Call For Proposals – Blossom LGBT

OPEN CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

GET PAID TO SHARE YOUR SKILLS WITH QUEER YOUNG ADULTS.

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Are you an experienced facilitator, artist, or industry professional passionate about supporting LGBTQ+ young people? Blossom LGBT is seeking workshop proposals for our upcoming programmes, designed to empower and inspire LGBTQ+ individuals aged 16-30 in their social and professional lives through hands-on, engaging sessions. These are paid opportunities, ranging from £215-£400, depending on the type of workshop.

The Current Deadline for Workshop Proposals is the 15th May 2025. We are currently accepting proposals for sessions that will be delivered between July 2025 and October 2025. We'll be announcing more dates and themes once we've successfully retendered funding for our programmes.

WORKSHOPS WE RUN

Whilst we would love to be able to commission any and all proposals, we need the workshops you run to distinctly fit into one of four different categories to meet our currently funded programmes. These may change over time so check back if you have an idea that’s not quite right at this moment!

(Click the below headings to find out more)

Workplace Skills Webinar (Employability)

Held on the first Monday of the month, these 60-minute sessions share important information designed to increase a person’s knowledge of a certain professional skill. These webinars need to use multi-media elements (videos, pictures, storytelling) to keep people engaged during the hour to account for the lack of ability to incorporate hands-on activities.

Past examples of the workshops we’ve held include:

Introduction to Careers in Media
CV Writing
Public Speaking
Finding your Why

Skills and Experiences (Employability)

Held on the second Saturday of the month, these are two-hour, hands–on introductory workshops to practical skills that might inspire a future career path. These workshops should be a fun experience that people want to engage with where attendees leave having learnt a new skill that’s transferable to a career or may inspire a future. Past examples include:

Barista Coffee Making
Tea Party Hosting
Foraging
Horticulture

Visual Arts (Arts & Heritage)

Held on the last Saturday of the month, these are two-hour, hands–on sessions where you share an art form you’re passionate about, incorporating a historical twist, and support participants in trying the art style. We can help with the history element so long as you’re an expert in your art style! Past examples include:

Collaging
Lino Stamping
Photography

Performing Arts (Arts & Heritage)

Held on the third Saturday of the month, these are two-hour, in-person sessions where you share an art form or an insight into the sector that you’re passionate about, incorporating a historical twist, and support participants in trying the art style. Past examples include:

Introduction to Drag Preforming
Clowning
Prop Making
Script Writing

To BE SUCCESSFUL

YOU SHOULD:

Create a Hands On Workshop Proposal:
We want engaging, interactive workshops that provide practical skills and creative expression opportunities. We want our young adults to actively participate – less time listening to PowerPoints, more time doing!
Consider Access Needs:
Sessions should cater to a range of experience levels and encourage participation. Keeping in mind, we’re proudly an accessible and inclusive intersectional organisation.
Demonstrate Your Capabilities:
We want to work with facilitators who bring enthusiasm, inclusivity, and experience in their field.
Be Mindful of Budget:
We'll cover all of the resources required for our service users to partake in this workshop, but, that means budget is limited. With the exemption of webinars (which has no resource budget) the maximum budget per workshop is £50-£100.

YOU SHOULD NOT:

Submit multiple ideas in one proposal:
We'll accept one-off workshops or a short series (up to 2 sessions) in one proposal. If you have more than one idea you should submit them separately.
Submit Inappropriate or unrelated proposals:
We've outlined the briefs for our workshop series above, it's important you stick to them as we aren't able to comission projects outside of this scope.
Write a Proposal That May Exclude People
Consider how you can make sure your workshop is inclusive, for example, some people may not drink alcohol, so a previous host ensured there were mocktails and a separate station during our mixology workshop.
Aim to Profit Beyond Your Commission:
We're a community space committed to inclusive and holistic support, this is not an opportunity to profit off of our service users.

Got a great idea?

In no more than 2 single sided A4 pages (size 10-12 font) or 5 minute video we would like you to tell us:

Workshop Title & Category
Workshop Description – A brief overview of what participants will learn/do.
Why this workshop? – Explain why this matters, how it meet our overarching goals of empowering LGBTQIA+ young adults, and how it relates to the workshop theme.
The Soft and Hard Skills learnt – Explain the outcomes for the learners and how they increase employability or access to arts.
Why You? – Explain your experience and relevant background.
Essential Materials Needed and Rough Cost.