Consultant or Consultancy Agency on LGBTQI Youth & Mental Health

About this Call

IGLYO — The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation is launching a call for tenders for services related to research on LGBTQI youth and mental health. Please read through the full call below and send your application as per our instructions in "How to apply?" by 15 September 2023 at 23:59 CEST.

You can also download this full call in PDF.

About IGLYO

Founded in 1984 and based in Brussels, IGLYO is the largest member-based network in the world dedicated to LGBTQI youth and their rights. Today, we gather over 110 Member Organisations in more than 40 Council of Europe countries, as well as countless friends and partners worldwide. Our work focuses on the protection, empowerment, and freedom of LGBTQI young people between 18-30 years old.

We strive to ensure the voices and experiences of LGBTQI young people are present and heard by decision-makers at European and international levels by designing and conducting research, advocacy, and communications on our concerns.

In addition, IGLYO aims to build the confidence, skills and experience of LGBTQI young people and give them opportunities to connect through cross-cultural, cross-border exchange, peer learning, and training activities that support our communities as well as the protection of our rights. You can read more about IGLYO on www.iglyo.com.

Background Information

LGBTIQ youth often experience outsized barriers to enjoying their right to health. However, there has been limited research into the experiences and needs of LGBTIQ young people in this area, specifically covering the European region. Over the last two years, IGLYO has been working with its members and with young activists to build a body of research on this topic. 

In 2022, we hosted an international activity on the topic of health in relation to young LGBTQI people. A significant strand of this international activity was advocacy, with a goal of empowering our participants to contribute to IGLYO’s future advocacy work. We gathered 23 young people from around the Council of Europe region in the heart of Zagreb. We discussed and explored various topics. As a result of this work, we identified mental health as one of the key priorities for LGBTQI young people. 

We are now looking for a consultant to design and implement research to explore LGBTQI young people’s views on mental health, covering topics such as suicide risk, anxiety and depression, the impact of external factors on mental health (current social environment, physical harm, discrimination), family acceptance or rejection, access to healthcare services, and access to other affirming spaces.

In the framework of the EU Health Policy Platform, and the European Commission Comprehensive approach to mental health, we want this research to provide further data to assist the work of the European Commission in mainstreaming LGBTIQ equality through a youth lens. We also want this research to provide data that could be relevant in the context of a thematic review of the Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity on the topic of health. 

Goals of this Research

The goal of this research is to assess the current needs and difficulties experienced by LGBTQI young people related to mental health. Key objectives are: 

• Assessing needs and barriers experienced by LGBTQI youth related to mental health.
• Analysing the current policy framework in the area of LGBTQI youth mental health in Europe.
• Providing policy recommendations in coordination with IGLYO. 
• Identifying best practices in this area that could serve as inspiration for policymakers, health practitioners, education institutions and civil society organisations. 

Deliverables

The consultant will have to submit the following deliverables: 

1. Provide a detailed work plan of the project, including a timeline for the deliverables in line with the proposed timeline of the project.
2. Conduct desk research on existing data concerning the specific needs and barriers faced by LGBTQI Youth related to mental health.
3. Conduct a comprehensive review of existing literature, legal, policy and other initiatives related to mental health services for LGBTQI Youth in Europe, and identify best practices.
4. Define a detailed plan for data collection and dissemination of this research. The consultant will take into account the need to collect data from a diverse group of people in terms of ethnicity, origins, socioeconomic status, citizenship and place of residence, migration or asylum status, and disabilities.
5. Identify and engage with relevant stakeholders, if necessary.
6. Draft the final report and incorporate IGLYO’s feedback. The final report should be finalised by November 30th. 
   

Eligibility Criteria

The consultant should demonstrate that they fulfil the following criteria:

• Demonstrated experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis with LGBTQI communities and/or other marginalised communities
• Good understanding of the needs of LGBTQI youth, and proven record of incorporating an intersectional approach to their research methods.
• Familiarity with relevant policy frameworks related to LGBTQI equality and youth empowerment.
• Excellent data analysis skills, especially in quantitative data analysis. 

How to apply?

Interested applicants should send the following documents: 

• Updated CV 
• Expression of interest (no longer than 1 page): Should summarise the consultant key skills and experience related to this call. 
• Abridged research proposal (no longer than 4 pages): It should include the following sections: 
  
  - Background section outlining the consultant’s understanding of the issue
  - Research proposal, including technical approach, methodology and target group (should envision gathering data for people 15 to 30)
  - Work Plan
  - Financial proposal

• 1 sample of previous work (in English)
• 1 reference

Send your application to IGLYO’s Policy & Research Manager Rú Ávila Rodríguez (they/them) at ru@iglyo.com. Applications should be sent by 15 September 2023 at 23:59 CEST. 

If you have any questions, please send them to the same email address. Expect a certain delay in replies before the beginning of September. 

Funding

This research is funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) 2021-2027 programme of the European Union, and by the Council of Europe. The contents of the tender are the sole responsibility of IGLYO and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.