ILGA-Europe and Aleanca LGBT invite Pride organisers from Europe and Central Asia to join the second UNSTOPPABLE Pride Organisers’ Summit and its two days of political strategy discussions among activists with central roles in mobilisation work.
Why we are gathering
Across Europe and Central Asia, Prides are among the most visible forms of LGBTI collective action, with the power to mobilise people, shape political debates and connect the struggles of the LGBTI movement with other agendas and concerns in our societies. Restrictions on assembly, far-right mobilisation, political polarisation and precarity are challenging both the space for political action and the capacity of Prides to organise and mobilise people. Many Prides are reflecting about their roles, strategies and power in this context.
We will be gathering in a city where the politics of public space, protest and collective action are very much alive: in Tirana, with months of sustained public protests on environmental protection, opposition to corruption, and education and social security demands from students and young people.
Building up on the first UNSTOPPABLE in Ljubljana in 2025, this year’s summit will bring together a group of LGBTI organisers for whom political mobilisation is part of the work they lead – people making decisions about their Prides’ political agendas, alliances and organising strategies. Rather than a training seminar, it will be a space to examine difficult political choices, learn from each other’s mobilisation strategies and explore where closer cooperation could make a difference beyond individual Pride events.
What we’ll explore
What are Prides working to change?
How do organisers define their Pride’s political agenda, decide which demands to prioritise and navigate competing expectations within their communities? When does Pride mobilisation translate into political influence, and when does it not? What choices and compromises come with institutional recognition, political partnerships and wider public support? And how do organisers balance the different roles Pride plays as protest, celebration, community space and tactic for political action?
Pride, protest and democracy: where do our struggles meet?
As freedom of assembly and civic space come under pressure, how can – and should – Prides connect to other protest and civic movements? What does tangible solidarity look like when political interests overlap but do not always fully align? How do organisers build alliances, navigate disagreements and maintain political independence? Where do Prides also contribute to defending wider freedoms, and what difficult choices are involved?
Beyond the march: how do we build lasting people power?
Prides bring people together every year. How can we turn moments of mobilisation into lasting participation, relationships and capacity to take action? What does it take to build a constituency that can act politically also in-between the annual marches? And how do Pride organisers create or enable such opportunities for people to take part in political and civic life?
What calls for Prides to join forces?
Where could stronger cross-border connections, shared approaches, joint monitoring and advocacy, or hands-on solidarity make a difference? We will explore a few concrete possibilities for working together, without assuming that every Pride needs the same strategy or priorities.
Alongside these conversations, there will be a dedicated practical peer-exchange space to dive deeper into shared topics of interest, for example, emerging security threats and preparedness, sustaining volunteer teams and leadership, funding pressures and other.
The summit will combine short experience-based inputs, moderated discussions and smaller peer exchanges. Thus, it welcomes participants who bring real dilemmas, decisions, lessons, successes and failures.
Who should apply?
We invite Pride organisations or LGBTI organisations responsible for organising Pride in Europe or Central Asia,
- With experience of organising Pride marches or public Pride actions and an ongoing organisational role in this work
- Hosting Pride as part of a broader strategy for political mobilisation and change: we prioritise groups whose work centers actively mobilising communities around concrete political struggles, incl. beyond the annual march, responding to restrictions on rights and freedoms, building alliances with other protest and civic movements, and/or sustaining political engagement beyond the march.
We particularly encourage applications from contexts where freedom of assembly and other civic freedoms are under pressure, incl. suppression or weaponization of protest activity, new barriers to public mobilisation, and/ or greater need for Prides to consider their role in the wider context of civic action and mobilisation.
The summit is intended for people who actively shape this political work. Applicants need to:
- Have a central or leadership role in shaping their Pride’s political direction and strategic decisions during at least 2 years. This might include setting political demands and calls to action, deciding on alliances, responding to political developments or determining longer-term organising priorities;
- Have a genuine interest in working more closely with other Pride organisers, including mutual support, shared political analysis, and possibilities for cooperation beyond individual Pride activities;
- Be interested and ready to engage in substantive political and strategic exchange with peers. This is a peer strategy gathering, not a training, and as such, is primarily a fit for people looking to share difficult choices, critically reflect on their strategies and learn from different political approaches.
We aim to bring together a group of around 20-25 participants, representing different political contexts, experiences and models of Pride organising across Europe and Central Asia.
Please submit only one application per organisation.
Practical information
- Dates: 10-13 December 2026. Arrival on 10 December; full programme on 11-12 December; departure on 13 December. Participants are expected to be fully present across the entire programme.
- Location: Tirana, Albania
- Language: English
- Costs: ILGA-Europe will cover travel and accommodation costs for 10-13 December. Daily allowance will be offered in cash to cover expenses for local transport and meals not included in the event.
- Travel and accommodation arrangements: ILGA-Europe will book travel and accommodation for all participants.
- Notification of outcomes: All applicants will hear from us on 13 November.
- Important: Successful applicants will need to confirm participation by registering for the summit as soon as possible after receiving the invitation and not later than 20 November. We will collect accessibility, dietary and other details at that stage.
How to apply
Complete the application form by 23:59 CET on 10 November via https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Unstoppable-2026
We will ask about your role in shaping Pride’s political direction, how political mobilisation features in your Pride’s work, a political decision or challenge you have been involved in, and where you see possibilities for stronger cooperation among Pride organisers.
Selection will prioritise applicants with direct responsibility for political and strategic decisions, experience of political mobilisation, and a contribution to make to the summit’s collective discussions. We will also seek a balance of geographies, perspectives and organising models.
Applicants will be notified on 13 November.
Successful applicants will need to register for the summit as soon as possible and not later than by 20 November.
Questions?
Contact imanol@ilga-europe.org.
We look forward to coming together in Tirana!
