BEE – Boosting Gender Equality in Education
BEE. Boosting gender Equality in Education “is a European project (funded by the funds of the” Rights, Equality and Citizenship “program – Rights, Equality and Citinzeship Funds) which aims to promote gender education from early childhood starting from the nursery to the first cycle of primary . The project is carried out in 4 countries of the European Union (Italy, Cyprus, Romania and Lithuania). In the EU countries the partners are: MIGS (Cyprus), WIIC (Lithuania) and ALEG (Romania). In Italy the partners are COSPE (lead partner) and the Casa della Donna di Pisa.
BEE, what has been done?
Within the Bee project, from 2020 to 2022, the following activities are being carried out in the 4 countries of intervention:
• Training activities on gender issues for teachers, educators and educators, pedagogical coordinators and ATA staff of infant-toddler centers, preschools and primary schools.
• Seminar activities reserved for teachers and educational staff of infant-toddler centers, preschools and primary schools which led to the creation of the national gender toolkit.
• In each country, a “Gender Toolkit” was produced to allow teachers, educators and educators to experiment with activities for children aged 0 to 8, free from gender stereotypes.
• A European genre instrument set that summarizes the four national instruments, that you can access here.
• A three-day Spring camp that allowed teachers and educators from the 4 countries involved to discuss the activities.
• European guidelines for an education free from stereotypes, that you can access here.
• 35 project dissemination meetings, with the educating community and with the public authorities, with more than 600 participants.
• A final conference, with about 50 participants.
• 15 video clips for the dissemination of the project.
What are gender stereotypes?
Gender stereotypes are formed from the earliest years of life, and if students are not helped to look at them with a critical eye, they become consolidated as generally valid truths and come to influence their behaviors and attitudes, including perceptions of their own abilities. Stereotypes are the basis of gender inequality. Over time, they contribute to the segregation between groups of girls and boys and the exclusion of those who do not conform to traditional norms, which can justify acts of discrimination and violence. Once ingrained, these mechanisms are much more difficult to correct at older ages.
But how to fight gender stereotypes in early childhood? Here are some inputs to keep in mind:
1. It is never too late to start. The child is immersed in gender stereotypes from the very first moments of life. It is never too early to start thinking about it, forming and becoming aware of it.
2. On language. Girls and boys are like sponges, they learn quickly and without us noticing. Change your way of speaking by avoiding the universal masculine and epithets that you would not use for the other gender.
3. Your own stereotypes. Each of us has internalized some gender stereotypes, and not only, present in modern society. It is important to keep up to date and trained and to work on yourself / and as an educating community.
4. How to deal with girls and boys? Deconstruct stereotypes with them with concrete examples and different narratives, help them to have a critical look at the world and to look for different answers.
5. The materials: games, books, etc … Everything around us is full of stereotypes, look for alternative material with different narratives.
For more information about the project please send us an email at contact@aleg-romania.eu.
Use the materials resulting from the BEE project: Educational packages and recommendations: https://aleg-romania.eu/bee-descarca-pachetul-educational/
