About LYL Artivism
LYL Artivism is a grassroots queer art and activism platform based in Brussels, Belgium. Built by and for the community, we use art, storytelling, and collective action as tools for cultural expression, solidarity, and social change.
We believe creativity can do more than entertain — it can preserve memory, challenge systems of oppression, amplify marginalized voices, and bring people together. Through podcasts, oral storytelling projects, poetry, events, and community initiatives, we aim to create spaces where queer, migrant, activist, and underrepresented voices can exist freely and be heard.
Our work exists at the intersection of art and activism. We are especially interested in projects that explore identity, migration, collective memory, liberation movements, folklore, and community care.
What We Do:
Storytelling & Cultural Preservation
One of our ongoing projects, Qantara: Folktales from Palestine, focuses on preserving and reimagining stories from the Palestinian oral tradition. By speaking directly with elders and grandmothers in Palestine, we collect fantastical stories passed down through generations in order to protect and celebrate cultural memory under threat of erasure.
Podcast & Community Voices
Through LYL Transmission, our podcast project, we share stories from queer activists, artists, organizers, and community members from around the world and especially from Brussels. We want to document lived experiences, celebrate resistance, and inspire new conversations within the community.
Community Support & Solidarity
In partnership with local organizations, we also work on projects supporting vulnerable members of the queer community. One of these initiatives is “You’re Queer, We’re Here”, a support group for queer people navigating the asylum process in Belgium. The project aims to create safer spaces of guidance, connection, and solidarity for people facing exclusion and isolation.
Why We Exist
LYL Artivism was created from the belief that queer communities deserve spaces to tell their own stories, support one another, and create culture on their own terms.
As a small independent platform, we rely heavily on community support to continue our work. Every collaboration, shared story, event attendance, and Patreon membership helps us sustain our projects and grow our collective vision for a more connected and caring queer community.
Join the Community
Whether you are an artist, activist, storyteller, organizer, or simply someone who believes in community-driven culture, there is a place for you here.
You can support us by:
Joining our Patreon community
Listening to and sharing our podcast
Participating in events and workshops
Collaborating creatively with us
Amplifying our projects online
Supporting our grassroots initiatives
Together, we can continue building spaces rooted in creativity, resistance, care, and solidarity.
Contact: layla.samara@lylartivism.com