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Description
There are no inclusive, accessible, and safe measures in Lithuania that would encourage individuals to take an interest and act individually or through associations. The project will address key impact challenges by raising awareness among the LGBT+ community, especially young people, about international human rights standards and equal treatment, respect for HR and equality, and involvement in civic activities to support positive changes in HR and compliance with HR standards.
The main objective of the project is to raise awareness about LGBT+ human rights and equal treatment, enabling LGBT+ youth and other groups in society to take an active interest in human rights issues and engage in public activities in cities and regions.
Project`s target groups: LGBT+ youth (14-29 years old), LGBT+ persons, general education school staff, parents with LGBT+ children, relatives, and LGBT+ straight allies, HR organizations and activists.
The following outcomes are expected to be achieved through the interlinked project activities: publications on specific topics relevant to the LGBT+ community will be issued, and a digital platform for mobile devices will be created, where project participants will be able independently to perform gamificated tasks to improve the situation of LGBT+ rights. The GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) network in Lithuanian schools will be established. Participants will strengthen their capacity in trainings and events.
At the end of the project, an increase in the number of members of civil society, especially among young people from the regions, who will contribute to positive change in the field of HR is expected. The project promoters'' organizations (Tolerant Youth Association and Charity and Support Foundation Frida) will strengthen their capacity, increase organizational sustainability etc.
Summary of project results
LGBT+ individuals in Lithuania constitute one of the most discriminated groups within the European Union. The country lacks initiatives aimed at improving the situation of LGBT+ rights. Both in cities and regions, LGBT+ rights are perceived differently, with minimal efforts to defend them. This may be due to passive adaptation in cities, fear of action, lack of connections with supportive individuals, or deeply ingrained internalized homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. Lithuania lacks inclusive, accessible, and safe measures to encourage individuals to engage and act individually or through organized groups.
The main goal of the project was to increase awareness of LGBT+ human rights and the principle of equality, empowering LGBT+ youth and other community groups actively engage with human rights issues and participate in civic activities in cities and regions.
During the implementation of the project, an activism-oriented mobile application called "Rainbow Challenge" was developed, with over 300 registered participants by the end of the project. Also, over 900 activist and educational initiatives were implemented. The app''s activities were accessible throughout Lithuania and abroad.
Additionally, a public awareness campaign was implemented. 12 articles accompanied by comics on LGBT+ topics were published.
13 "Rainbow Challenge" (GSA or Safe Space) clubs were established. This was a challenging initiative due to societal homophobia and persecution, but the goal was achieved, and now with new initiatives, we continue to support their activities.
Training sessions were also held for project volunteers, staff, and members selected by the organizations implementing the project, aimed at enhancing the competencies required for work on and beyond the project.
This was the first time in Lithuanian history when comics specifically dedicated to LGBT+ topics were published. They were published on the based of the previous survey of LGBT+ individuals, where we identified signs and depth of internalized homophobia. We are pleased that during the project we successfully highlighted and explained specific aspects of project implementation, and now we can rejoice that we have overcome the problem of internalized homophobia at least in the context of the targeted audience we worked with.
We are glad that we were the first to step into schools and achieved that during the project implementation period the first "Rainbow Challenge" (GSA or Safe Spaces) clubs in Lithuania were established in schools. These clubs are the basis for further initiatives that promote schools to be more open to the LGBT+ topic and safer for its community members.
Capacity-building training also met the needs of our organization, thus helping to achieve such milestones as a broader application of democratic tools, preparation and validation of a strategic plan, preparation of other organizational documents, office work, etc. All this set remains a strong outcome for the better work of organization and development of activities.
The project specifically targeted activities for LGBT+ individuals aged 14-29 and older, as well as community teachers, parents, and peer supporters close to them. However, inevitably, when publicizing project activities and addressing emerging issues, it became quite broad, and we believe this impacted to the overall positive discourse development in the field of human rights and increased acceptance of LGBT+ individuals.