Social Work with People Practicing Same-Sex ... - ILGA Europe

IG challenges
• Unstable motivation among the IG
members
• Internalized homophobia (identity
challenges)
• Limited vision of the goals
• Lack of links to other organizations,
networks in the region and country
• Overestimated ambitions of leaders
• Lack of knowledge of the context and
terminology related to community
activities
Technical support
• Mentoring leaders from the community
• Providing safe, free of charge premises
• Training how to conduct evaluation and
planning
• Training in motivation and team
building
• Training in identity development
A professional leader plays a role essential for the success of an IG by helping to bring
out new leaders from among the target group members, who would then help structure
the community.
All activity types that the initiative group itself or its support organization perform
may be funded out of external sources only through a registered civic organization.
Structuring of a Civil Society Organization (CSO)
When an initiative group overcomes the problems of growth, has a good leadership and
enjoys the support of society, it can develop into a civil society organization. IG and
CSO functioning differ in both tasks setting and in methodologies used.
Objectives
1. Detalization of the goals and objectives of the team.
2. Distribution of roles and functions in the team.
3. Formalization of membership, determination of the boundaries and degree of
closeness of the group.
4. Development of ethical and legal norms in the group (organizational policy).
5. Registration of organization.
6. Logistic issues.
7. “About us — to outer world” — structuring of external relations, positioning of
organization, contacts with other groups and organizations in the region, country,
internationally.
Methods
At this stage, in addition to usual regular meetings, a series of methods to institutionalize
the organization should be performed. These “general meetings“ with the participation
of as much interested members of the initiative group and community members, who
know and support the group, are used to structure the future organization.
Tasks that should be consistently fulfilled by such meetings:
1. Discussion of the functional organizational structure and its main management
bodies.
2. Development of procedures and hierarchy rules.
3. Election of the board, development of the system and admittance criteria.
First National Conference of LGBT
Organizations and MSM Projects
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