As June arrives, our Virtual Fellowship program 2026 "Building people power for social and environmental justice" is entering its final and most exciting phase.

May kept the energy high with two strong sessions. On May 12th, US mentor Camille Debreczeny (US) and alumna Zita Szederkenyi (Hungary, Spring 2023) led a training session on community issues walking fellows through the art of cutting an issue, mapping power, identifying targets, and, ultimately, picking their fights. On May 28th, the fellows gathered for a praxis session facilitated with the help of alumna Viviana Hutuleac (Romania, Fall 2022), where they shared their experiences with doing one-on-one meetings in their communities: what worked, what didn't, and what issues they're starting to see could move their communities.

Now the program shifts into its final gear. On June 9th, the last training session takes place - on campaign planning with US Mentor Mo George - while the program transitions into individual mentoring and coaching. All fellows are being paired with US mentors for a personal, one-on-one experience: getting a window into an organizer's world, exchanging ideas, and putting into practice everything the last few months have been building toward.

The graduation ceremony on July 16th is just around the corner and the whole alumni community is invited! Also, stay tuned for the delegation newsletter of this delegation, coming out end of June.

We share a short essay by our alumna Szilvia Szenasi (Hungary, Spring 2017), reflecting back on her experience with the GLC exchange program almost 10 years later. The original text is here.

In 2017, I participated in the community organizer program of GLC Teach Democracy I spent nearly one and a half months in the United States, where I could gain insight into the day-to-day operations of civil organizations at the Civic Engagement Office in New York at several locations. I also attended a leadership training in Pipe Line, which gave me a lot of thoughts on community organizing, participation and leadership. The program closed in Washington.

I always remember this time of year with love. I learned a lot, met inspiring people, and gained experiences that still accompany me today. Still, after a month and a half, I was really longing to go home. Not because I didn't feel well, but because I missed home.

I was simply Hungarian in the United States. When I introduced myself the question was always which country I came from. My answer has always been the same: I am from Hungary.

At the same time, I carried my own experiences and the stories of my own community with me. During my time with the organisation, I met with several communities and non-governmental organizations that are working to promote social participation, equal opportunity, and strengthen local communities. Learning about the organizations and self validation work of Black communities, and how community organizations are being used as a tool for social change, was particularly crucial for me.

Recent events reminded me again of this period and what it means to me to live home, national cohesion and living the Roma and Hungarian identity together.

Thousands of kilometers away from home, one might feel better what home means to them. For me, my Roma identity is an important part of who I am, as well as my Hungarian.The fact that I consider myself as a part of the Hungarian nation and the Hungarian state does not disappear the experiences that many Roma people live every day. Racism and exclusion are present in everyday life: in a store, in an office, at a job interview, or often the first moment someone sees us.

I don't think that expressing the problems is the opposite of patriotism. On the contrary, we talk about them because this country is ours and because we feel a responsibility for it. Those who are at home somewhere have not only the right but also the duty to speak if something needs to be changed, if we want to improve it.

This is our country. My Roma identity and my Hungarian are not contradictory. We are part of the Hungarian nation and the Hungarian state in the same way as anyone else. We have a common home, a common responsibility and a common future.

Our Slovak alumnus Maros Chmelik (Slovakia, Spring 2013) recommends the Anti-Authoritarian Toolkit - a resource he personally consulted on during its drafting in Costa Rica. The toolkit is a collection of examples, lessons, and approaches for defending and strengthening democracy at a time when, in many countries, it seems to be running out of breath. It won't solve everything, but it offers something valuable: proof that if authoritarians have their playbook, democrats can have one too.

From his work on the toolkit, Maros highlights three lessons that stand out most: simplify the way we communicate; stop obsessing over the small things that divide democratic actors from one another; and invest far more in local democracies and communities . The toolkit is publicly available at antiauthoritarian.com — well worth a read for anyone doing civil society work today.