Be.St: the ‘toolkit’ that helps schools overcome gender stereotypes

What if schools had a ‘toolkit’ to break down stereotypes before they become barriers? This is the challenge taken up by Be.St (Beyond Stereotypes). Following a lengthy experimental phase, the project is now entering the heart of its new three-year phase, bringing innovation, digital tools and a new awareness, starting with two primary schools in Lombardy and Puglia, to teach girls and boys that their potential knows no gender.

The Be.St (Beyond Stereotypes) project has its roots in a research programme that began in 2017. Following years of study and field trials, the initiative is now a well-established model offering schools practical tools to tackle the issue of gender stereotypes, acting precisely where prejudices begin to take root: in the classrooms of primary schools.

The current phase of the project will run for 36 months and is supported by a network of partners bringing together the social sector and the business world. Selected by the social enterprise Con i Bambini as part of the Fund to Combat Child Educational Poverty, the initiative is backed by the BNP Paribas Foundation, the Haiku Lugano Foundation and the Bosifil Group. Thanks to this collaboration, the Be.St method will be implemented in six schools across Lombardy and Puglia, helping to transform each school into a centre for educational innovation.

What sets Be.St apart is its ‘systemic’ approach: the idea is that to bring about real change, a single classroom intervention is not enough; instead, the entire world surrounding children must be involved. The heart of the project is not a lecture-style lesson, but the provision of a genuine digital ‘toolkit’. Through a dedicated online platform, teachers can access self-learning courses and ready-to-use materials to independently review their language, their choice of textbooks and even the organisation of communal spaces, such as playgrounds, where divisions between boys and girls are often unintentionally perpetuated.

The work is divided into two key phases. Initially, the method is refined in two pilot schools to test the effectiveness of the digital tools. Subsequently, the initiative is extended to four further schools to assess how the model can operate increasingly autonomously with the support of technology. At the same time, the project also involves families and local communities, taking the discussion beyond the classroom through urban art workshops and local meetings.

The aim by the end of the three-year period is to leave a tangible legacy. At the end of the 36 months, the schools will have acquired a methodology that will remain part of their cultural and professional heritage. Trained teachers and a platform rich in tools that are always available will enable the schools to continue on their own. Looking ahead, Be.St aims to become a national benchmark, a model capable of helping every child to grow up free from conditioning, paving the way for a future of equal opportunities.