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You can!

Project „You can!” (No. K1-O1-PK-V-167) is aimed at expanding the emotional support provided by the Women’s Helpline (WHL) volunteers by phone and online and promoting the idea of volunteering.

Project target groups: WHL volunteers; individuals seeking help from WHL; adult members of society able to get engaged in volunteering.

Activities envisaged in the project are designed at increasing the availability and visibility of the emotional support provided by the WHL. Through social informational campaigns the project will encourage the country’s citizens to get involved in voluntary activity aimed at providing emotional support. In that way, the project strengthens the education of civil society and its values. Moreover, greater visibility of WHL enables more people to seek help. By training more volunteers and extending the working hours of the WHL accessibility of emotional support increases. Raising the competencies of volunteers ensures the quality of provided help, psycho-hygiene of a volunteer, also increases his/her motivation, what decreases the turnover of the volunteers. The activities of the project will also contribute to dealing with the problem of gender-based violence, increasing access to assistance for people with disabilities, those, experiencing psychological crises, at risk of suicide.

Coordinator: public organization Klaipeda Social and Psychological Service Center, project manager Dalia Puidokienė, dalia.puidokiene@moteriai.lt

Project partners: association Kaunas Women Line; association Women’s Issue Information Center

Duration: 2021 – 2022

The project is funded by:

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Women’s Helpline

Women’s Helpline was founded in 2004 with the aim to provide emotional support to women as well as all people seeking for emotional help, especially to those living in remote areas, where direct emotional and psychological assistance is not available. The support is confidential, anonymous and free of charge, available 24/7, accessible by phone, e-mail, and e-chats.

The main goal of the Women’s Helpline is to provide emotional support, help to overcome psychological crisis, inform about other support possibilities, as well as take part in prevention of domestic violence and suicide.

The other important aspect of the Woman’s Helpline activity is that emotional support is being provided by volunteers. Thus, training, competence building and motivation of the volunteers is very significant part of the organization’s activity also. The study program takes 4 months and consists of theoretical and practical parts. The theory covers the topics related to psychological crises, suicide, domestic violence, etc., while the practice consists of simulation of conversations and discussions.

The Helpline is operating in three cities and is coordinated by three organizations: public organization Klaipeda Social and Psychological Service Centre (founder of the Helpline), association Kaunas Women Line (got involved in 2007), and association Women’s Issue Information Centre in Vilnius (got involved in 2019). All three organizations are members of the Lithuanian Association for Emotional Support Service, which covers all Helplines operating in Lithuania.

More information: pagalbosmoterimslinija.lt

The project is funded by:

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Warriors Against Gender – Based Violence

We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.

– Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune, U.S. civil rights pioneer and activist

Women’s Issues Information Centre together with Centre MARTA (Latvia), Colectivo MosaiQ (Spain) and The Future Now Association (TFN) (Bulgaria) teamed up to create a space for young people to be themselves, receive understanding and support, and face the future with more hope.

The Warriors against GBV Project is created to train and empower youth workers by providing them with innovative methods of working with young people who are victims of gender-based violence.

 

We believe that victims of violence must be constantly supported and assisted, provided with a safe environment, understood, and heard. 

 

Name of the project: Warriors against Gender-based Violence

Duration: 03/01/2022 – 30/10/2023

Problem statement:

Young people are neglected in their need for personal support, understanding and education not only in formal manners but also in questions of self-awareness, self-knowledge, as well as interpersonal relationships and boundaries. They are experiencing violence in their lives.

In the EU, 1 in 3 women and girls over the age of 15 has experienced physical and/or sexual violence. 1 in 2 has experiences sexual harassment, 1 in 5 has experienced stalking, 1 in 20 has been raped. (EIGE, 2015) A quarter of LGBTI+ people have been attacked or threatened with violence (FRA, 2012).

Beyond the numbers, we can see a culture of inequality creating a very different life environment for anyone in a vulnerable position or deemed outside the established gender norms. There is an ever-growing need to support victims, create spaces for them to be safe, heard and understood, as well as create mechanics for improvement, sharing, community and support. We need to support both victims of GBV, and organizations, working to combat it. We need active and dedicated warriors against gender-based violence.

