Over the past several months, HRC Global staff traveled through Europe and Asia to share HRC’s experience and lessons learned from working for equality in the U.S. with partner organizations worldwide. In places like Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland and Vietnam, HRC delivered customized capacity-building workshops to support HRC’s partners in their efforts to strengthen their advocacy for equality.  

These workshops form part of HRC Global’s Partnerships in Innovative Advocacy program, in which HRC works with selected organizations on topics ranging from designing advocacy campaigns, challenging discriminatory laws and policies, engaging allies and changing societal institutions to be more inclusive. HRC partners with members of HRC Global’s alumni network, including HRC Global Innovators, Fellows and other advocates from around the world. 

Bulgaria

Jay Gilliam, director of global leadership, joined LGBTQ advocates in Bulgaria for a week of training and capacity building in June. He shared strategies that HRC uses to support and uplift  LGBTQ youth through programs including HRC’s Welcoming Schools program and HRC’s Parents for Transgender Equality Council. He also joined alumni to celebrate Sofia Pride. 

.@HRC Global’s Jay Gilliam joined LGBTQ advocates and allies from:
����Albania,
����Bulgaria,
����Hungary,
����Romania and
����Slovakia
for a four-day convening to share strategies to support LGBTQ youth.

Thanks, @glc_teachdemocr, for bringing the group together this #PrideMonth! pic.twitter.com/Enxd3zRYor

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) June 18, 2019

.@HRC was proud to join HRC Global alumni Denitsa Lybenova and Simeon Vasilev (@SimeonVass) to celebrate #Pride this weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria.#SofiaPride had a record turnout of more than 6,000 LGBTQ people and allies. ������️‍��https://t.co/WSyNnIOwYD pic.twitter.com/99qZSYkPus

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) June 10, 2019

Poland

For three days, Jean Freedberg, director of global partnerships, worked with KPH, Poland’s leading LGBTQ organization, to develop a strategic plan to help take the  group’s communications and messaging efforts to the next level. Under the auspices of the National Democratic Institute, the group explored topics such as audience and stakeholder assessment, values-based messaging, managing to do more with less and crisis response. 

@HRC Global spent three inspiring days with the Campaign Against Homophobia in #Warsaw ( @KPH_official), sharing ideas about how strategic communications can help advance #equality in #Poland.

Thanks to @NDI for making this workshop possible. ������️‍�� pic.twitter.com/PPRxN0J3z7

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 31, 2019

Ukraine

Travelling to a retreat center outside Kyiv, Freedberg worked with a group of LGBTQ advocates from seven regions across Ukraine to help develop a public information campaign to change hearts and minds about LGBTQ people. This program, guided by the results of the National Democratic Institute’s polling on attitudes toward LGBTQ people, seeks to create ways for the country’s LGBTQ advocates to work together to build allies, reach out, change perceptions and engage the public.

.@HRC was proud to participate in a three-day workshop with LGBTQ advocates and allies from all over #Ukraine to discuss strategies for changing hearts and minds for equality. ������️‍�� pic.twitter.com/pe7eNu0JPl

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 28, 2019

Vietnam

Gilliam traveled to Vietnam in May to reconnect with HRC's Global Fellow Thu Le. During his week there, Gilliam learned more about Le's work at iSEE, a human rights organization in Vietnam, and met with LGBTQ community members and organizations. He shared HRC's experiences in building community, raising awareness of LGBTQ issues and advocating for the rights of LGBTQ people in the U.S. and around the world. He also conducted a workshop for advocates to help build their capacities to develop strong membership bases and supporters for their work on LGBTQ equality.

For #APAHM, @HRC's Jay Gilliam is in Vietnam during #IDAHOT, along with @ACYPL, to visit Global Fellow Thu Le (@iSee_News) and other dynamic LGBTQ leaders and allies from organizations including @PFLAG Vietnam, Hanoi Queer, NextGEN, 6+ and It’s T Time. ���� ��️‍�� pic.twitter.com/pnJT6YEOsZ

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 16, 2019

For more information about HRC’s work around the world, visit hrc.org/Global.