1. Open Up Your Workplace Gunnar Svensson, Integratia Anette Sjödin, RFSL Equal Conference Vilnius, Lithuania 23-24 Oct 2007

2. Beneath the Surface (Under ytan) An Equal project about understanding and changing norms and values in school www.ytan.se

3. Vision To raise the issue of sexual orientation and homophobia in schools so that an environment is created where everyone is included regardless of sexual orientation

4. Why focus on schools?  A workplace that involves a lot of people  Awareness of human rights are important for the next generation  Not much practical work has been done  Silence and unawareness is widespread  Teachers need knowledge and tools: we start with the grown-ups

5. Brief Facts  Project Period: November 1, 2004–April 30, 2007  Twelve partner organizations including government authorities, employers, trade unions, educational institutions and special-interest groups  Six pilot municipalities spread throughout Sweden  Collaboration with similar projects in France, Lithuania and Slovenia: TRACE

6. Target Groups  Teachers  School administration and personnel  Students and teachers in teaching programs  Municipal politicians and employees within the educational area  Trade union representatives  Students

7. Activities  Development of educational resources, methodologies for raising awareness and training material  Provide training for teachers, school personnel, teachers in training  Research  Awareness raising through media, conferences, seminars

8. Method  Start with yourself, then proceed with your students  Focus on the heterosexual norm  Start in preschool  Work with an integrated perspective  Include teachers’ education institutions

9. Material  “Life in the Teachers’ Lounge” (book in Swedish)  “Silence in the Classroom?” (book in Swedish)  “What Lies Beneath the Surface?” (DVD in Swedish and English)  Two transnational books  A research anthology (published later)

10. Content in a Training Session  Personal values exercises  The heteronorm and heteronormativity  Terms and concepts  The importance of being able to be open  Films and discussion

11. Personal Values Exercises  Sexual orientation is not of interest at work  Heterosexuals talk about their sexual orientation at work  At my place of work, it would be easy to tell people that you are gay, lesbian or bisexual

12. The Heteronorm We are born GirlBoy FeminineMasculine BoysGirls

13. Content in a Training Session  Personal values exercises  The heteronorm and heteronormativity  Terms and concepts  The importance of being able to be open  Film and discussion

14. Recommendations  Work in cooperation with different kinds of organizations  Focus on structures and norms, but work on a practical level

15. TRACE - Transnational Cooperation for Equality  France: Deleidos  Lithuania: Open and Safe at Work.lt  Slovenia: Partnership för Equality  Sweden: Beneath the Surface

16. TRACE - Transnational Cooperation for Equality Activities and Products  Research  Norms at Work (research book)  Experience Exchange  Conferences (Sweden, Lithuania, Slovenia)  Open Up Your Workplace (practical book)

17. Beneath the Surface (Under ytan) To order books and DVD:s, visit www.ytan.se/english