Groups

All newborns are welcomed into the Contrada with a letter and a bouquet of flowers, while a flag adorned with a pink or blue ribbon and a scroll announce the joyous event from the historic headquarters of the contrada in Piazza Matteotti. This marks the beginning of the little Dragaiole and Dragaioli’s lives, who are then guided through the first steps of their life in contrada by the men and women of the “Gruppo Giovani”. As they grow, the young Dragaiole and Dragaioli’s year is marked by various events. Some fixed, such as Epiphany, Carnival, and our Patron Saint Festival which brings their much anticipated baptism, which officially marks their entry into our contrada. Other important events are the days of the Palio, the summer camp, the Festival honouring the Madonna, the decoration of the Christmas tree, and of course the arrival of Santa Claus. These are just some of the various occasions that the “Gruppo Giovani” promotes throughout the year with the aim of fostering fun moments that bring together the children in an inclusive environment accommodating everyone according to their needs. The primary objective, therefore, is to create a bond amongst these young people, which will accompany them throughout their lives and, through the transmission of the values of our contrada and of Siena as a whole, which will enable them to become the Dragaiole and Dragaioli of the future. This is the intent that drives our “Gruppo Giovani”, which follows and supports the children from birth until adolescence when they become “Novizi” and a new chapter in their lives opens. For further information, please contact the “Gruppo Giovani Dragaioli” at the following email address: giovani.contradadeldrago@gmail.com

The “Solidarity Commission” of the Drago was born in 2013-14 from an idea tenaciously pursued by the Priore Laura Bonelli, with the aim of bringing back into the Drago the values on which the existence of the Contrade was founded in the past: solidarity, mutual help, attention to needs, the urge to lend each other a hand. Like a large family, the Drago must be able to “be there”, to identify needs (from economic emergencies to loneliness, to care for children and the elderly) and to find the way, the time, the people and, when needed, the financial resources to meet them. This Commission was conceived as a group of “volunteers among volunteers”, made up of those who keep the Drago going through their Contrada offices, understood as a service to the Contrada and its People. The first initiative of the newly formed Commission was to organise summer camps for the children of the Drago, in the weeks right after the end of the school year, when working parents find themselves in difficulty. The summer camps took place in the beautiful spaces of the Voltoni di San Domenico, drawing on the availability of many very young, young and not-so-young Dragaioli to offer, together with professional educators, a good service while keeping the cost low for families. They were an immediate success, and the camps have been held every year from 2014 to today, also becoming a fine opportunity to work together. Taking part in the coordination group of the Solidarity/Mutual Aid Commissions of the other Contrade gave new impetus to the Drago's Commission and confirmed the need to analyse carefully the needs and requirements of the contradaioli, in order to provide something useful in each person's life. City-wide solidarity initiatives have been carried out involving all the Contrade together, especially during the difficult period of the pandemic, or in response to needs expressed by bodies, institutions and associations. The aim of the Commission, together with the Priore who conceived it and the Priori who succeeded her, has always been to lend a hand in solving problems large and small together, as far as possible, always with the utmost confidentiality, making itself known to the Dragaioli and building a relationship of mutual trust. The Solidarity Commission of the Contrada del Drago, later named after Andrea Muzzi, is one of the Commissions of the Sedia (the governing body of the Contrada) and works in close contact and agreement with the Priore. Various initiatives (a market, dinners, tombolas, etc.) have been organised over the years to fund any requests for financial help, and they have shown the active enthusiasm of the Contrada del Drago in supporting these initiatives and the Commission itself.