Obvious gaps in the previously discussed knowledge leads to gruesome results of violence, self-hatred, self-harm and worse. There is a need to:

Objectives:

  • Educate both youth workers and young people on gender-based violence, empowering them to be proactive parts of supportive communities, and agents – warriors – for positive change and combating violence.
  • Build and promote – through communication and exchange- a sustainable community, engaged in the topic of gender-based violence, created by individuals and organizations in the EU.
  • Provide young people and youth organizations with a platform: a safe space, in which they are encouraged to share, be heard, and support other people in need of the same treatment.
  • Connect and unite organizations, working in the field; equip them with new tools and support their understanding and identification of gender-based violence in victims and in perpetrators.
  • Expand the impact of existing efforts combating gender-based violence through awareness-raising, good practices exchange and collaboration with various actors in the field.
  • Take part in achieving Sustainable Development Goals #4, #5 and #16 through engagement of youth and youth workers and attention to connectivity, relationship- and community-building, effective engagement, and tools for capacity building.

Activities:

  • Development of the Warrior platform for organizations and individuals. The content of the platform consists of important milestones for the project, including the creation of the quizzes for self-assessment, the establishment of online spaces both for organizations, youth, community-building, safe spaces, as well as project results.
  • Development of a Guide with best practices for youth work in the field of combating GBV, will be led by MARTA.
  • Elaboration of a Methodology for creating and operating safe spaces online and offline, inviting youth workers to explore the subject of safe spaces learn a new methodology and participate in the Warriors platform to support young people from across Europe.

Project results:

  • The self-assessment quizzes
  • The interactive map of services
  • The methodology in creating online and offline safe spaces and the space I the platform for that purpose
  • Space for exchange and community building between organizations in the field of combating gender-based violence
  • The guide on best practices.

The project partnership is highly motivated to contribute to the fight against this type of violence and to give voice and opportunity to victims to make them feel supported, understood, and safe!

 

Project partners: The Future Now Association (TFN) (Bulgaria), Centrs MARTA (Latvia), Asociación Colectivo MosaiQ (Spain).

Coordinator: Moteru Informacijos Centras Asociacija MIC (Lithuania), project managers and researchers: Rugile Butkeviciute rugile@lygus.lt and Dovile Rukaite dovile@lygus.lt. Project technician and youth worker Kristina Kiselyte kristina@lygus.lt.

 

The project is funded by the Erasmus + program (KA220: Strategic Partnerships in Youth)

Erasmus+KA2 „European Design – Europia 2020“ | Mažeikių Kalnėnų progimnazija

 

 

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Dare to Care Baltics

Project addresses Council of Baltic Sea States priority area “safe & secure region” by focusing on violence prevention among and towards young people in Baltics. Project activities aim to strengthen young peoples resilience and raise awareness regarding healthy relationships and issues of bullying, gender-based violence and human trafficking.

Participating organizations: MARTA Centre, Latvia (Lead Partner); NGO Paikuse Open Youth Center, Estonia (Co-Partner); Women’s Issues Information Center, Lithuania (Co-Partner)

Duration of the project: October 1, 2020 – October 1, 2021

Brief summary of the project:

Project’s direct target group are specialists: youth workers, social workers, educators – who work with youngsters, and the main beneficiaries are youth aged 12-18.

Project aims to build capacities in the field of working with youth by equipping specialists in partner countries with needed knowledge, skills, and attitudes to prevent violence among and towards children and youth. This will be done through a Youth Group methodology developed by MARTA Center.

During the project period of 12 months a group of specialists will receive training and implement Youth Group methodology as a tool for violence prevention among youth in Baltic states: Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. 4 specialists per country (12 in total) will go through training program, become youth group leaders and implement methodology in local communities of partner countries, and will take active part in competence building seminars and co-visions.

It is estimated that each partner country will organize and lead at least 3 youth groups, in this long-term (5-7 months) group cycle directly involving at least 30 young people per country (90 in total).

Youth Group methodology will be piloted and adapted according to feedback received from participants to make sure that it meets the needs of national and local contexts. To ensure long-term impact, each youth group will organize 1 local activity (9 in total) directly involving at least 15 people locally (135 people in total) with the aim to raise awareness on topics important for youth regarding healthy relationships and violence prevention.

In the project’s final phase an international Youth Forum will be organised in Vilnius, where youth group delegations from each partner country will meet together with local and international stakeholders, youth workers and other professionals to share Youth Group methodology approach, results and acknowledgements with a wider audience.

Youth Group methodology is cycle of guided workshops where young people can come together, discuss and engage in non-formal education activities that cover range of topics starting from friendship, respectful communication, sexual-reproductive health to bystander effect, unhealthy relationships, risks, causes and consequences of human tracking, pornography, and interpersonal violence.

