Global Summits

We’ve seen the positive impact that our organization’s mission and message can have on the lives of LGBTQ+ youth in the United States. As a global organization, we’re dedicated to making sure that happens for youth worldwide. That’s why we started Global Summits.

What are Global Summits?

The It Gets Better Project has over 300 global volunteers across 4 continents supporting our affiliate network. These are talented community activists and storytellers who give their time and talents to help inspire, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe every day.

Despite the digital nature of our work, nothing compares to what our volunteers can learn about storytelling and community building when they meet face-to-face. To facilitate such opportunities, we host annual summits, special multi-day events full of workshops, presentations, discussions, brainstorming activities, social events, and more that attract our most promising global leaders.

Whether regional or global in scope, each summit offers unforgettable opportunities for our emerging leaders to learn and grow from one another as well as from our staff and partners. By the end, our participants leave with an incredible collection of new ideas, experiences, and stories to share with their teams and communities back home. When hosted in conjunction with other global events (like WorldPride), our scholarship recipients walk away with a doubly rewarding experience.

Who can attend?

We know that capacity-building opportunities are often physically and financially out-of-reach for many LGBTQ+ activists around the globe, particularly for women, transgender folks, people of color, and those who live in poverty. That’s why all of our summit activities are available to our global volunteers and close partners free of charge.

The It Gets Better Project also offers scholarships to help our most ambitious young leaders when it comes to travel expenses, accommodations, registration fees, and more. So far, we’ve offered over 50 scholarships averaging USD $1,000 each (this varies based on countries of origin and destination). For many of our recipients, this small investment offers them a unique opportunity to travel abroad and connect with other like-minded young people who can help bolster their work for many years to come.

What summits have the It Gets Better Project hosted so far?

We’ve hosted four summits since the summer of 2017 – two in Europe and one in Latin America for our affiliates in those respective regions, as well as our first Global Summit in NYC in 2019. Keep scrolling to learn more!

Cumbre en Español 2022

  • Where: Miami, FL, USA
  • When: October 6-7, 2022
  • Total Attendees: 33
  • Countries Represented: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Hungary, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the United States.

In our first year of returning to our face-to-face Summits after the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to the fact that half of our Global Affiliate Network is Spanish-speaking, we decided to hold the first Summit in Spanish through our It Gets Better Spanish initiative. We met in the city of Miami, FL, USA, with representatives of our subsidiaries in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Spain, and representatives of allies such as the University of Miami, Meta, Homosensual, Article 19 and the Consulate General of Mexico in Miami to reconnect in person and hold conversations and exhibitions about our community and global work for the benefit of Hispanic LGBTQ+ youth. We have the participation of two subsidiaries that are not Spanish-speaking due to their relevance in the region (Brazil) and because the leadership of their team is Latin (Hungary).

Global Summit 2021

  • Where: Digital (Global)
  • When: June 21 – 22, 2021
  • Total Attendees: 130+
  • Countries Represented: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

For the second year in a row, our Global Summit had to remain digital, but the participation of our speakers was no less valuable. As in our 2020 edition, we have the participation of representatives of our Global Network of Affiliates, as well as that of allied organizations such as United We Dream to address conversations such as intersectionality in migrants, queer women, and mental health. Also, we had the opportunity to have the representation of some of the ambassadors of our Youth Voices program.

Here are some screenshots from some of our sessions. 

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Global Summit 2020

  • Where: Digital (Global)
  • When: December 7 – 11, 2020
  • Total Attendees: 130+
  • Countries Represented: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

As the world had to pivot due to COVID-19, our annual event had to also be adapted to a digital experience. Sponsored by Hopelab and Riot Games, we covered a five-day-themed event, ranging from Mental Health & Well-Being to Digital Storytelling and New Opportunities, our Global Affiliate Network experienced a great variety of topics to learn from each other and from our partners, as well as to hear from queer talent in different fields. A highlight was the launching of our Spanish initiative for the US: It Gets Better Español.

Here’s the playlist of the public sessions with a recap video of the whole experience:

Global Summit 2019

  • Where: New York City, NY (USA)
  • When: June 26 – July 1, 2019
  • Total Attendees: 75+
  • Scholarship Recipients: 28
  • Countries Represented: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom

This summer, the It Gets Better Project hosted its first-ever Global Summit, a multi-day training and social event that gathered together the organization’s most inspiring leaders, storytellers, and activists from 18 countries. All united under one mission: to uplift, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe. To learn more about this incredible event, click here to read our impact report.

LatAm Summit 2018

  • Where: Bogota, Colombia
  • When: October 3-7, 2018
  • Total Attendees: 18
  • Scholarship Recipients: 12
  • Countries Represented: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and the United States

Together, these volunteers participated in a variety of activities, including special workshops at the offices of Google Colombia and SAP Colombia and a social event at The Artisan D.C. Hotel.

Euro Summit 2018

  • Where: Gothenburg, Sweden
  • When: August 12-19, 2018
  • Total Attendees: 11
  • Scholarship Recipients: 10
  • Countries Represented: Portugal, Russia, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom

Together, our summit attendees attended multiple EuroPride events throughout the city, marched as a contingent in the EuroPride parade, and participated in our own summit activities.

Euro Summit 2017

  • Where: Madrid, Spain
  • When: June 25 – July 2, 2017
  • Total Attendees: 8
  • Scholarship Recipients: 6
  • Countries Represented: Austria, Greece, Portugal, Spain and the United States

Together, our summit attendees attended all three days of the WorldPride Human Rights Conference, marched in the WorldPride Parade alongside It Gets Better España, and participated in our own summit activities. To see more pictures from this momentous event, click here.

To learn more about our global affiliate network and the programs we’ve implemented to support them, go to itgetsbetter.org/global.