Annual Report 2018 Welcome, from our President In the last year, right LGBTI rights and certainly the one with after our meeting in history to prove it! At conferences and in London where we set speeches, interviews and articles I have our strategic goals, we always emphasised how important the have re-branded our pride movement is across Europe and external commun- beyond, and how solidarity helps every ications to a much LGBTI person not to feel alone. more accessible and understandable term - EuroPride - that will hopefully become a I've been talking about the visibility and more known and widely used name for power of EuroPride in countries and cities EPOA in the very near future. I hope you where it is still a struggle to hold a parade have seen the new logo in our social or a demonstration for human rights. And media and noticed this in our commun- we don't always need to be there waving ications, thanks to an amazing job done by the EuroPride flag. Our goal is to share our media coordinator Steve. knowledge and use the network we have to provide the local LGBTI community with My work this year was much easier thanks the best tools possible to build their own to our secretary Sarah who has been an pride movement. I am especially excited amazing addition to our team and of about the Balkans initiative that we hope to course thanks to the rest of our board. support the best we can. Building a team is always a challenge and I'm very grateful to my colleagues who put I am thankful to my fellow board members their heart into this work! Some of the who have attended many prides this board members come to an end of their season! With Baltic Pride taking place in term this year and some have decided not Riga in June I had limited opportunities to to continue on the board so we are sad to participate at other events this summer but say goodbye but also looking forward to I am very happy to have been at Baltic more diversity and hopefully healthy Pride, Thessaloniki Pride, and at competition for board positions to get the EuroPride 2018 in both Stockholm and best and most passionate people for the Gothenburg. I also had a chance to job. My goal in a year or so is to have experience the amazing Sydney Mardi fierce competition for every board position, Gras in February when this historic event just as we are expecting fierce competition celebrated its 40th anniversary. We are far for every EuroPride in future. apart but just like Eurovision we also embrace geographical diversity in our work In the last 12 months I have taken every and don't shy away from partners in opportunity to talk about the importance of different regions or continents! pride. It is the strongest and most visible advocacy tool we have for advancing Following the huge success of EuroPride Annual Report 2018 From our President continued in Stockholm and Gothenburg, the first grow. As our EuroPride coordinator Stein time ever hosted by two cities, we are says in his report, we already have excited about EuroPride 2019 in Vienna expressions of interest from members and can’t wait to be a part of this magical who’ll bid to host in 2022 and 2023. It is experience of Europe coming together encouraging to see interest growing, and once again in one pride, EuroPride. that’s down to the passion of all our members who work so hard to create Of course, 2019 will also be a hugely Pride events. important year on the international Pride map, as WorldPride is celebrated in New So, thank you for all that you do, and for York for the 50th anniversary of the your ongoing support of our Association. Stonewall Riots which led to the creation of our movement. It is certain to be a year We really are moving millions in Pride! to remember. Kristine Garina Looking further ahead, it is so encouraging President to see interest in EuroPride continuing to From our Secretary In my first year on the proudly waving our flag at all of them. board I have enjoyed Attending HOSI-Wien's Rainbow Ball in meeting and network- Vienna will be another memory I hold for a ing with a number of very long time! our members and getting to understand In joining the board, I am pleased to have the challenges and had the opportunity to understand more about the Pride movement within Europe successes of Pride organisations across and globally and to add my voice to those Europe. I have felt very welcome on the championing and supporting LGBTI Board and in all the cities that we have communities and individuals around visited for our meetings. Europe. It has been an eye-opening and exciting journey and I cannot wait to Highlights for me of the year include being continue it in 2019! able to march in my first Pride parades in Thessaloniki, on the Isle of Wight and at Sarah Barron EuroPride in Stockholm and Gothenburg - Secretary Annual Report 2018 Strategy & Action Plan 2018 The Board met in London soon after the 2017 AGM to agree an Action Plan for activities in 2018. The Plan was circulated to members in December. Planned activities were grouped under four broad headings. Organisational growth • Increase visibility using ‘EuroPride’ Strengthening EuroPride brand overarching brand • Development of diversity within the • Create the EuroPride advisory board organisation • Create a EuroPride communications • Ensure professionalism in all our guide, to assist EuroPride hosts activities • Start to build a EuroPride archive • Improve and maintain relationships with • Generate media coverage through key external partners development of positioning • Promote our role in advocacy Board members’ individual reports in this Financial stability Annual Report demonstrate the significant progress made towards this Action Plan in • Develop a financial plan for 2018 the first eight months of the year. We • Explore additional funding opportunities anticipate having achieved all of these outside of membership and EuroPride targets by the end of the year. • Create a working group to review EuroPride fee structure Capacity building • Host webinars for member Prides • Assess the support needs of member Prides We continued our cooperation with • Send Human Rights Coordinator to InterPride throughout the year, and this relevant events, such as the ILGA- included our participation on their Europe conference Restructuring Committee, and develop- ment of a Memorandum of Understanding that we hope to agree very soon. Annual Report 2018 EuroPride First of all I must the end of March next year. congratulate Stock- holm Pride and West However, we're delighted that Belgrade Pride, Gothenburg on Pride (Serbia) and Winter Pride a well executed Maspalomas (Spain) have already sent EuroPride in August, letters of intent for 2022, and Allied the first one to be held Rainbow Communities (Valetta, Malta) in two cities. This was a EuroPride packed have declared their intent for 2023! with more than 1,000 events, and record breaking numbers in the parades and the In general, the Board keeps in touch with Pride parks in each city. The Human several of our member organisations that Rights Conferences gave an opportunity to are considering applying for a EuroPride in focus on European and broader intern- the future. Our goal and aspiration is that ational topics. There will be an evaluation every year we have a minimum of two and presentation at the AGM, but we will applicants. In this way we can keep still use this Annual Report to congratulate evolving the concept and the awareness of the organisers on an amazing event! EuroPride as a brand. This year we take a break in applications for EuroPride, as WorldPride has been awarded to Copenhagen Pride for 2021 and, by convention, when WorldPride takes place in Europe, we do not award EuroPride status for the same year. We send our warmest congratulations to the Copenhagen 2021 team on their successful bid, and we hope all our members engage in making this a successful event, and that you all Finally, please show your Pride’s support participate. for EuroPride 2019 in Vienna by regularly sharing their website and social media It seems that the focus on EuroPride links in the run-up to their event in June. among our members has increased, and You’ll find their details on the last page of we already have letters of intent for both this Annual Report. 2022 and 2023. We emphasise that the formal process hasn’t yet started for these Stein-Runar Østigaard years, and letters of intent for EuroPride EuroPride Coordinator 2022 only have to be submitted to us by Annual Report 2018 Human Rights For the last two years, Pride, and how EPOA and its members 25% of all member- can assist them. It was a very good ship fees have been meeting, and since the meeting we have allocated to our been working on developing a seminar for Solidarity Fund, which Pride activists from the Balkan region, replaced the Scholar- hoping to be able to hold this during 2019. ship Fund. The Fund One of EPOA’s strategic goals is to has a broad scope, and can award increase our capacity-building work, scholarships for the AGM, but also small including supporting regional networks, so grants to members that need additional we are very happy to be making this funding for public actions or events that happen. seek to promote awareness and a better understanding of LGBTI communities. As During this year’s EuroPride, two Human our AGM provides a unique opportunity for Rights Conferences were held, one in its members to meet and network, to share Stockholm and one in Gothenburg.