The conference will be held on Friday, December 7th from 9:30 am at the Malignani Institute in Udine.
Homophobic bullying: for the first time, a course for teachers has been organized thanks to the collaboration between the regional education office and the Friuli Venezia Giulia associations ARCIGAY and ARCILESBICA.
Historic collaboration for an initiative that sees the support and applause of almost all the Education Councilors of all the Provinces, Municipalities and Regions
Councilors Franzil and Rubino, representing the municipalities of Udine and Pordenone, were present at the conference.
A first in the region, among the first in Italy, and, for the first time, with the support of nearly all of Friuli Venezia Giulia's Education Departments, the topic of homophobic bullying is now included in the refresher and training programs for all regional teachers and school principals.
The Regional School Office, in collaboration with Arcigay and Arcilesbica of Trieste, Gorizia, Udine, and Pordenone, has organized a regional conference on "Bullying and Homophobic Bullying" for principals and teachers of all schools, from preschool to high school. The morning event, scheduled for Friday, December 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Aula Magna of the Malignani Institute in Udine, has received the support and approval of nearly all the region's municipal and provincial governments.
Indeed, the provincial councilors of Udine, Trieste, Pordenone, and Gorizia, as well as the municipal councilors of Trieste, Pordenone, and Udine, sent numerous messages to the region's gay associations praising the initiative. Regional Education Councilor Roberto Molinaro also sent these messages, stressing the importance of every action aimed at "fighting all forms of discrimination.".
“"We become outraged by the effects of homophobia," says Giacomo Deperu, president of Arcigay Udine, "only when it's too late to clear our consciences. But prevention comes through awareness and education, and it's the responsibility of all educators, parents, teachers, and institutions.".
News of the conference was recently released via a ministerial circular addressed to all school principals of all levels, signed by regional school director Daniela Beltrame.
“"I believe that the collaboration, innovative at the national level, between a Regional School Office and Arcigay-Arcilesbica of Friuli Venezia Giulia," comments Davide Zotti, president of Arcigay Trieste, "is also the result of the conviction that, to affirm a country's democratic culture, schools represent a laboratory for change and a bastion of civilization. Countering and combating homophobia in schools, the privileged place where citizens are formed," he concludes, "means contributing to the realisation of the substantive equality that our Constitution defends and promotes.".
The morning, organized in collaboration with the University of Udine, the Regional Order of Psychologists, and the Veneto Regional School Office, as well as Arcigay and Arcilesbica of Friuli Venezia Giulia, offers an in-depth look at the important issue of homophobic bullying. The aim is to provide appropriate cultural support to school staff who work daily to build an inclusive school system that recognizes everyone's diversity and combats all forms of discrimination.
After greetings from the Education Councilors of the Municipality of Udine, Kristian Franzil, and the Councilor of Pordenone, Flavia Rubino, the conference will open with a presentation by Beltrame herself. The first part of the conference will focus on bullying in schools, with presentations by Daniele Fedeli, professor at the University of Udine, Fernando Cerchiaro, technical director of the Veneto Regional School Office, psychologist Elena Zambianchi, teacher Emanuele Bertoni, technical director Luigi Torchio, and school principal Alida Misso.
The second part of the morning will focus specifically on homophobic bullying. Psychologist and trainer Margherita Bottino will discuss homophobia in educational settings, with a focus on internalized homophobia, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, minority stress, reducing and combating homophobic prejudice, and its impact on victims and the school environment. More specifically, legislative aspects will be addressed by Patrizia Fiore, a lawyer in the Udine Bar Association and a member of "Avvocatura per i diritti Lgbtqi, Rete Lenford," who will focus on "homophobia and legal protections, between the regulatory vacuum and jurisdiction, civil and criminal aspects." Professor Davide Zotti, professor of philosophy and human sciences and president of Arcigay Trieste, will close the conference. He was tasked with presenting the initiative "Getting to Know Each Other at School," an educational project to prevent, combat, and reduce social prejudice against gay and lesbian adolescents. Developed by Arcigay and Arcilesbica Trieste e Udine, the project has received, in past editions conducted in numerous classes across the region, a medal of recognition from the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.
For organizational reasons, all registrations for interested teaching staff must be submitted using the online form available on the website www.scuola.fvg.it and typing the word "bullying" in the "search" field.
For information, please contact the Regional School Office or Arcigay and Arcilesbica of Udine and Trieste ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected]).