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The Global Queer Youth Network

A global voice for LGBTIQ youth

The primary objective of The Global Queer Youth Network is to connect and strengthen regional and international LGBTIQ youth civil society organisations so they can better support youth with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics and advocate for their issues on a global level.

 

In order to achieve this The Global Queer Youth Network:

·         Holds regular networking and collaboration opportunities.

·         Facilitates a diverse program of events, workshops, and capacity building activities.

·         Advocates directly to and within established high-level intersectional global power systems that can effect meaningful, sustainable, and action-oriented change.

About: About Us
About: What We Do

A little more about The Global Queer Youth Network:

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Background:

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Around the globe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) young people face threats to their freedoms, discrimination, and persecution because of who they are, who they love, and the activism that they do. The emergence of an incredible and vibrant global LGBTIQ+ movement is notable, however young LGBTIQ people often remain excluded (as is also the case within the broader civil society) from decision making processes that define their socio-cultural and political environments, at local, regional and international levels.  

 

Recognizing the significant progress and advocacy that has been done on LGBTIQ youth issues by allies, there is a need to empower LGBTIQ youth to take ownership and lead the policy conversations that impact their lives. LGBTIQ youth civil society organizations (CSOs) are the backbone of the LGBTIQ youth movement, but similar to other youth movements, the infrastructure is predominantly voluntary-led with very limited capacity on local, national, regional and international level. In addition, significant gaps exist even at the regional and global level: for example, there is currently no specific trans/non-binary youth-led organisation that advocates at the global level, and there is no regional LGBTIQ youth-led organisation in Latin America.   

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More than ever, designated and sustainable LGBTIQ youth platforms are needed to provide a space for activists and organisations to highlight their experiences, the issues they face and influence decision-makers. More than ever, LGBTIQ youth international and regional organisations need a space to meaningfully collaborate and strategize to amplify the youth voices that are far too often left behind. 

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The Global Queer Youth Network (GQYN) has been established to connect and strengthen regional and international LGBTIQ+ youth civil society organisations. The GQYN aims to create networks and resources in order for global and regional LGBTIQ civil society organisations to better support youth with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics and meaningfully advocate for their issues on a global level. 

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The Mission of the Global Queer Youth Network:

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 The Global Queer Youth Network (GQYN) is an association of LGBTIQ+ youth-specific and LGBTIQ+ youth-supportive non-profit groups and organisations which are youth focused and youth led. The Global Queer Youth Network is an initiative which aims to create, facilitate, and maintain a global network of member organisations whose mandate is to further the rights, protections, and societal acceptance of LGBTIQ Young People. The Network aims to strengthen global partnerships through resource development, networked communication on thematic issues relating to the rights of LGBTI+ Youth across the globe, and the facilitation of events and interventions which align with this mandate.  

The main purpose of the Global LGBTIQ Youth Platform is to connect and strengthen regional and international LGBTIQ youth civil society organisations so they can better support youth with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics and advocate for their issues on a global level. In order to do this the Network will be hosting a series of events, engagements, and interventions throughout the year – with a goal of engaging our global community, sharing resources, learn from each other, plan for a more equal future, and celebrate our achievements as they happen.  

Key tenets of the action of the Global Queer Youth Network

  • Meaningful: This is not lip service, this is not tokenism, this is not “ticking a youth box”. The members, actions, and commitments of the network are about actionable and impactful youth-led youth-focused results for our constituents.

  • Transparency: The GQYN believes in open source, secure, and accessible technological engagements which enable the network to be as transparent as possible. The GQYN aims to make its mode of operation public, alongside regular publications of network updates. We serve a large public who have a right to the information we produce.

  • Collaboration: Action of the network will include multiple agencies, partners, experts, and peer-reviewers. The network aims to, aligned with its transparency, open up options for collaboration at all levels.

  • Co-production and co-design: The network’s activities will be co-produced by its members

  • Accessibility: A key tenet of all work of the GQYN is to ensure, a much as is possible, accessibility across all action of the network. A key component of this is in the technological design and communications systems used by the network.

  • Respect: The GQYN believes in respecting the lived experiences of our community and creating a culture of inclusion and respect which reflects the diversity of experience within our community.

  • Intersectionality: We do not live single issue lives. Disability justice is queer youth justice. Racial justice is queer youth justice. We believe in bringing our whole selves to the table at every chance and demanding to be heard and perceived as complex multi-identified beings.

 

The Vision of the Global Queer Youth Network

  • To strengthen partnerships and relationships between LGBTIQ+ youth organisations on regional and global level

  • To provide a strategic platform for LGBTIQ+ youth activists to connect, share information, opportunities and raise challenges and concerns

  • To advocate and support to increase the capacity of LGBTIQ+ youth regional organisations

  • To advocate for LGBTIQ+ youth issues on global level

  • To promote meaningful participation of LGBTIQ+ youth within the LGBTIQ+ movement and on global level

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