IGLYO Board Elections 2026

About this call

IGLYO — The International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Intersex Youth and Student Organisation is the leading youth development and leadership organisation working with LGBTQI young activists. With over 135 Member Organisations based in 40 countries in the European region, IGLYO unites a great variety of individual and community experiences. You can learn more about IGLYO here.

We extend a warm invitation to young LGBTQI activists to apply for the IGLYO Board. An election for two vacant positions will take place at the IGLYO Annual Members’ Conference (AMC) in Maastricht, the Netherlands, on 5-9 November 2026. Board terms are three years long, and elected candidates will serve from 90 days after the AMC 2026, until 90 days after the AMC 2029, and will have the option to run again for a second term, if they are still 30 years of age or younger during the AMC 2029. Two terms are the mandated limit for any Board Member.

Read through the full call below and apply by 31 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

What is the IGLYO Board?

The IGLYO Board consists of a dynamic and dedicated team of 5-9 young volunteers legally mandated by the Members’ General Assembly to oversee the governance of the organisation, represent the membership, and lead and contribute to the strategic direction of the network in collaboration with the Secretariat. Being an IGLYO Board Member is an unpaid legal position, and an important one: All Board Members share legal ownership of the organisation. You can meet current IGLYO Board Members here.

To help them in their role, IGLYO Board Members are supported by the Secretariat, the Anti-Racism Panel, and the Governance Team.

Who can apply?

The Board Member role speaks to you? You can apply if you meet the following requirements:

Be between 18 and 30 years of age at the time of application;
Agree to represent IGLYO as a Board Member, fulfilling all required governance duties;
Be officially nominated by a Member Organisation of IGLYO (see full list here);
- While you must be nominated by a Member Organisation of IGLYO, you do not have to be a staff or volunteer of this organisation
- IGLYO Member Organisations based in Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, or Switzerland may not nominate a candidate for the 2026 Board Elections. This is due to a provision in the statutes of IGLYO which prohibits Member Organisations from nominating Board candidates if a sitting Board Member who will remain on the Board after the election, was nominated by a Member in that country. As our seven Board Members who will continue on after the AMC in their Board mandate were nominated by Members in these countries, no Members from these countries may nominate Board candidates this time.
Be able to attend the IGLYO Annual Members’ Conference Maastricht 2026 (5-9 November 2026), if possible in person as the delegate of an organisation, or in an online capacity during sessions related to Board Elections. You will also be asked to join the online pre-AMC meeting the week before (dates TBC).
Be able to travel and attend Board Meetings with the Secretariat at least once every three months (all travel and subsistence costs will be covered by IGLYO).
Be able to attend online Board Meetings every month (approximately 3h per month).
Have time to dedicate to governance duties in between Board Meetings (approximately 5-15 hours per month depending on the month).
A fluent level of English (preferred), as all work is done strictly in English.

IGLYO particularly encourages 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.

In line with the IGLYO Internal Regulations, as approved by the General Assembly during the 2025 Annual Members’ Conference in Zürich, the Board must include at least one Black Board Member. Currently, the Board has one Black Board Member whose term concludes at this AMC. Given the continued underrepresentation of Black queer youth in leadership roles across the European LGBTQI movement, IGLYO especially encourages members to identify, encourage, and nominate Black queer youth within their communities who they believe would be strong and impactful additions to the Board.

What would my duties be?

The work of a Board Member in IGLYO involves:

Dedicating at least 10-20 hours a month to IGLYO work. Being a Board Member is an intensive role that requires flexibility and adaptation in fast paced environments.
Overseeing the governance of the organisation including, but not limited to, reviewing financial documents and budgets, reviewing policies, and legally representing the organisation before local authorities
Leading and contributing to the strategic direction of the network
Representing IGLYO externally at events, conferences and alike when capacity allows and governance duties are otherwise handled
Traveling at least 4 times per year for Board meetings, general assemblies, and other IGLYO events when required
Being in regular contact with the Secretariat, the Governance Team, and Anti-Racism Panel
Ensuring the needs and interests of the IGLYO Membership as well as the values expressed in the IGLYO Manifesto are represented in the work of the organisation

Note: Serving on the Board is an intensive responsibility that requires consistent availability and commitment. According to the Statutes, the Board may decide to suspend a Board Member with immediate effect in cases of unfulfilled duties or gross misconduct. The scope of duties is detailed in internal documents such as the Board Manual.

While the work of the Board is intensive, IGLYO is aware of the impacts marginalisation and oppression have on our communities, especially our health and wellbeing. IGLYO will always do our best to provide accessibility support to anyone who requires them.

You can read more about the responsibilities and duties of the board in the IGLYO Statutes and IGLYO Internal Regulations.

Manifesto, Campaign Expectations, Code of Conduct & Campaign

When applying & campaigning, please refer to our Code of Conduct, Manifesto and Policy on Campaigning.

Why should I apply?

Being part of the IGLYO Board is an exciting adventure on the human level wherein you’ll contribute as much as you will learn. If elected as a Board Member of IGLYO, you will notably:

Get a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of LGBTQI youth and student activism internationally;
Collaborate with a motivated and inspiring team;
Help to build capacities of our 135+ Member Organisations and young LGBTQI activists;
Expand your knowledge and grow on the personal and professional level.

The list doesn’t stop there; the more invested you are, the more you’ll get out of your mandate!

Info session

Not decided yet? The current Board is organising an online info session on Tuesday 30 June at 18-19:30 CEST. Join this session to hear directly from current Board Members about the Board Member role and answer any question you may have. This info session is only open to young people between 18 and 30 years old who can be nominated to the Board by an existing IGLYO Member Organisation. Register here.

How do I apply?

To apply for the IGLYO Board, you simply have to fill out this application form by Sunday 31 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Please note that, on top of answering motivation questions in the form, you will also be asked to provide:

A letter of recommendation by the IGLYO Member Organisation that nominated you
A letter from another organisation or individual who you know professionally and can provide a substantive character reference, as well as to provide more information on your skills, experience, and your motivation to join the Board.

The application should take some time so please do not wait until the last minute to submit it. Your application will be shared with all Members of IGLYO as part of the IGLYO AMC Maastricht 2026 voting documents (aside from personal details in Q4-7).

What happens next?

You’ve read the call and filled in the application? Great, you’re done with the initial part! You might be contacted afterwards in case additional information is required. Board candidates will also be asked to submit details for a poster presentation, closer to the AMC dates.

The voting for the elections will be held during the IGLYO AMC Maastricht 2026, where you will be given an opportunity to campaign. For this reason, you are highly encouraged to be sent as the delegate from your organisation to be able to attend the full conference. More information on this process will follow, but you can already register for the event if agreed with the organisation.

There will also be an online pre-event before the AMC where we will explain more about the functioning of the AMC procedures (including the elections), and we will include some interaction activities for the participants to get to know each other. We encourage you to attend to start networking!

In addition to the info session mentioned above, the current Board will also arrange a Q&A session with all board candidates closer to the AMC. This will provide an opportunity to discuss anything raised in this call, as well as any other questions you may have about Board membership at IGLYO. The session will also cover, in greater detail, the opportunities available to candidates to present themselves at the AMC, along with guidance and expectations regarding campaigning.

Our team will be in touch with you shortly after the application deadline to provide more information on your presentation and the voting process.