Gender, race, skin color, ethnic background, social status, sexual preferences are the most common areas of discrimination. Lack of tolerance can have serious consequences in the form of violence or aggression – verbal, psychological, physical. Results of such actions include auto-aggression, disorders or social exclusion of those discriminated against. That is why Foundation for Family Planning Wroclaw, which has been active in the area of discrimination for 13 years, created the program “The Same – informal anti-discrimination education”, whose main goal is creating a trend for tolerance toward differences. The project was created mainly with youth environments in mind (13-30 years of age) in Lower Silesia, pupils, students, as well as young employees of educational and correctional facilities.

Ways of carrying out the program:

– training of Lower Silesia university students in the area of relaying anti-discrimination knowledge in the form of lectures or workshops in educational or correctional facilities in Lower Silesia.

– Educational meetings with youth, employees of educational facilities, parents – informal education.

– Creating an informal education model – the older teaching the young.

– Seminars for those carrying out and those taking part in the training, along with representatives of local government and media.

– Psychological education in local and national media.

The project “The Same – informal anti-discrimination education” promotes dignity, equality and freedom. It furthers attitudes of understanding and acceptance, also prevents discrimination.

Project’s goals are i.a. :

– promoting respect for being different

– raising levels of knowledge on racist, xenophobic, homophobic behaviors in the context of different symptoms of discrimination and their social impact.

– training a group of students to recognize their own, as well as their pupils’ emotions, be able to work on them and react to inadequate behavior, such as any sign of intolerance towards ethnic, sexual, national etc., minorities.

– Getting students ready to run classes amongst chosen groups from educational and correctional facilities.

– Running an every-day informative and educational phone-line

– Reaching, through classes in educational facilities, local communities, which often show limited flexibility and tolerance towards differences.

The project “The Same – informal anti-discrimination education” is fulfilled by Foundation for Family Planning in Wroclaw from April 18th 2014 through December 31st 2014 and is being funded by Lower Silesia Marshall’s Office.