Do you know what gender equality is?

Our team was on a one week Erasmus+ training course titled “Gender Equality: Tools to work with youth”, between the 12th – 17th of May, held in Peñaranda de Bracamonte, Spain. 

Marija: Our training started with a game for getting to know each other. Then in the next few days there were interactive sessions about the topic. After each day, each member of the team was part of reflection groups where we talked about how our day went. I had a great time there, met a lot of new people and got to know facts that I didn’t know. 

Eva: During the project we explored both global and regional gender inequalities, discussed where they are most common and shared opinions and different proposals on how to reduce the frequency of stereotypes and discrimination. The sessions encouraged us to reflect on how, consciously or unconsciously, each of us can be part of these patterns and how we can actively work to change them. We also had open discussions on various topics and explored practical tools to help people better understand gender as a natural part of who they are, how they feel, and how to express that in the world. During this project, I met amazing people, had a wonderful time, and gained awareness of many things I hadn’t known before.

Stefan: Like all good things, this training course also eventually came to an end, but I believe the lessons and memories will linger for a little while. During our time on this project, I’ve learned quite a lot about the multitudes of gender, gender expressions, sex and sexual orientation, the importance of using inclusive language and many more concepts which are not at all mentioned in our formal education but are rather a crucial part for building an inclusive society that welcomes all, despite our differences. Since we were a wide variety of people on the training, coming from different professional backgrounds and with different life experiences, I was privileged enough to learn from them and share my knowledge about various topics, especially the psycho-social aspect of people’s behaviour. One thing that I’ll carry with me from this training is: to never assume. Instead of assuming about anything, I will always remember to ask and clarify, since what one thing might be preferable about one person might be quite the opposite for the other one!

Our week in Peñaranda was more than just a training; it was a journey of learning and opening our minds to different perspectives, opening our hearts to love and acceptance, learning how to hear people out with an open heart, with no judgement, but rather, curiosity. We hope that these feelings will linger for a while, and instead of fading, on the contrary, burning even brighter, lighting the way and being the hope of a new, more inclusive world! 

Marija Josheska
Eva Milenkova
Stefan Nikolovski

The project organizer and the host: Fundación Plan B.