The University of Brescia, through the Department of Law, is lead partner in the European project Transcending Barriers: Promoting Trans Inclusion in the Workplace, launched on Feb. 1, 2025 and co-funded by the European Union under Call CERV-2023-EQUAL. The UniBs research team involved in the coordination is composed of Dr. Laura Bugatti, Prof. Matteo Frau, Prof. Francesca Malzani and Dr. Elena Togni.
The two-year project involves academic partners and civil society organizations from Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Spain. The main objective is to counter discrimination that transgender and non-binary people experience in the workplace by promoting inclusive professional environments that respect the rights of all.
Transcending Barriers aims to equip HR professionals with targeted skills, raise awareness among employers and stakeholders, and offer concrete support through a dedicated mentoring program. The project consists of several activities:
- HR training and capacity building: development of specific training paths and organization of workshops to foster inclusion in work contexts;
- TransMentor: mentoring program that connects trans and non-binary people with experienced professionals, offering emotional support, guidance and networking opportunities;
- Data collection and research: administering surveys and interviews to more than 400 participants to build evidence-based recommendations;
- awareness and advocacy: a multichannel campaign will culminate in an international conference in Brussels, aiming to promote inclusive policies at the national and European levels.
As emphasized by Simeon Vasilev, president of the Bulgarian GLAS Foundation, a partner in the project, "This initiative is a significant step toward ensuring that trans people can work in environments that respect their rights and dignity. By engaging HR professionals, employers and policymakers, we aim to create systemic change at the European level that will continue beyond the conclusion of the project".
In addition to UniBs, the project consortium includes the following entities: ADL Zavidovici, Human Age Institute, GLAS Foundation (Bulgaria), University of Girona (Spain), Vytautas Magnus University and LGL (Lithuania), ALDA - European Association for Local Democracy and Unitelma Sapienza (Italy, associate partner).
For more details: https://workitout.bg/transcending-barriers/
LinkedIn: Transcending Barriers
Instagram: @beyondthebinarywork
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