Team

Portugal

Centre for Social Studies (CES)

Tatiana Moura

Tatiana Moura

General Coordinator / Portugal

Tatiana Moura is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies/University of Coimbra, the General Coordinator of PARENT and the General Coordinator of Promundo-Portugal. Her work focuses on masculinities, violence prevention, gender equality and fatherhood and caregiving. Between 2011 and 2019 she was the Executive Director of Instituto Promundo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and led several projects on masculinities, violences and non violent trajectories in urban peripheries, particularly in Latin America. She holds a PhD in Peace, Conflicts and Democracy, and her research interests include feminism and International Relations, masculinities, new wars and urban violence.

Bruno Sena Martins

Senior Researcher / Portugal

Bruno Sena Martins is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra. He is co-coordinator of the Doctoral Programme “Human Rights in Contemporary Societies” and co-coordinator of the educational outreach activity “CES Goes to School”. Between 2016 and 2019 he was Vice-President of the CES Scientific Board. His research interests are centred on the body, disability, human rights and colonialism.

Linda Cerdeira

Linda Cerdeira

Researcher / Portugal

Linda Cerdeira is a Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra for PARENT and a PhD candidate in Feminist Studies at the University of Coimbra. She graduated in International Relations and specialized in Human Rights. From 2013 to 2019 she was the Programmes Coordinator of Instituto Promundo, in Brazil. Today she is the Programmes Coordinator of Promundo-Portugal. With a background of 15 years of experience in sociocultural and gender projects in Portugal and Brazil, she led several researches and action-oriented projects using gender transformative methodologies with a focus on masculinities.

Tiago Rolino

Tiago Rolino

Researcher / Portugal

Tiago Rolino is a Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra. He is a Law Graduate from the Catholic University (Porto, Portugal) and worked as a lawyer from 2003 to 2017. He co-coordinated the Portuguese teams of project EQUI-X (Promoting Innovative-strategies Addressing the Construction of Gender Identities and Engaging Men and Boys in Non-violent Models of Masculinity) and is part of the PARENT team, working on fatherhood and caregiving. He coordinates the Youth and Equality Area of Promundo-Portugal and he is part of the statutory bodies of the Associação Projeto Criar, an organisation that provides legal, psychological and social services to women, children, youth and families who are acting/offended in civil tutelary processes, educational tutelary processes, in promotion and protection processes and in criminal processes of vulnerable children and young people.

Sofia Santos

Sofia José Santos

Researcher / Portugal

Sofia José Santos is Assistant Professor in International Relations at the Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, and a Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, where she coordinates the DeCodeM project as a Principal Investigator. Since 2008 she has developed research on media and global interventionism; media and securitization processes; media and foreign policy; internet and technopolitics; and media and masculinities. She is also coordinator for Promundo-Portugal’s Media and Masculinities programme area, co-editor of Alice News and co-coordinator of NHUMEP. She holds a PhD and an MA in International Politics and Conflict Resolution by the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra, a degree in International Relations from the same university, and a Diploma in Advanced Studies in Communication Sciences from ISCTE-IUL. Her current research interests focus on media representations and securitization; media and foreign policy; media, masculinities and violence prevention; digital rights and contentious politics; and critical Internet studies.

Daniela Martins

Research Assistant / Portugal

Daniela Martins is a research assistant for PARENT at the Centre for Social Studies. She is a psychologist since 2012, having graduated from Estácio de Sá University, Brazil. She was part of Promundo Brazil team, working on projects focused on promoting and transforming attitudes related to gender and empowerment in contexts of interpersonal relationships, health, sexual and reproductive rights. In Portugal, she collaborated as a consultant for the EQUI-X project to promote innovative strategies for the construction of gender identities and the involvement of men and boys in non-violent models of masculinities.

Bia Carneiro

Consultant / Communications / Portugal

Bia Carneiro is a communications consultant for PARENT, as well as the Communications Coordinator of Promundo-Portugal and of the research project DeCode/M. She is a Doctoral researcher in Sociology at the Centre For Social Studies/Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, with her research funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology. She holds a Joint Major Communication and Latin American Studies from Simon Fraser University, Canada; a specialisation in Social Policy Management from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil; and a MSc Social Policy and Development (Merit) from London School of Economics, UK. In between her academic pursuits, Bia has gained more than fifteen years of professional experience in the areas of strategic communication and international development. Her current research focuses on digital research methods, social network analysis and content analysis.