Info pack for participants, for more information reach out to: mic@lygus.lt

 

Project Dare to Care Baltics, CBSS PROJECT SUPPORT FACILITY. Grant No. PSF 2020/1

Cover picture: ezgif.com

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Decoding UN Resolution 1325: Promoting Safety at Home though Greater Leadership

“We simply can no longer afford to deny the full potential of one half of the population. The world needs to tap into the talent and wisdom of women. Whether the issue is food security, economic recovery, health, or peace and security, the participation of women is needed now more than ever” – Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile

United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, addresses the impact of war on women and the importance of women’s full and equal participation in conflict resolution, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction. The resolution also calls for special measures to protect women and girls from conflict-related sexual violence and outlines gender-related responsibilities of the United Nations in different political and programmatic areas.

On 22nd of June, 2020, Lithuania adopted second national action plan on Women, peace and security (WPS) for 2020 – 2024. It seeks to strengthen role of women in Lithuanian society and ensure active participation in prevention of conflicts, decision making and creation of sustainable peace.

Women’s Issues Information Centre together with alumna’s of U.S Embassy in Lithuania programs prof. Dalia Leinarte and Rugile Butkeviciute will contribute to implementation of WPS agenda in Lithuania by increasing leadership capacity of women in communities across Lithuania to reduce gender – based violence.

Name of the project: Decoding UN Resolution 1325: Promoting Safety at Home though Greater Leadership

Duration: 09/22/2020 – 07/30/2021

Problem statement: A highly professional team of alumni initiated this proposal in response to the diverse challenges increasingly experienced by local women in Lithuania, including the facts that: 1) every third women in Lithuania experiences gender-based violence, with the estimated cost of violence each year at 600,000 euros; 2) Lithuania scored very low for its progress in achieving gender equality, only earning 55.5 points according to 2019 Gender Equality Index (the global average was 65.7 out of 100 and the EU average was 67.4); and 3) women are underrepresented in power and decision-making positions – Lithuanian government has only one women minister out of 14 positions, and women make-up only 8 percent of leadership positions in local municipalities. There is a clear lack of knowledge of the WPS agenda among local NGO’s and civil society, which results in slow implementation of the NAP. In partnership with high-level organizations, this project will focus on addressing these challenges by conducting an extensive training program for Lithuanian leaders to implement the WPS agenda locally and nationally.

Goals: to support women’s full participation in peace and security efforts, to reduce gender-based violence, and to advance gender equality by increasing women’s political representation and roles in decision-making processes.

Objectives: 

– Strengthen the capacity of NGO’s in Lithuania to implement the second NAP on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) de facto.

– Enhance visibility and practical transferability of the WPS agenda 2020 – 2024 in the civil society sector by enhancing NGO’s leadership skills on the local and national levels.

– Transfer and multiply WPS agenda by equipping NGOs with practical tools to become experts of WPS in national/ international missions.

Activities:

  1. Development of multilingual online training curriculum on women’s leadership and prevention of gender-based violence;
  2. Implement a training for trainers workshop called “Champions for Women, Peace and Security”;
  3. Conduct workshops for local women leaders;
  4. Host the first ever Women Leadership Forum on Women, Peace, and Security to mark the progress since the anniversary of UN Resolution 1325 (with participation from NGOs from Nordic – Baltic countries as well as Ukraine and Moldova).
  5. Form a group of leaders implementing the WPS Agenda, called “Leaders for Sustainable Peace and Security.”

Project Rresults: 

1. Activity report in EN

2. Video on “Women, peace and security”:

Applicant: Women’s Issues Information centre

Experts of the project: Fulbrigt program alumna prof. Dalia Leinarte and Community Solutions program alumnė Rugile Butkeviciute

 

Project is financed by U.S. Embassy in Lithuania via Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2020

 

Let’s join forces to end gender – based violence:

Rugile Butkeviciute

rugile@lygus.lt

 

 

 

 

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ERASMUS+ project supports Women Helpline services in Vilnius

New ERASMUS+ project is launched aiming to strengthen Services of Women Help Line in Vilnius.

Programm supports sustainable and continuous cooperation between European women leaders and professionals fighting for women rights.  In November 2019 Partners from Island and Scotland gave inspiring speeches at the International conference and shared their experience in the field providing services for victims of sexual violence.

Staff of Women Help line in Vilnius is planing study visits to Scotland Ripe Crisis Center and Stygamot (Island) in 2020.

Overall goal of the project is to ensure the Women’s Information Centre efficiency to integrate Gender
Mainstreaming to all levels in Lithuanian society. Main beneficiary is Lithuanian society.
Project will seek following objectives: reducing violence against women and advance gender equality
provisions dissemination among the youth.
To achieve these objectives the WIIC relocates the following tasks:
-Strengthens international women’s NGO networks in Southern and Central European countries
-Strengthens development cooperation competencies
-Increase organisation’s staff competencies in information technology and social media
Particular objective of the project is to gain international knowledge on developing and providing help
for women experienced sexual violence. This particular services are almost none existing in Lithuania
despite women support centers are very active and well organized and has great practice on
providing help for victims of domestic violence.

