Tiago Marinho (left) and Ananda Puchta (right), both from Brazil, join Out & Equal as Global Fellows.

 

Last year, Out & Equal announced its inaugural cohort of Global Fellows from Kenya, India,and Latvia.  This year, we are pleased to announce the second annual cohort of Global Fellows: Ananda Puchta and Tiago Marinho from Brazil.  The six-week intensive fellowship program is designed to empower Fellows to become stronger leaders for LGBTQ equality in the workplace, while offering insights from Out & Equal’s experience in workplace advocacy and extensive network of global partners.

Ananda and Tiago begin their journey on August 27, 2018 and will spend the next five weeks at the Out & Equal office in San Francisco collaborating with Out & Equal staff to develop original projects to take home and implement in their workplaces and communities.   Fellowships are offered in two tracks: one for representatives from NGOs working to advance LGBTQ workplace equality, and the other for corporate representatives looking to promote more inclusive culture and policies within their companies.

Ananda is participating in the NGO track, representing her organization, Grupo Dignidade based out of Curitiba, Brazil.  There, she has worked on a wide variety of important projects ranging from advocating for LGBTQ-related cases in the Brazilian Supreme Court, developing the Global Perspective Project allowing the organization to participate in the Summit of the Americas and advocate for non-discrimination and workplace inclusion, as well as managing the It Gets Better Brazil campaign.

Since December 2017, Grupo Dignidade has been working to develop a project that aims to open dialogue between LGBTQ NGOs and companies looking to foster safe and inclusive workplaces.  Ananda is playing a key role to organize a National Summit to bring in companies, alongside civil society and scholars from different universities, to engage in a constructive dialogue and share best practices around LGBTQ workplace diversity and inclusion.  During the fellowship, Ananda will be working with Out & Equal staff and connecting with key business stakeholders to further develop and advance the National Summit project, with the aim of returning home with a more robust and supported implementation plan.

Tiago is participating in the corporate track, representing Salesforce Brasil.  Tiago is a trailblazer within his company.  His activism reaches back to his college years and during his time at Salesforce, he created the local “Outforce” chapter when the company opened its office in Sao Paulo.  Outforce actively works in partnership with other local companies to develop initiatives to fight for LGBTQ equality in workplace.  In fact, Salesforce Brasil recently signed a letter, “10 Commitments with the LGBTQ Community”, to become part of the LGBT Business Forum in Brazil.  Additionally, Tiago led efforts to put together the local Employee Resource Group, “One Ohana”, dedicated to promoting inclusion and equality in workplace.

During his time as a fellow, Tiago will be developing his project to implement a “Building Bridges with Allies” program to promote awareness and cultivate strategic alliances to build empathy and acceptance throughout the workplace.  The program will engage LGBTQ constituents and allies with the commitments the company has signed and bring participants together to collectively develop new initiatives together.

Both Fellows will conclude their experience by attending the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, where they will share knowledge and network with professionals in diversity and inclusion from around the world.  Upon returning home, Ananda and Tiago will utilize the lessons learned to begin the implementation stages of their projects.  Out & Equal looks forward to supporting them along their journey to advance workplace equality!