Caroline Ignacio

Caroline Ignacio

Consultant / Monitoring and Impact Evaluation / Portugal

Caroline Ignacio is a monitoring and impact evaluation consultant for PARENT and for Promundo-Portugal. Her experience centres on formative research and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of programmes. She is currently engaged in research in Portugal, Brazil, Colombia and internationally, focused on promoting participatory processes with youth, non-violent conflict resolution skills, eliminating rigid, harmful gender norms, and promoting caregiving among men. She holds a BA in Public Health Studies from Johns Hopkins University and has a PhD from the Tropical Medicine Program at Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/ Fiocruz), where her research focused on incorporating the social determinants of health into people-centred primary healthcare services in high-conflict urban communities of Rio de Janeiro.

João Dutra

João Dutra

Consultant / Monitoring and Impact Evaluation / Portugal

João Dutra is a monitoring and impact evaluation consultant for PARENT and for Promundo-Portugal. He is a PhD candidate in the International Politics and Conflict Resolution programme at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, with a thesis on the reintegration of ex-combatants. He holds a MA in International Relations and a BA in Social Sciences and International Relations. During the last decade, he gained experience in impact evaluation of social projects and public policies, quantitative data analysis and research design, mostly at Instituto Promundo (Brazil, from 2010 to 2015). João has more than seven years of experience in monitoring and evaluation of social projects and public policy, research design, report writing, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

Milena do Carmo

Milena do Carmo

Consultant / Fatherhood and Caregiving / Portugal

Milena do Carmo is a consultant in Fatherhood and Caregiving for PARENT and for Promundo-Portugal. Between 2013 and 2017 she was a senior Programme Officer and Coordinator of this area at Instituto Promundo, Brazil. Since 2017, she lives in Portugal and is a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, where she is a PhD candidate in Feminist Studies, with a thesis on “Dissident Parenting: care provided by trans* men in Brazil and Portugal”, for which she is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology. Her experience includes youth and gender, and reflexive groups with male perpetrators of violence in Brazil.

Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC)

Armando Manuel Marques Silva

ESEnfC / Portugal

Armando Manuel Marques Silva has been a professor at the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC) since 2005. He is co-author of several book chapters, as well as scientific papers in indexed journals, having also presented scientific papers at national and international scientific events. He was advisor for masters and post-graduate students and has argued master theses. He holds a BA in Nursing, ESEnfC (1994); Nursing degree, ESEnfC (2000); Postgraduate studies in Community Nursing, ESEnfC (2007); Master in Public Health, University of Coimbra (2008) with thesis “Psychology morbidity in women participating in screening for breast cancer by mammography”; and a PhD in Nursing, Catholic University (2017) with the thesis “Lifestyles in higher education students”.

Maria da Conceição Gonçalves Marques Alegre de Sá

ESEnfC / Portugal

Maria da Conceição Gonçalves Marques Alegre de Sá is an Assistant Professor at the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC). She is a researcher at the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA), funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology, in the area of Gender, Health and Development. She coordinates the Delivery Unit Service from ESEnfC, and the project “(O)usar & Ser Laço Branco”, a community intervention project in the area of healthy intimacy relationships promotion and dating violence prevention. She is a Member of the General Council and of the Technical-Scientific Board of ESEnfC. She has taught history and epistemology of health/nursing. She has also taught and published in th areas of methodologies of the organisation of quality promoters care; evidence-based practice; parenting; violence in intimacy relations; parental discipline and health self-care. She holds a Nursing degree; Specialist nurse in Child Health and Pediatrics; Master in Health Sociopsychology; and a PhD in Nursing from Catholic University, Portugal, with a thesis entitled “Parental discipline and Self-Care Practices in Young Adults”.

Cristina Maria Figueira Veríssimo

ESEnfC / Portugal

Cristina Maria Figueira Veríssimo is an Assistant Professor at the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC); a Specialist nurse in Nursing Community; a Master in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra – Portugal; and a PhD candidate at the Catholic University, Portugal. She is also a Researcher at the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA) and a member of the ESEnfC Evaluation Quality Board. Cristina collaborates in several research projects at the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing of ESEnfC, including the project “Gender, health and development”. She has participated in several intervention and research projects in a violence prevention context, including the community project “(O)usar & Ser Laço Branco – Um não à violência entre os pares”. She is currently a consultant member of Subgroup 1 – Types of violence against the elderly from the Extended Working Group of the Older Portugal project of APAV and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2019-2020). She has co-authored book chapters, as well as scientific articles in indexed journals. She has also participated in national and international scientific events. She is an advisor and co-advisor for master and post-graduate students and has argued master theses.

