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#buďteslyšet

2023-3-CZ01-KA154-YOU-0001716192023Youth participation activitiesfinalized
Countries: CZ · Grant: €46,564
Democracy and inclusive democratic participationPromoting LGBT+ equalityHuman rights and rule of law

Objectives

Through this project, we responded to the fact that although more than 10% of young people openly identify as gender-, relationship- or sexually diverse, their needs remain consistently overlooked. This group is still insufficiently visible in the Czech public space, and there is virtually no expert or public debate about their specific experiences, problems, and needs. Decision-makers often lack adequate information about the situation of LGBT+ youth, and their perspectives therefore influence policies only minimally. This is reflected in the very low levels of participation of LGBT+ young people in public, civic, and political life. Our ambition was to change this situation. The aim of the project was to connect young LGBT+ people with decision-makers, directly aligning with the objectives of structured dialogue. For young people, the project created opportunities to be heard and to meaningfully participate in public and political life. For policy-makers, it offered space for dialogue with youth of diverse sexual orientations, relationship identities, and/or gender identities, and opened the door for their specific needs to be considered in public policy development. In doing so, the project contributed to a stronger representation of minority voices and to raising the quality of democratic processes in the Czech Republic. Through the project, we succeeded in creating a wide range of opportunities for mutual dialogue, learning, and discussion. Young participants were able to explore topics related to civic and political participation in greater depth. They received multi-level support and education to help them build confidence and self-assurance, enabling them to communicate their needs directly with political and public representatives. They were then able to immediately apply these skills in practice. Participants led and moderated individual debates with political representatives themselves, and asked questions from the audience. Together, they prepared strategies for conducting the discussions and defined their objectives. Some meetings focused primarily on enriching the participants (e.g., understanding political processes, the structure and function of public institutions, different levels of governance). Others were aimed at educating political representatives (e.g., sharing lived experiences of LGBT+ youth, introducing key topics, raising awareness about discriminatory legislation). In addition to direct dialogue during debates, participants worked with written messages and statements or created video messages. The project’s goals were successfully achieved, and in many respects, the project exceeded our expectations. Many alumni are already actively involved in public life—some joined non-profit organisations as volunteers or employees, others bring LGBT+ issues to the forefront within their workplaces, including in large corporations. Several alumni have directly entered public administration or politics (e.g., the Office of the Government, parliamentary assistant roles). We also consider it a success that one of the debates was attended by Andrej Babiš, giving twenty participants the opportunity to communicate their needs to a person with significant political influence. Over the years, the project has become widely recognised among LGBT+ youth—#buďteslyšet is now a well-established brand that attracts young LGBT+ people eager to engage in civic or political life. Interest in joining the project has increased significantly, clearly demonstrating that young LGBT+ people want to be visible and heard, and that the project helps them transform this motivation into concrete actions. A total of 361 people took part directly in the project activities, of whom 285 were under 30 years old. The vast majority identified as LGBT+, meaning the project significantly strengthened members of a marginalised group. In addition, 9 decision-makers from various areas of public administration and politics participated in the dialogues, workshops, and meetings. The project thus effectively connected young people with institutional representatives and enabled an exchange of perspectives that would not otherwise have taken place.

Project partners (1)