The “Rainbow Education Programme for Teachers” series was held in collaboration with KTOEÖS and KTÖS at the KTOEÖS conference hall 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.
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 Teachers’ was organized in collaboration with KTOEÖS, KTÖS and KT-PDR at the KTOEÖS Conference Hall 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 pilot implementation of the Rainbow Education Programme for Teachers, which was developed in 4 modules by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güneyli, Prof. Dr. Şenel Hüsnü Raman, Assist. Prof. Dr. Sülen F. Şahin, and Expert Yasemin Taneri, aimed at providing teachers with knowledge and skills to act more effectively in the context of LGBTI+ and schools, and was successfully carried out with broad participation. Modules 1 and 2, jointly prepared for teachers and psychological consultant and guidance professionals, covered terminology and language usage, coming-out processes, prejudice, discrimination, myths, and historical context of sexual orientation and gender identity, were conducted by Social Psychologist Prof. Dr. Şenel Hüsnü Raman on March 16, 2024, Saturday, between 09:00-16:30 at the KTOEÖS Conference Hall.
Module 3 and 4 training sessions, tailored specifically for teachers and covered topics related to combating bullying and creating safe spaces under the awareness and support in the school environment, strategies for combating bullying and creating safe spaces under the education theme, and creating an inclusive school under the advocacy title, were conducted by Expert Yasemin Taneri on March 23 and 30, 2024, Saturdays, between 09:00-16:30 at the KTOEÖS Conference Hall.
At the end of the training programme, teachers who completed the training and aimed to become trainers were provided with detailed information about the training process, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with teachers who volunteered to become trainers. Teachers 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 teachers for their strong interest in the “Rainbow Education Programme for Teachers,” aimed at ensuring equality in education and making a difference. They also thanked teachers 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 KTÖS and KTOEÖS for their collaboration and support during the event.
For inquiries about the “Rainbow Education Programme for Teachers,” 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.