Aim
The proposed project seeks to increase the coherence among the three major LGBT* organizations in the Baltic States, namely LGL (Lithuania), Mozaika (Latvia) and the Estonian LGBT Association (Estonia), in organizing large-scale Baltic Pride events. After establishing a successful framework of cooperation in 2009, the partnership among the implementing organizations needs further impetus with the view of comprehensively responding to vividly changing social realities both on national and regional levels. This objective will be implemented through assessing current cooperation modalities, transferring skills and knowledge from the partner organization in the Nordic country, defining future goals, brainstorming future strategies and presenting project outcomes in the course of a final conference at the end of the project.
Schedule
The project will be launched by a workshop in the course of EuroPride 2015 in Riga (Latvia) on assessing the current cooperation modalities among the partner organizations in the Baltic States. The workshop will be realized in the framework of the conference “The LGBTQ Movements in Central and Eastern Europe-Successes, Challenges and Perspectives”. In September 2015, the representatives from all partner organizations will meet in Vilnius (Lithuania) with the view of discussing the past, present and future of the Baltic Pride movement through a 2-days working session. In October, the representatives from all partner organizations will travel to Athens to attend the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference. This will be an opportunity to brainstorm on the appropriate strategies to organize a large-scale event for Baltic Pride 2016. Throughout the winter/spring time, the partner organizations will be in contact in order to consult each other on the best strategies for the implementation of Baltic Pride 2016. These accomplishments will be presented during a workshop in the framework of the conference organized for Baltic Pride 2016 in Vilnius (Lithuania). The total number of direct project beneficiaries is app. 215 individuals, while the total number of indirect project beneficiaries being app. 5’000.
Envisaged results
First of all, the assessment of the current cooperation modalities among the partner organizations will provide for a substantial basis in documenting the Baltic Pride activities up to the present date and in exploring possible avenues for the improvements in the future. Secondly, transferred knowledge from the Nordic partners will assist the major LGBT* organizations from the Baltic States in developing corresponding awareness raising, advocacy and community building activities in relation to the vividly changing social realities in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Finally, consultations on the best strategies to apply for the successful organization of Baltic Pride 2016 will be developed in the framework of the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference. In addition to the outlined results, the indirect outcome of increased synergy, understanding and communication among the partner organizations from the Baltic States and the Nordic countries will be achieved as a result of the implemented project activities.
Funder: Nordic Council of Ministers’ Grant Programme for Nordic-Baltic NonGovernmental Organisations’ (NGO) Cooperation
