The aim of the project is to increase LGL’s efficiency and financial sustainability, and to ensure the growth and development of the organisation by strengthening and developing volunteering through an integrated “Pride” volunteer programme.
From 2024, LGL takes the lead in organising the largest LGBT human rights event in Lithuania – the LGBT community “Pride” march every year. Without the active involvement of volunteers, an event of this scale would not be possible. It is therefore necessary to review and update LGL’s volunteer programme to reflect the changing needs of the organisation and LGL’s new strategic goal to ensure the visibility of the LGBT community in society by organising the annual LGBT “Pride” march, thus developing the organisation’s financial sustainability, visibility and awareness, and the opportunity to use the festival as a platform for important LGBT human rights advocacy activities. The organisation’s strategic plan for 2019-2024 includes a strategic objective to promote human rights and equal opportunities and to fight discrimination, including in the area of freedom of assembly and self-expression.
As part of the proposed project, LGL will develop an integrated “Pride” Volunteer Programme, based on existing international best practices, which will define a new direction for long-term volunteering within the organisation – volunteering for the “Pride” Festival. The programme will cover: volunteer recruitment and selection needs analysis, challenges, opportunities, international best practices and procedures, volunteer training and incentives, and the value of the volunteering programme to the organisation. The LGL Volunteering Programme will contribute to the implementation of the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy for 2020-2025 under the objective “Ensuring Security”.
LGL will also provide training on attracting, motivating and retaining volunteers to the organisation’s staff, members and board members. In order to successfully develop volunteering in the context of the “Pride” Festival, it is necessary to familiarise the organisation’s community with the subtleties of working with volunteers, to emphasise the importance of volunteers’ contribution to the implementation of activities that are in line with the organisation’s strategic goals, so that the volunteers become part of the community of “LT Pride” organisers.
Reaching potential volunteers and presenting the volunteering opportunity in an attractive way where potential volunteers are looking for information about the festival is crucial for the development of volunteering at “LT Pride”. To achieve this, a dedicated “LT Pride” 2024 volunteering platform will be created and integrated into the festival website. The “LT Pride” 2024 volunteering platform will be promoted through a volunteer recruitment campaign on social networks.
After the selection of volunteers, training and preparation of volunteers will be organized. Volunteering at the “Pride” Festival, which is organised in a society where opposition to LGBT human rights is still strong, has specific challenges that will be met by volunteer training. During the training, volunteers will be introduced to the principles of teamwork, responsibilities, principles of safety at work, motivational measures, and will meet the volunteer coordinator who will accompany them during the volunteering process. The Volunteer Coordinator will introduce the volunteers to the personal development opportunities of volunteering in the continuing “Pride” programme, taking into account the volunteers’ individual skills and areas of interest. The volunteering programme will aim to strike a balance between the needs of the organisation and the volunteer.
In order to ensure the long-term commitment of volunteers to the “Pride” Volunteer Programme and to avoid the fragmentation of volunteering, special attention will be paid to motivating and integrating volunteers into the “Pride”organising team. To achieve this, the project foresees four activities: the involvement of volunteers in the conceptualisation of LGL’s bid for “EuroPride” 2027 in Vilnius, the presentation of LGL’s bid for “EuroPride” 2027 in Vilnius during the “Pride” Organisers’ umbrella organisation “EPOA’s” conference and members’ meeting in Portugal, the participation of the volunteer team at the “Baltic Pride” 2024 festival in Riga and the participation in “IGLYO” activities. It is hoped that the involvement of volunteers in the implementation of these activities will not only contribute to the success of LGL’s bid to organise “EuroPride” in Vilnius in 2027, but will also empower volunteers to become LGBT human rights activists, provide opportunities for international cooperation and the creation of international relations, and enable them to represent the human rights of LGBT people internationally.
It is expected that the proposed project will contribute to the improvement of competences and skills of LGL staff, members, board members and volunteers, will create conditions for more effective organisation and development of volunteer activities, will contribute to the publicity of LGL’s activities, will strengthen cooperation with business entities, and will promote representation of the interests of the LGBT community in Lithuania at the international level by strengthening international cooperation.
