During the project we deal with two topics of great importance which hugely influences the evolution of our society. One of them is gender roles in society, the other is stereotypes. These two topics are interrelated and both pose problems that are incompatible with the respect for human rights and the conception of democratic society. Social expectations about gender roles, coincidence and difference between attitudes and individual role understanding of men and women have a significant impact on an individual’s place in society. Social opinion about gender roles may not always coincide with the individual’s own orientation. This discrepancy may cause tensions in the relationships between the individual and the society, making it harder for the individual to accomplish life goals. In societies of different cultures the social roles and status of men and women are not equal. The stereotypes are naturally present in every society, and every individual’s life. However, excessive stereotypes prevent the individual’s success. The stigmatized individual finds it harder to fit into society and will be less successful in his/her own life. If stereotypes are so self-evident, and furthermore based on automatic, unconscious processes, is it even possible to influence and change them at all? We may well ask so. And the answer is yes, even it is not a definite yes. According to literature the change of a stereotype can take place when the person who judges meet the members of the group in question and gets to know them better. The presence of stereotypes strongly influence the individual’s appropriate and successful integration into society. The stereotypes allow discrimination and give negative experience to the individual on social level. Gender roles in various societies influence the person and the place one has in society mostly on individual level, while stereotypes affect the whole society. This wall is difficult to break down and has a negative impact on the development of society. The project will take into account the following fundamental rights of the EU: 1.) Gender equality 2.) Equal opportunities 3.) Non-discrimination 4) Solidarity During the planning phase of the project we shared our everyday experiences with the partner organizations we work with and we have found that there is still a lot to be done in the field of gender roles, boys-girls relationships, and the issues of stereotypes as well. The relationships, the ways of communication, gender stereotypes and other factors (even those we may not know yet) have a great influence on our everyday lives. We intend to explore and understand the way, young people arriving from various countries, behave and interact with peers of the same and different sex. We wish to understand how society and culture change gender roles and the expectations towards boys and girls. What stereotypes are there for girls and boys, and how are these influence their relationships of the opposite sex. The project strives to also deal with stereotypes from various fields of life: how these affect one’s personal and professional (work) development, and what are their impact on political, social and cultural life. In addition to this, we want to move on to the next level – once we have explored the gender stereotypes, we want to be able to look behind them. We want to see what differences are there between boy and girl roles. So we may be able to change our expectations toward each other, and cooperate and communicate in a more harmonious and effective way. We may also understand our roles deriving from social and cultural expectations, and as a result we might accept them better. During the local and international activities the following topics are processed:

1.) Explore, identify and analyze the stereotypes among young people arriving from various countries;

2.) Discuss the most common stereotypes and the methods for changing;

3.) Identify the rarest stereotypes and examine their effects on our lives;

4.) Present the methods with which these stereotypes are the easiest to overcome;

5.) Exchange opinions about gender expectations between boys and girls;

6.) Learn to accept the view of the other sex;

7.) Practice effective ways of coexistence between boys-girls, men-women;

We try to encourage young people to look for stereotypes, think about them and draw the appropriate consequences about the influence they have on the life of their own, their peers and the society. Our goal is a kind of sensitization, a shift in viewpoint, and the support and understanding of individual responsibility, rightfulness and equality. The knowledge acquired during the project will become a part of their personality, thus contributing to a more tolerant and democratic society, and also making self-realization possible for them