Proud spaces - European Youth Work Survey
2023
Proud spaces - European Youth Work Survey
Youth Work Ireland would like to invite youth workers and others who work with young LGBT+ people to input into a new European-wide research project. The PROUD SPACES project is funded by Erasmus+ and supported by the Irish National Agency, Leargas. This project has four partners, including Growspace (Poland), ECYC, Youth Work Ireland Laois, and Youth Work Ireland as a lead partner.
The need to gather and evidence best and current practices in inclusive youth work has emerged from engagement with youth workers and young people across the Youth Work Ireland membership. The Proud Spaces project places a strong focus on social inclusion and promotes the participation and voice of young people and youth workers in developing new tools. The project's overall aim is to evidence the positive outcomes youth work has in creating inclusive spaces and better outcomes for young LGBT+ people across Europe. As part of this project, we hope to establish an evidence-informed LGBT+ model practice for youth workers and other organisations who work with young LGBT people.
The Proud Spaces project strongly focuses on social inclusion and promotes the participation and voice of young people and youth workers in developing new tools. Ireland as a society has come a long way in its acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTI+ community. Young people accessing our youth clubs get to explore and celebrate their identity in a safe and supported way. However, this is not the case in some European jurisdictions where the human rights of young LGBTI+ people continue to be eroded and where policies and legislation seek to further exclude and discriminate. The Proud Spaces project has been deliberately planned to address such concerns through European cooperation and shared policy engagement. By evidencing and promoting the success inclusive youth work practices have on the lives of young LGBTI+ people, we can seek to influence and inform European policy.
