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Description
LGBT+ community not only face discrimination from the outside, increased risk of abuse and fewer opportunities, but also more often suffer from stress, depression, lower self-esteem, self-destructive behaviours. However, often LGBT+ people suffer alone and do not seek for help, since it is not available or reliable (or is seen as such). In Lithuania there is a lack of open and safe social-cultural spaces, initiatives of community empowerment.
The project “Space for Community: LGBT+ Social-cultural Activism and Support” aims to empower LGBT+ community by developing social-cultural platform dedicated for the community and possibilities of emotional and informational support and psychological help. The main result: empowered vulnerable groups, specifically LGBT+ community, including not only non-heterosexual and transgender people, but also their families.
Building upon the existing platforms and bilateral cooperation, there will be a space for social-cultural LGBT+ activism developed, consisting of open and semi-open film screenings, discussions, queer readings and other events, started queer archive and social-cultural centre, informational campaign. There will be also some new services of emotional and informational support and psychological help created and already existing ones improved, encompassing individual and group counselling, developing of the support group for the families (mainly parents) of LGBT, updated portal isgirsti.lt, training activities for emotional support volunteers, meetings (activities) with youth at regional schools, other outreach activities. There will be additional attention paid to development and capacity building of the organisations implementing the project.
Summary of project results
LGBT+ community not only face discrimination from the outside, increased risk of abuse and fewer opportunities, but also more often suffer from stress,
depression, lower self-esteem, self-destructive behaviours. However, often LGBT+ people suffer alone and do not seek for help, since it is not available or
reliable (or is seen as such). In Lithuania there is a lack of open and safe social-cultural spaces, initiatives of community empowerment
Building upon the existing platforms and bilateral cooperation, there was a space for social-cultural LGBT+ activism developed, consisting of open and semiopen
film screenings, discussions, queer readings and other events, started queer archive and social-cultural centre “išgirsti“, informational campaign. There
were also some new services of emotional and informational support and psychological help created and already existing ones improved, encompassing
individual and group counselling, developing of the support group for the families (mainly parents) of LGBT+, updated portal isgirsti.lt, training activities for
emotional support volunteers, meetings (activities) with youth at regional schools, other outreach activities. There were additional attention paid to
development and capacity building of the organisations implementing the project.
As planned, the project “Space for Community: LGBT+ Social-cultural Activism and Support” empowered LGBT+ community by developing social-cultural
platform dedicated for the community and possibilities of emotional and informational support and psychological help. The main result reached: empowered
vulnerable groups, specifically LGBT+ community, including not only non-heterosexual and transgender people, but also their families.
Summary of bilateral results
A more intensive collaboration with Oslo/Fusion (OF) started in mid-2021, programming their festival and our series of events. 3 study visits were organised. In Vilnius, a 5-day visit took place during the “Kreivės” festival organised by the IC, 08–12.09.2021. In Oslo, a 5 day visit took place at the end of the OF festival, followed by a visit to Bergen, 08–12.10.2021. The visit was complemented by a visit to Bergen, as it is home to the Norwegian National Archive of LGBT+ History. A partnership with this archive has led to the organisation of a bilateral cooperation initiative in 2023, including study visit to Bergen. The IC will also be included in the Nordic LGBT+ Archives Network. A final visit took place in Oslo where a film screening with a special presentation was also implemented within the framework of the project. During the visits, the participants were able to take part in the festivals’ programmes and observe the organisation, to gain ideas and experience, to become better acquainted with the festivals’ activities, and to identify opportunities for further cooperation. The collaboration has been a valuable experience, allowing us to discover more content and develop our programming skills. OF played a significant role in the programming of the films, offered its long-standing expertise and made it possible to contribute to the festival remotely and directly, involved IC in the programming of its own festival, facilitated and collaborated in the organisation of the screening of the Ukrainian short film programme, with a special screening in Oslo (28.09.2022), and strengthened its own capacities. The partnership has fostered bilateral cooperation and exchanges that have broadened the organisations’ perspectives, knowledge and contacts, while contributing to the quality and diversity of the activities implemented. It is planned to continue the cooperation with the Norwegian National Archive of LGBT+ History, which has been established during the project.