CWSP’ representatives took part in the workshop “How Gender Meets Reality”, organized by the Peace Institute, Ljubljana from 14 to 17 June 2006.

This international workshop was made possible by the European Commission (Program Socrates – Grundvig 2) and the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program (OSI).

The main goal of this two-day workshop was to broaden and strengthen the exchange of the experiences, already developed through the project RealGeM (Grundvig 2 - since 2004), which involved participants from Austria, Germany, Spain and Slovenia. Apart from the RealGeM project partners (Austria –Frauenservice Graz, GenderWerkstätte Graz, Männerberatung Graz; Germany – genderWerk Berlin, Germany, genderWerk Berlin, Dissens, Germany; Spain – Grameimpuls Barcelona, Spain ; and Slovenia – Peace Institute, Ljubljana), the workshop in Ljubljana also gathered participants from Bulgaria (the Center of Women's Studies and Policies and "Club Ikonomika 2000"), the Czech Republic (“Breaking the Waves” Project), Estonia (the University of Tartu) and Romania (Center Partnership for Equality).

Through the discussion on the first day about the implementation of gender mainstreaming and gender methods (or other gender issues), each participant had the opportunity to present the situation in their own country. Thus the gender mainstreaming experts and researchers from Eastern Europe could share ideas and practical methods and learn from the experience of the RealGeM project.

During the second day the participants had practical exercises and role plays on Gender and Sustainability (Valparaiso game, moderated by Bettina Knothe) and Gender and Inter-cultural Differences (Games on managing diversities, moderated by Sigrid Fischer). These innovative approaches for gender mainstreaming training, were discussed and reflected on after the sessions in order to determine the best target group and level of training for which they can be used.

The workshop was an excellent opportunity for the participating researchers and practitioners to share first-hand experience and discuss on the practical aspects of the implementation of gender mainstreaming as a policy approach at different levels of governance and in different contexts. Thus, the initiative added regional value to the spreading of new gender-training methods and approaches among gender experts and trainers.