Dragtivism

The youth exchange that took place in Scotland in July 2019 was about Drag Art, Activism and Gender. Different people from different countries arrived on the 13^th  in Moffat, a very beautiful place in the countryside.

People from Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and Portugal gathered with people from Scotland and for 7 days worked together in a really safe environment created after getting to know each other and after making team building activities. The group became more and more united day by day and felt comfortable to share their experiences during the workshops. Next to the participants for the whole period two amazing queens, CJbanks and Rujazzle, who shared their secrets about Drag Art. They taught the team how to be in Drag, that means how to express themselves, how to dance and do the make up. Almost all the participants prepared a final performance with the support of the queens.

On the 20^th, the team moved to Glasgow in order to continue with the more practical part of the YE, starting with the involvement of the group to the Mardigla Pride. Following this, was the presence of the group to Drag Shows, meetings with Drag Queens and Drag Kings, a flashmob presented in two main spots of the city center and the final performance. Actually, in Moffat, we had the preparation and, in Glasgow, the impact and the dissemination of what prepared in the countryside.

This YE was made real by the organization LEAP Sports Scotland and its collaboration with other partners. In the case of the Greek team, Praxis is a really active organization in the northern part of Greece and was represented by Danae, Eleni, Katerina, Maria, Myrto and Raphaela who came back sated after this amazing experience.

“Now I can talk about Drag and LGBTQI as a familiar topic to me, that reminds me the best trip I’ve ever had.”

Danae

“I learnt a lot from all these wonderful people and their stories! We are all different and we are all one!”

Eleni

“Undoubtedly, it’s an experience I will never forget, I met amazing people, I learnt more about human rights and explored Scottish culture.”

Katerina

“This 10 days I met unique people, I laughed, I cried and I took a great sip of what Diversity really means!”

Maria

“Dragtivism project helped me to see the world through other’s eyes, to understand some parts of me and think about some others.”

Myrto

“We should always remember that dragtivism is….. FABULOUS”

Raphaela