Last weekend, Dumfries and Galloway hosted its third Year of Young People 2018 Signature Event.
The LGBT National Youth Gathering brought together 250 LGBT Young people and their allies from across Scotland to take part in a fantastic programme of keynote speakers, performances, personal development, mindfulness, social action and celebration of the LGBT community.
Key partners Dumfries and Galloway Council, LGBT Youth Scotland and The Crichton Trust organised and hosted the event for the first time since 2005, making it a first for this generation of young people, giving them a save space to fully be and express themselves.
A broad range of workshops and activities on offer and the gala evening was supported by an extensive range of partners and prominent figures from across Scotland.
The event showed the reach of the LGBT community and their allies by trending in the top 5 on Twitter over the weekend.
The young people who made the weekend so special deserve the biggest shout out of all, as their enthusiasm and passion really made the weekend the event it was.
Some of the comments from young people who attended include:
• “The NYG made me beam with pride, seeing so many young people come together, making new friends and participating is incredible.”
• “Inspiring to see everyone come together and see new friendships form.”
• “There has been a real sense of community and belonging, I hope this weekend brings lots of memories for all .”
• “I made great memories with new people and had lots of fun.”
• “I have so much pride coming together with all these amazing people – this was a fantastic weekend, thank you.”
• “I was able to be gay and out for like 3 days and it felt great, thank you for the opportunity.”
• “Such an inclusive and fun weekend, everyone is accepting and I’m happy to be part of the LGBT community and future generation.”
Council Leader Elaine Murray, said: “Our Council is proud to have hosted the LGBT National Gathering for Year of Young People 2018. It has been fantastic seeing such a variety of young people coming to our region from throughout Scotland. All young people attending the weekend have been a credit to themselves and I’m sure many have made friendships that will last a lifetime. Our Council will continue to work with our partners to raise awareness of LGBT issues and challenge stereotypes.”
For more info on Dumfries and Galloway’s activities for the Year of Young People see www.yoypdg.co.uk
