Your experience matters!
Before reading the call below, please note that, for the purpose of this project, we define “children” as 0 to 17 years old following the UNCRC definition, and “young people” as 18 to 24 years old.
IGLYO — The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation is happy to join forces with Missing Children Europe and the University of Portsmouth to collaborate on LGBTIQ+ Missing Children — a 2-year project aiming to positively impact LGBTIQ+ children who are at risk of being homeless, running away or being forced to leave their home, through research, advocacy, training and campaigning.
To support us with this project, we are currently looking for a paid advisory Youth Board of 5 LGBTIQ+ young people between 18 and 24 years old who have experienced being homeless, running away or being forced to leave their home before they turned 18 years old.
If this is a topic close to your heart and you wish to bring your valuable contribution, read the full call below and apply through our form by Sunday 9 June 2024 at 23:59 CEST (extended deadline).
About the project
LGBTIQ+ Missing Children is a 2-year project that will study the views of LGBTIQ+ young people who were homeless, ran away or were forced to leave their home as children (before 18 years old) to inform training and awareness raising activities that will positively impact LGBTIQ+ children at risk of being in these situations.
The project will foster prevention through free online resources, and inform appropriate service providers on how to provide adequate support. It will also address intersectional discrimination and inequality experienced on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and sex characteristics.
In a nutshell, the project will consist of carrying out research, conducting a far-reaching online survey and interviews, organising an online training for professionals, creating a free online resource hub, as well as producing an online awareness campaign and putting forward policy recommendations based on the findings of the project.
About the Youth Board
To help us with this project, we are currently looking for a paid advisory Youth Board of 5 LGBTIQ+ young people between 18 and 24 years old who were homeless, ran away or were forced to leave their home before they turned 18 years old.
From June 2024 to March 2026, the members of the Youth Board will be helping IGLYO, Missing Children Europe and the University of Portsmouth in a variety of tasks ranging from advocacy and research to communications and dissemination.
The Youth Board will notably be involved in co-producing and helping to disseminate:
- The survey and interview guide;
- The training for professionals;
- The resource hub for LGBTIQ+ children at risk of being homeless, running away or being forced to leave their home;
- The awareness raising campaign disseminating the research results and resource hub for young people.
The youth board will also contribute to the project by taking part in 4 in-person and online Consortium meetings, as detailed below.
Each member of the youth board will be compensated 1,000 EUR for their time throughout the project until March 2026.
Consortium Meetings
On top of ad hoc online meetings that will be defined once the work starts, the Youth Board will take part in 4 in-person or online Consortium meetings with all of the project partners.
The Consortium meetings will be held in English and are planned as follows:
- 18 November 2024: In-person Consortium meeting
- 31 March 2025: Online Consortium meeting
- 23 June 2025: Online Consortium meeting
- March 2026 [date TBD]: In-person Consortium meeting [conclusion]
The in-person meetings will be held in Brussels, Belgium. All costs related to participation in the in-person meetings (travel, accommodation and food) will be covered. You can also attend the in-person meetings online if you are unable to travel on those dates.
Who can join the Youth Board?
To be eligible to apply for the Youth Board, you need to:
- Be between 18 and 24 years old at the time of application;
- Be based in Europe;
- Identify as an LGBTIQ+ person;
- Have experience of being homeless, running away, or being forced to leave home before you turned 18 years old. This can also include having been forced to live with other relatives or friends, having been in the care of social services or foster care, having been abducted/trafficked, having been an unaccompanied asylum seeker, or any other situation involving lacking a home or having to live away from it.
- Ideally, be available for the online and in-person Consortium meetings at the dates provided above.
- Have a good understanding of English, as all meetings and activities will be carried out in English.
We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups and communities such as young women, trans youth (including non-binary), intersex youth, young people from Black communities, other communities of colour and ethnic minorities, refugees/migrants, sex workers, disabled youth (including neurodivergent youth), young people living with HIV, and fat young people.
How to apply?
Are you motivated for this role? Fill out our application form by Sunday 9 June 2024 at 23:59 CEST (extended deadline).
Application results will be communicated via email in the week of 10-15 June 2024.
Questions & Contact
For any questions, please contact IGLYO’s Programmes Manager Viola at viola@iglyo.org.
This project is co-led by IGLYO, Missing Children Europe and the University of Portsmouth, and co-funded by the European Union under the call CERV-2023-EQUAL (project number 101144825).
Interested?
