GENDER STRAT4 EQUALITY: TRAIN-THE-GENDERTRAINER! Following the Treaty of European Union, the gender perspective has to be mainstreamed in all areas of activities and the effects of gender equality must be considered in any impact assessments of new EU policies (European Pact for Gender Equality 2011-2020). In the light of these demands, an increase of gender equality trainings can be expected. But despite a broad variety of gender trainings, there are still no unique European quality standards for this kind of education in lifelong learning, which could be applied on all regional levels top down to local communities in rural areas. The GENDER STRAT4 EQUALITY aims to address this matter, building a strategic European partnership, consisting of an older, a newer, the youngest and a potential future partner of EU member states. Two public institutions and three civil society organisations in Austria, Croatia, Lithuania and Iceland will explore QUALITY CRITERIA and EUROPEAN STANDARDS for gender equality trainings and develop a special CURRICULUM PORTFOLIO to train “gendertrainers". This educational portfolio will include not only the educational curriculum as an instructive and didactic plan for train-the-trainer lectures, but also it will provide insights into the practical application of the “EUROPEAN GENDER-EQUALITY-INDEX”-tool (an instrument of the Lithuanian based European Institute for Gender Equality), measuring and comparing gender equality progress of EU member States. This tool will be made usable even for local, municipal and regional programmes. The portfolio will furthermore contain a series of INNOVATIVE BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES of gender equality trainings from countries so different as ICELAND (accredited as the most enhanced country in gender equality in Europe) and CROATIA (still struggling with the fatal consequences, the past Ex-Yugoslavian war had on women in Southeast-Europe, influencing equal opportunities until today) and it will comprise a MEMORANDUM with the most important features for a successful partnership between public institutions and civil society organisations when it comes to promote gender equality. In developing this common transnational curriculum-portfolio, the cooperation between the partner organisations and their networks will deepen the understanding of the participating organisations and learners about real EUROPEAN VALUES. It will open new doors also for other South-European countries to learn mutually from each other in this way, especially at the highlight of the partnership, which will be a large MULTIPLIER CONFERENCE in Austria as a linchpin of this new North-South-axe. The encountered quality standards for gendertrainings and the European curriculum-portfolio will be disseminated at this high level event, welcoming the youngest EU-Member State and constituting a reliable base for further collaboration. EXPECTED RESULTS 1. To enhance the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of gender equality trainings in Europe, especially when conducted in the frame of funding programmes at regional and national level; 2. To harmonise European quality standards in gender equality trainings; 3. To connect European gender equality know-how with subject-specific requirements and make the possibilities to implement the goals of gender equality at regional level and in local communities more visible; 4. To make the “European Gender-Equality-Index”-tool better known as an instrument for the gender equality implementation at regional level; 5. To motivate the acceptance of gender equality for key actors at regional level; 6. To promote a more active participation of women in democratic life in the regional context; 7. To deepen the co-operation between public institutions and civil society organisations of older, newer and (potential) future EU-member States. MILESTONES 1. Kick off meeting in Austria, setting the agenda (Nov. 2014) 2. Partner meeting in Iceland, mediating the exchange of best practice examples of gender equality trainings (May 2015) 3. Partner meeting in Croatia, analysing the state of the art of gender equality trainings (Sept. 2015) 4. Partner meeting in Vilnius with a study visit to the EIGE (March 2016) 5. Final meeting with a multiplier conference in Austria (June 2016)