REGIONAL WORKSHOP: “COMMUNITY AND ACTIVISM”
On June 27-29, 2021 Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO held a three-day lasting “Community and Activism” workshop for Trans LGBIQ activists and NGO representatives.
The purpose of the meeting-discussion was to raise the awareness level of the participants in the spheres of protection of the rights and interests of Trans LGBIQ people and promote the active involvement of the community in the work of NGOs for strengthening democracy and equality in Armenia.
On the first day, the workshop participants contacted the participants of the meeting organized by Tbilisi Pride NGO in Georgia and HPLGBT NGO in Ukraine through Zoom platform.
The President of the Right Side HRD NGO Lilit Martirosyan made an opening speech, greeted the partner organizations, added that the regional project would be continuous to strengthen powerful, stable partnerships, so that as a result of cooperation the safety, welfare and security of LGBTIQ people in the region would be ensured. The opening speech was followed by Tamaz Sozashvili, Co-Founder and Project Manager of Tbilisi Pride NGO, and Igor Medved, President and Project Manager of HPLGBT NGO.
Through the online platform, the participants got acquainted with each other, shared their knowledge, experience, and then thanked one another for organizing the meeting, which raised their level of awareness and involvement in LGBTIQ activism.
On the second day of the meeting, the participants gained new knowledge about fundraising, international exchange programs and opportunities to include LGBTIQ people in those programs. After the theoretical knowledge, the participants were divided into groups and began to perform practical tasks aimed at submitting project applications by taking into account the needs and requirements of LGBTIQ people. In the second half of the day Lilit Martirosyan, continuing the workshop, discussed with the participants the prospects of activism, the problems faced, the ways to solve them in Armenia and in the region. At the end of the day, the participants presented project proposals developed on the basis of the knowledge they received, which would be submitted for funding in the near future.
On the last day of the meeting, the participants mapped out all the possible ways of cooperation, thanked the sponsors and organizers for such an opportunity, where they could gain knowledge aimed at improving the quality of life of LGBTIQ people, creating an equal and safe environment.
At the end of the workshop Lilit Martirosyan made a closing speech, handed over certificates, thanked all the participants for their active participation, then added that the Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO, being the first Trans organization in Armenia and in the Caucasus, gives high importance to regional cooperation and will do everything so that transgender LGBIQ people live a harmonious and secure life.
The workshop was implemented within the framework of the project “Activism Building among LGBTI People in the EaP Countries” which is funded by the German Marshall Fund of the United States and carried out by the Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO from Armenia, Tbilisi Pride NGO from Georgia and HPLGBT NGO from Ukraine. The goal of the project is to increase the knowledge of LGBTIQ people on human rights and fundamental freedoms, develop their skills on advocacy and leadership to reduce hate speech, hate crimes and discrimination against them, ensure community’s security and well-being through advocacy and activism and promote the strengthening of the LGBTIQ movement for the establishment of democratic values in the region.
You can learn more about the workshops organized by our partners by the following links:
HPLGBT NGO:
Tbilisi Pride NGO:
https://tbilisipride.ge/en-US/News/Details/93 .
#Regional_LGBT_Activism, #BST_RS_HPLGBT_TbilisiPride_Cooperation
Jul 20, 2021 Armenia Yerevan