We are excited to announce the call for participants for the IGLYO conference “Keep the Faith: promoting inter-religious and inter cultural dialogue in the LGBTQ youth sector” to take place in Brussels, Belgium from October 30th to November 4th 2012. The conference is organized in partnership with Wel Jong Niet Hetero (Young But Not Straight).

The Conference has been kindly supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe and the Brussels Ministry of Equal Opportunities.

Deadline for applications: September 3rd 2012 at 17:00 CET

Please apply by completing the online application form.

The conference will address the themes of intercultural & inter-religious dialogue (ICIRD) and LGBTQ youth.

The conference pursues the following objectives:

• Provide an understanding of ICIRD
• Promote dialogue between IGLYO’s member organisations and various cultural/religious groups
• Share the best practices in the field of ICIRD
• Create a network and alliances with cultural and religious groups, organizations, individuals and experts to better promote ICIRD through IGLYO’s work
• Empower LGBTQ youth to launch dialogue with religious/faith-based institutions

Please see the conference preliminary agenda here.

Arrivals are expected on October 30th in the morning or during the day and departures after lunch on November 4th 2012.

Participants profile

The ideal participant would:

• able to work in English
• between 18 and 30 years of age
• able to attend at least 80% of the conference programme
• able to act as multipliers within their own organisation or community
• play an active role within their organisation, specifically in working for LGBTQ communities with different ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds and have a common knowledge and understanding of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue
• be keen to work in teams and get actively involved in the working process
• come from a Council of Europe member states or MENA region.

This time IGLYO has an opportunity to select three participants coming from Middle East and North Africa region.

Costs and practical arrangements

All accommodation and food will be provided by IGLYO with the support of Wel Jong Niet Hetero. Travel expenses and visa costs will be reimbursed. Reimbursement will take place by bank transfer after the conference, upon presenting the receipts, tickets, etc. Participants are expected to search for the cheapest mode of transport available (e.g. travel 1st class will not be reimbursed).

Participants are asked to contribute a participation fee.

The fee is set depending on the country of residence, as follows:

• EU, EFTA Member States 30 €;

IGLYO is aware of the problem of exclusion by this fee. Please do not hesitate to contact us if your participation is pending only on the fee and we will try to find a solution.

The Conference will be conducted in English. Your English doesn’t have to be perfect but no interpretation will be provided.

Participants selection process

The preparatory team will review applications and participants will be selected on the basis of the motivation, the geographical and gender balance, a good reflection of LGBTQ diversity and involvement in youth activism. Priority will be given to participants representing an IGLYO member organisation.

People from the ethnic minority communities, migrant communities and gender variant identities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Successful applicants will be notified by email before 15th September.

Interested candidates can apply by filling the Application Form online.

We would be very grateful if you could take few minutes to complete IGLYO’s diversity monitoring form . It helps us to see what communities/groups we reach and where we need to improve.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at icird@iglyo.com or office@iglyo.com