Picture: Sandy Barton, expert from Scotland Rape Crisis Center

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GENDER-ED: Combatting Gender Stereotypes in Education and Career Guidance

The  Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) is coordinating the project entitled: “GENDER-ED: Combatting gender stereotypes in education and career guidance“. The main aim of the project is to address the stereotyping of educational and career choices and to promote gender equality in education, training and career guidance. This will be achieved by attracting  women into male-dominated sectors or occupations, and conversely to attract men into female-dominated sectors or occupations by challenging stereotypical assumptions about the roles of women and men in the labour market, including in leadership positions, and to change behaviours and practices that hamper equality.

CoordinatorMediterranean Institute of Gender Studies in Cyprus.

PartnersCyprus Family Planning Association (CDPA) in Cyprus, the Women’s Issues Information Centre (WIIC) in Lithuania, the Association for Gender Equality and Liberty (ALEG) in Romania, and the Centro documentazione donna (CDD) in Italy.

Associate Partners: Read More

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Closing gender gap in economic decision – making in Lithuania

BRAKE THE GLASS SEALING

General objective: to approach, measure and communicate relevant measures to improve women representation in positions of management and leadership and to promote gender-balanced representation at the various levels of the hierarchy in, primarily, public and private companies in all sectors of Lithuania.

Specific objectives:

  • to analyze business leadership situation with a particular attention on gender dimension in boardrooms at national level as well as the composition of the boardrooms of both public and private enterprises in Lithuania;
  • to foster political and business competence on and commitment to gender-balanced economic decision-making;
  • to gender-mainstream the main actors and target groups of the project;
  • to raise awareness of broader society on economic and social benefits of gender balance in decision-making;
  • to promote positive image and rhetoric for gender balance in decision-making and temporary specific measures.

WIIC responsibilities:  Awareness raising campaign

  1. Awareness of target group’s about the insufficiency of women participation in the economic decision-making and stimulates public and political debates challenging to break the glass ceiling that continues to bar female talent from top positions in business decision making will be raised.
  2. Awareness of broader society on gender economic equality issues will be raised and practical evidences on the benefits of active women participation in the decision making will be disseminated.
  3. Active, professional women will be connected to networking, encouraged to break the multiple barriers they facing to become the board members of companies.
  4. Policies of equal opportunities and welfare among employers, employees and companies will be promoted by contribution with information that more balanced boards have a possibility to create more productive and innovative working environment to improve companies’ performance.

Webpage: http://progress.lygus.lt/

Coordinator:

Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania

Partners:

Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson (Equality body according to the Directive 2002/73), Lithuania,

University of Šiauliai, UoS (Lithuania)

Women’s Issues Information Centre, WIIC (Lithuania)

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

This Project is supported by the European Union in the employment and social solidarity program PROGRESS (2007-2013) of the project “ Closing gender gap in economic decision – making in Lithuania” # JUST / 2012 / PROG / HP / 4118 / GE.

This program is implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, as well as contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields.

More information can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/progress

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Project „Generation Y for non violent relations“

Main objective of the project is to end cycle of violence through a cultural and generational dialogue.

The main goals are to raise awareness among youth (14-18) on domestic violence (DV) and bullying; to identify the problem; to find ways and tools to react and solve the issue; to create ways to prevent violence and bullying in school, private life and social networks (ideas form online youth social campaign) and to raise sensitization of officials which directly work with DV issues.

Project period: October 6, 2014 – December 5, 2014

Project activities:

  • 90 min. open lessons in Kėdainiu district. Themes: ABC on stereotypes, safety in social networks, practical situation how to be safe and avoid bullying, prevention of bullying. Target group: 120 – 140 students.
  • Social campaign of Facebook „Delete bullying“. Goal – to fight against bullying in social networks. Duration from 3rd to 25 th November,
  • Conference „ I like safety“. Goal – raise awareness on harms of bullying for school comunity. Target group: 60 – 100 people. Students between 14 and 18 year old, teachers, youth educators.

Duration of the project: 6th October – 5th December, 2014.

Project „Generation Y for non violent relations“ is supported by the Embassy of USA in Vilnius

usa2 usa

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Informational portal www.lygus.lt

Informational portal www.lygus.lt is the only portal in Lithuania that provides information on different subjects of gender equality. Main themes are: gender equality, domestic violence, business, politics.

Main goal of informational portal – educate Lithuanian society on subject of gender equality in order to seek equal opportunities for men and women.

Portal is now available in lithuanian language.

Project is supported by the Ministry of Social security and labour.

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