Training youth workers and professionals in youth education by strengthening their competencies in Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), in order to promote well-being, healthy relationships, gender equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence in educational and community settings.
Context
The S.A.F.E. project stems from the awareness that sexual and emotional dimensions are a central aspect of the personal development of children, adolescents, and young adults, yet they are often addressed in a fragmented or inadequate way in formal and non-formal contexts. Across Europe, significant disparities persist in the implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education, largely due to the lack of structured training for youth workers, educators, and professionals who work daily with young people.
The absence of specific competencies on topics such as sexuality, gender identity, sexual orientation, affective relationships, and sexual health limits the ability of professionals to create safe and inclusive spaces, contributing to the persistence of stigma, stereotypes, and taboos. In this context, youth workers play a strategic role: as reference figures and providers of safe spaces for young people, they can facilitate intergenerational dialogue, promote awareness, and prevent discrimination and gender-based violence.
The project aligns with European priorities, contributing to the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy, the EU Gender Equality Strategy, and Erasmus+ Inclusion and Diversity policies, while strengthening the role of non-formal education as a key tool for well-being, inclusion, and empowerment of new generations.
Objectives
- Strengthen the professional competencies of youth workers in Comprehensive Sexuality Education by providing theoretical knowledge and practical tools applicable in youth work contexts.
- Promote inclusive, human rights-based educational approaches capable of challenging stigma, gender stereotypes, and taboos related to sexuality.
- Improve youth workers’ capacity to address topics such as sexual health, affective relationships, gender identity, sexual orientation, and the prevention of gender-based violence.
- Develop non-formal and participatory educational methodologies to create safe, respectful, and inclusive environments for all young people.
- Strengthen European cooperation among youth organizations active in the field of CSE, fostering the exchange of good practices and the sustainability of interventions.
Activities
- International training course for youth workers: an 8-day residential training course addressed to youth workers from different European countries. The programme is structured into five thematic modules: culture and sexuality; sexual health; gender; relationships; gender-based violence. Activities integrate non-formal education, collective storytelling, creative role-playing, group exercises, and guided reflection sessions.
- Participatory methodologies and peer learning: the training emphasizes peer exchange and the sharing of professional experiences, fostering cooperative learning and the adaptation of content to participants’ diverse cultural and professional contexts.
- Use of digital tools: integration of interactive tools (such as Mentimeter and Kahoot) to stimulate engagement, collect real-time feedback, and support the evaluation of learning processes.
- S.A.F.E. Space – final event: an exhibition and participatory space where participants present reflections, creative materials, and outcomes of the training process, enhancing the educational impact and visibility of the project.
- Follow-up and transfer of competencies: support for participants in reflecting on and applying the acquired competencies within their local and organizational contexts.
Resources
- Toolkit developed during the training course, including practical tools, non-formal education methodologies, and participants’ contributions. The toolkit will support youth workers and youth organizations in implementing Comprehensive Sexuality Education activities in diverse educational and community contexts, ensuring sustainability and transferability of the project’s outcomes.
Impact
- Direct involvement of 29 youth workers from different European countries, with particular attention to the inclusion of participants with fewer opportunities. Participants will strengthen their professional competencies and their ability to address sensitive topics in a conscious and inclusive manner.
- Improved quality of educational interventions: trained youth workers will be better equipped to create safe spaces for young people, promoting healthy relationships, respect for diversity, and the prevention of gender-based violence, with a direct impact on hundreds of young people in local contexts.
- Multiplier effect and European networking: the project will contribute to strengthening the European SexSense network and to disseminating good practices on CSE, reaching a wider audience through dissemination activities and transnational cooperation.
- Long-term impact: promotion of cultural change in the way sexuality, affectivity, and relationships are addressed in youth work, fostering more inclusive, aware, and safer communities.
Partners
- CESIE ETS (Italy, coordinator)
- Associació La Xixa Teatre (Spain)
- Centre for Social Innovation – CSI (Cyprus)
- House of Diversity Education (Lituania)
- FEMMES Entraide et Autonomie (France)
