The “Rainbow Education Programme for Psychological Counsellors and Guidance Professionals” series was held in collaboration with KT-PDR, KTÖS and KTOEÖS at the KTOEÖS Nicosia Office on the 16th, 23rd, and 30th of March 2024 within the scope of the Rainbow Project funded by the European Union under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and implemented by the Queer Cyprus.
Like many places around the world, LGBTI+ phobia manifests itself in our society through various discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. Developed to increase awareness of LGBTI+ rights and social inclusion, the education series called ‘Rainbow Education Programme for Psychological Counsellors and Guidance Professionals` was organized in collaboration with KT-PDR, KTÖS and KTOEÖS at the KTOEÖS Nicosia Office on the 16th, 23rd, and 30th of March 2024 within the scope of the Rainbow Project funded by the European Union under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and implemented by the Queer Cyprus Association.
The Module 3 and 4 training sessions, especially designed for psychological counsellor and guidance professionals, covered topics such as understanding LGBTI+ student identities and diversity, creating a safe and inclusive school environment, counselling skills for LGBTI+ students of different ages, collaboration with families and communities, and legal and ethical issues. These sessions were conducted by Expert Raşit Kutlu and Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Sülen Şahin on Saturdays, March 23 and 30, 2024, from 09:00 to 16:30 at the KTOEÖS Sitting Hall.
At the end of the training programme, psychological counsellor and guidance professionals who completed the training and aimed to become trainers were provided with detailed information about the trainer process, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with psychological counsellor and guidance professionals who volunteered to become trainers. Psychological counsellor and guidance professionals who completed the training programme, the programme development team, and the experts who provided the training were awarded participation and appreciation certificates by the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), the Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS), and the Queer Cyprus Association.
In a statement released by the Queer Cyprus Association, gratitude was expressed to all psychological counsellor and guidance professionals for their strong interest in the “Rainbow Education Programme for Psychological Counsellor and Guidance Professionals,” aimed at ensuring equality in education and making a difference. They also thanked psychological counsellor and guidance professionals who wished to participate in this important training programme but were unable to do so due to limited capacity, expressing their anticipation in welcoming their presence in the upcoming training sessions. Furthermore, the association extended its gratitude to the administrations of KT-PDR, KTÖS and KTOEÖS for their collaboration and support during the event.
For inquiries about the “Rainbow Education Programme for Psychological Counsellor and Guidance Professionals,” you can contact the Queer Cyprus Association Solidarity Line at +905428585847, available seven days a week, between 10:00 and 22:00, or reach out via email at info@queercyprus.org