The general objectives of the project “All Families Matter: ‘NO’ to Constitutional Amendment of Article 38“ are as follows:

• to increase knowledge among the affected communities and the members of the general public on the negative impacts of the proposed amendment to the Article 38 of the Constitution;
• to promote the culture of civic engagement among the affected communities (i.e. “different families” that will be excluded by the constitutional amendment) and the members of the general public  with the view of identifying and addressing the particular issue of public concern;
• to create public opinion pressure with the view of encouraging the Lithuanian MPs to vote against the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to limit the concept of “family life”;
• to increase the capacities of non-governmental organizations in Lithuania to cooperate on cross-sectional human rights issues affecting various social groups within the Lithuanian society.

In order to achieve the above indicated objectives, LGBT* Rights Organization LGL, Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) and Lithuanian Human Rights Center (LHRC) will implement number of activities prior to the scheduled first hearing on the constitutional amendment  in the Parliament.

1. An online petition at the social platform www.laisva.lt encouraging the members of the Lithuanian Parliament to vote against the constitutional amendment seeking to limit the constitutional concept of “family life”.
2. A social advocacy video portraying the existing family diversity within the Lithuanian society. With the view of avoiding additional stereotyping, the video will explore innovative and “catchy” approaches towards the topic.
3. A broader “All Families Matter” social campaign seeking to create the momentum for civic engagement prior to the scheduled first hearing on the constitutional amendment in the Parliament. It will consist of ten (10) short stories and professional photographs of “different families”, which would be excluded by the constitutional amendment (if adopted).
4. An official launching event of the social campaign seeking to generate additional public visibility around the scheduled voting on the constitutional amendment in the Parliament.
5. An increased media presence with the view of diversifying and shaping public discourse on the proposed constitutional amendment.

It is expected to achieve the following outcomes in the course of implementing the “All Families Matter” social campaign:

• the proposed constitutional amendment seeking  to limit the constitutional concept of “family life” failing to collect 94 votes in favor during the scheduled first hearing in the Parliament in September, 2016.
• the culture of civic engagement promoted among the relevant stakeholders (i.e. the members of the general public and the affected communities) with the view of influencing the public policy decisions.
• the diversified public discourse on family diversity within the Lithuanian society and necessity of embracing the existing social reality on family arrangements (i.e. families outside the conventional marriage).
• the increased capacity of the Lithuanian NGOs to work together on cross-sectional human rights issues effecting various segments within the Lithuanian society.