The Academy’s program covered diverse topics – from the history of queer activism and the legal framework, to political challenges and media representation, and finally to art as a tool for the fight for human rights. A special focus was placed on mapping the current position of the community in the region and designing the next steps for strengthening solidarity and cooperation.
Together with volunteers, participants actively took part in preparing for the Belgrade Pride March and joined the protest. In doing so, they sent a strong message that Pride is a protest, and that we demand equality, accountability of institutions, and complete freedom in society.
The Academy coordinator, Irina Radosavljević from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, emphasized that she is proud of the energy and dedication of young people from across the region and believes that this gathering is an important step towards building a stronger and more connected community.
Academy participant Natalija Vulin shared her impressions and explained why attending the Academy was meaningful for her: “It was important for me to attend the Academy and Pride to understand that I am not alone, because I had the opportunity to meet many community members who have gone through similar things as I have due to our sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The Regional Pride Academy once again showed the importance of networking, exchange, and a shared vision – because only together can we build societies where the human rights of all people are truly respected.
The key messages we would like to emphasize are: stronger cooperation between the community and organizations working on LGBTQI+ rights in the region, inclusion of young community members in decision-making processes that affect our rights, and investment in queer art as a tool for advocacy.
This activity was created as part of the project “Regional Pride Academy: Strengthening LGBTQI+ Leadership and Solidarity”, implemented by NGO Youth Initiative for Human rights, supported through the broader programme “Together for LGBTIQ+ Equality,” led by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE/CGO) in partnership with ERA, Queer Montenegro, Queer Center Skopje, Tuzla Open Center, OMSA, and the CSGD from Kosovo. The project is funded by the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the NGO Youth Initiative for human rights, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, nor the CCE/CGO and the project partners.