Maria Isabel Domingues Fernandes

ESEnfC / Portugal

Maria Isabel Domingues Fernandes is a researcher at the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA:E), at the Nursing School of Coimbra; she is the co-author of several book chapters and scientific papers in indexed journals having also presented scientific papers in scientific national and international events. She was also advisor for master’s dissertations, PhD theses, research projects and end-of-course monographs, within the scope of Medical-Surgical Nursing (of people in critical situations and chronic illness), Clinical Supervision in Nursing; Gender and Violence. Her qualifications include General Nursing – Nursing School of Coimbra (1981); Specialization in Medical-Surgical Nursing (ESEnfC) (1991); Master in Occupational Health – Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (1996); Specialized Short-term training in Clinical Internship Supervision – University of Aveiro (2003); and a PhD in Didactics – University of Aveiro (2010).

Isabel Moreira

ESEnfC / Portugal

Isabel Moreira is a Coordinating Professor at the Nursing School of Coimbra, ESEnfC. She has co-authored 1 book and 5 book chapters. In her professional activities, she has interacted with 10 collaborators for the production of scientific articles.

Maria Neto da Cruz Leitão

ESEnfC / Portugal

Maria Neto da Cruz Leitão is a Coordinator Professor for the Scientific-Pedagogical Unit of Maternal, Obstetric and Gynecological Health Nursing. She collaborates with several national and international universities. She has integrated several organs and working groups, such as the group coordination of the Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization for Clinical Practice and Research in Nursing and Obstetrics – ESEnfC – Portugal (since 2012). She is a principal researcher in the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (ESEnfC) where she coordinates the structuring project entitled “Gender, health and development”, co-coordinating and participating in several nationwide and international projects. She is a Specialist nurse in Maternal and Obstetric Health – Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC) – Portugal (1988); Applied Pedagogy Course to Nursing Education and Training (1993); Master in Science Education – Catholic University – Portugal (2000); Sexual therapist – Portuguese Society of Clinical Sexology (2003); Postgraduate in Gender Equality Law – Coimbra Faculty of Law – Portugal (2005); PhD in Nursing from Catholic University (2012) with thesis entitled “Women who are survivors of intimate partner violence: a sensitive transition to nursing care”; Postdoctoral in Nursing from Federal University of Santa Catarina – Brazil (2017); Specialist and Trainer in gender equality (2018).

Austria

Association for Men’s and Gender Issues in Styria (VMG)

Elli Scambor

Project Coordinator / VMG / Austria

Elli Scambor, Mag.a, Sociologist, is the Managing Director of the Institute for Institute for Masculinity Research and Gender Studies at the Association for Men and Gender Issues Styria (Graz, Austria) (www.genderforschung.at). Member of the board of the Association for Men’s and Gender Issues Styria (www.vmg-steiermark.at). Winner of the Käthe Leichter Award for Women’s Studies, Gender Studies and Gender Equality in Work 2016. Coordinator of numerous (international and national) studies in the field of masculinity and gender studies, diversity and intersectionality research (focus e.g. male migrants and masculinities, uncovering sexualised violence against boys, caring masculinities, men and gender equality, antifeminist movements, boys and education, gainful employment, violence/resilience). Lecturer at universities in Graz and at the FH Kärnten. Board member of the Umbrella Organisation of Men’s Work in Austria (DMÖ). Member of the GenderWerkstätte.

Wolfgang Obendrauf

Trainer / VMG / Austria

Wolfgang Obendrauf, Dipl. Systemischer Lebens- und Sozialberater, is a marriage and family counsellor, and a certified sexual counsellor (Austrian Society for Sexual Research). Long-time employee in various areas of the Association for Men and Gender Issues Styria (VMG): In the department for boys’ work as regional manager for the project BOYS` DAY in Styria (alternative career choice for young men). Long-standing employee in the men’s counselling service Graz in the psychosocial counselling of men in crises, marital and relationship conflicts. Long-standing employee in the Grazer MännerKaffee (programme, coordination, moderation of discussion groups). Trainer in the field of father education at the Institute for Men’s and Gender Studies (VMG Styria). Mini -Med ambassador (Province of Styria): Development and implementation of projects on the topic of “Men’s Health”. Media and public relations work for the Association for Men and Gender Issues, as well as for the IKEMBA advice centre in Graz. Psychosocial counselling at COURAGE Graz, with a focus on trans gender persons.

