Queer Lab Europe
WHY QUEER LAB EUROPE?
LGBT+ youth in Europe faces daily challenges due to homobitransphobic issues still present in our society: lack of visibility and representation, bullying, negative stereotypes, lack of knowledge, inequality, interiorized discrimination, homophobic violence, hate speech, social exclusion. All these can represent barriers to a young person’s socialization and personal development.
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In order to improve this situation, first of all we need to raise awareness about the LGBT+ spectrum and the questions and rights of the LGBT+ community. A widespread ignorance about sexuality and the resistance of a strong taboo on LGBT+ existence still makes it possible for young citizens to be left with no knowledge about these identities and for LGBT+ people to struggle to acknowledge them and accept them for themselves.
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Secondly, it is important to increase young people’s cultural awareness and civic competences; to allow them to learn how to look at the environment surrounding us with a critical eye and to empower them to take a stand and create the visibility, the awareness, the support their society lacks.
WHAT IS QUEER LAB EUROPE?
It’s an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange about:
LGBT topics: sex and gender, orientation, stereotypes, discrimination
LGBT+ activism
Grassroots activism
Queer communities (non-conforming to the hetero and cisgender norm)
Gender topics
Intersectionality: how LGBT topics interact with other minority issues and types of discrimination
focus on migrants issues and their relation with LGBT issues
WHAT ARE OUR GOALS?
The exchange’s objectives are:
WHY QUEER LAB EUROPE?
LGBT+ youth in Europe faces daily challenges due to homobitransphobic issues still present in our society: lack of visibility and representation, bullying, negative stereotypes, lack of knowledge, inequality, interiorized discrimination, homophobic violence, hate speech, social exclusion. All these can represent barriers to a young person’s socialization and personal development.
​
In order to improve this situation, first of all we need to raise awareness about the LGBT+ spectrum and the questions and rights of the LGBT+ community. A widespread ignorance about sexuality and the resistance of a strong taboo on LGBT+ existence still makes it possible for young citizens to be left with no knowledge about these identities and for LGBT+ people to struggle to acknowledge them and accept them for themselves.
​
Secondly, it is important to increase young people’s cultural awareness and civic competences; to allow them to learn how to look at the environment surrounding us with a critical eye and to empower them to take a stand and create the visibility, the awareness, the support their society lacks.
WHAT IS QUEER LAB EUROPE?
It’s an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange about:
LGBT+ topics: sex and gender, orientation, stereotypes, discrimination
LGBT+ activism
Grassroots activism
Queer communities (non-conforming to the hetero and cisgender norm)
Gender topics
Intersectionality: how LGBT+ topics interact with other minority issues and types of discrimination
focus on migrants issues and their relation with LGBT+ issues
WHAT ARE OUR GOALS?
The exchange’s objectives are:
To create a stimulating and rich working environment for LGBT+ people, allies and human rights activists
To provide a group of young, diverse people from different countries in Europe with new skills, inspiration, ideas and knowledge about activism and its impact on the local areas
To bring new energies and inspirations in the areas of South Italy, that have at the same time a very rich and lively LGBT+ culture and high levels of social homophobia and stereotypes
To create a network of contacts and connections between local and international organizations for future collaboration
Online surveys about LGBT+ issues that will be spread in the participating countries
Videos to promote the work done and the method used
we will create
An online platform that gathers the material produced during the exchange
A final collective event in the local area
The exchange is organized in cooperation with all the LGBT+ associations of the regional area, Campania.
HOW?
The method used will be non-formal education. The participants will learn and do through:
Playing
Team work
Outdoor activities
Contact with local organizations
Use of media tools
Use of online tools
APV (Advanced Planning Visit)
ONLY ONE GROUP LEADER PER COUNTRY
APV
ADVANCED PLANNING VISIT
28 JUNE ARRIVAL DAY
29 JUNE ACTIVITY DAY
30 JUNE POMPEI PRIDE
1 JULY DEPARTURE DAY
(before 18.00)
*
*The leaders will have the chance to actively participate to the pride, by creating an action inside the parade
Where: NAPLES
Apartment in the heart of Naples – shared rooms
APV ACCOMODATION
EXCHANGE
EXCHANGE
5 PEOPLE PER COUNTRY: 1 LEADER + 4 PARTECIPANTS
31 AUGUST ARRIVAL DAY
10 SEPTEMBER DEPARTURE DAY
There will be some themed outdoor activities in different cities of the region
(before 17.30 – we will meet at Naples central station and we will travel by bus to Vitulano mountain shelter)
Where: Vitulano mountain shelter
EXCHANGE
ACCOMODATION
PROJECT TIMELINE
DEADLINE
DEADLINE
APV
TEAM LEADER
20 JUNE
deadline for the selection of the team leader
28-29-30 JUNE
1 july
28 June and 1 July are travels days
DEADLINE
PARTICIPANTS
10 JULY
deadline for the selection of the partIcipants
1ST PHASE
JULY
analysis through questionnaires on local level
EXCHANGE
FOLLOW
UP
2ND PHASE
follow up activities
31 AUGUST
10 SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
(travel days included)
AUGUST
media assignment on the Facebook group
The preparation phase is of great importance for the success of the project, since it will not only include activities aimed to preparing the best working environment, but also activities aimed at creating the first results, to be used later on during the exchange
Young people aged 18 to 25
FROM: ITALY, LATVIA, THE NETHERLANDS, LITHUANIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, GREECE, SLOVENIA, SLOVAKIA
Involved in or willing to learn about LGBT+ topics
Willing to learn new ways to do activism in local areas
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Knowledgeable about or willing to explore the issues of minorities, especially LGBT+
Knowledgeable/passionate about and willing to learn new skills in the field of media and online activism
Knowledgeable/passionate about or willing to explore new ways of researching and monitoring the LGBT+ community
Participants will have to
Contribute to the project’s expenses with a participation fee of 50 euros (15 euros for leaders)
Find creative ways to raise this small amount of money while already working on the exchange’s objectives (details will be shared during the APV)
We encourage gender balance, ethnic diversity and heterogeneous background of the participants
WHO
Participants will receive travel reimbursement
Participants will receive travel reimbursement at the end of the project (the follow up is also considered a phase of the project. This implies that the reimbursement will be given after this last activity)
COUNTRY
REIMBURSMENT
(euros)
ITALY
180
LATVIA, SPAIN, LITHUANIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, GREECE, SLOVENIA, SLOVAKIA
275
A reimbursement of max 100 euros will be given to each national team to cover the expenses of the follow up