Over the past six weeks Nil by Mouth has been working with a range of groups in the North-East of Scotland, promoting our message of tolerance and change.
The programme kicked off with a visit toCrombie Primary School in Aberdeenshire where pupils from P1 - P7 had been using our ‘Neeps & Tatties’ book as a way of better understanding faiths and traditions different to their own. We were joined by writer Jackie Ross who entertained the children by reading the book in her native Doric before pupils took part in activities created by the charity focusing on how food can be used to bring people together.
The charity was delighted to be invited for the first time to speak to student teachers at theUniversity of Dundee, running seminars helping the next generation of teachers understand how sectarianism manifests across Scotland and highlighting some of the ways attitudes in the classroom or wider community can be addressed. We were offered a similar opportunity at Aberdeen University through our Scottish Government supported ‘Beyond Religion & Belief’ programme which is offered free of charge right across Scotland.
Earlier this month Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott presented to staff and young people from Dundee and Forfar at the Helm training and skills group in partnership with Barnardos. Dave delivered a ‘Pause B4 U Post’ session which is supported by the Children’s Lottery Trust and encourages people to think about their social media habits and better understand the consequences from posting sectarian and discriminatory messages on social media platforms. The tour rounded off with visits to three North East College campuses in Aberdeen and Fraserburgh where a mixture of Modern Apprentice and Access Course students took part in ‘Pause B4 U Post’ workshops.
All these sessions were delivered free of charge thanks to support from our funders and the charity has been invited back to work with several of these partners again later in the year.
Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:
‘It’s been a great month touring around groups in the North-East, talking about our work and listening to people’s opinions. From young people seeking employment to students working toward further andy higher level qualifications we have been made to feel very welcome in the area and there has been a lot of support for our work. We look forward to continuing to work with partners right across Scotland over the next 12 months and showing that Scotland is bigger, bolder and better than bigotry.’