This Job Shadowing is a follow up initiative of the contact seminar “Same but Different”, which was organized by svls e.V. in Mülheim a.d. Ruhr in November 2014. It's the third cooperation with the informal LGBT youth group Gruppo Giovani Glbti* Firenze (GGG), which was partner at the contact seminar. It is the very first international job shadowing svls offers. With this Job shadowing we will invite Andreas Loro (founder of GGG) to observe our professional LGBT youth work in our LGBT youth centres in Mülheim an der Ruhr, essen and Gelsenkirchen, for three weeks in September 2015, 13.09.-04.10.2015. . The current worldwide development concerning LGBT rights and discourses shows on one hand that doors are opening for change, like the legalisation of same sex marriage in various countries. On the other hand, there are still big resentments, e.g. protests in Italy against same sex marriage; in Germany the region Baden Württemberg had to withdraw from implementing school books showing sexual divers families due to a petition launched by concerned parents. These two examples show that the societies are still far from sexual freedom and equal rights for its inhabitants. And there is indeed a pressure on young people to stay within heterosexual gender conformity zones, coming from peers, society and media. The Job shadowing allows Andrea • To understand the structure and daily work of a professional LGBT organisation in Germany • To get to know and observe a professional “LGBT youth centre” from the institutional perspective • To gain specific methodologies used at professional LGBT youth work • To get an awareness of the current rights of LGBT people in Germany • To transfers his gained knowledge, experiences and competences to his local environment in Florence • To transfer his methodologies used in frame of informal LGBT youth activities to svls staff. Like this, we will provide Andrea a framework for self-empowerment. The project will contribute to Andrea’s professional development and thus raise his competitiveness as LGBT youth worker on the labour market. By taking responsibilities in new non-formal learning environments Andrea will widen his vocational skills for his professional career. By working in different frames (office work, team meetings, counseling services, open youth work at youth centres) and groups (trans, bi- homosexual, mixed groups), Andrea will gain extra intercultural competencies and experiences which will enhance his reflection on being a European citizen. Thus he will also expand his social, personal and intercultural competencies. Svls will benefit by having a youth worker from Italy as he will bring in his working methodologies and experiences he gained during his self initiated LGBT youth work in Florence.