Programme "Building Gender Awareness"
ANNUAL REPORT 2002
Through our programme "Building Gender Awareness", which has been implemented since beginning 1999, we want to:
* advance relations between men and women,
* promote development of knowledge and skills through non-institutional educational
programmes,
* promote values of non-violence, tolerance, solidarity and gender equality.
Besides that, through different educational activities, education of educators, providing information, conducting researches and campaigns, we aim at:
* encouraging young people to work with young people on volunteer basis
* increasing professional knowledge and skills of professionals working with
young people
* informing the public on young people's issues regarding sexuality and violence
* developing networking and active co-operation among institutions, non-governmental
organisations and citizens.
Results
* Through trainings for trainers, 60 professors and adolescents have been
qualified for conducting programme Building gender awareness and education
for human rights in their schools, and they do it on volunteer basis.
* Through lectures and workshops, 2847 young people have received additional
information and increased their knowledge on sexuality, reproductive health,
dating violence.
* In April 2002, CESI has created web page "SEZAM - Sexual Education
for Young People", which provides complete and tested information on
complex issues related to sexuality, dating violence and protecting their
rights. The page has won the first award at the EMC festival "Media and
Health", held under Ministry of Health patronage.
* Brochure "You have right to know - sexuality and reproductive health
from A to Z" has been published in 34 000 copies, and distributed to
high school students.
* The Initiative for Introducing Sexual Education to Schools has been founded.
At the meetings, conception and strategy for introducing sexual education
to schools has been agreed on, and these ideas have been presented to Ministry
of Education and Sports, as well.
* The final report of the research based on the questionnaire "Men, Women
and Sexuality" has been prepared. In this research, we have tried to
establish ways in which opinions and attitudes that young people have on gender
issues and sexuality affect sexual behaviour. Report also contains recommendations
for including research results in process of education of young people on
sexuality.
* The co-operation with institutions has been advanced. The broad public has
been informed on young people's issues related to respecting their rights,
violence, and sexuality.
Activities
Research
At the beginning of 2001, CESI has started conducting two-year research based
on the questionnaire "Men, Women, Sexuality", which has already
been used by Nordic Institute for Women's Studies and Gender Research, within
"Living for Tomorrow" project. The final goal of the questionnaire
is not only to establish ways of influence that young people's opinions and
attitudes on relations between men, women and sexuality have on risky sexual
behaviour, but also to include those results in real process of education
of young people on sexual health.
From October 2001 till April 2002, the questionnaire has been applied on representative
sample of 995 young people, 16 to 17 years old, coming from 12 schools, in
Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka and Split. The questionnaire is divided into four parts,
in which young people are asked to express their opinions and perceptions
on:
- gender system and gender differences in Croatian society;
- boys' and girls' expectations within sexual relations context;
- risk and responsibility issues within sexual encounters / relationships;
- participants' personal experiences and expectations in sexual behaviour.
The report on the research, entitled "The Significance of Gender in
the Attitudes and Sexual Behaviour of Croatian Adolescents", in Croatian
and English language, will be available in early 2003.
We hope that the results will be used as basis for creating gender sensitive
programme of sexual education, and therefore the final chapter contains concrete
recommendations for creating draft programme, which could be applied at schools.
Education and Informing
* Education of Educators
- Education of educators "Building Gender Awareness" - follow up
- Education of educators "Building Gender Awareness" - seminar for
professors coming from all over Croatia
- Human Rights Methodology - seminar for primary and secondary school professors
from Sisak - Moslavina County
- Peer education
Continuous education and support for girls from Administrative School, who conduct programme "Building Gender Awareness" in their school.
* Seminars
Two seminars "Human Rights and Gender Awareness", in co-operation with CARE International were held for members of youth NGOs, coming from Eastern and Central Croatia, and from Dalmatia and Istria region.
