Blogger QUEERathon Brings Together Queer Youth in the EECA Region

The academic year began for young activists from the EECA region with a welcome from ECOM. The “Blogger QUEERathon” for LGBT youth from Central Asia and Eastern Europe took place in Istanbul from August 30 to September 02.

The QUEERathon is the first, but certainly not the last, training event of this format organized by ECOM for LGBT youth. The goal of the QUEERathon was to improve the knowledge and skills of LGBT youth in relation to effective communication, and the process of conveying information and forming public opinion through blogging and social media.

During the blogging course, the following topics were covered: the concept of a blog, writing texts, shooting videos, blogging on human rights and sexual and reproductive rights, how to respond to hate in comments, and how not to burn out from blogging.

The event was attended by 13 amateur bloggers from various countries of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

“What did I get from the QUEERathon? Confidence that everything will work out. Previously, I had doubts about whether I will be able to do this. But this space, with all the participants, where we could inspire each other and brainstorm ideas, provides results here and now”, said Alina, a QUEERathon participant.

What participants will remember about the QUEERathon are workshops on recording podcasts and creating videos, trainings on public speaking and writing skills, and calls with well-known bloggers.

“The QUEERathon gave me an inner impulse. I am now very motivated to be involved in even more activism than before. The QUEERathon also gave me a sense of solidarity and unity. Before, it seemed to me that I was the only one in this world trying to change something and do better for our community. But now I realized that I'm not the only one. Therefore, to be in such a space with like-minded people is a feeling of unity that inspires me”, stated Artur, a QUEERathon participant.

According to the results of the survey conducted among the participants at the end of the QUEERathon, we can safely say that ECOM’s team managed to achieve its goal. Before participating in the event, the participants assessed their skills in the field of content development in the following way:

The results following completion of the course look completely different: 

In addition, following the QUEERathon, participants’ assessments of themselves also changed for the better: the percentage of those that perceived themselves as professional content creators increased by 19.67%.

In addition:

“Sometimes one conversation is enough to change something, and to help just one person to stop feeling lonely. Events such as the QUEERathon help to build a community to discuss common problems, and most importantly, to find solutions. I saw how participants transformed, it's a crazy synergy, almost like magic. We need such projects, they change this world and make it better through activism, media and art!" said Saida Nuralieva, a QUEERathon trainer.

It is incredibly important for ECOM to support young activists from the region:

“Our entire team is incredibly inspired by the QUEERathon. Raising the visibility of queer bloggers in our region is an ambitious goal. But with such active participants, it seems more than possible. Blogs that deal with the issues of homosexuality, queerness and human rights, where bloggers are proud to be part of the LGBT community, are a great contribution to activism and advocacy”, said Tina Sobko, ECOM’s Communications Specialist.