The “LGBTI+ Inclusive Education is Possible!” Roundtable discussion was held at the KTÖS Workshop Room within the scope of the Rainbow Project funded by the European Union under the Cypriot Civil Society in Action VII Grant Scheme and implemented by the Queer Cyprus Association.
The meeting was organized with the aim of contributing to the development of an inclusive LGBTI+ education programme under the Rainbow Project, which seeks to address issues within the LGBTI+ community and prepare the content for the upcoming capacity building training. This event provided a valuable opportunity, especially for teachers, psychological counsellors and guidance professionals in the education sector, emphasizing the importance of creating an environment that is sensitive to LGBTI+ rights and promoting inclusive education.
The event commenced with an opening speech by Queer Cyprus Activist and Programme Development Expert Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güneyli. In the first part of the meeting, Research Expert Prof. Dr. Şenel Hüsnü Raman presented findings, results, and recommendations from a study on the attitudes of education professionals towards LGBTI+s, providing valuable insights to the participants. Following Prof. Raman’s presentation, participants had the opportunity to share their views and provide feedback on the research findings and recommendations. The event continued with Yasemin Taneri, the research expert responsible for the Current State Analysis of the Education Curriculum, presenting the findings, results, and recommendations of the research, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Under the guidance of Programme Development Expert Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güneyli, the second part of the roundtable meeting was initiated with the participation of experts. The roundtable meeting with teachers was moderated by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güneyli and Yasemin Taneri, while the roundtable meeting with psychological counsellors and guidance counsellors was moderated by Assist. Prof. Dr. Sülen Şahin and Raşit Kutlu. In these roundtable meetings, Psychologist Yaren Müezzin and Social Worker Güney Tosun served as rapporteurs. In the final session, the topics discussed in the roundtable discussion were summarized by the experts for all participants. This event provided an opportunity for participants to discuss practical ways of creating an education model that is sensitive to LGBTI+ rights, contributing to the development of education programmes under the Rainbow Project funded by the European Union under the Cypriot Civil Society in Action VII Grant Scheme and implemented by the Queer Cyprus Association. The event concluded successfully with the contributions of participants, underscoring the significance of establishing an education system that is sensitive to LGBTI+ rights.
In a statement issued by Queer Cyprus Association, they highlighted the success of the “LGBTI+ Inclusive Education is Possible!” Roundtable Meeting. They emphasized the crucial role of professionals in the education sector participating in such events, noting that it is a critical step towards increasing societal awareness and fostering a sensitive environment for LGBTI+ rights.