Host our IGLYO AMC or Activist Academy in 2025

Host an IGLYO event!

Are you up to host one of our flagship events in 2025 and help us continue our work to build the LGBTQI youth movement in Europe?

In order to give our hosts more time to organise these essential events, this year, we are recruiting host organisations for our flagship events well over a year ahead of time to ensure we can deliver the best experience for our hosts, Members, and community.

As such we’re currently recruiting for 2025 hosts for our Annual Members’ Conference, a.k.a. the largest gathering for young LGBTQI activists, and the in-person Activist Academy, IGLYO’s flagship capacity-building programme.

To start preparing, we are currently looking for IGLYO Member Organisations to host either our AMC 2025 or our Activist Academy 2025 in their home country, and thereby help us to organise the two tentpole events of the IGLYO calendar.

Please read the full call below and apply to be a host for the AMC 2025 or the Activist Academy 2025 by Friday 31 May 2024 at 23:59 CEST.

What is the AMC 2025?

The IGLYO Annual Members’ Conference (AMC) is IGLYO’s flagship annual gathering of representatives from its Member Organisations, and one of the largest gatherings of young LGBTQI activists in the world. 

The AMC is a key moment for our Member Organisations to meet new faces through engaging networking and social activities, take part in insightful workshops led by other Members, learn about IGLYO’s current structure and activities, cast their vote on statutory issues, and elect new Board Members. In other words, it is an opportunity for our Members to contribute to setting the direction for the future of IGLYO while developing their own network and set of skills.

Practically speaking, each Member Organisation is asked to send one representative to the AMC, with all expenses covered by IGLYO (travel, accommodation, food). The AMC is held every year, usually around September/October, and we always team up with a Member Organisation to host the AMC in a different country every time. To give you examples, this year’s AMC 2024 will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and last year’s AMC 2023 was organised 2023 in Podgorica, Montenegro. Take a look at both to see what it concretely looks like!

What is the Activist Academy 2025?

IGLYO’s Activist Academy is a skills-based training programme for young people between 18 and 30 at the beginning of their activist careers who are passionate about activism, advocacy and learning, and have a strong interest in LGBTQI rights.

Every year, we hold both an in-person and an online edition of the Activist Academy. The goal is to jumpstart younger activists into skill-demanding and leadership roles within LGBTQI organisations. In 2025, we are very excited to bring the in-person Activist Academy back for its seventh edition and welcome young LGBTQI activists from around the world for an unforgettable week of learning, planning, and growing!

For a look at the Activist Academy you can find more details about the 2023 edition of the event taking place in Tallinn, Estonia, here.

What does IGLYO expect from a host organisation?

Hosting a flagship IGLYO event can be a big responsibility, which requires enough time and resources. But worry not: Hosting an IGLYO event is a collaborative process all along which IGLYO will guide you through every step to ensure that the event is a success. Below is a short overview of which tasks pertain to the host organisation, and which pertain to IGLYO.

Host Organisation’s Role

Hosting a major IGLYO event means handling all the on-site organisation and logistics of the event, which includes tasks such as securing venues, organising catering, contributing to shaping the event programme, identifying activities for the social programme, ensuring the accessibility of the event, and regularly liaising with IGLYO on the organisation of the event through emails — and online meetings twice a month for the AMC. 

Besides these organisational tasks, the host organisation has the chance to contribute to shaping the event programme, to propose local experts, and to create a link with the local queer community.

Please note that IGLYO has the financial resources to fully fund the event if necessary. However, hosts are encouraged to work with IGLYO to identify other possible funding sources to support the event, so that more money can be directed at supporting additional participation costs for Members and participants.

IGLYO’s role

Throughout the process, IGLYO’s Board and Staff will assist the organising team and will be in charge of preparing the event’s contents (e.g. publishing calls, inviting speakers, putting up the final programme, etc.) and participants logistics (e.g. handling registrations, booking accommodations and flights, etc.). All communications about the event will be centralised on IGLYO’s website and channels, and IGLYO is responsible for the dissemination of the event to its Members.

For the AMC, members of the IGLYO Board and Staff will also visit the host organisation a few months prior to the event for an on-site in-person preparatory meeting.

How would your organisation benefit?

With great responsibility comes great reward! Hosting an IGLYO event will provide your organisation with a unique opportunity to:

• Increase the visibility of your organisation and activities on the international scale amongst the IGLYO membership, partner organisations, youth activists, etc;
• Raise awareness about current issues related to LGBTQI (youth) rights in your country;
• Showcase your work and activities, and share best practices;
• Broaden your international network of LGBTQI youth activists.
• Additionally, you will be greatly helping IGLYO, while benefiting from the professional experience of our 40-year-old international network.
  

Who can apply to be a host?

The call for host organisations is open to any Member Organisation which:

• Is already an IGLYO Member;
• Has the capacity to welcome the participants of the event, and can identify a venue in their city where the event could potentially take place. The audience could range from 60 to 90 people for the AMC, and 20-35 people for the Activist Academy from a wide range of Council of Europe countries and beyond;
• Is able to either:
  • Host the AMC around September/October 2025 if applying to host the AMC;
  • Host the Activist Academy in Summer 2025 if applying to host the Activist Academy. 
• Has enough time and resources to organise the event;
• Commits to regularly liaise with IGLYO via email (and meet twice a month online for the AMC), and to assign one person to be the contact point for IGLYO in their organisation;
• If possible, has the ability and resources to identify potential additional funding for the event;
• Bears experience hosting conferences/large meetings and has an understanding of the planning it requires;
• Has never hosted an IGLYO AMC if applying to host AMC 2025, and has never hosted an Activist Academy if applying to host the Activist Academy 2025;
• Is able to work in English.

Questions and contact

For any question, please feel free to reach out to our Communications & Network Officer, Toryn on toryn@iglyo.org.