1. Access to medical care and sexual and reproductive health;
2. Violence and exploitation of women;
3. Access to employment, careers and equal pay;
4. Recognition and valorization of care work;
5. Representation in decision-making processes and women’s empowerment.

Participants from several municipalities were able to share their experiences.

The exchanges were very enriching, and encouraging for a possible continuation of the project!

In a friendly setting in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, we showed off our work stages, including the week-long training course in Greece.

We also presented all the results developed and available on project websites such as the e-learning platform.

This was followed by a discussion period during which stakeholders asked questions about the project’s implementation and possible follow-up.

Constructive feedback that encourages us to continue!

The 1^st Multiplier Event was organized on the 20^th of May and the 2^nd Multiplier Event on the 6^th of June 2024, in Thessaloniki at the Betsson Foundation Hub. Participants had the opportunity to get in contact with the eQuality Project and its main activities and results. The event included the presentation of the purpose and goals of the project as well as the partner organizations that comprise the consortium.

 Representatives of Smart Umbrella provided information on the subject area of the training material and explained the way participants can benefit from the use of the eQuality Platform and the eQuality Training Platform.

The active participation and positive feedback from attendees underscore the importance of such initiatives in advancing gender equality at the municipal level. The eQuality project team looks forward to incorporating the valuable feedback received and continuing to support municipal employees in their efforts to achieve gender equality in their communities.

In total, we welcomed 56 participants from 12 different Municipalities.

The project involved five European countries-Italy, project leader, France, Spain, Malta and Greece-is dedicated to creating training curricula for municipal employees, managers and administrators starting with the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, a European tool to promote gender equality in public administrations.

Public administrations’ knowledge of the Gender Equality Strategy is very limited, despite the recognition of the importance of promoting gender culture and equality, especially when it comes to service design and delivery. EQuality is a project that addresses, therefore, the need to actively work to ensure women’s participation in institutions and society. In order to make a significant change and achieve the goal, the project aims to increase the knowledge of municipal administrators and employees on issues related to gender culture, as well as the development of practical tools to support public bodies, in achieving gender equality and contributing to land-use planning, through the dissemination of project results.

Speakers at Wednesday’s final conference included Alessandro Paglia, Head of project office of ALI; Valerio Lucciarini De Vincenzi, Secretary General of ALI; Tiziana Biolghini, Councillor delegate for Equal Opportunities and Social Policy of the Metropolitan City of Rome; Monica Lucarelli, Councillor for Equal Opportunities of Roma Capitale; Javier Dorado Porras, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Elisa Giovannetti, Former President of Women Association; Barbara Bertoncin, Vice President of Women Association; Kenza Benohoud, Solution: Solidarité & Inclusion; and Roberta Mori, Regional Councilwoman Emilia Romagna.

In the wonderful venue of Imola city hall, Loretta Bertozzi and Virna Gioiellieri presented the five training modules of the project to the participants, who represent several municipalities and their institutions and expressions of civil society, such as local health care system, social services, and women’s associations.  The trainers covered all the topics the E-Quality project focuses on, presenting the modules elaborated by the Project Partners and tested in Thessaloniki on May 2023.

Given the wide spectrum of attendees, the five topics (gender medicine, gender violence, access to work and careers, valorisation of care work, and representation and empowerment of women in decision-making processes) resulted to be very interesting and the methodology adopted was well appreciated. Participants expressed their satisfaction with the training, showing interest in keep on working together on such an important goal, that is to promote local institution awareness on the topics and foster their capacity to address gender issues on a larger scale.

The E-Quality Project involved eight partners from 5 different European Countries and its main goal is to produce new e-tools to develop skills and a strengthened culture of gender equality within municipal administration. The project is cofunded by the European Commission and its objectives included the creation of training modules on gender equality and an online platform with guidelines and good practicies for educating municipal employess and assisting municipalities in promoting gender equality in their services and operations.

Apart from the partners’ representatives, the following speakers will participate in the final conference:

Valerio Lucciarini De Vincenzi, Secretary
ALI General; Tiziana Biolghini, Delegate Councilor for Equal Opportunities and Social Policy of Metropolitan
City of Rome Capital; Monica Lucarelli, Councilor for Equal Opportunities of Rome
Capital; Javier Dorado Porras, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Elisa Giovannetti, Former President
Women’s Association; Barbara Bertoncin, Vice President of the Women’s Association; Kenza Benohoud,
Solution: Solidarity & Inclusion; Roberta Mori, Regional Councilor of Emilia Romagna.

The training has been attended by 61 people from 16 municipalities from different parts of Spain, so we believe that the event has been a great success.

We continue working for gender equality.

First, we reviewed the last meeting, which coincided with our LTTA (Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity). It brought together a number of municipal staff from our partner countries, and was a very positive event overall. We have taken on board feedback from participants to improve our material and content.

The agenda also included a wide range of discussions focusing on strategies and initiatives to promote gender equality, as well as the integration of good practices and public policies and laws collected by each partner country: Italy, France, Malta, Spain and Greece.

The next stage of the project was also discussed, with the organization of local training courses for municipal staff to test the material and platform currently under development. These local training courses aim to deepen knowledge and practice in the field of gender equality, providing tools and resources tailored to the needs of local authorities.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to all participants for their presence, innovative ideas and unwavering commitment. Thanks to their contributions, this meeting has been particularly memorable and rich in constructive exchanges.

During the 1^st day, “Smart Umbrella” presented their module on women’s access to employment, career, and equal pay. The presentation of the module was followed by a thorough discussion on the subject areas it covered, while participants took a self-assessment test to provide feedback on their comprehension on the material. During the 2nd day of our training our lead partner “Women Network” represented by Roberta Mori shares information on the Representation of women in decision making processes and their empowerment! During the 3rd day of the training our French partner “Solution: Solidarité & Inclusion” covered the subject area of Violence and Exploitation of Women contributing to awareness raising and providing valuable information! Participants stressed the importance of educating victimizers alongside supporting the victims!

The 4th day of the training was devoted to the Recognition and Valorisation of Care Work presented by our Spanish partner “Universidad Carlos III de Madrid” stretching the importance of care work and how women are the main care givers without any recognition in most EU countries!  Highlight of the day! – each participant took the step and presented themselves making a special reference to any gender inequality they have experienced in their working environment!

During the final day of the training participants provided their feedback on the organization and implementation of the training, as well as on the material they were presented. We wrapped up the day with the nomination of the certificates of participation! Get to know the different groups of experts from our partner countries and get a glimpse of our final ceremony snapshot!

Thank you all for a highly constructive and thought-provoking training experience!