Anna Kirchengast

Researcher and Trainer / VMG / Austria

Anna Kirchengast is a doctor of social and economic sciences, and a research assistant at the Institute for Masculinity Research and Gender Studies at the Association for Men and Gender Issues Styria (Graz, Austria). National and international research and development projects on gender, masculinities, families, health, employment and resilience to violence. Focus on quantitative and qualitative empirical methods and evaluation. Seminar and lecture activities related to these projects. Management of educational, socio-economical and climate change mitigation projects.

Moritz Theuretzbacher

Trainer / VMG / Austria

Moritz Theuretzbacher, BA. Socialwork with male perpetrators at the Men’s Counselling Centre run by Association for Men and Gender Issues Styria (Graz, Austria). Conducting fathers’ groups (PARENT) and dialogue workshops with male refugees and migrants (Men Talk). School workshops with boys about sex education and gender diversity. Currently studying the master’s degree in Cultural Sociology at the University of Graz.

Italy

Cerchio degli Uomini (CdU)

Andrea Santoro

Andrea Santoro

Project Coordinator / Cerchio degli Uomini / Italy

Andrea Santoro is Chair of the Association Cerchio degli Uomini (CdU), Turin. As part of the Giardino dei Padri network, CdU is the lead organisation for PARENT-Italy. Andrea holds an MSc Degree in Political Science and a Master in Narrative Writing (Holden School, Turin). Andrea is counsellor, trainer and researcher in gender studies, men and masculinities, prevention of GBV, bullying and gender stereotypes, engaged fatherhood; he has also worked as content and social media manager and copywriter. He is social media manager and facilitator of the campaign #maipiusoleIN BARRIERA to contrast and promote public awareness on GBV in the Barriera district of Turin. In collaboration with public entities, schools and CSOs, he conducts training and workshops to prevent bullying in schools and to provide guidance to future dads, as well as ‘sharing circles’ with men on masculinities, prevention of violence and conscious fatherhood.

AnninaLubbock

Annina Lubbock

Coordination / Giardino dei Padri / Italy

Annina Lubbock holds a degree (MSc) in social science from the University ‘La Sapienza’, Rome.  She trained in applied social research methods at Censis Research Foundation, Rome. After retiring from IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development, UN) where she worked for fifteen years as Senior Gender Adviser, she co-founded in 2016 the Italian network of associations, Il Giardino dei Padri, which promotes engaged fatherhood and shared care. Currently, she is a member of the coordination team of PARENT Italy. After an early career in applied social research in Italy (managing research projects in the field of health and social services), she worked for over thirty-five years in international development aid, first as specialist in adult education and training and adult literacy and, since the mid-nineties, with gender equality and women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming as the main focus of her work. She has worked with multilateral and bilateral aid agencies, IFIs, international NGOs, and the UN.

Dimitra Mintsidis

Coordination / Administrative / Cerchio degli Uomini / Italy

Dimitra Mintsidis graduated in Economics with a specialization in environmental and development sustainability and special attention to social inclusion and well-being indicators. Proficient both in European projects’ design and management and minor scale initiatives, Dimitra is familiar with every relevant phase of the project cycle: partnership and project idea construction, budgeting and work programme definition, funding opportunities search, submission, realisation of activities and monitoring, quality assurance and financial reporting, follow up. The themes she deals with are related to innovation, both social and technical, with the objective to boost a paradigm shift in current development models and to address today’s communities’ social challenges with creativity and critical approach.

Alessandro Volta

Consultant / Trainer / ASL Reggio-Emilia / Italy

Alessandro Volta is a neonatologist and paediatrician with more than thirty years of experience. In the PARENT project he is a member of the NTaG and organizer and trainer in the courses for the health personnel on the Father in the First 1000 Days, and for PARENT fathers’ groups. After working in two hospitals, he is currently director of the Maternal and Child Program of the ASL (Local Health Authority) of Reggio Emilia. He is an instructor for neonatal resuscitation courses, and trainer for breastfeeding support and parenting. Since 2005 he has been a member of the Birth Commission of the Emilia Romagna Region. Since 2013 he has been the coordinator of the provincial working group on child abuse. He manages the website, www.vocidibimbi.it and the parenting blog nasceregenitori.net. He is the author of 71 scientific publications and several books, many of which on fatherhood and co-parenting (Including a book on ‘Breastfeeding explained to dads’).

