Feminist Self Defence: Training of Youth Trainers Erasmus Project

Project Title

Feminist Self Defence: Training of Youth Trainers

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; Access for disadvantaged; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

Feminist Self Defence: Training of Youth Trainers (ToYT) is a youth led, practical project which will allow a group of young women and queer people from Iceland and Romania to obtain a professional training in feminist self-defence (FSD). After the project the participants will be able to give FSD classes for a diverse group of young women and queer people. The classes will be non-profit and financially accessible for all youth. Most of the classes will be given in cooperation with other youth organisations, social centers and schools.

Significant proportions of girls, young women and queer people around the world are confronted with a large range of sexist harassment and discrimination, as well as verbal, physical and sexual violence at home, in school and in the wider community. Gender-based violence is not only the result of gender inequality but contributes to the reproduction of inequalities, through the reinforcement of stereotypes, girls’ fear of crime and avoidance strategies that curb their mobility and life choices and ultimately their dependence on men to protect them against violence, making them vulnerable to dating violence and domestic violence later in life. Girls, young women and queer people who have experienced violence report significant negative impacts on their physical and mental well-being, life quality, educational and professional advancement and participation as citizens. Accordingly, gender-based violence has been internationally recognised as a violation of women’s rights and as an obstacle to their emancipation and equality.

Feminist self-defence (FSD) provides girls, young women and queer people from the age of 8 to 18 years with a safe space to reflect on their experiences of sexism and violence, develop prevention strategies and test verbal and physical defence techniques to provide them with choices when faced with discrimination and violence. Scientific evaluations have demonstrated that FSD training, compared to non-intervention control groups, increases girls’ and young women’s self-confidence and self-efficacy, decreases their fear of crime and avoidance strategies and reduces not only completed sexual assaults, but also the number of attempts, proving its preventative impact. It has been internationally recognised (e.g. UN WOMEN, European Parliament) as an effective and efficient tool for the primary prevention of gender-based violence and for girls’ and young women’s emancipation.

The objectives of the present project are:
Development of professional youth trainers and educators in the participating countries through Training for Youth Trainers led by experienced professionals of FSD.
Establishing a continuing, transnational strategic partnerships and knowledge exchange between the different associations participating in the project.
Empowering young women and queer people from all spheres of society through FSD by enabling them to defend themselves against any kind of violence.
Contributing at the social fight for the rights and security of women’s and queer people.
Contributing significantly to the spread of FSD in the participating countries, through the training of trainers

The project will consist of:
-two transnational meetings of the partner organisations, in Iceland and Belgium
-three sessions of training of youth trainers for the participants of the project led by Garance’s participants. During the project 30-60 FSD classes for youth will be hosted by the partner organisations in their local context.

The training of youth trainers is addressed to 10 women and queer people, age of 18-30. 5 from Slagtog (Iceland) and 5 from Orizontala (Romania). FSD classes hosted by these 10 participants during the project will be open to all women, girls and queer people between the age of 8 to 30.
The results of this intense program of FSD training of youth trainers consist in the professionalisation of 10 young women and queer people to be FSD trainers for youth. They will be connected to a strong international network of FSD trainers and organisations that will ensure continuous updates on innovative skills and methods to fight gender-based violence.
The project will improve and develop participants’ competences in holistic FSD, both in terms of personal development and in teaching others the techniques and tools of FSD. By participating in an international project that constitutes a network of skill sharing and support, they can integrate different approaches in the fight for social justice, equality and inclusion of their communities, adapting and introducing the methods of FSD to their local and national contexts, thus extending the impact of the project beyond its duration, and into the future.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 88867 Eur

Project Coordinator

Slagtog & Country: IS

Project Partners

• GARANCE ASBL
• Asociatia Orizontala