Support LGBTQI Youth as Anti-LGBTQI Violence Rises

Our IGLYO Activist Academy 2024 welcomed an international group of 19 LGBTQI young people from 18 countries in Brussels, Belgium, for a comprehensive week of training, learning and connecting, centred around queer campaigning and artivism.

This year, 8 international experts held workshops on Strategic Campaign Planning, Campaigning for Intersex Rights, Good Practices in Inclusive Education, Digital Campaigning on Social Media, Narratives & Messaging, Coalition & Alliance Building, Creative Storytelling, Artivism & Craftivism, and Self-Care & Resilience.

In teams, with the support of their mentors, participants took on two real-life tasks based on what they learned in the workshops before presenting them to the class and receiving feedback from the IGLYO team. We were truly impressed by the outstanding quality of their work.

Donations help us to bring more LGBTQI young people to our events, so we thank our donors for their support. We already can't wait for next year's Activist Academy!

Links:

• Full photo album

We’re happy and proud to share our full IGLYO Annual Report 2023, which offers an in-depth overview of our activities in 2023 through highlights, photos, and links, and gives a clear and comprehensive snapshot of the work that we do at IGLYO. 

The Annual Report includes sections on our current structure, our full Members list and network composition in 2023, as well as all our events, programmes, policy actions, research outputs, and communication activities in 2023.

Highlights from this incredible 39th year for the network notably include:

• Our in-person Activist Academy gathered 25 LGBTQI young people from across Europe, as well as China and Indonesia, in Tallinn, Estonia. Over a week, they learned from experts on topics such as LGBTQI advocacy, strategic communications, campaigning, and workshop facilitation, before putting their new skills into practice with the help of mentors.
  
  
• Our Global Online Activist Academy welcomed 55 worldwide participants from Botswana, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire all the way to Brazil, to name a few. Experts held workshops on topics such as intersex activism, public speaking, and digital activism and safety, before supporting participants in putting their skills to practice to complete two real-life tasks in teams.
  
  
• Our International Conference on Hate Crime and Hate Speech brought together over 20 young LGBTQI activists in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for four days of discussion, exchange and knowledge-building through panel discussions with experts, group discussions and exchange of knowledge, and capacity-building workshops. As a result, a set of policy guidelines on preventing and tackling hate speech and hate crime against LGBTQI young people will be published by IGLYO in late 2024.
  
  
• Our IGLYO Annual Members’ Conference 2023 brought together over 70 LGBTQI young activists from more than 30 countries in Podgorica, Montenegro. Over four days, our Members took part in our General Assembly, held and attended workshops on topics close to their heart, and engaged in a local social programme that included marching in the Montenegro Pride.
  
  
• Our IGLYO Grants Programme provided grants and technical support to three grassroots Member Organisations for them to lead impactful community projects aiming to support LGBTQI youth in Hungary, Lithuania and Slovenia.
  
  
• We continued our work with European Institutions and represented IGLYO and the voice of LGBTQI youth in over 55 international events.
  
  
• We led over 10 thematic research and advocacy activities based on the needs of LGBTQI youth.
  
  
• Drawing upon the work of our Anti-Racism Task Force, our Members voted to establish an Anti-Racism Panel (ARP) as an official body of the organisation. The ARP will work closely with our team on matters related to racial equality and racial justice, with the overarching aim to forge a safer and more equitable future for LGBTQI BIPOC and ethnic minority youth and students across Europe.
  
  
• We launched a brand new website and visual identity that acts as a unique platform where LGBTQI young people can find opportunities, resources and information, as well as an international community that loves, supports, and protects them.

We could never have achieved this without the generous contributions and crucial support of amazing donors like you, who not only empower us and the communities we serve by believing in our work, but most importantly help us to create a bright future where all LGBTQI young people can be their true and authentic selves. We feel grateful, and we feel proud. A million times thank you!

Links:

• Download our IGLYO Annual Report 2023
• Visit our website