updated March 25 2003
INTERIM ACTIVITY REPORT (August 2002 - March 2003)
During August and September I was mostly analyzing findings from the questionnaire survey used in the qualitative phase of the Urgently Claiming the Future: Focus on Gender for Safer Sexual Relationships research project. Furthermore, together with CESI research team members I started to organize the presentations of research results for adolescent participants, scheduled for October in Rijeka, Split, Osijek, and Zagreb. In the period from 22 September to 1 October 2002, I was travelling in Sweden and the Netherlands with the objective to get more insights in these two countries' experiences in comprehensive and systematic school-based sexuality education, as two cases of 'best practices' in this field the world over. During this study trip my activities included meetings and short briefings with representatives of the following institutions and organizations: the Swedish National Institute of Public Health, the Swedish Association for Sex Education (RFSU), the Stockholm County Aids Prevention Center (LAFA), the Netherlands Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NIGZ), and the TNO-Prevention and Health, one of the biggest research institutes in the field of public health in the Netherlands. In addition, I made contacts and exchanged information with researchers at the Sociological Institution at Uppsala University, representatives from the Swedish National Agency for Education, members of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian and Gay Rights (RFSL), researchers at the Rutgers Nisso Groep, one of the largest organizations in the area of sexual health in the Netherlands, and representatives of the Stichting SOA Bestrijding, the Netherlands Foundation for STI Control and Prevention.
In October, I participated in the presentations and discussions of CESI's research findings organized for young people who participated in the survey in Rijeka (3 Oct), Osijek (9 Oct), Split (14 Oct), and Zagreb (17 Oct). Furthermore, I co-facilitated a training in gender awareness and interactive teaching methodology for twenty secondary school teachers, held (17-21 Oct) as a part of CESI's 'Building Gender Awareness' program. Moreover, during the 13. IPF seminar (21-30 Oct) I presented on the first half of my research project in three working groups: primary and secondary education, public health, and gender policy.
During November and December I was writing the report on findings
of the 'Urgently Claiming the Future' research project. In addition, I co-facilitated
a workshop on sexual and reproductive health for sixty pupils in grades 7 and
8 at the primary school in Dvor (6 Nov), gave a
lecture on gender, sexual orientation and identity at the Lesbian&Gay
Cultural Center 'Deve', in Belgrade (22 Nov), and facilitated a workshop on
gender stereotypes for ten representatives of the Association of Independent
Croatian Unions, in Zagreb (9 Dec), as a part of EURO WEA regional project 'Civil
Society'. Moreover, as a part of IPF research project I conducted two Focus
Group Discussions on the issue of sexuality education in Croatian schools,
one with eight secondary school teachers (12 Nov) and one with seven secondary
school students (15 Nov), both at CESI premises in Zagreb.
During January and February 2003 I was writing the IPF research paper and was prepearing the 'Urgently Claiming the Future' research report for publication. I also co-facilitated a workshop on sexual and reproductive health for thirty secondary school students at the town library in Karlovac (21 Feb).
In March I co-facilitated an advanced capacity-building and program-development seminar (6-9 Mar) for twenty secondary school teachers as a part of CESI's 'GenderNet' project, participated in an expert discussion on the issue of school-based sexuality education in Croatian schools that was showed on the Croatian Television (10 Mar), and reported on findings from my research project during the 14. IPF seminar (8-11 Mar), in three working groups: primary and secondary education, reproductive rights and health, and gender policy.