Diversity, equality…action!

Project goal is to direct at society’s attention to existing forms of multiple discrimination and to concentrate
joint efforts to eliminate them.

Project activities:
- Film festival on the theme of human rights.
- Public campaign against discrimination.
- In May of 2007, organized three-day seminars for NGOs, labor union members, and municipal and community group representatives.
- Organized round tables between November and December of 2007.
- Prepared and published the manual Equal Opportunities for All
Project coordinator: Lithuanian Human Rights Center

Project partners:
Office of the Ombudsman for Equal Opportunities
Center for Equality Advancement

Courage to speak, passion to live

The book “Courage to speak, passion to live” – this is the result of a collective , united work of different generations of women. Idea to release a book based on authentic stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LBT) women was born few years ago. Yet this implementation was not easy – it was hard to find the project sponsors, and took the interview process for the collection , because it was not easy to speak of those who forced to hide their experience .

Book contains twenty- five living in Lithuania LBT women’s stories . It is a different age, education , social status of women , which , in spite of all the vicissitudes of fortune , share one common experience – how to be , to love and to remain self in homophobic society.

The book cites women’s names are fictional , but the age – is real. While reading you will find stories and happiness . This transsexual identity cards – open and painful identity deconstruction primitive concepts – like the other heroes here superimposed thoughts about life lessons and survival strategies.

While writing the book it was not intended to provide a seamless narrative  to tell the original of his / her story. Project participants’ thoughts and comments are grouped into separate sections , which deal with different aspects of life , beginning with childhood reminiscences and ending with reflections of the current situation . Such a structure of the book , on the one hand , makes you feel societal stigma marked commonality of experiences , but at the same time brings out each personality differences , which caused so much psychological individuality and peculiarities of the social environment .

This is the first time in Lithuania to try to provide a space for authentic lesbian, bisexual and trans -person narratives . Hopefully, one part of the story readers will better understand those who are alienated in the society . Another part would gain more courage to talk about themselves and more determined to defend their human rights. It would be great if this book light a spreading desire to live in a society free from homophobic prejudices .

Publication of the book and putting thes Mama Cash ( Netherlands ) , the Open Society Institute ( New York ) and the Women’s Network East -West Women network .

Innovative Educational Strategies for Social Partners: Towards Practical Implementation of Equal Opportunities

Project goals:
- To raise awareness in society and to build opposition for discrimination due to gender.
- To promote social dialogue on the prevention of discrimination against marginalized groups.
- To change stereotypical views on the roles of men and women in society and about
marginalized groups.
- To increase women’s motivation and professional qualifications in the labor market.
- To encourage men to assume the same responsibility as women for childcare and in that
manner to help change employers’ attitude that women constitute a “risky” and
“unattractive” labor force.
-To support employers’ innovative management strategies allowing the reconciliation of
professional and private spheres for both women and men.
- Promote social policies that encourage the reconciliation of private and professional life.

Target groups of the project are: Employers, representatives of trade-unions,representatives of labor market institutions in Lithuania, representatives of labor market training offices,social and employment policy makers,women returning to the labor market after an extended period,elderly women.

Project activities:
- From February to December of 2007, CEA organized 20 trainings on gender equality and
related issues in all of Lithuania’s regions.
- Performed scientific research which aimed to analyze public opinion about gender
stereotypes and evaluate experiences in labor market.
- A public informational campaign was prepared. The campaign included billboards and
postcards in which brief information and statistics about the spheres most often affected by
gender-based discrimination was provided.
- Information television and reporting cycle: 52 subjects were prepared for the television show
“Jeigu” (“If”), which analyzed discrimination due to gender, age, ethnic/racial origin,
disability, and social status.
- CEA prepared 25 social advertising reports, which were televised once a week. For each
broadcast, comments and articles were prepared and posted on the www.alfa.lt website.
- At the time of each “If” broadcast, an instantaneous social survey about issues related to
gender equality and employment was conducted.
- Prepared and published a manual for employers, Improvement of the Labor Relationship and
Environment, edited by Margarita Jankauskaitė and Aistė Paškauskaitė, 2007 (Darbo
santykių ir darbo aplinkos gerinimas/ sudarytojos Margarita Jankauskaitė ir Aistė
Paškauskaitė, 2007).
- Prepared and published a compact disc, Equal Opportunities: Rhetoric and Practice.

Project coordinator: Kaunas Women’s Employment Information Center

Project partners: Office of the Ombudsmen for Equal Opportunities,  Center for Equality Advancement

Rhetoric of equality: media and non-stereotyping representation

Centre of Equal Advancement initiated and covered the expenses of the publication dedicated to journalists and public relations professionals. It provides an advices  how to prepare gender-neutral publications and programs, prevent men and women  stereotyping and challenge the existing gender inequalities.