IGLYO International Youth Conference on Counteracting the Anti-Gender Movement 2026

Introduction

The rise of the anti-gender movement across Europe is one of the most urgent challenges facing LGBTQI youth and beyond. Coordinated, well-funded campaigns are spreading disinformation, undermining democratic values, and threatening LGBTQI young people’s rights, safety, and well-being. To respond to this challenge, IGLYO wants to enhance the capacity of the LGBTQI youth movement in Europe to identify anti-gender discourse, respond to it, debunk its narratives, and demand policy action.

To this end, between 20 and 25 July 2026, IGLYO will organise its International Youth Conference on Counteracting the Anti-Gender Movement, a 4-day event bringing together 20 young LGBTQI activists from across the Council of Europe region. The Conference will focus on understanding and challenging anti-gender narratives - a growing threat to LGBTQI youth, democracy, and equality in Europe.

By combining expert input, peer learning, and policy reflection, the event will create a space for young LGBTQI activists to connect grassroots realities with European-level advocacy, while laying the foundation for the next phase of IGLYO’s work on counteracting anti-gender movements.

We are looking for 17 participants and 3 members of the Advisory Panel, who will be involved in the preparation, implementation and follow-up of the Conference.

Below is the call for participants followed by the call for the advisory panel. Please read through them and send us your application through this form by Monday 13 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

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Call for Participants

What are the aim and objectives of the conference?

The aim of the conference is to build the capacities of young LGBTQI activists to counteract anti-gender movements and to provide a strong evidence base for future policy recommendations and practical guidelines on responding to anti-gender actors and narratives.

The conference’s objectives are to:

Increase participants’ understanding of the strategies, narratives, and influence mechanisms used by anti-gender movements.
Strengthen skills to develop counter-narratives and respond to disinformation.
Facilitate peer-to-peer exchange on local and national experiences across Europe.
Initiate youth-led reflections on policy responses to anti-gender movements.
Produce consolidated findings that will feed into IGLYO’s policy work and inform the development of practical guidance for activists and allies.

The policy ideas resulting from this Conference will be further elaborated and presented to policy- and decision-makers in Brussels during a 3-day EU Study Visit that will happen in Autumn 2026 (dates TBD). The Advisory Panel is expected to be involved in this follow-up phase too (see below).

Moreover, we expect the participants of the conference to be able to make use of the results of the event in their own work, for example by incorporating the policy ideas emerging from the conference in your own policy and advocacy work, by applying some of the good practices acquired at the local and national level, and by strengthening your work on combatting anti-gender movements through new tools, competencies and networks. Applicants showing a clear ability for follow-up will be strongly prioritised.

How will the conference be organised?

The conference will take place from 20 to 25 July 2026 (20 July is the arrival day and 25 July is the departure day).

The conference will include:

Expert inputs framed in accessible and interactive formats;
Interactive and youth-led workshops
Exchange of good practices;
Development of policy ideas to counteract anti-gender movements in Europe.

Principles of non-formal education, peer learning and intercultural learning underpin the programme, enabling exchange across diverse social, political, and geographical contexts. Young people are active contributors throughout, ensuring that the outcomes of the Conference are strongly youth-centred.

Provisional Programme Structure

‍Days 1–2 | Capacity Building

Exploration of anti-gender narratives and strategies through expert inputs, interactive workshops, and practical exercises on counter-narratives.

‍Day 3 | Peer-to-Peer Exchange

Sharing national and local experiences, assessing impacts on LGBTQI youth, and identifying effective responses.

‍Day 4 | Policy Reflections

Collective development of initial policy ideas to counter anti-gender movements, forming the basis for further advocacy work.

How much does it cost?

The fee to participate in the conference 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.

If you are selected as a participant, you will be able to apply for a fee waiver or for direct travel booking by IGLYO. This measure is meant to facilitate the attendance of participants facing economic difficulties and/or from countries with a disadvantageous exchange rate to €. Requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

*Keep in mind that accommodation will be in shared dormitories with other participants. A limited number of single rooms are available for accessibility reasons (please indicate this need in your application).

Who can apply?

The Call for the International Youth Conference on Counteracting the Anti-Gender Movement is for you if:

You are a young LGBTQI 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) have priority in taking part in the conference if the demand is too high. If you're not affiliated with a Member Organisation, you are still more than welcome to apply, as long as you meet the above criteria.

If you want to go one step further and also contribute to the planning, execution and follow-up of the conference, and to be involved in the subsequent EU Study Visit, have a look at the open call for the Advisory Panel in the next pages.

