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Description
As part of the project, we would like to address three needs that we observe in the course of our activities with schools: the diagnosis of the gender equality situation, the support for gender equality, and the introduction of a global perspective in the context of gender equality and human rights in schools. In the report ‘A Future for Girls’ (Cosmos for Girls Foundation, 2020) a number of challenges have been identified that affect female students in the Polish educational system and have a significant impact on their development. These are: limiting stereotypes, educational barriers, pressure of appearance and lack of self-confidence. We see gender equality measures as key activities in striving to create an open school where all members of the community feel safe and where male and female students have equal access to educational opportunities, can develop their potential and form healthy peer relationships. The aim of the project is to develop and disseminate an educational programme for ensuring gender equality and equal treatment within the formal system of education at the primary (grades 4-8) and secondary levels. The programme will be set in the perspective of human rights and the concept of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the project will conduct educational activities addressed to male and female teachers (a blended-learning course, workshops), school managers (materials for the teaching staff) and youth (mentoring, tools that support carrying out campaigns in schools). We will also increase the competence of trainers cooperating with the Centre for Citizenship Education, who will strengthen the gender equality perspective in further programmes. Project partner is the European Wergeland Centre from Oslo. The partner will provide expertise in the field of education, consult both the programme and the developed diagnostic and educational materials, and conduct training on teaching controversial issues.
Summary of project results
During two years of the joint project, CEO (Poland) and EWC (Norway) developed a comprehensive educational program to ensure gender equality and equal treatment in schools, which was disseminated in the Polish formal education system. The project, combining anti-discrimination and global education activities, was addressed to educational staff - teachers, school management, female psychologists and accompanying educators - as well as students throughout Poland.
During the implementation of the project, we sometimes met people who had doubts whether equality policy in schools or a gender perspective in education were necessary. Gender is still a relatively transparent category in the formal education system, yet there is much to be done also in areas where needs are visible at first glance - such as staffing or infrastructure shortages. Discussing equality and diversity in Poland is sometimes difficult because the topic has become politicized and is used to polarize society. However, students'' everyday school life is often determined by the gender indicated on their birth certificate and we cannot simply close our eyes to this.
The topics of extensive project activities covered many aspects - from gender-sensitive language, through the hidden curriculum in schools, gender inequalities in textbooks and school reading materials, gender stereotypes and the division of work and responsibility, LGBTQ+-friendly schools, to gender-based violence. at school. The project not only responded to these issues through direct actions and educational materials, but also developed tools (including recommendations on gender equality standards) and working methods to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality - and how to pursue it in the school space and in the formal education system.
The current state of research on gender equality and the implementation of equality policy in Polish schools was presented in the project online publication "School of openness - I care about gender equality. Review of research and good practices. This is a compendium of knowledge addressed primarily to adults working with children and adolescents. The publication presents several examples of situations from the lives of students and teachers. Each of them is accompanied by conclusions from qualitative research or analyses, as well as appropriate recommendations and good practices. The second publication under the project is a set of lesson materials with attachments, i.e. lesson plans, games and exercise sheets to be used directly in the classroom.
The central element of the project was a 5-module online course with mentoring support. The materials and tools acquired during the course and during stationary in-depth workshops and other accompanying events helped teachers:
- acquire and expand knowledge about the Open School concept and the hidden curriculum in the context of human rights,
- check whether gender stereotypes in their class determine who the students are, whether the school takes into account the needs of students of all genders and whether it cares about the comfort and safety of the entire school community,
- find out how they can strive to level the playing field and ensure gender equality standards in their lessons and even across the school.
Based on the educational materials obtained, some of the course graduates carried out additional activities on their own. They included training for teachers and educators, as well as campaigns with mentoring support for students. The latter included both activities involving the entire school community (e.g. Diversity Day) and activities suitable for smaller groups - a class or a student team. Extensive accompanying project activities included webinars, workshops and discussion panels.
The publication "School of Inclusion - I care about gender equality. Review of research and good practices" and diagnostic and educational materials are used on an ongoing basis in the work of teachers participating in the blended-learning course and those to whom we presented these materials and the possibilities of testing them as part of various stationary events and online.
The aim of one of our activities was to strengthen the perspective of equality and human rights at school in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. We implemented it by involving young people in educational projects. We have largely achieved this goal. Young people actively participated in design classes, took part in online festivals and, most importantly, ran a STEM Club as part of the course. Thanks to these activities, they significantly expanded their knowledge of global challenges, including gender equality. Their sensitivity to these global challenges has also increased, as well as their readiness and ability to act to solve them. Youth carried out campaigns and educational activities for various Sustainable Development Goals, trying to take into account the context of gender equality and human rights. Even if the campaign itself did not focus on gender equality as a global challenge, changes in the school occurred locally, in the classroom, among the group of girls who (co-)led the STEM Club and planned activities.
Thanks to the materials and tools obtained during the course, teachers check whether their school takes into account the needs of both male and female students and whether it cares for the comfort and safety of the entire school community, and also learn how they can strive to equalize opportunities and ensure a standard of gender equality. in their classes and even throughout the school.
Regional workshops, (co-)conducted by graduates of the blended-learning course addressed to other teachers, were conducted in various parts of Poland, thus enabling the widest possible reach and multiplication of the content.
Summary of bilateral results
Activities carried out together with the European Wergeland Center from Norway allowed us to develop a comprehensive, multi-threaded educational program to ensure gender equality and equal treatment in schools. We exchanged experiences and conclusions from research conducted on the standard of gender equality in schools in Poland and Norway. EWC representatives were also involved in creating materials and conducted workshops on teaching controversial topics for the Polish expert group and lectures on the role of inclusive education in situations of intersectional discrimination. A tab with information about the project is still available on the EWC website: https://theewc.org/projects/school-of-inclusion/ An additional value was the involvement of EWC expert Khrystyna Chushak in the project, thanks to which we could delve deeper into the topic of intersectional discrimination in the context of Ukrainian students.