Call for Host Organisation:
Advocacy and Health Conference

Application deadline: 19 June 2022 at 23:59 CEST

IGLYO is proud to announce a call for a host organisation for our Advocacy and Health conference, to be held in October / November 2022 (TBD). The event is kindly supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. You can read the full call and find the application form below.

Conference title
Advocacy and Health

Preparatory meetings
August 2022 (4 days, including arrivals/departures) & October 2022 (1 day, prior to conference)

Conference
October / November 2022 (TBD — 6 days total, including arrivals/departures)

Participants
20

Funding requirements
€6,000 – €8,000 (co-funding)

About the Conference

LGBTQI youth experience specific challenges when it comes to their health, as well as experiencing discrimination in accessing healthcare. There is a lack of protection for LGBTQI youth and pathologisation of trans, non-binary and intersex young people. LGBTQI young people experience heightened levels of mental health problems due to exclusion, discrimination, stigma and violence. LGBTQI safe and inclusive mental health programmes are rare, with many countries implementing discriminatory and exclusionary mental health provisions.

Additionally, LGBTQI youth often experience stigma and discrimination from healthcare providers and systems. As a consequence, many LGBTQI youth avoid accessing them out of fear, putting their long-term health at risk. The needs and care of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary and intersex people have significant differences that must be taken into consideration in national health policies and legal provisions. 

With this conference, IGLYO will build increased organisational and individual capacity to advocate for the fulfilment of the right to health of young LGBTQI people, which will considerably help IGLYO in the achievement of setting up a permanent youth advocacy group and a position paper on the topic of advocacy based on the principle of meaningful youth participation.

More specifically, the conference objectives are: 

• to begin to build a knowledge base and collect qualitative data of the participants’ experiences and perspectives on how young LGBTQI people are affected by discrimination and lack of support in terms of their health;
• to equip young LGBTQI activists with knowledge, skills and pro-active attitudes to be able to contribute to IGLYO’s advocacy work around the topic of health;
• to provide young LGBTQI activists with a structured opportunity to build connections and motivation to become part of IGLYO’s youth advocacy group; 
• to collect participants’ perspectives for IGLYO’s future position paper on youth participation in advocacy.

How would my organisation benefit?

The conference will be open to LGBTQI youth and student activists from across Europe, particularly from IGLYO Member Organisations. This will provide you, as the hosting organisation, a unique opportunity to raise your profile amongst other IGLYO Members and partner organisations, while raising your organisational competence on Health and Advocacy.  There will also be opportunities throughout the conference for your organisation to demonstrate the work it is doing and share best practices. Additionally, as a co-host, you will have the opportunity to take part in some of IGLYO internal procedures.

What does IGLYO expect from the hosting organisation?

Hosting a conference is a big responsibility for any Member Organisation. The preparation and implementation of the event will require certain resources. IGLYO will bring the majority of the funding, but it will be necessary to find co-funding to help cover the costs. The process of searching for this funding must be included within your application. Be assured that IGLYO will cooperate closely with you to ensure that the event is a success. We will be 100% behind you, and you will never be on your own left to organise everything.

Host organisation’s profile:

1. Capacity to welcome 20 LGBTQI youth and student activists from across the Council of Europe member states.
2. Motivation to spend the time and effort necessary to organise this event (i.e. regular contact by email, some online meetings, and one or two preparatory meetings held in the city of the conference)
3. Ability and resources to seek local and/or national funding for the event.
4. Experience hosting conferences/large meetings and an understanding of the planning required.
5. Be able to work in English.
6. Be a member organisation of IGLYO. If you are not a Member yet, you can also become one.

Note: While the host organisation will have the opportunity to contribute to the conference programme through certain sessions, the key responsibilities require leading on all logistical matters, including but not limited to: provision of accommodation and food, finding and booking a conference venue, etc.

How to apply?

If you are interested in hosting this event, we would love to hear from you! Please fill out the application form through the button below:

Apply now

Application deadline: 19 June 2022 at 23:59 CEST

For any questions, please contact our Programmes Officer Brian at brian@iglyo.com.