Giovanna Bestetti

Consultant / Trainer / IRIS-Milan / Italy

Giovanna Bestetti is a pedagogist and counsellor. With PARENT, she is a NtaG member, consultant for curriculum planning, and trainer. She is a founding member of IRIS, Milan (Association for Health Research and Action, a PARENT partner). She holds a degree in Philosophy, major in Psychology, from the University of Pavia; a specialization in Adult Education; a Diploma as Counsellor at the Change Institute of Turin, and a master’s degree in systemic training. She also followed various training courses related to early child development (Infant Observation, Brazelton Training and FINE). She works across Italy as a consultant and trainer for Departments of Ante-Natal and Natal Care; Mother Child Care, Primary Care, Intensive Neonatal Therapy. She teaches pedagogy in the Obstetrics Degree of the University of Milan and conducts workshops for the Master of Science in Clinical Consulting, at the University of Milan-Bicocca.

Angela Giusti

Consultant / Trainer / M&E / ISS / Italy

Angela Giusti has been a researcher at the National Institute of Health in Rome since 2002, and is also a contracted university professor. Her areas of work are public health research and interventions, applied epidemiology, qualitative and mixed-method research, interventions planning and evaluation, health promotion and community participation, training and communication planning, maternal and child health, nutrition in the first 1000 days of life. With PARENT she is a NTaG member, trainer, M&E advisor and PARENT focal point in ISS. Angela holds a Midwifery degree (University of Modena, 1986, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 2003); a MSc in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning (Roma Tre University, 2008); a DU in Santé Publique et Communautaire (Ecole Nationale de Santé Publique, Nancy, 2000) and a PhD in Promotion of Human and Environmental Health (University of Siena, 2013). She is also a Rogersian counsellor and IBCLC lactation consultant.

Francesca Zambri

Researcher / M&E / ISS / Italy

Francesca Zambri is a PhD student at The University Rome Tor Vergata and Research Fellow at the Italian National Institute of Health since 2009. Her areas of work are qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research in public health, maternal and child health and health in the first 1000 days. With PARENT she assists with monitoring and evaluation — design, questionnaire development, data analysis. She graduated as a Midwife at the University of Foggia, 2012, and holds an MNS from the University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti, 2017. She is involved in several projects on maternal and child health, infant and child feeding, also in emergencies and natural disasters, health promotion in migration, breastfeeding protection, promotion and support. She teaches in the Midwifery Degree course at Tor Vergata University, Rome.

Alessandra Pauncz

Consultant / WWP / Italy

Alessandra Pauncz is Executive Director of the European Network of the work with perpetrators (WWP-EN) a network organization of over 60 organizations from 30 European countries. She is a PARENT NTaG member and co-founder of ‘Il Giardino dei Padri’. She holds a PhD from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and has been working in the field of domestic violence for over 20 years. She has advocated and worked for victims of domestic violence as a shelter worker, psychologist, researcher, manager, trainer, and in fund and conscious raising at the local (Association Artemisia), provincial (Equal Opportunities of the Province of Florence), regional, national and European levels (European Women’s Lobby & WWP-EN). She founded and ran the first Centre in Italy working with perpetrators (CAM – Centre for abusive men) and set up the National Italian Network of work with perpetrators (Relive).

Arturo Sica

Consultant/ Trainer / White-Dove Education Project / Italy

Arturo Sica is a psychotherapist, founder and Chair (since 1982) of the Association “White Dove – Education Project”. He is a founding member of the network Il Giardino dei Padri and NtaG member in PARENT. Arturo holds a degree in Philosophy and specializations in psychology, psychotherapy and bioenergetics in the US and Italy. Since 2002, he has been dealing with fatherhood with the projects “Man, Male, Father” and “Fathers and Sons” providing psychological counselling to families and training for professionals, volunteers and students. In 2011, he started the “Dark Side Project” to work with male perpetrators of violence. As a PARENT project partner, in 2019 he organised training sessions for early child care professionals (0-3) called “1000 days” to provide them with the tools to better engage with fathers and to identify and know how to manage situations of risk. He is also a consultant for the Senate of the Republic in the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on Femicide, as well on all forms of gender-based violence.

