Events range from capacity-building and knowledge-increasing events for our members, like Study Sessions (StS) and conferences, trainings and workshops, discussions and lectures held at, for instance, Pride Festivals, conferences, meetings and seminars organised by other organisations.
Conferences are organised by IGLYO together with a member organisation while Study Sessions are organised by IGLYO in cooperation with the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Youth and Sport. Conferences and StS are quite similar, usually consisting of 4-8 days filled with interactive workshops and sessions built around a specific theme like LGBTQ and bullying, health or religion. Conferences can be held anywhere while Study Sessions are held in one the CoE’s European Youth Centres, meaning either in Strasbourg or in Budapest. The prep team, short for preparatory team, has the main responsibility for planning and facilitating the event. Prep teams are made up of at least one person from IGLYO’s Executive Board and 3-5 other people from IGLYO member organisations. Prep teams for conferences have at least one person from the partnering member organisation while StS prep teams have an educational adviser from the CoE.
While not focused on a theme or capacity building the annual General Assembly (GA) is nonetheless an important event for IGLYO members. The GA is the main decision-making body of IGLYO, where IGLYO’s member organisations gather to decide on the direction and focus of the organisation’s work, make changes to the Statutes, go through the budget and the Activity and Financial reports, and to elect members to the Executive Board. The GA’s are also one of the best places for IGLYO members to meet young LGBTQ activists from throughout the pan-European region to create lasting networks and friendships.
IGLYO implements nonformal educational methods, in which facilitators of an event act as helpful guides rather than all-knowing lecturers, letting the participants produce knowledge and decide on best practises themselves. Nonformal education is recognised as an effective methodology, particularly when dealing with often complicated topics such as sexual orientation and gender identity. IGLYO’s Board and staff have received training in nonformal education, and we also bring in qualified experts who have specilised in this methodology.
To keep up to date with the upcoming events check out the event calendar.
