Outright Program
We Connect
We Connect is a global virtual learning and mentorship program designed to support lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, intersex, and nonbinary advocates, particularly from the Global South and East. Building on the experience of the LBQ Connect program, this initiative aims to strengthen the participants’ skills, centering an intergenerational, feminist, and intersectional approach to leadership and movement building. Participants will benefit from tailored learning opportunities based on their particular identity or lived experience, will be supported by strong and experienced mentors, and will have access to international advocacy opportunities. We Connect will create spaces for learning and solidarity across identities and experiences, while recognizing and addressing the specific needs of each community.
Who is Eligible?
We welcome applications from emerging advocates organizing and working on issues affecting lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, as well as trans, intersex, and nonbinary people around the world, with a focus on the Global South and East.
What Does We Connect Offer?
Participants will gain access to a learning and mentorship program, as well as international advocacy opportunities, all conducted in both English and Spanish. The program will start in September 2025 and end in June 2026. Here are more details on the structure and content:
- Monthly learning sessions for all participants will be designed based on a learning needs assessment conducted before the start of the program. The sessions will include topics such as advocacy, fundraising, organizational development, and narrative framing.
- Specific learning tailored to address unique needs based on identity and lived experience.
- Continuous peer learning through facilitated regional and community spaces.
- Monthly meetings with mentors selected among experienced activists with similar identities and/or lived experiences and skills matching participants’ learning goals.
- Structured mentorship guidelines and a mentorship workbook.
- Bi-monthly regional meetings.
- Bi-monthly connecting meetings based on lived experience, identity, and/or common interests.
- An online platform for the cohort to share reflections and connect.
- Opening and closing virtual networking events and community-organized events.
- Contingent on funding availability, some participants will have the opportunity to participate in Outright’s annual Advocacy Week in New York, which will be in parallel with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
- Contingent on funding availability, some participants will have the opportunity to participate in other international and regional advocacy activities in person or online.
More on the We Connect Mentorship Program
Mentorship, both formal and informal, impacts people as individuals and leaders.
The mentorship program component of the We Connect learning program offers participants a unique opportunity to receive guidance and advice from a fellow activist with knowledge and experience in the area where they aim to build capacity.
The inaugural We Connect program builds on the previous LBQ Connect program to strengthen intergenerational and inter-movement solidarities among LBQ, trans, intersex, and nonbinary activists.
The primary objective of the We Connect program is to strengthen the skills and capacities of LBQ, trans, intersex, and nonbinary activists, both those who have been activists for a long time and those who are newer to activism. Accompanying participants on their learning path will help everyone get the most out of this experience.
The mentor-mentee relationship will support the development of stronger leaders in our movements, who are more connected and equipped to deal with challenges and seize opportunities. Outright hopes the mentorship will help build sustained relationships and alliances beyond the program.
The mentorship program pairs will be chosen based on a shared background in terms of lived experience, identity, or region. Participants will gain the confidence, skills, and experience to organize, build alliances, raise awareness, and advocate for laws, policies, and resources to eliminate the inequalities and discrimination that affect LBQ, trans, intersex, and nonbinary people every day. They will develop strong global and regional peer networks for sharing ideas and collaborating across borders.
The mentorship program will build solidarity and connection among LBQ, trans, intersex, and nonbinary activists of different generations, with different experiences, coming from different forms of activism and regions of the world. Outright believes that fostering connections among activists will build a stronger ecosystem within global LBQ, trans, and intersex movements, which in turn will make a concrete difference in the lives of LBQ, trans, intersex, and nonbinary people.
Values of the We Connect Mentoring Program
The world in which we live is defined by power and privilege, oppression and marginalization. Outright believes in working across borders and identities to dismantle these oppressive systems, including when they are replicated within our communities.
We aim to structure the We Connect mentoring program so that it doesn’t reinforce existing power dynamics within the movement based on age, geography, types of activism, hierarchical positions within organizations, etc. Instead, the program strives to bridge existing differences and create links across generations, experiences, and regions.
That’s why we encourage connections focused on the needs and requests of participants’ competence and experience. The idea is not to use mentorship to teach and explain “how things are done” but rather to discuss how to experiment and do things differently, how to build the confidence to try something new while getting inspiration from fellow activists.
A successful mentoring relationship is one in which both parties feel enriched. We Connect prioritizes ensuring participants feel supported by their mentor and advised on the small and big challenges they face in their activism.
Cultural and psychological safety are important elements of mentorship. We aim to create conditions such that participants are comfortable with being open about their vulnerabilities and are motivated to build a relationship of trust.
Mentorship Program Matching - How Do We Do It?
Participants are invited to indicate the main characteristics they wish to find in their mentors and to express their needs and expectations. We also ask participants to describe their ideal mentor in an open question, including the region, language, and specific skills.
Outright will conduct the matching based on the responses provided by participants in their application forms. We will only match participants from different countries to foster a more diverse mentoring relationship, and will do our best to match participants with mentors who meet their requests.
What’s Expected from Participants?
Participants are expected to actively engage from September 2025 through June 2026. During this period, participants are expected to remotely join at least:
- 1 mentorship meeting per month.
- 1 regional networking meeting per month.
- 1 learning session per month.
Do you want to be part of the We Connect cohort?
Apply here before June 30, 2025, at midnight EST (find your time here).
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