LGBTQI Activism in Times of Backlash
We are thrilled to bring back the IGLYO Activist Academy for its eighth edition, set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 22 to 28 June 2026, hosted by IGLYO Member Organisation Budapest Pride.
Are you a passionate young queer activist eager to enhance your activist skills, connect with fellow activists, and strengthen your work in the LGBTQI movement?
Read the full Call below and submit your application by Sunday 5 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
What is the Activist Academy?
IGLYO’s Activist Academy is a hybrid, skills-based training programme for young people aged 18-30 who are at the beginning of their activist journeys and are passionate about LGBTQI rights. The programme is open to activists based in Council of Europe Member States or Russia, Belarus, and Kosovo.
The Academy aims to strengthen the LGBTQI youth movement by building practical skills and competencies, fostering networks for support and exchange, and reinforcing the resilience of young LGBTQI rights defenders.
From 22 to 28 June 2026, the Activist Academy will take place in Budapest, Hungary, hosted by IGLYO’s Member Budapest Pride during Pride Week. In addition to a series of online sessions, participants will take part in four days of in-person interactive workshops, team-building, and networking activities.
Working in teams, participants will also develop a final, real-world, skills-based task to apply the competencies gained throughout the programme, while receiving constructive feedback from peers, Mentors, and Activist Academy experts.
What is the theme?
The 2026 edition of IGLYO’s Activist Academy in Budapest focuses on LGBTQI activism in times of backlash.
Attacks on LGBTQI rights are often intertwined with broader rollbacks of human rights, including gender equality, sexual and reproductive rights, racial justice, migrant rights, and freedom of expression. These movements frequently share narratives, actors, and strategies, reinforcing one another and escalating risks for civil society. The Academy emphasises understanding these interconnections and responding with coordinated, coalition-based approaches, rather than treating anti-LGBTQI measures as isolated issues.
The programme prioritises practical and applied skills and competencies that enable participants to organise safely, strategically, and sustainably in challenging political and social contexts and that they can adapt to their own local, national, or regional realities. Participants will explore methods, frameworks, and approaches to map the activist landscape, identify linkages between anti-rights movements, anticipate risks, navigate polarised environments, and strengthen organisational and grassroots-level resilience.
Where and when is it happening?
The IGLYO Activist Academy 2026 will be held in Budapest, Hungary. Participants are expected to arrive on Monday 22 June 2026 and depart on Sunday 28 July 2026. The in-person programme will run for five days (from Tuesday 23 June to Saturday 27 June 2026).
Additionally, participants will take part in a series of online sessions before and after the in-person programme. Exact dates will be communicated to selected participants at a later stage.
How much does it cost?
The fee to participate in the Activist Academy is €50 per participant. IGLYO will cover all expenses related to your participation, including travel, accommodation*, visa costs and meals.
You will be responsible for booking your own travel, and we will reimburse you up to €300 for EU participants and €350 for non-EU participants in accordance with our travel and reimbursement policy, which will be provided to you if you are selected. Visa costs will be reimbursed in full.
Selected participants can apply for a fee waiver or for travel booking by IGLYO, ensuring that economic barriers do not prevent participation. Each request will be considered individually to provide the necessary support, within the constraints of IGLYO’s available budget.
*Please note that accommodation will be in shared rooms with another participant. A limited number of single rooms are available for accessibility reasons - please indicate this need in your application.
How does it work?
The Activist Academy offers an intensive and practice-oriented learning experience. Below is an overview of how the programme will be structured:
- Online sessions
In May and June, participants will take part in a series of online sessions, including live sessions and expert-led workshops. Participants will be required to complete post-workshop tasks in preparation for the in-person programme. These sessions will also provide an opportunity to start getting to know each other.
- Team-building
Participants will work in small teams throughout the programme - both online and in person - supported by a trained Mentor. Team-building starts during the online phase, helping participants connect, build trust, and learn about each other’s activist contexts before meeting in Budapest, and continues in person through dedicated team-building activities.
