APTN has organised our 2nd edition of the Amplify Trans Advocacy fellowship since beginning of this year to build on the strengths and knowledge of trans and gender diverse activists from across Asia and Pacific aiming to build the next generation of movement leaders and organizers by hosting in-person and online sessions across February – July 2025. Upon the completion of the online course and post-workshop evaluation, 15 fellows were granted the opportunity to join the in-person workshop in Thailand from 14-23 July 2025 and awarded with seed grants, enabling them to apply their knowledge and implement national advocacy interventions.
The fellowship programme started with online sessions that started from February – April 2025 APTN organised a series of seven virtual workshop sessions designed to strengthen fellows’ knowledge and skills on trans organising and advocacy. The programme began with an induction meeting, followed by sessions focusing on trans organising across Asia Pacific, workshops addressing national advocacy and strategizing, and a training on international advocacy and planning strategies. Throughout the serie of workshops, fellows had opportunities to engage with partners and experts from organisations such as Blue Diamond Society (Nepal), Transgender Alliance for Human Rights and SISTER Foundation (Thailand), It’s T Time Viet Nam, LGBT Centre Mongolia, Transgender Equality (Hong Kong), Intersex Asia, Asia Centre, RFSL (Sweden), and UN OHCHR. The series concluded with an evaluation session on 11 April, through which 15 fellows were shortlisted to advance to the in-person workshop.
Starting on the 14th of July, Fellows were invited to Bangkok to participate in a 4-day workshop that aimed to build their capacity
During the workshop, the fellows participated in sessions that build their skills on different thematic areas, including intergenerational and regional networks collaboration, engagement with donors, how to create a successful story and campaign for their advocacy causes, and an in-depth project management workshop to prepare them for Seed Grant Implementation. .
After the advocacy workshop in Bangkok, the fellows were invited to the IWP centre in Mae Rim near Chiang Mai for a wellbeing and collective care workshop that enables their personal and collective well-being, reduces burnout and stress, builds stronger peer support, and deepens their understanding of self-care from both individual and community perspectives. It was a space for rest, relaxation, and reflection – an opportunity for the fellows to strengthen their capacities to support communities in their own contexts back home!
APTN hope that fellows left the programme energized and ready to implement their Seed Grant projects and advance trans and gender diverse people rights across the regions.
Please stay tuned for more updates and details on our fellowship programme and our fellows’ progress in improving trans lives in their respective countries!
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