About
Empowering Queers Using Artistic Learning (EQUAL Guyana) is a non-governmental human rights project promoting equality for all, through the engagement, education and empowerment of gender and sexual minorities in Guyana.
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Our Mission
EQUAL Guyana aims to engage, educate and empower LGBTQ communities and allies in Guyana to create an atmosphere of acceptance and respect that can foster individual and community development.
Engagement
EQUAL Guyana focuses on engagement as one of the first stages of the change process. Engagement is important as it the initial point of contact for all persons with whom the project will work. Whilst the project is focused on advancing the rights of LGBTQ persons in Guyana, there are many other sectors of society that are important to engage. Specifically, government bodies, other civil service organizations, entrepreneurs and media are of key importance to the ‘Engagement’ element of EQUAL. Fostering sound rapport with a series of influential sectors is of grave importance as it creates safer spaces to facilitate discussions and advance dialogues about LGBTQ rights.
Education
Education is one of the main pillars of EQUAL Guyana as it forms the basis of many of the initiatives, projects and activities that the project will undertake. Education is of grave importance as it breaks the barriers the constantly fuel stigma and discrimination which manifests as homophobia, gender inequality, gender-based violence and other forms of social oppression. Often, a lack of education is the root cause of many social issues. In Guyana especially, it is assumed that that ignorance perpetuates a culture of silence about social ills. Specifically, artistic education will be a priority of EQUAL as it offers an opportunity for creativity to burgeon as a means of tackling stigma and discrimination, and eliminating ignorance.
Empowerment
Empowerment is deemed as essential for the fostering of social change in communities. EQUAL Guyana empowers via a variety of different means including capacity building, economic empowerment, access to education and training and self-introspection activities to empower persons to become more confident and self-actualize consistently. Varying levels of fear are instilled in gender and sexual minorities as a direct result of the intrinsic stigma and discrimination that plagues societies, and as a result, persons suffer severe trauma which hinders self-esteem but EQUAL Guyana will consistently work to empower minority populations.