Queer Cyprus Association visited KTOEÖS and KTÖS.

Queer Cyprus Association held meetings with KTÖS and KTEÖS working in the fields of education.

Queer Cyprus Association held meetings with the administrations of Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS) and Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS) within the scope of the rights advocacy visits of the Rainbow Project, which is financed by the European Union and aims to strengthen the education and health rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and plus individuals (LGBTI+s). The advocacy visits proved to be highly productive, particularly in terms of planning and strategising for the short and medium-term goals to plan the future steps of the project and determine strategies. Board members of relevant institutions and representatives of the Queer Cyprus Association attended the advocacy visits.

During the meeting, detailed discussions took place regarding the results of the research conducted on the attitudes of teachers, psychological counsellors and guidance professionals in the initial stages of the project, along with the school curriculum gap analysis research. Based on the findings, the demands emerging from roundtable discussions involving psychological counsellors and guidance professionals and teachers were discussed, and information was provided about the draft content of the educational programmes being developed by experts for both professional groups.

An important exchange of views was held on the content, format and scheduling of training programmes, seminars and awareness-raising campaigns developed especially for teachers and psychological counsellors. In addition, various suggestions and solutions regarding the financial support mechanism to be provided for education and health professionals were discussed. Collaboration and communication methods in the implementation of short and medium-term goals with KTÖS and KTOEÖS were among the important agenda items of the meeting. Discussions were held with the unions regarding the establishment of an anti-discrimination working group to thoroughly investigate the rights violations faced by LGBTI+ individuals in educational settings, propose solutions, and facilitate equal access to rights for LGBTI+ individuals.

In the statement issued by the Queer Cyprus Association, it was mentioned that the meetings with the administrations of KTÖS and KTOEÖS were successfully concluded, and it was emphasised that the strong collaborations in the past and further collaborations for the future would contribute positively to the strengthening of LGBTI+ rights.