February 10, 2020
IGLYO Focus, IGLYO, Members
In 1985, a few Parisian friends created MAG Jeunes LGBT. They were inspired by the Anglo-Saxon groups of conviviality for gay and lesbian youth. The organisation is now a national organisation for LGBT youth in France. It welcomes all those who pass through the door of its premises and offers them conviviality, cultural, social, health and activist activities. Its role is also to prevent and fight against LGBTphobia, especially in the education sector.
MAG Jeunes LGBT welcomes and takes care of more then 500 LGBT+ youth. Its awareness raising campaigns reach more then 4,000 youth in the Ile-de-France region. The organisation is also the main French LGBT youth advocacy organisation. We make the voice of the youth community heard to create effective public policies . We also publish relevant research and educational tools.
MAG Jeunes LGBT also organises the Grand Bal des Fiertés. This is one of the main fundraising events in Europe for LGBT+ community. The ball takes place in the majestic lounges of the Paris City Hall during the Paris Fortnight of Pride, in June.
What are your most memorable moments in MAG Jeunes LGBT’s recent history?
In 2018, MAG Jeunes LGBT, with the support of UNESCO, launched the first global consultation on inclusive education and access to health of LGBTI+ youth. Following the consultation, we published a global report with exceptional data from youth all over the world and thematic reports for the regions with the most respondents. We hope that the data of the report will be used in order for LGBTI+ youth communities all over the world to influence public policies.
Can you tell us about your priorities, projects, topics, etc. you’ll be working on for the remainder of 2019?
2020 is the celebration of MAG’s 35th anniversary. We hope it’ll be even more radiant than in previous years. We have chosen to courageously and daringly celebrate the 35th anniversary of MAG by heightening our fight for fundamental rights.
We are changing the scale of our organisation with the potential of opening more MAG branches in the regions of France to welcome and accompany youth as well as doing interventions in schools to fight LGBTphobia and sexism. If all goes well, MAG will have changed its scale in the second semester 2020 with a potential of welcoming more than 2,000 LGBT+ youth and for our awareness raising campaigns to reach more than 20,000 youth!
We are also working on the second edition of the Grand Bal des Fiertés, which will clearly have a greater impact than last year. On an international level, we are organizing, with OutRight Action International, the first global LGBTI+ youth conference. This project has been a few years in the making.
IGLYO has been empowering young people for 35 years. What is for you the potential of youth activism in the LGBTQI movement?
We are an organision, by and for youth, that believes that through empowerment we can achieve our dreams. Empowered young people can achieve a lot, by raising awareness among their peers or making their voices heard. The potential of youth activism in the LGBTQI movement is enormous. That is why we need to have a strong youth presence and positioning in the LGBTQI community!
