After two years of organising the Academy online and making it a global event, it’s about time we returned to a physical meeting. 

The Fourth Edition of the in-person Activist Academy will take place in Bucharest, Romania, between 24-31 July 2022 (with 24 and 31 July being travel days).

The applications for the Activist Academy Romania 2022 closed on 15 June 2022 at 23:59 CEST. If you’re interested in taking part in future editions, please subscribe to our IGLYO newsletter to receive direct information!

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 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) rights. The goal is to jumpstart younger activists into skill-demanding and leadership roles within LGBTQI organisations.

The fee to participate in the Activist Academy is 50€ per participant and IGLYO will cover all expenses related to your participation (travel, accommodation, food).

IGLYO Member Organisations have priority in taking part in the Academy. If you are not a Member, you can still apply as long as you meet the criteria and are based in a Council of Europe Member State.

Be prepared for a wonderful and intensive experience! In a nutshell, here’s how the programme will be organised:

1. Breaking the ice
   The first day of the Academy (25 July 2022) will consist of an introductory session where we will break the ice, get to know each other and learn more about the programme. On this first day, you will join a team with other participants whom you will collaborate with during the Academy.
2. Expert workshops
   You’ll start with four interactive masterclasses/workshops led by experts (they will be announced soon) on relevant topics. Participants in previous editions for instance learned about how to write and deliver powerful speeches or prepare a strong statement, how to grab people’s attention and build support for important issues through messaging and graphic design, and other useful skills.
3. Real-life challenges
   Once you’ve completed all the expert workshops, you will put what you’ve learnt into practice and translate your new skills and knowledge into action by undertaking two real-life challenges with the help of your team-mates and the support of mentors. When your two challenges are ready, you’ll receive constructive feedback from our team of judges before making final changes and improvements.
4. Presenting and voting
   You will then be asked to present your finished projects to other participants and the judges. You and other teams as well as the judges will then vote for their favourite entries. Think about an LGBTQI youth activism Eurovision!
5. Award Ceremony
   The winning teams will be announced during the final live session of the Academy on 30 July!

The call for the Activist Academy Romania 2022 is for you if you:

• Identify with or advocate for LGBTQI and are involved in LGBTQI activism;
• Are between 18 and 30 years old, at the date of application;
• Are based in a Council of Europe Member State;
• Are able to use English at an intermediate-advanced level;
• Are representing an IGLYO Member Organisation (see full list here) OR, if you are not representing an IGLYO Member Organisation, you can still apply if you meet the above criteria and are based in a Council of Europe Member State. Please note however that our Members will have the priority in participation.

​IGLYO particularly welcomes 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.

The applications for the Activist Academy Romania 2022 closed on 15 June 2022 at 23:59 CEST.

The Activist Academy Romania 2022 is organised by IGLYO — International LGBTQI Youth and Student Organisation and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education Culture & Science and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme of the European Union.