A Lithuanian LGBT organisation was recently in Oslo to learn more from their Norwegian counterpartner on what kind of services they offer for young people. The visit was funded by the EEA Grants.
From the 6th to the 8th of December, Augustas and Ausma from “In Corpore” a Vilnius based NGO, currently mainly focusing on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) empowerment and representation, visited the Youth Helpline of Queer Youth Norway. They are developing two long term initatives focusing on informational and emotional support for LGBT young people (including an informational portal, training of emotional support volunteers and mental health professionals) and Vilnius LGBT festival “Kreives“. Apart from that they carry out human rights, diversity education, based on norm-critical pedagogy.
During their stay they had meetings with representatives from the youth helpline and school project advisors from the Queer Youth Norway (Skeiv Ungdom), as well as gender identity advisor, teacher training advisor and international advisor from the National LGBT organisation (LLH), and from Skeive Filmer, the Oslo Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
During the stay they exchanged experiences, achievements and struggles, trying to find the best practises that could be relevant on a national context. The focus in particular was how to provide good services for LGBT young people, where the access to information and inclusive service providers were a key issue. The visit helped build the competence of both the Lithuanian and Norwegian participants, creating awareness about challenges and solutions in the two countries.