Three leading youth organisations have partnered together to support LGBTQ+ young people in a new campaign titled #BringingPrideHome, facilitate the move of Pride celebrations online for the second year in a row.

BeLonG To, Youth Work Ireland, and Foróige youth services have teamed up to supply nearly 1,000 young people with free Self-Care packs to mark Dublin Pride together while remaining socially distant – nearly double the amount they created last year.

Since January a group of dedicated and passionate LGBTQ+ people from youth groups across Ireland met online to plan the #BringingPrideHome celebrations for 2021. Dr Patrick Burke, CEO of Youth Work Ireland, highlighted the importance of Pride: “Pride is about everybody being comfortable in their own skin, about who they are and who they love. Ireland is now a much more inclusive country than it once was, but we still have more work to do.”

This year we are #bringingpridehome nearly 1000 LGBTI+ young people will receive a Pride Pack filled with a t-shirt & tote bag designed by LGBTI+ artist Aodh Quigley, badges, facepaint, pronoun pins & a coming-out guide for LGBTI+ young people. @BeLonG_To @Foroige @dcediy pic.twitter.com/xLDJETejcl

— Youth Work Ireland (@ywirl) June 24, 2021

According to recent research, due to space closures, 83% of LGBTQ+ young people felt acute loneliness throughout the pandemic as they were separated from friends, peers, and supportive adults.

CEO of BeLonG To Youth Services, Moninne Griffith, said, “Although we cannot be together this year, we are proud to join Youth Work Ireland and Foróige for this fantastic initiative to celebrate Pride together, although apart. We hope these Self-Care Packs add some brightness and joy to their Pride.”

Young people have shared what it means to them to receive a #BringingPrideHome: Inez (16) said “Pride packs are definitely a way to help bring Pride home and create your own version of Pride, and it means that many other people around the country will be doing the same.”

Tia (15) reinforced the importance of this campaign by saying “For me, a Pride Pack symbolises that although the LGBTI+ community cannot celebrate Pride in person, we are still connected. It shows that despite any hurdles we face, we can unite together and bring each other up.”

The #BringingPrideHome self-care packages include a Pride t-shirt and a tote bag with a bespoke design by LGBTQ+ artist Aodh Quigley. The packs will also include Pride badges, rainbow face paint, pronoun pins, and a coming-out guide for LGBTQ+ youth. The packs are to be delivered on June 24th and youth workers supporting the campaign will hand-deliver packs to young people who are not out as LGBTQ+.