Research carried out by Campaign Against Homophobia, Lambda Warsaw, and the Transfusion Foundation (Warsaw, 2012) shows that 1/3 acts of psycho-sexual orientation-based discrimination were committed by school or university classmates, and that 31% of these acts actually occurred at school. While some schools declare commitment to activities preventing school-based homophobia, such activities are frequently inefficient, as proven by Campaign Against Homophobia’s report. A study by the Society for Anti-Discrimination Education (Warsaw, 2011) shows that Poland has no homophobia-related educational offer for teachers.
The project purpose was to improve qualifications of staff training schoolteachers by delivering training sessions focusing on the prevention of and reacting to homophobic behaviours.
Teacher training staff were trained in preventing school-based homophobia while becoming a group of LGBT allies at formal education institutions.
Project activities comprised the design of a training model and textbook (circulation: just under 300 copies). Twenty-four “good practices” in the field of preventing school-based homophobia were collected; a new training model was tested; 3 training courses prepared 43 persons from throughout Poland to deliver classroom sessions. The project closed with a conference involving a presentation of the training model and textbook alike. Project results were published on the organisation’s website.
Forty-three teacher training staff were duly trained. Project results were presented to 24 conference participants and 300 recipients of the textbook.
The organisation collaborated with the Warsaw Centre for Educational-and-Social Innovation and Training, responsible for training course recruitment and topical consulting for the teaching script, training programme, publication, and conference agenda. The UNESCO Initiatives Centre was the other partner, also engaging in the recruitment process for training course purposes.