivated to change their behaviors3 Online Campaign ""3 Days of Activism""Empowered young people as digital citizens&role models promoting gender equalityIndirect beneficiaries gained awareness through the campaign&project websiteThe outputs fostered gender equality+social inclusion+active citizenship"