Kaos GL Goes to Brazil for UNESCO Conference

UNESCO’s “International Consultation on Homophobic Bullying in Educational Institutions” organization will be held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil on 6-9 December, 2011. Added in UNESCO’s consultancy list, Kaos GL will present its studies in education.

 

The organization aims at bringing experiences of different LGBT groups and questioning how to tackle the problem of homophobia in educational institutions. 

 

Participants will be able to meet Brazilian officials, discuss the good implementations in educational institutions, make visits to schools, NGOs and policy-makers and work on IDAHO 2012 on Homophobia and Education.

 

 

As a part of the IDAHO events since 2006, Kaos GL makes regular visits to university campuses upon the invitation of gender and/or women’s student initiatives. In 2011, Kaos GL visited 19 campuses in 17 cities, and have reached out to over 5000 students. Kaos GL has consulted both university students and academia (in some cases even the Deans offices!) on the history of local and international LGBT movements, misconceptions on homosexuality, the place of lesbians and bisexual women and trans individuals within the movement and any issues that come to mind about sexual orientation and gender identity.

 

Also, outside the dates of IDAHO (which lasts for 3 months in Kaos GL’s own planning), Kaos GL makes regular visits to classes upon the invitation of academics. In 2012, Kaos GL plans to visit at least 100 classes, under the title of “Classes Against Homophobia and Transphobia”.

 

 

In addition to visits to university classes and campus events, Kaos GL regularly gets together with Consultation Departments of schools. Even though this contact has not reached to the level of Administration of education institutions, Kaos GL is still slowly reaching educators in consultation field.

 

One of Kaos GL’s fields is evaluation and monitoring school texts. Kaos GL’s Education Committee, which is a voluntary student initiative working strictly on discrimination in education, gets together regularly to monitor homophobia, transphobia, sexism and heteronormativity in books. This evaluation is being shared with educators who join trainings.

 

Kaos GL also is newly in touch with the largest education union in Turkey, Eğitim-Sen. Trainings on human rights were given to consultant teachers from Eğitim-Sen both in Ankara and Diyarbakır.  As a part of this collaboration, Kaos GL wishes to enlarge its capacity of effectiveness by using their own contacts and channels.

 

High schools have been the hardest venues for Kaos GL to reach, because of the age issue. Since reaching under-age students is not really easy from both school administration and parenthood perspectives, Kaos GL tries to work with social workers and social service departments in universities. Kaos GL tries to host as many interns as possible, to help increase the number of social workers who have great knowledge and grasp of LGBT issues.