The youth exchange gathered 40 participants from Croatia, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro. The project was implemented in Korenica in September 2017. The goals of the project included strengthening LGBTI community through sport activities where struggling LGBTI youth can find friendships, understanding and support.
Razmjena mladih okupila je 40 sudionika iz Hrvatske, Srbije, Grčke i Crne Gore. Projekt je proveden u Korenici u rujnu 2017. Među ciljevima projekta bilo je jačanje LGBTI zajednice kroz sportske aktivnosti u kojima LGBTI mladi koji prolaze kroz teškoće mogu pronaći prijateljstva, razumijevanje i podršku.
At the Rio Olympics only 54 athletes were openly LGBTI but they on 25 medals, including 10 gold medals. Some of them even became national heroes, like Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva, which won Brazil’s first Olympic gold medal in Rio. Therefore, even though sport is one of spheres were even in the most progressive countries openly LGBTI athletes are rare, sport can be a tool for creating positive attitudes towards LGBTI people and can help LGBTI community strengthen itself. In this youth exchange we were striving to understand how athletes can serve as positive role models for young people, how some openly LGBTI athletes have made tremendous contribution to LGBTI movement (Martina Navratilova is one of the best and earliest examples), how sport and recreation activities can help young people meet new friends and develop support network.
Na Olimpijskim igrama u Riju samo su 54 sportaša bila otvoreno LGBTI, ali su osvojili 25 medalja, od toga 10 zlatnih. Neki su od njih postali čak i nacionalni junaci, poput brazilske džudašice Rafaele Silve, koja je osvojila prvu brazilsku zlatnu olimpijsku medalju u Riju. Stoga, iako je sport jedno od područja u kojima su otvoreno LGBTI sportaši rijetki čak i u najnaprednijim zemljama, sport može biti alat za stvaranje pozitivnih stavova prema LGBTI osobama i može pomoći LGBTI zajednici da ojača. Na ovoj smo razmjeni mladih nastojali razumjeti kako sportaši mogu biti pozitivni uzori mladima, kako su neki otvoreno LGBTI sportaši dali golem doprinos LGBTI pokretu (Martina Navratilova jedan je od najboljih i najranijih primjera) te kako sportske i rekreativne aktivnosti mogu pomoći mladima da upoznaju nove prijatelje i izgrade mrežu podrške.
Athletes are important role models from young people and many LGBTI youth were growing up without appropriate role-models, which is why the rising number of openly LGBTI athletes is so important for the wellbeing and self-confidence of LGBTI youth, especially of those LGBTI youth that are aspiring athletes. At the same time, many straight athletes have been vocal in their support for equal rights for LGBTI people, which also had positive impact on worldview of straight youth.
Sportaši su važni uzori mladima, a mnogi su LGBTI mladi odrastali bez odgovarajućih uzora, zbog čega je sve veći broj otvoreno LGBTI sportaša toliko važan za dobrobit i samopouzdanje LGBTI mladih, posebno onih koji se i sami žele baviti sportom. Istodobno, mnogi su heteroseksualni sportaši glasno podržali jednaka prava za LGBTI osobe, što je pozitivno utjecalo i na svjetonazor heteroseksualnih mladih.
Also, in this youth exchange we explored problems within the LGBTI community, above all the discrimination and marginalization of trans and intersex people and how sport activities can be used for their integration into the LGBTI community. We have done a full day hike up the beautiful Pljesevica mountain, which is not only meant to acquire positive attitudes towards more active lifestyle, but also to show how hiking can be an excellent opportunity for young people to meet new people and create networks of support and friendship among LGBTI youth. After the youth exchange, young people have continued organizing hiking trips in their local communities.
Na ovoj smo razmjeni mladih istraživali i probleme unutar LGBTI zajednice, prije svega diskriminaciju i marginalizaciju trans i interspolnih osoba, te kako se sportske aktivnosti mogu iskoristiti za njihovu integraciju u LGBTI zajednicu. Cijeli smo dan planinarili na prekrasnu planinu Plješivicu, čime nismo htjeli samo potaknuti pozitivan stav prema aktivnijem načinu života, nego i pokazati kako planinarenje može biti izvrsna prilika da mladi upoznaju nove ljude i stvore mreže podrške i prijateljstva među LGBTI mladima. Nakon razmjene mladih, mladi su nastavili organizirati planinarske izlete u svojim lokalnim zajednicama.
