How equal are we in international workcamps?
International workcamps are open for all, regardless of origin, gender, sexuality, cultural and social background, economic position, education, religion and beliefs, physical and health conditions, and/or disabilities. Workcamps are a place to share experience, gain new skills and meet people from different backgrounds. Everyone who has participated in a workcamp knows that it can be one of the most amazing experiences of sharing, exchanging and caring for each other. But to make a camp a great experience for everyone, you want to make sure everyone is involved and respected equally. Especially as a group leader, you want to focus on making sure everyone feels equal to each other in every step of the project.
It is not always easy to talk about gender and gender equality in your workcamp.
In your international workcamp, you might find that certain tasks are divided between participants according to gender. Just take a closer look: Who is doing what? Are the female participants more involved in cooking and cleaning? Are the male participants expected to do more of the physical work? Does it bother you? How do you address these issues? Should you address them at all? A survey carried out by the ALLIANCE Task Force on Gender Equality found that while 45 out of 100 people answering to the survey reported cases of gender-based conflicts, only 22 of those were addressed.
To help us find solutions and answers to these issues, in the Erasmus+ training course P.R.O.U.D. (“Promoting Rights and Opportunities to Understand Diversity”), 26 young volunteers and campleaders from 13 different voluntary service organisations worked together to develop concepts and practical tips concerning gender equality in IVS. The project was coordinated in February 2020 by the ALLIANCE Gender Equality Working Group and organized by Solidarités Jeunesses in Association Citrus in Laguépie, France.
Learn more about gender equality and how to deal with gender-based conflicts in your camp.
The toolkit created in the training course is meant for all group leaders, trainers, facilitators and youth workers who are interested in learning more about gender equality and how to deal with gender-based conflicts or issues in workcamps. Let’s make sure our workcamps are a safe space for all participants! You can download it here.