REACH+ : REACHING LGBT+ PEOPLE IN REMOTE AREAS THROUGH DIGITAL STORYTELLING

WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN APPLICANT NGO IN A RURAL AREA!

Context
LGBT+ people in rural areas face double isolation challenges: geographical and social barriers. On a geographical level, they have not access to opportunities and support that other peer living in urban areas do. For example, they may not have access to tailored healthcare, opportunities to express themselves and socialise, and learning and job opportunities in line with their desires. On a social level, LGBT+ people in rural areas often face worse discrimination than they counterparts in cities/towns, they often lack of supporting group and their human rights may be threatened if their environment is not welcoming. The effect of such obstacles and barriers is reflected in a migration of LGBT+ people toward urban areas, but it is necessary to provide support to those willing to live in rural areas.
Objectives
REACH+ is a small scale partnership, which goals are:
GOAL 1: Support LGBT+ people in rural areas through a dedicated digital platform
GOAL 2: Support rural NGOs in reaching LGBT+ people
The targets of the activities will be:
Young LGBT+ people aged (16 – 30 years old) living in rural areas.
Youth organisations in Europe
Activities
The REACH+ project will involve the creation of a REACH+ platform, where young LGBT+ people from rural areas can learn about digital storytelling and write/record/create inspirational stories to support other young people living in the same situation. This will allow them to develop digital competences, while becoming active players of their lives and advocate for LGBT+ issues in rural areas. The project will also create a small European network of youth organisations
(REACH+ network) that will exchange practices and measures on how to include rural LGBT+ people in projects, initiatives and programmes for education and professional development. The exchange of practices will also follow the red line of the project, using digital storytelling as a methodology to inspire youth work and reach marginalised young people. Finally, through an analysis of young LGBT+ perspectives of what schools should do to support young people, the partnership will then develop a framework and strategies to help youth workers in rural areas reach LGBT+ people.