[ 29.1.2013, ]

The aims of inter-national youth encounters are often defined as providing young people with the opportunity to get to know to other countries, societies and cultures. This way the participants will be given the chance to learn about the “other”, culturally speaking. Moreover, he/she will reflect on himself/herself in terms of his/her gender role as a key element for identity.

THEMES: Gender, Cultural Diversity, Identity, Antidiscrimination, Voluntarism.

TARGET GROUPS:  Active and experienced volunteers and youth workers ready to commit themselves to organize activities in their sending organization upon their return.

PROMOTERS: 10 countries (5 Program Countries and 5 Neighboring Partner Countries). AGE: 18-30. THE FINANCIAL CONDITIONS: 45 € participation fee, 70% travel reimbursement; lodging
and food are covered.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING COURSE

The training does not only aim to discuss the impact of gender constructed roles through the history and today’s societies, but also wants to provide space for debating strategies of how to enhance voluntary service organisations' capacities to apply a gender sensitive approach at international voluntary work and how to recognize and resolve gender-related conflicts appearing in the context of international voluntary work.

Having in mind that most of promoters are voluntary service organizations, this training is particularly focused on volunteerism as a tool to diminish discrimination towards members of different gender groups and sexual minorities.

Therefore, the objectives of this training are:

· Developing a gender sensitive approach to voluntary work enabling a crucial shift ingender stereotypical perceptions;

· Equip voluntary service organisations with the appropriate tools and methods to address gender issues in international voluntary work, taking into account the multitude of IVS projects taking place in different national and social contexts every year;

· Provide voluntary service organisations with the tools to increase the awareness and understanding among their members, camp leaders and in local communities gender as a key cultural factor influencing the relations between people and societies, thus helping to prevent gender-based discrimination;

· Provide voluntary service organisations with the necessary means to counteract the current tendency to reproduce gender inequality within the existing organizational and community structures in IVS projects;

· Locating gender equality within the sphere of intercultural learning, in this way lay the basis for a sustainable dialogue between volunteers, organisations and local communities;

· Develop an understanding among participants on how experiences of discrimination overlaps, i.e. people are often discriminated not just on grounds of their gender, but also on background of skin colour, social class, ethnicity etc. Taking this into consideration, gender discrimination cannot be considered in isolation, but rather as one category, which constantly overlaps with other identity categories when
discrimination occurs.

We will use methods of non-formal education and except an active participation of the participants.

Please send your inscriptions before March 1 to IBG (sarah@ibg-workcamps.org). You can also contact Sarah for further information. Please do not book any travel before you get
the confirmation from IBG. Tickets booked before Jan1 cannot be reimbursed!