The first Miss & Mrs Cross Continent event in Dublin showed how a pageant can combine cultural diversity, leadership and practical community education.
Twenty-four women from seven countries participated in the programme, which was attended by approximately 450 guests at the Church of Scientology & Community Centre.
The organisers worked with The Truth About Drugs Ireland to include an educational element alongside the pageant and cultural performances.
Before taking part in the stage programme, contestants and visitors toured a Truth About Drugs exhibition and learned about the effects of commonly abused substances. Several contestants completed online drug-education courses before the event, with some finishing all fourteen modules.
Mayor of South Dublin Cllr. Francis Timmons addressed the audience and highlighted the value of cultural diversity, education and prevention.
The afternoon also included Irish, Indian and Indonesian dance performances, reflecting the international character of the gathering.
The principal title was awarded to Niveditha Vudayagiri, a software engineer who holds a master’s degree in AI. Fortunate Lindokuhle Masina and Yuki Yuliatin completed the news europe war top three as first and second runners-up.
By combining cultural expression with drug education, the programme gave the traditional pageant format a wider social purpose. A fuller report on the Dublin multicultural pageant and drug-education initiative provides additional details about the contestants, performances and educational programme.