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Description
The Allied Must-have Toolkit for Teachers is the first publication for educational staff in the Silesia Province on working with LGBTQIAP+ people at school. The toolkit will help increase teachers'' awareness of how to understand diversity, what is psychosexual orientation, gender identity, transgenderism and inclusivity. In addition to the knowledge of psychology, sexology and sociology, the toolkit contains also materials on how to apply this knowledge to everyday work with LGBTQIAP+ school students. Educational staff increasingly recognise that there are non-heteronormative pupils and students and that minority stress can occur in the school environment. However, they lack knowledge about the LGBTQIAP+ community as well as how to help such persons in a competent and effective way and create a supportive environment for them. In addition, as part of the project we will carry out a series of 12 workshops for teachers, during which we will familiarise participants with the issues discussed in the Toolkit as well as the tools for working with LGBTQIAP+ people. We will also conduct information and promotional activities.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to solve several key problems related to anti-discrimination education and support for teachers in working with LGBTI people. Firstly, during previous editions of "Forge of Diversity", trainers from Tęczówka conducted anti-discrimination workshops in several schools in Katowice, but despite great interest, the availability of these workshops was limited. A maximum of 20 students could take part in each workshop, which resulted in mixed groups from different grades, and the number of schools could only be expanded to a small extent. Therefore, some teachers from other schools directly asked Tęczówka for support in organizing such workshops, but the resources were insufficient. The need to support teachers in working with LGBTI youth was also confirmed by a survey conducted in autumn 2020. The results showed that although teachers have some knowledge about the LGBTI community, they express the need to expand it. In particular, they reported the need for more knowledge about concepts such as transgender, non-binary or gender dysphoria and the ability to build inclusive language. Teachers felt unsure how to talk to LGBTI students and their parents, and 39% did not know where to look for support outside of school. Additionally, the report of the Campaign Against Homophobia indicated that a large proportion of LGBTI youth experience violence at school and often hide their identity. The report also revealed that almost 70% of young LGBTI people consider suicide. On this basis, the project was intended to meet the needs of teachers by creating a guide adapted to the specificity of the Silesian Voivodeship, which, in addition to theoretical knowledge, would provide practical tools. The guide was intended to support them in working with LGBTI students and in building allied relationships.
A project in the Silesian Voivodeship supported teachers in working with LGBTI students through a series of activities that began with the development of a pilot version of the "toolbox". Between October 2021 and February 2022, the team created a 100-page guide divided into three main areas: psychological, pedagogical and allied. It included, among others: glossary of terms, teaching materials, lesson plans and situational examples. In March and May 2022, the guide was piloted in the form of dialogue sessions attended by teachers and students. The collected opinions were used for further editing, which ended with a review by experts in September–October 2022. In response to the reviews, corrections were made to the guide in June and August 2022, and the final version was published free of charge online in November. Printed copies were sent to pilot participants and local governments. From January to December 2022, training for teachers was carried out, including: issues of allyship towards LGBTI people, anti-discrimination training and transgender and non-binary issues. These trainings were aimed at improving teachers'' competences in supporting LGBTI students. Promotional activities, including the website, social media and mailing, were aimed at broadly reaching teachers and educational institutions in the region.
As part of the project, several key products were developed and implemented to support teachers in working with LGBTI students. The most important of them was a 100-page "indispensable guide" - a comprehensive guide containing content in the field of psychology, pedagogy and allyship. It was divided into parts devoted to, among others: psychosexual development, work with LGBTI students, and legal and crisis support. The guide also included lesson plans, infographics and other teaching materials that facilitate teachers'' daily work. The second product were pilot dialogue sessions that took place in three cities in the Silesian Voivodeship. These meetings allowed teachers and students to test the content of the "toolbox" and share their comments, which were collected in the evaluation report and used for further editing. After taking into account the conclusions from the pilot and the reviews of three experts, the final, supplemented version of the "indispensable" guide was published in November 2022. The final version was WCAG 2.0 compliant and available free online and in print. 300 copies were printed and distributed to pilot participants and local governments. In parallel, a series of 12 open training courses for teachers were conducted, divided into three thematic areas: allyship in working with people from sexual minorities, anti-discrimination training and transgender and non-binary issues. These trainings increased the participants'' knowledge and supported them in taking appropriate actions in their daily work. An additional product was the project website, which served as an information platform. Thanks to promotional activities, such as social media, mailings and a press briefing, the project reached a wide range of recipients and educational institutions.