Ready for take off: KyivPride 2014

Taras Karasiichuk is the old and new Chairman of KyivPride 2014.

They start working. On 30th of September 2013 has been held the first meeting of the Organizing Committee of KyivPride 2014. The Organizing Committee is much smaller than last year and thus, more effective. The members who did not have a possibility to continue their work in the Committee stepped out; other candidates had the possibility to join the group. Thus, the Organizing Committee of KyivPride 2014 consists of eight people. These are:

1. Elena Shevchenko (NGO «Insight») / 2. Elena Mikhailova (NGO «Our Center») / 3. Elena Semenova (NGO «New Wave») / 4. Stanislav Mishchenko (UPO «Gay Aliance Ukraine) / 5. Vladimir Naumenko (PO «Gay-Alliance») / 6. Svyatoslav Sheremet (UPO «Gay-Forum of Ukraine») / 7. Nazar Nesevytch (Charity Foundation «Avante») / 8. Taras Karasiichuk (UPO «Gay Aliance Ukraine)

Olena Shevchenko is one of the eight board members of the Organization comittee.

First of all, the members of the Organizing Committee conducted an analysis of what was weak and failed last year in KyivPride 2013. So was taken the decision to improve the communication between the Organizing Committee and media, partners from abroad and within the Ukrainian LGBT-community. Also, the organizers want to offer more events during the planned Pride Week and mobilize much more Ukrainian LGBT-people. For attracting them, it was decided to develop a mechanism of involving interested people into the planning and preparation of KyivPride 2014 from the very beginning.

After Taras Karasiichuk was re-elected as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee. He did quite a good job last year with the first Pride ever taking place in Ukraine.

Svjatoslav Sheremet is leading Gay Forum Ukraine.

The Organizing Committee will act as a board; each board member will be responsible for separate departments dealing with certain activities like the department for organizing the March, the mobilization of the LGBT-community and speaking with media. The organizers founded a so called Council to involve Ukrainian and foreign experts of civil society.

Amnesty International Ukraine should be a potential partner for the next KyivPride as it was last year. They could co-ooperate with the Council of LGBT-organizations of Ukraine and the Coalition for Combating Discrimination in Ukraine.