IGLYO particularly welcomes applications from underrepresented groups and communities such as young women, trans youth, non-binary youth, intersex youth, young people from Black communities, other racialised communities and ethnic groups, refugees, migrants, sex workers, disabled youth, neurodivergent youth, young people living with HIV, and fat young people.

IGLYO is committed to making its events accessible and inclusive for everyone, and this event is open to all young queer activists, regardless of ability. Please let us know about any accessibility needs you may have in the application form, and we will work to ensure all feasible accommodations are provided for.

How to apply?

Ready for your next adventure? Make sure to read the full call above and submit your application through this application form by Monday 13 April 2026 at 23:59 CET. Selected participants will be contacted shortly after the deadline.

Important note: We 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 journey, what drives you in your activism, and your specific interest in this opportunity.

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Call for Advisory Panel

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to take part in the organisation of thematic events on LGBTQI rights? Do you have experience in counteracting anti-gender movements and would like to go one step further in your activism? Do you want to learn more about how to connect local activism to European-level advocacy, and contribute to bringing youth voices to international policy- and decision-makers? Then search no further!

We are looking for an Advisory Panel who would work with us over the next few months to help ensure the success of our work on counteracting anti-gender movements. The main purpose of this Advisory Panel is to ensure that a strong youth voice and perspective is mainstreamed in all the work we do.

The Advisory Panel would be involved in two distinct but connected phases:

The International Youth Conference on Counteracting the Anti-Gender Movement;
A 3-day Study Visit to Brussels to be organised in Autumn 2026 (dates TBD), with the aim of presenting the policy ideas resulting from the Conference to European stakeholders.

We are open to many different types of young people who have some experience in facilitation, training and non-formal education, policy, advocacy and campaigning, LGBTQI rights and/or on countering anti-gender movements, whether that be through lived experience, volunteering, academic studies or professional experience.

Profile of the Advisory Panel

In order to be considered for this role, you should:

Be an LGBTQI young person between the ages of 18-30 years old;
Be a resident of a Council of Europe Member State (see full list here);
Have some experience on the topic of combatting anti-gender movements, rhetoric and discourse, be it as an activist, a professional, an educator, a student or a researcher.
Have some experience in any of the following:
- Non-formal education;
- Workshop design and facilitation;
- Policy, advocacy, and campaigning on LGBTQI rights.
Be able to communicate fluently in English.

What will you do as a member of the Advisory Panel?

The Advisory Panel will be an integral part of the IGLYO Team (which is composed of members of IGLYO Programmes Team and IGLYO Policy and Research Team). They will actively contribute to the design and delivery of two events: the International Youth Conference and the EU Study Visit.

As a member of the Advisory Panel, you will:

Shape the programme of the International Youth Conference and of the EU Study Visit (suggest ideas, provide advice on the educational flow);
Suggest topics, methodologies and approaches;
Suggest experts to invite, if needed;
Design and facilitate or co-facilitate specific sessions or workshops;
Facilitate daily reflection groups with participants;
Participate in the evaluation of the International Youth Conference and of the EU Study Visit.

What do we expect from you?

Although you will be supporting the work of the IGLYO Team, you in turn will be supported by us throughout this process and will never be left alone. We recognise that you have other commitments in your life, so we will not ask too much of you!

With this in mind, there are some commitments that we expect from you. Members of the IGLYO Advisory Panel should:

Be available to attend the International Youth Conference on 20-25 July 2026, as well as arriving one day early (Sunday 19 July) to engage in planning meetings;
Be willing to travel to Brussels in Autumn 2026 for the 3-day EU Study Visit. Since dates for this event are still not confirmed, we understand that you cannot guarantee your availability yet;
Be willing to meet online regularly in the lead up to and after both events (from May to October 2026, indicatively). The frequency of meetings will depend on need, from a minimum of once a month to a maximum of once a week;
Be willing to apply your expertise where relevant in the different aspects of planning and executing the event.

If you don’t think you can meet all the requirements listed above, but you are still interested in this role, we invite you to apply and explain your situation.

This role is a voluntary one (unpaid).

How to apply for the Advisory Panel?

If you are interested in this opportunity, fill out the relevant part of the conference’s application form by 13 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

For any questions, please contact our Programmes Team at programmes@iglyo.com.

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Co-organised by

With the support of

The conference is organised by IGLYO in collaboration with Belong To LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland and is co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) 2021-2027 programme of the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Education Culture & Science, and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The contents of the conference are the sole responsibility of IGLYO and can be taken in no way to reflect the views of the European Commission, Council of Europe, or Dutch Ministry.