A Celebration of Identity, Community & Connection
For many queer refugees, the concept of home is complicated, shaped by displacement, rejection, resilience, and hope. And for many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community, belonging is not always guaranteed even in the cities where we live.
That’s why we’re bringing together people from different walks of life for an evening that centres healing, inclusion, and togetherness. Home & Belonging: Building Safe Spaces Together is more than an event—it’s a movement of voices reclaiming space, redefining identity, and reminding us all that the safety of community, through art, food, stories, and conversation.
- Program Overview
📍Location: Tolhuistuin – De Tuinhuis (entrance via the garden) – Address: Tolhuisweg 3, 1031 CL Amsterdam
🕔 Time: 17:00 – 20:30 - 17:00 – Doors Open
Welcome to the garden. Henna tattoo station open throughout the evening. - 17:30 – 18:15 – Spoken Word & Icebreaker
Lana Jelenjev leads a community icebreaker to connect us across differences.
Sam will be providing Henna Tattoo - 18:15 – 19:00 – Shared Dinner & Live Music
Dinner provided by Q Kitchen, where stories are exchanged over food.
Kim brings live music that nurtures the soul. - 19:00 – 19:45 – Short Film & Panel: “Home & Belonging”
Screening Film followed by a conversation with: Jonon & Fardad with Sajad as moderator - 19:45 – 20:00 – Audience Reflections & Q&A
- 20:00 – 20:30 – Informal Networking
- 20:30 – Closing
Let Us Know You’re Coming
If you feel comfortable, you’re welcome to share any information with us—such as food allergies, accessibility needs, or anything else that can help us make your experience more welcoming.
To Answer: why “Home & Belonging”?
Because every human being deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported.
Because we are not just surviving—we are reclaiming joy.
Because home is not always a place. Sometimes, it’s a community that holds you.
Sometimes, it’s a room filled with strangers who see your truth.
Sometimes, it’s the moment you realize you no longer have to hide.
This event is a love letter to those who have been excluded, reminding us all that belonging is something we build together
Jonon
(She/Her)
is a trans polyglot artist and poet. She blends art and linguistics and collaborates with other artists. She performs traditional dance of Uyghur and Tajikistani people and works with traditional clothing and style.
Sam
(he/him)
I’m a henna artist working by hand with natural dye. My designs are temporary but personal — each one is a moment of connection. As a queer artist, I use henna to celebrate identity, softness, and transformation. At Queer Market, I offer a safe space to be seen, adorned, and affirmed.
Fardad Dadvand
(He/him)
Fardad (35) is a queer designer, singer and activist from Iran, now based in Amsterdam. Living openly as queer and HIV-positive, he dedicates his work to fighting stigma around HIV and queerness while advocating for Iranian LGBTQ+ communities. At an HIV association Amsterdam, he helps people in embracing themselves and breaking free from shame.
He is currently involved in Home, Belonging & Building Safe Spaces Together with Queer Work, where he helps create inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Through this and his wider community projects, he merges creativity with activism to build visibility, belonging, and empowerment.
Sajad Salmanpour
(He/him)
is a community organizer, activist, and founder of Queer Work, an initiative dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ refugees and creating safe spaces for connection, expression, and growth. Drawing from his own journey of migration and resilience, he works to bridge cultures and foster solidarity across diverse communities.
With a deep belief in the power of dialogue and shared experience, Sajad has facilitated workshops, events, and projects that center the voices of those too often unheard. As facilitator for Home & Belonging: Building Safe Spaces Together, he guides conversations that explore identity, safety, and inclusion ensuring every participant feels seen, heard, and valued.
Lana Jelenjev
(She/Her)
co-founder of the Neurodiversity Education Academy and Neurodiversity Foundation. Lana is a learning experience designer, community alchemist, and passionate advocate for neurodiversity-affirming education. Her work centers on reimagining learning systems that nourish difference, foster relational safety, and create the conditions for all minds to flourish. Through her leadership, Lana has supported schools, educators, and organizations in designing inclusive frameworks that move beyond compliance—toward healing, equity, and belonging. She is also the author of several widely used guides and toolkits on neurodivergent thriving, healing-centered leadership, and inclusive design—including Your Rhythm, Your Flow, Beyond the Labels, and What’s Strong in You?, and Beyond Burnout.