[nobody’s perfect and neither is our English;-)]
FIRST MILE supports 20 LGBTI [LesbiansGaysBisexualsTrans*Intersex*] activists from various global change projects. We bring them together with highly influential leaders for an exchange around creating relevant impact and potential mentorship. A campaign is designed to create a worldwide movement of awareness for their work.
Who are we?
We are Tizia & Stuart from the Uhlala company working on projects which pursue equal opportunity for the LGBTI community in society. The company has been doing this for six years, driven by the vision of a diverse world in which you can live freely - without fear. Find out more about us and all our projects here: www.the-activists.com/about-us.
What is this campaign about?
There are many activists around the world doing amazing work, taking a stand for equality and acceptance. As they deserve an alliance we have created a new platform for you to show your care and support for their cause:
We are organizing a non-profit event called FIRST MILE on June, 11th to which we invited 20 LGBTI activists from all around the world to join us here in Berlin, Germany. We connect them with business leaders to exchange ideas, learn from one another and generate a new, diverse and strong network of change agents.
Beyond FIRST MILE, these activists will benefit from further support - each of them adds a unique value to the LGBTI community and society at large through their work - they all fight for human rights and have impressive personalities. To keep up their amazing work, they count on all of us to continue paying attention to their projects and to generate a solid financial base.
What can you do?
That’s the very reason why we have also created a crowd-funding Indiegogo campaign as a parallel stream. Be one of hundreds of people who show support by raising 20,000 Euros for the activists projects - aiming at 1,000€ for each participant. Contribute to this fund!
And here is yet another must-use opportunity to help spread the word: share your thoughts and make your network aware using the hashtag #IAmAnActivist.
It's about making a difference - no matter what role you’re in.
What can we offer?
LGBTI activists from all around the globe share their moving stories. We just provide a temporary stage, lots of light and a circle of change peers by inviting you to participate: gain insight into their remarkable work, engage in an exchange with your expertise and perspective and make your communal experiences as change peers from different walks of life part of yours: #IAmAnActivist
Check out the other perks we also offer on the right side.
Who are the activists?
The 20 activists were chosen from 60 applications across 30 countries by an independent advisory board. More about the process: Click here (http://www.the-activists.com/2activists/)
Most of the activists live in an environment hostile to LGBTI people. They are working with others in similar situations or helping those who have fled discrimination.
Here are some of their stories:
Jafred from Kenya - building up a farm for the community offering rescue and economical strengthening. He knows the importance of being well connected and has found ways to spread information informally. So he is working on these two key aspects: How to set up a reliable net within the community and how to reach support individuals outside the core community.
The power of connectedness also drove Dominique to implement a fresh network - because he realized that compared to the English-speaking African countries the francophone ones are facing less support structures. His platform offers direct support to French-speaking activists. He asks himself how to best give a group of activists access to knowledge, information and skills in an effective fashion.
Manisha and Tamara are both transsexual women in leading positions of the global LGBTI movement but from completely different parts of the world. Take Tamara, for example: she’s a Venezuelan lawyer and when asked about her activism work one is overwhelmed with all she has contributed to. Her drive is to find out how to make the impact on the highest level - one focus area is equal opportunity in health care provision for trans* individuals in particular.
With Russia people may associate: cruel homophobic discrimination. Svetlana from St. Petersburg shows another, different Russia - the one of a very positive activist drawing a progressing picture of the movement. She is confronted - as well as other activists are - with the question of how to create a form of visibility that doesn’t increase the vulnerability of the involved individuals?
Stopping the non-propaganda law created by Russian precedence - that’s the urging aim of Danik and his team in Kyrgyzstan. These laws which are the legal basis for much cruelty seem to spread quickly in former Soviet countries and represent a personal and political catastrophe for the LGBTI inhabitants of each country. For him there are pressing questions around the field of campaigning and lobbying successfully - nationally and internationally.
Philip helps those who decide or are forced to flee from countries: He and his team are not only consulting LGTBI refugees but also offer them access to the Austrian community and a place to stay. To continue his work it is necessary to find a way of finding continuous donors with a maximum degree of independence with respect to usage and aide design.
For further details on the activists read here: http://www.the-activists.com/our-activists-2/ or receive our monthly activists letter (check out the perks!!;-)).
Thank you for your support!
PS: 100% of the donations will go to the activists without any hidden fees. Our official partner „Aktionsbündnis gegen Homophobie e.V.“will take on responsibility for the donations (Thank you Sören!). Please take a look at their website: www.aktionsbuendnis.org.
