Social meeting places have proved to be one of the most effective methods for creating safety and community in vulnerable groups. At Queer World, we have made meeting places a core activity, and they are now run in all our local organisations.
Meeting places have been a core activity for Skeiv Verden, even in the beginning when Skeiv Verden was a purely voluntary organisation. When we see a need in an area, we always start with a meeting place, and this is a core activity in all our local chapters. It has proved to be one of the most effective methods of creating safety and community for vulnerable groups. The aim is to offer open, inclusive and safe arenas where participants can be themselves, build networks and access important information and support.
There is a great need for safe meeting places among queer people with minority backgrounds. Many live under considerable pressure from their surroundings, whether due to social control, discrimination or fear of hate crime. Our meeting places offer an arena where the participants are in the majority and where everyone can feel safe, regardless of functional level, language skills or background. This not only helps to reduce loneliness and exclusion, but also to prevent radicalisation and other challenges that can arise in marginalised groups.
Our social meeting places, such as Skeiv Kafe, are organised regularly in several cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Hamar and Kristiansand. The events are drug-free and low-threshold, run by volunteers with the support of staff at the centre. Participants can share experiences, discuss challenges and receive information on important topics such as rights, health services and help in dealing with difficult situations, e.g. how to report hate crime. The meeting places are also an arena for uncovering the need for more detailed follow-up, for example through group therapy or individual conversations with our therapists.
Another important function of our meeting places is their ability to act as bridge builders in society. Many of our volunteers report that they have experienced exclusion from other organisations due to a lack of understanding of intersectional challenges. Through volunteering with Queer World, they gain experience of peer counselling, which in turn makes them better equipped to participate in other parts of society.
We have also developed specific meeting places that address different needs in the target group. For example:
We see a growing need for meeting places, and in 2023 alone, we followed up several hundred people in the target group nationwide, with an increase in 2024. The terrorist attack during Pride in 2022 has reinforced the need for safe arenas, especially for those who feel less safe at home or in society in general. Our meeting places serve as a foundation for meeting these needs, while keeping us up to date on the target group's challenges and perspectives.
We are constantly working to develop and expand our programmes to reach more geographical areas and better facilitate digital follow-up. The meeting places are more than just social arenas - they are a platform for change, community and strength for a vulnerable target group.
