Social Work with People Practicing Same-Sex ... - ILGA Europe

At the same time, when developing seminars you may provide for building mutually
beneficial partnership relations among various target audiences. For instance, if you
are convinced that in order to provide an adequate medical support doctors have to
understand the needs of MSM/LGBT, and if there are no MSM/LGBT members among
the trainers, you may invite a member of the gay community to the seminar, who could
briefly and clearly talk about the special needs of the MSM. If MSM have limited access
to health services, you may invite a doctor to the seminar for this audience, who will
declare his willingness to receive such patients etc.
What is better, seminar or training?
These two terms are often confused, although there are clear distinctions between
them.
Seminar — represents a format of two-way information exchange, discussing actually
important issues or questions on a given subject. Seminar form of education includes
contributions by the participants, general discussions, comments and conclusions made
by the facilitators.
Training — is a systematic exercise to improve certain skills and behaviour of the
training participants. In the course of training session, participants are offered certain
exercises for the development, assimilation or demonstration of certain qualities and
skills.
When selecting the method of influence on your target audience you need to take into
account both the resources of your own organization/group and the needs of the target
audience.
Workshop — this format is suitable for civil servants and doctors. Such event is
appropriate when in your region you have a solid community of LGBT organizations and
MSM/WSW projects and you need to develop the range of services provided to the target
audiences of the projects. The workshop should be well-prepared and last for not more
than 2-4 hours. Give it a resonant name, for instance, ”stakeholder workshop on ways
to improve citizens” access to health and social services. The purpose of the seminar
would be to develop a general program of measures to increase access to health and
social services for MSM, WSW and transgender people. An experienced person deeply
familiar with issues related to working with MSM/LGBT may be selected to facilitate the
workshop.
Round table — a traditional method of business discussion. Round table for all
its democratic nature has elements of organization and is based on the following
principles:
• there are no clearly defined positions, only participants of the discussion over a
disputable issue.
• all positions are equal, and no one has the right to be above the others.
• the purpose of round table — is to elicit ideas and opinions on the discussed issue
or a disputable statement.
Based on established conventions, the round table leads to results that become new
conventions.
Inviting facilitator/ trainer
An important condition for a successful seminar/training is to select the right training
team. Make sure that the people who you want to invite to conduct your event have a
sound experience and reputation. You yourself of one of your friends may have attended
events led by people who attracted your interest.
If you are only in the beginning of your trainer/facilitator's carrier, you may find
useful some recommendations on organizing seminar/training as well as principles of
facilitating group meetings.
I am absolutely easy about
homosexuals. Well, the nature
has made them gays, well, let
these dudes be there too. I
believe when you pretend to
criticize a certain group of
people always, it means there
is something wrong with you
already. Because in the final
analysis a normal person should
be normal. He may not lay
claim to limiting other person's
freedom. Everyone who came
into the world has the right to
live in it 1 .
Kuzma, lead vocalist of
Skriabin band
1 http://www.jeyart.com.ua/kava/
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