* Workshops
* "Sex and Gender", within Miramida 10+, for participants from
Serbia and Macedonia
* "Dating Violence", four workshops for Geodesy School students,
in Zagreb
* "Violence", for Administrative School, Zagreb
* Series of workshops for girls from Administrative School with topics: gender
identities, violence, empowerment, feminism
* Workshops on sexuality for several groups from Administrative School, Zagreb
* Workshop "Sexuality" in co-operation with the local library for
elementary school students in Dvor
* "Human Rights" for professors of secondary school in Hrvatska
Kostajnica and "Dating Violence", for secondary school students
in Hrvatska Kostajnica
* "Gender and Sex", workshop for trade unions, political parties
and non-governmental organisations representatives, within MIRamiDA Partnership
in Jastrebarsko
* workshop "Gender and Sex" for Union of Autonomous Trade Unions
of Croatia representatives
* Regional Workshops
Training for trainers "Building Gender Awareness" for NGO members from Serbia and Montenegro
* Lectures
Lectures with topics: introduction to reproductive health, contraception, sexually transmitted infections and sexuality were held in 15 schools in cities, as follows: Zagreb, Slavonski Brod, Sisak, Nova Gradiška, Hrvatska Kostajnica, Pula, Dvor and Osijek. Lecture on sexuality for parents has been held at the Centre for Social Care Medvešcak.
Web page
Web page SEZAM - Sexual Education for Young People (www.sezam-hr.net) has
been created in April 2002, and presented at art net club MAMA in May 2002.
At the EMC festival "Media and Health", organised by School of People's
Health "Andrija Štampar", under Ministry of Health patronage, web
page SEZAM has been awarded in competitive part and voted the best in web
page category. In strong competition, SEZAM has been recognised by the expert
judges commission as a visually attractive source of positive, clear and punctual
information on sexuality and relations between sexes for adolescents.
Advocacy and Public Policy
*Advocacy for introducing sexual education and education for gender equality
into schools through public discussions, round tables, working discussions,
continuous monitoring of work of competent state institutions, formulating
recommendations and media promotion
The initiative for Introducing Sexual Education to Schools has been created,
and conception and strategy for introducing sexual education to schools has
been agreed upon at the meetings. These ideas were presented to Ministry of
Education and Sports in November 2002. The Ministry of Education and Sports
has offered patronage for the round table with topic of introducing sexual
education to schools, and the Minister has asked the Bureau for Advancement
of School System to appoint its representative in the Initiative.
* Through media, we have introduced public to special needs and problems of
young people. There were articles on the programme and publications published
in Vecernji list, Novi list, Jutarnji list, and Slobodna Dalmacija daily newspapers.
We were guests at radio shows on Croatian Radio, Family Radio, and Radio Samobor,
as well as in Croatian television shows "Good Morning Croatia",
"Every Day Events", OTV show "Hello Zagreb", and Croatian
television magazine for young people "What is happening to me?"
* We have participated in number of round tables and public discussions with
topics of violence, sex / gender inequality, human rights.
* We collaborate with experts, institutions and service providers on issues
of interest for our organisation. We have participated in meetings of AIDS
Committee when preparing project proposal for Global fund for fighting AIDS.
Publishing
Educational brochure for adolescents "You Have Right to Know - Sexuality
and Reproductive Health from A to Z" has been published in 34 000 copies.
Most of the print run has been distributed. AWT has organised distribution
of the brochure to secondary school students in following cities: Zagreb,
Rijeka, Split, Osijek, Slavonski Brod, Zadar, Šibenik, Vinkovci, Pula, Bjelovar,
Varaždin, Karlovac and Sisak. Brochure presentation has been held in April
2002 in Europe House, Zagreb.
The postcard "I have right to know - education on sexuality and gender
equality to schools" has been published in 8000 copies.
The postcard "I am not feminist, but..." has been published in 5000
copies.
Distribution of the manual "Sex and Gender Under Magnifying Glass",
which is being used in working with young people in the whole region, has
continued in 2002, as well.
Donors and supporters:
Government of the Republic of Croatia - Office for Associations (Human Rights
Office, Ministry of Education and Sports)
Mercy Corps
WHO (World's Health Organisation)
BALKAN C&Y FOUNDATION
American Embassy, Zagreb
Academy for Educational Development
Embassy of the Norway Kingdom, Zagreb
Embassy of Canada, Zagreb
OSCE
CARE INTERNATIONAL
COMPANIES: AWT - Libresse, Krka.
January 2003