I don’t know if she was purposefully putting him on the spot, but just recently someone asked one of our very new volunteers ” so how do you go about impacting change within an established society which has very ingrained beliefs and views?” Without even a moments hestitation he grinned and said ” education, education, education.”

Nil by Mouth workshops and training programmes focus on raising awareness of the issues surrounding sectarianism within our society. Our interactive approach aims to draw out personal attitudes, views and experiences while encouraging people to challenge sectarianism in their own lives and in wider society.

Our workshops and presentations are without charge to schools and youth groups, however, since our education work exists solely on charitable donations and the work of volunteers, donations are always welcome.We also consider requests from other organisations to work with them either on a one-off basis or on anti-sectarian projects . Teachers are encouraged to use our workshops and materials as a support resource for wider projects exploring the issue of sectarianism. Education on sectarianism can be approached through a variety of subjects such as Drama, Art, English, History, Religious and Social Studies.

Here is a flavour of what we offer:

What is Sectarianism?

This workshop theme aims to encourage a greater understanding of sectarianism. The group discusses words and phrases which they associate with the issue and are then encouraged to come up with their own explanation of what ‘sectarianism’ means. These are discussed along with Nil By Mouth’s definition, which focuses on the problems of bigotry and abuse.

What is an Act of Sectarianism?

This explores the different shapes and forms in which we see religious bigotry in Scotland. Participants are invited to give examples of sectarian-motivated acts such as violence, verbal abuse, vandalism and discrimination. This opens a discussion which aims to raise awareness about the different types of sectarianism which exist in our society.

The History of Sectarianism.

This approach aims to educate the group on the roots of sectarianism in Scotland. This focuses on key historical events and challenges ignorance and prejudice by generating a greater understanding of why religious bigotry has had such an impact on our society. A global perspective is also used to explore how sectarian and religious conflict affects people in other countries.

Challenging Sectarianism

The focus here is on discussing ways to tackle sectarianism in our society. This covers a range of topics such as forgiveness, campaigning, tolerance and the person-centred model of change. The group is invited to contribute ideas and are encouraged to challenge sectarianism in their communities as well as in wider society.