- Expert-led workshops
Workshops introduce practical concepts, tools, and frameworks connected to the Academy’s theme, with a strong focus on applied learning. Workshops prioritise active participation through case studies, group work, simulations, and collective reflection, ensuring that participants not only gain new knowledge but also develop concrete skills they can apply in their own activist contexts.
- Real-life skills-based tasks
Participants will work in teams to develop a concrete initiative aligned with the Academy’s theme, applying the tools and methods introduced during the workshops. With guidance from Mentors and feedback from peers and experts, teams will refine their ideas and strengthen their ability to translate learning into practical action in their own activist contexts.
- Networking
The Academy creates space for participants to connect beyond structured workshops. Through facilitated networking moments and informal exchanges, participants will build relationships, share experiences across contexts, and strengthen cross-regional connections within the LGBTQI youth movement.
- Social programme
An optional social programme will offer participants the opportunity to explore the local queer scene in Budapest. This component fosters community connection, informal learning, and solidarity across contexts.
- Follow-up
Following the in-person programme, participants will take part in two online follow-up sessions to reflect on how they are applying the skills and tools gained during the Academy.
Why join the Activist Academy?
By joining the IGLYO Activist Academy 2026 in Budapest, you will:
- Learn practical skills and approaches from experienced activists and trainers;
- Take part in online and in-person workshops exploring key thematic areas such as:
- Understanding the landscape of anti-rights movements and identifying interconnections;
- Risk assessment, mitigation measures, and security planning;
- Countering disinformation and anti-rights narratives in practice;
- Strategic coalition-building across movements in polarised environments;
- Wellbeing, collective care, and burnout prevention.;
- Apply your learning through real-life skills-based team tasks, receiving constructive feedback from Mentors, experts, and IGLYO staff;
- Build confidence working in teams and collaborating in an international, cross-cultural setting;
- Connect and network with over 20 young queer activists from across Europe;
- Explore the local queer scene in Budapest through an optional social programme;
- And more opportunities to engage, reflect, and develop your activist practice!
Curious about what the Activist Academy looks like?
Take a look at the programme, photos, and video from previous editions - note that the structure has been slightly updated for 2026!
Who can apply?
The Call for the IGLYO Activist Academy Budapest 2026 is for you if:
- You are a young queer activist.
- You are between 18 and 30 years old on the date of application.
- You are based in a Council of Europe Member State (see full list here), or in Russia, Belarus, or Kosovo.
- You can use English at an intermediate-advanced level. Most participants, experts, staff, and volunteers will not be native English speakers. To fully participate in the programme, you should be able to follow presentations and engage in conversations in English. However, don’t worry if your English isn’t perfect!
IGLYO Member Organisations (see full list here) will be given priority if there is high demand.
However, if you are not part of an IGLYO Member Organisation, you are still welcome to apply as long as you meet the criteria above.
How to apply?
Ready to take the next step in your queer youth activism journey? 🌟
Carefully read the full Call above and submit your application via this application form by Sunday 5 April 2026, 23:59 CEST. Selected participants will be notified shortly after the deadline.
Important note: Spots are limited. We strongly encourage you to submit a personal application that genuinely reflects your experiences and motivations. Generic applications that are clearly AI-generated will automatically receive a lower score. We strongly value hearing directly from you about your activist journey, what drives you in your activism, and your specific interest in this opportunity.
IGLYO particularly welcomes applications from underrepresented groups and communities, such as young women; trans and non-binary youth; intersex youth; young disabled people; young people living with HIV; racialised youth, Black youth and young people of colour; and young refugees and migrants.
Questions & contact
For any questions, feel free to reach out to our Programmes Team at programmes@iglyo.org.
Co-organised by
With the support of
The Activist Academy Budapest 2026 is organised by IGLYO — International LGBTQI Youth and Student Organisation in collaboration with Budapest Pride and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education Culture & Science, the Citizens, the Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme of the European Union, and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
Interested?
