New cooperation | GaminGEE - GAMe-based tools to Foster an INtegrative model for early Gender Equality Education

Adding to the Erasmus+ KA2 initiatives, GEYC is partnering up with CATNESS GAME STUDIOS, UNIVERSIDAD DE BURGOS, SENIOR EUROPA SOCIEDAD LIMITADA (Spain), Queer Geography, z. s. (Czech Republic), and MTÜ Lastekaitse Liit (Estonia), for another amazing project – “GaminGEE”.

What is the project about?

GaminGEE (GAMe-based tools to foster an Integrative model for early Gender Equality Education) promotes the acquisition of skills and key competencies at psycho-social, emotional and relational level for kids and teenagers between 9 and 15 years old, through a comprehensive gender equality education far beyond from state of the art from the point of view of its theoretical foundation and the means to be used. 

The GaminGEE project will provide a toolkit to fight gender inequality in school and family contexts, supported mainly by creating a big-impact and appealing video game (specifically, a graphic adventure to be used by children and teenagers) available for the most widely used platforms among the target group. 

Besides, resources for educators and families will be designed, validated and promoted by integrating into the project implementation entities with a vast multiplier potential. Regarding the school context, those resources will be able to include in school life as cross-sectional competence, but also it will be able to be used in specific subjects depending on the teacher's goals. Within the family context, the resources will provide some tools for adults to support their children on the journey of understanding and developing behaviours towards equality, aimed at fostering both respect to differences and acceptance of one’s own circumstances. 

The concept of Gender Equality Education held in GaminGEE entails a holistic and comprehensive process that jointly addresses bio-psychosocial issues with a broad perspective, including emotions, relations, loves, friendship, respect, diversity and consensual behaviours for self-caring and caring of others. 

GaminGEE also advocates for the social inclusion of the LGTBIQ+ community and any other sexual minority, paying attention to violence suffered even in the formal education environments such as schools. In summary, the project aims at raising awareness and change minds for eliminating violence through innovative practices deep-grounded in the present and the digital era. The results will be easily transferred and scaled-up at European and international level due to the Partnership's geographical coverage, which ensures the socio-cultural adequacy of the resources and foundations, theories, and methods on which GAMINGEE relies upon.

Objectives:

• Providing educators and families with effective resources for using with their children in order to raise awareness of values applied to sex and affections, such as gender equality, mutual respect, mutual caring, self-caring, consensus and consent, sexual diversity, etc.;
• Developing healthy sexual and affective behaviours in teenagers;
• Preventing sexual violence (sexual harassment, rape, non-consensual behaviours, etc.) and biased gender roles among youth, being the vast majority gender-based sexual violence;
• Preventing bullying and violence against sexual minorities and promote behaviours that consider diversity as a special opportunity to grow.

 

Activities:

 

• At least two focus groups will be done per country participating in the Partnership (one focus group with 8-10 kids and teenagers and the other with 8-10 teachers and parents), to prepare a collaborative game plot (R2).
• A testing game activity involving kids and teenagers from 9 to 15 years old (R2)
• A training programme activity - “Playing the game”, involving educators, experts on matters such as gender-based equality, sexuality, children's rights, psychologists with experience in LGBTQ+ issues, social workers, and game developers (R2).
• The guidelines’ revision activity, involving 3 educational professionals and 3 families per country (R1).
• The first multiplier event in Czech Republic to disseminate the R1, with 30 participants comprising teachers, principals), social educators, social workers and community workers involved with the youth and the childhood.
• The second multiplier event in Estonia to disseminate the R2, with 30 participants comprising: teachers, principals, social workers and community workers involved with the youth and the childhood, civil society and advocates, policymakers, public administrations, regional entities and officers involved.
• Four transnational project meetings (Burgos, Prague, Valencia and Tallinn) and five online meetings

Tangible results:

• Early interventions in gender education: Guides for educators and families
• Future R Us: Graphic Adventure Game

Between 27th-29th of May 2022, two of our colleagues, Adelina and Alexandra, represented GEYC in the kickoff meeting hosted by the project coordinator, University of Burgos. During the meeting, the partners not only got a chance to get to know each other better, but also to discuss matters such as administrative and financial rules, dissemination plan, ethics and quality, impact assessment and next steps in the project.

Stay tuned to know more about the development of the project!