The group Stadsbreed Homo/Lesbisch Overleg (“citywide gay and lesbian consultation”) asked Rotterdam Verkeert to tackle the intolerance within certain cultures with regard to homosexuals. Rotterdam Verkeert put together a project group which wrote the basic document for the dialogue. The project plan was submitted to the City of Rotterdam administration at the end of 2001. The first dialogues with external experts took place in 2002.

Rotterdam Verkeert has initiated a dialogue in which youth workers from ethnic minorities join with homosexual men and women in discussing homosexuality in the multicultural society in a way that respects each other’s backgrounds. The idea is to foster the integration of both ethnic minority youth workers and homosexual men and women, using a specially developed methodology that is ‘portable’ and can be used in other communities in the Netherlands.

The project was implemented in three areas of the city. The choice of these areas was made on the basis of conversations with those working on urban programmes dealing with matters such as safety and security, the urban vision and health in the city, migrant organisations and members of ethnic minorities and the gay community. Each programme within a particular community starts with a dialogue in which youth workers from ethnic minority backgrounds talk to lesbians and gays in an atmosphere in which mutual respect and willingness to listen are key elements. This brings youth work and the subject of homosexuality closer together and promotes mutual understanding.

Youth workers are more aware of the fact of homosexuality and are better informed of each other’s attitudes towards it. Youth workers are more alert to young people who may be struggling with homosexual feelings, and are now equipped with ways of bringing the subject more into the open among young people in general. In Kralingen-Crooswijk the subject of homosexuality has been incorporated into the policy plan for 2005. The dialogue programme would also be useful in other parts of the city (e.g. Delfshaven, Noord, IJsselmonde).

The gay community in Rotterdam, ethnic youth

Three training meetings were held, enabling youth workers in a comparatively short time to gain the necessary insights and experience to enable them to deal with homosexuality in the reality of their work. Individual conversations were held with the youth workers so as to deliver customised training. In this way the youth workers are given an opportunity to bring opinions and prejudices out into the open as a subject that is available for discussion.

Rotterdam Verkeert
info@rotterdamverkeert.nl
http://www.rotterdamverkeert.nl
Yvon Luijk (Director), tel. +31 (0) 10 414 9406

01/01/2002

31/12/2004

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration

Integration of social groups