2012 Program Description “Together Against Discrimination” Diploma Program

Together Against Discrimination ‘TAD’ is an introduction to the topic of abuse of power, harassment, sexism, bullying, stereotyping, and how to institutionalize complaint and investigative mechanisms in the workplace. TAD is a form of gender mainstreaming in order to integrate a gender lens in the organization structure, projects programming and processes, and activities implementations and practices. The program is designed to promote policies and legislation which foster and support gender equality and diversity management in the workplace to reduce and prevent all types of discrimination. The course relies on a problem-based approach to examine internal policies, diversity and inclusion, anti-harassment laws in the MENA, and the psychological well-being of the employees. The primary participants in this program are journalists, researchers, lawmakers, civil society activists, and human resources units.

Objectives:

• Examine basic theories dealing with gender, discrimination and their practical application in the workplace;
• Evaluate the implementation of internal policies and labor regulations in the workplace;
• Learn how to apply a range of skills such as a gender audit, surveys, case studies with indicators into a monitoring and evaluation report;
• Bring change to the institution via policies and implementation of appropriate processes;
• Apply a gender lens to projects and programs.

Upon completion of this program, trainees learnt to:

• Deepen their understanding regarding the definition and legal context related to gender-based violence & harassment;
• Learn how to design and implement an effective complaints system in the institution;
• Acknowledge concepts and terms related to diversity, inclusion, and gender;
• Determine how gender is part of institutional change and thus not merely a stand-alone policy, project, or agenda;
• Promote gender equality and know how to conduct an investigation and write a report regarding misconduct;
• Write effective reports analyzing workplace irregularities and misconduct.

Methodology:

This e-course is composed of 48 hours live to be completed over a period of 12 weeks. It introduced trainees to specific gender analytical tools and processes to create a transparent and democratic workplace framework. Course materials were delivered in Arabic under the supervision of highly experienced trainers, practitioners, and academicians. Online presentations, lectures, group discussions, research projects, and resources were delivered in a collaborative learning strategy, which means the learning process is active and involves all trainees.

The diploma program is part of “I Will Not Stay Silent,” a year-long project launched by ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism) in partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project, Women in News / WAN-IFRA, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), and SAFE, IREX, and supported by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, and aims to create a safe, pluralistic, and diverse media working environment that is free of discrimination.