"Positive Steps Beyond Criticism" - A Conference on Norm Criticism

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE!!!!!

As Stockholm is hosting the AISCS Marathon with over 20.000 participants on 30 May, the conference will be moved one day earlier. The conference will take place from 25 May to 30 May, inclusive of travel.

IGLYO is delighted to invite you to participate at the conference Positive Steps Beyond Criticism. The conference will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 25 May to 30 May 2015 (inclusive of travel), in partnership with IGLYO’s Member Organisation RFSL Ungdom.

The conference has been kindly supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, the European Commission Directorate-General Justice and the Dutch Government.

Deadline for applications: 1 April 2015, 23:59 CET

Conference Objectives

The conference will focus on the topic of norm criticism and will invite the participants to explore and formulate ways to employ norm critical approaches to social change activism, in all aspects of their work. Norm-criticism is a very useful tool for understanding and beginning to challenge power structures in society, and for combatting the marginalisation of groups within society. Though a relatively new concept for the majority of IGLYO’s member organisations, there is already some understanding of it theoretically. However, the conference aims to provide information and guidance on putting it into practice.

Following the conference, a Norm Criticism task force will be established to prepare a toolkit and position paper on the topic. The conference will provide input towards the publication of the Norm Criticism Toolkit, which will be available for use by interested people and institutions globally. Therefore, participants will have a unique opportunity to help IGLYO in creating a tool that can support organisations to make positive changes in their work by adopting norm-critical approaches.

Specifically, the conference objectives are:

To equip conference participants with knowledge on norm critical approaches;
To encourage organisations and members to analyze their own privileges and the way they have used norms in their work;
To exchange challenges and good practices;
To apply principles of norm criticism to programming and organisation development activities;
To contribute to the production of the Norm Criticism Toolkit;
To raise awareness of norm critical approaches with other organisations locally and nationally.

Participant profile

The ideal participant is:

Open to sharing personal experiences and learning from other participants;
Able to act as multipliers in their own community;
Active in the LGBTQ community in their country, with preference given to IGLYO Member Organisations;
Between 18 and 30 years of age;
Able to attend no less than 80% of the conference (priority given to applicants who can attend the full conference program);
From a Council of Europe Member State;
Able to work in English.

IGLYO encourages applicants from all ethnic, cultural, and migrant backgrounds to apply, as well as all socio-economic situations, and all sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions. Every accommodation possible will be made to welcome people regardless of (dis)abilities.

The conference will be conducted in English. You do not need to be fluent in English, but please note that no translation will be provided.

Participant selection process

The preparatory team will review all complete applications. Participants will be selected based upon the motivation they express and on how well they meet the criteria of the ideal participant profile above.

Successful applicants will be notified by email by Monday 13 April 2015. Your deadline for acceptance of the invitation will be Wednesday 16 April. Successful applicants who have not responded will be removed from the acceptance list (please make sure to check your junk/spam folder).

Interested candidates can apply by filling the online application form. DEADLINE for applications: 1 April 2015, 23:59 CET

Working Methods

IGLYO emphasizes a participatory approach to learning, utilizing non-formal education methods as promoted by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, as well as other human rights education organisations.

Costs and practical arrangements

All accommodation and food will be provided by IGLYO with the support of RFSL Ungdom. Travel expenses and visa costs will be reimbursed. Reimbursement will take place by bank transfer after the conference, upon presenting the receipts, tickets, etc. within an identified timeframe. If this is a barrier to your participation, IGLYO may be able to arrange your travel.

A participation fee of EURO 45 will be collected before the conference. IGLYO is aware of the various financial situations of LGBTQ youth organisations, so please do not hesitate to contact us if the participation fee is the only obstacle to your participation, we will be able to find a solution together.

Arrivals are expected during the day of 25 May, departures on 30 May.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at prepteam@iglyo.com.

Conference Online Application Form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KSVD7SZ

"Positive Steps Beyond Criticism" – A Conference on Norm Criticism