At LGBT Youth Scotland, we are proud to support young LGBTQ+ people in the Forth Valley area as they work to create safe, inclusive spaces.
For many years, young people who accessed our services in Forth Valley spoke about the absence of a local Pride event. In response, we partnered with Creative Stirling and Stirling University to host a community-wide consultation, gathering nearly 300 responses. The feedback was overwhelmingly clear—91% of respondents were in favour of launching a Pride event in Forth Valley.
This enthusiasm led to the formation of a dedicated Pride Committee, which proudly announced that Stirling would host its very first Pride event on 21st September this year. In support of this exciting milestone, LGBT Youth Scotland set to work securing funding to host the inaugural Stirling Pride Youth Zone in partnership with Creative Stirling. Thanks to support from the Forth Valley Climate Action Hub, we began designing a space where LGBTQ+ young people could come together and celebrate.
The project, led by our Forth Valley young people, evolved into the “Stirling Pride Pit Stop,” with a focus on climate action and sustainability. Over several weeks, young people from our youth groups worked hard to plan the layout, create decorations, and design their very own “Rainbow Resilience” exhibition. This exhibition showcased art from the Lavender Lives Part 2 project, giving participants the opportunity to gain valuable event-planning skills. One young person shared, “It was fun to be involved!”, while another added, “We got so much done, and it was great to see the Falkirk and Stirling groups come together.”
On the day of Stirling’s first Pride, over 300 young people and families visited the youth space, taking part in activities like animation workshops, leaf printing, gaming, tie-dyeing, and more. The atmosphere was filled with creativity, joy, and community.
We would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone involved in making the first Stirling Pride Pit Stop a success—especially the young people from our Triangle and FK1nclude youth groups, Creative Stirling, Youth Scotland, and the Climate Action Hub.
Here’s to the next one in 2025!
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