Maddalena Cannito

Researcher / University of Turin / Italy

Maddalena Cannito holds a PhD in Social and Political Change. She is now research fellow (assegnista di ricerca) at the Department of Culture, Politica e Società and Teacher of “Sociology of the family and the life course” at the Department of Philosophy and Science of Education at the University of Torino, Italy. She is member of the PARENT NTaG and assists the project with background research. Her main research interests are linked to men’s and gender studies and focused on three areas. The first one concerns the social construction of fatherhood and masculinities, the second deals with social and company-level policies for the work-life reconciliation, while the third is connected to gender-based violence against women and the local networks of actors and strategies to fight and prevent the phenomenon.

Marco Deriu

Researcher / Fathers’ group facilitator / University of Parma / Italy

Marco Deriu is a researcher in “Sociology of cultural and communicative processes” and professor of “Sociology of political and environmental communication” at the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries of the University of Parma (Italy). With PARENT he is a NTaG member and co-coordinator and facilitator of the PARENT Father’s Circle in Montecchio, Reggio Emilia. He is also Chair of the Degree in Journalism, Editorial Culture and Multimedia Communication. He is a member of the Italian Degrowth Association and of the national association and network of men’s groups/circles, Maschile Plurale, and of the local associations Maschi che si immischiano (Men who get involved) and Circolo della differenza (Circle of Difference) in Parma. His many publications include books on the changing role of fathers, parenting and adolescence, gender equality and gender-based violence. He has also coordinated and edited research reports on GBV in Italy.

Maurizio Artoni

Consultant /Fathers’ group facilitator / Italy

Maurizio Artoni is self-employed as a Murano glass vintage and antiques dealer and creator. In 2014 he set up, together with two other fathers “Il Cerchio dei Papà” (Circle of Dads) in Parma, Italy, to share the joys and difficulties of being fathers today. The group meets weekly. Maurizio has also organised meetings open to the general public on the role of fathers, parenting during adolescence, adolescents and social media, and workshops on sexual health. In 2016, he helped establish in Parma the Associations, Maschi che si Immischiano (Fathers who get Involved) working on GBV. In 2017, in collaboration with the University of Parma (Marco Deriu) and the network Il Giardino dei Padri, he also co-organised a conference on the ‘Reinvention of Fatherhood’. Since February 2020 he has been coordinating a “fathers’ sharing group” established in the context of PARENT in Montecchio, Reggio Emilia, in collaboration with the family clinic.

Lithuania

Center for Equality Advancement (CEA)

Virginija Aleksejūnė

Virginija Aleksejūnė

Project Manager / Lithuania

Virginija is an expert on gender equality and non discrimination. As Project Manager she developed and led projects on gender mainstreaming in local and central governance, men and gender equality, gender and equality in education, and reconciliation of family and working life. Since 2003, Virginija is the executive director of the Center for Equality Advancement. With more than 15 years of work in the field of gender equality and antidiscrimination, she has managed more than 70 national and international projects, conducted research on gender equality, multiple discrimination, the inclusion of socially-excluded groups, tolerance, and diversity.

Vilana Pilinkaitė

Vilana Pilinkaitė Sotirovič

VAW expert and trainer / Lithuania

Vilana Pilinkaitė Sotirovič has more than ten years of experience in research and advocacy on issues of gender-based violence. Since her employment at the Centre for Equality Advancement (from 2005) she has participated in many international and national projects and contributed to the developing policies and legal reforms in the field of gender equality in Lithuania.

Aistė Frišmantaitė

Project Administrator / Lithuania

Aistė is the project coordinator at the Centre for Equality Advancement. Since her employment, she has contributed to several research projects, aimed to advance gender equality in Lithuania. She is also a final year BSc Social Sciences student at University College London with previous academic background in graphic design and content creation.

Margarita Jankauskaitė

Margarita Jankauskaitė

Gender Expert and Trainer / Lithuania

Margarita Jankauskaitė started working with NGOs from 2003 and has built her professional experience in the field of non-discrimination policies, gender representation in mass culture, and gender-based violence. Throughout her professional career and activist work, Margarita has contributed to rethinking policy discourses on diversity in Lithuania. As a lecturer, she has engaged many students in advancing human rights issues. As an activist, she has raised awareness on the sensitive topics which were silenced in society.

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