More information
Description
In this crisis intervention project, we provide psychological support to LGBTQ+ youth in the High School No. 2 in the City of Lublin and the people who support them. The school promotes addressing transgender people using their preferred name, for which it has been attacked by the extremely conservative Life and Family Foundation, which opposes respecting the rights of LGBT people. The foundation pickets in front of the School''s building with banners attacking the LGBTQ+ community and vilifies people who try to protest against it. This situation has caused a deterioration in the mental health of young people (particularly from the LGBTQ+ community) and others who speak out in their defence. With the support of the Equality March in Lublin and Samtökin''78, together with the local community we will develop methods to better respond to similar situations in the future. We will start with a workshop to identify mental health needs and prepare materials and guidelines for behaviour in crisis situations. During the project, we will provide individual, interventionist psychological support to those affected by the Life and Family Foundation''s attacks. We will produce a series of podcasts on the problems experienced by LGBTQ+ people and how to solve them. We will also develop publications on the protection of human rights in the situations experienced in the High School No. 2 and publish them online. We plan to identify local ambassadors and ambassadors for the cause, who will be trained in psychological safety crisis management and the law. We will summarise the project at a local ''Roundtable for Safe Schools'' event - in this way we want to bring the topic of LGBTQ+ youth safety into the public debate.
Summary of project results
The project was an intervention form of response to attacks on LGBTQ+-friendly schools in Lublin. Its aim was to provide psychological support to children and young people identifying as transgender and non-heteronormative after difficult situations. The activities planned include: analysis of needs around Lublin schools, psychological support in the form of psychological consultations and workshops around the round table for equality. According to the assumptions, the project was addressed to children and youth from Lublin schools and to local stakeholders, e.g. aid institutions.
The following activities were undertaken as part of the project: (1) communication about mental safety for LGBTQ+ children and youth in the form of recordings, webinars and YouTube, (2) a workshop on needs analysis for children and youth from Lublin schools, (3) a round table for equality with young people and local stakeholders, (4) assistance tools for LGBTQ+ children and young people, including psychological consultations dedicated to people harmed by the activities of extreme organizations. Two events were created, a series of recordings on YT in the form of webinars and podcasts, several dozen hours of direct psychological support were conducted, and local round table demands were created involving the volunteer network around the project stakeholders.
The main results concerned increasing the safety of LGBTQ+ children and youth, including mental well-being and self-awareness. The beneficiaries of the project were young LGBTQ+ people from Lublin (aged 12-19, from different schools and with different economic status), allies of LGBTQ+ people, as well as teachers supporting the community in schools. Importantly, the project contributed to increasing the comfort, well-being and quality of cooperation of the local LGBTQ+ community in Lublin. Local entities were involved, and support extended to schools attacked by extreme organizations.
Summary of bilateral results
The project organized cooperation with the Samtokin organization from Iceland. Thanks to this, consultation of activities and connection with participants from Lublin took place.