Shaping the community

The organization has about 400 volunteers and over 4,000 youth participants in ongoing activities throughout the year. IGY works for the empowerment of LGBTQ+ youth and young people by creating a meaningful social space for them and to encourage them to take part in shaping the LGBTQ+ community in particular and Israeli society in general. The organization works for education and social change for LGBTQ+ and hetero-cis youth alike and works to eradicate violence, racism and homophobia to create a just, egalitarian and democratic society.

“My work with students in schools is actually the change we all wish for” (Gal Hod – Year of Service participant in Mateh Asher)

"My activity with the students in a school is actually the change we all long for" (Gal Hod-active in staff service)

Being the change

In the reality of Israeli society today – the adult LGBTQ+ community is largely concentrated in the city of Tel Aviv and its surroundings. We see fewer and fewer significant LGBTQ+ adults and role models in the lives and places where LGBTQ+ youth are growing up. This is perhaps one explanation for the choice of many Israeli youth to stay in the closet and hide their sexual and/or gender identity from their families and friends. In a recent study by the Magnus Hirschfeld Institute, IGY’s research body, we saw that in communities in the social and geographic periphery, more youth report lack of LGBTQ+ figures and role models, and a lack of access to knowledge about LGBTQ+ topics. IGY aims to be and create a meaningful, social space for every LGBTQ+ youth in Israel where they can grow and blossom.

  • Youth Organization

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  • Target Groups

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  • Young Communities

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  • Background

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  • Our staff

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  • Alumni Organization

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Vision

IGY aims to work for the empowerment of LGBTQ+ youth in both formal and informal educational frameworks, to create meaningful social frameworks for them, and to work to see them play a significant part in shaping the LGBTQ+ community in particular and Israeli society in general. IGY will provide a social solution and a safe environment, for every LGBTQ+ youth across the country, through regular meaningful educational activities. IGY aims to encourage its youth to take responsibility for shaping their world, to educate them for critical thinking and social solidarity, to teach them equality, liberation and democracy. IGY aims to be a national organization that creates social frameworks for volunteers throughout the country as well as personal connections between them that will form the basis for creating initiatives and joint educational work.
Joint education of LGBTQ+ youth and heterocis youth in order to make the fight for equality one that is shared across Israeli society, to create a just, egalitarian and democratic society. The organization will continue to operate in a professional and democratic manner in partnership with the diversity of volunteers who represent the many voices in Israel’s LGBTQ+ community.

Goals

  • Development of significant educational frameworks that will provide a solution and a safe environment for as many LGBTQ+ youth as possible in all parts of the country.

  • Creating real communities for volunteers, which will form the basis for joint action and social change in Israeli society.

  • Creating a dialog between heterocis and LGBTQ+ youth in order to creat real partnership in the fight against homophobia and violence in formal and informal educational frameworks.

  • Creating partnership and the ability to influence within the organization, working in an orderly manner according to a work plan based on goals, budget and methods of implementation. Establishment of a strong and significant organizational office.