Nil by Mouth took a trip ‘doon the water’ last week visiting Dunoon.
Primary 7 pupils at Kirn Primary School in the town took part in the ‘United Against Division’ programme as part of their studies on the history and impact of sectarianism on Scottish society.
During the event pupils learned more about the roots of sectarian attitudes, the stereotypes involved and how these manifest in the 21st century. It also included activities explaining how online abuse can be approached and how young people can respond to it. Pupils are also studying Theresa Breslin’s acclaimed ‘Divided City’ novel which explores religious and cultural identity in the west coast of Scotland.
2025 sees the charity mark its 25th anniversary having been set up by Glasgow teenager Cara Henderson in response to the brutal sectarian murder of her school friend Mark Scott as he made his way home from a football match in the city. Since then, we have worked with over 100,000 people in schools, workplaces and communities across Scotland, including Argyll and Bute.
Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:
‘This is the third year in a row we have been invited to work with the pupils at Kirn and we always find them a funny, interested and intelligent audience. Issues around identity discrimination and how we engage with the online world are hugely topical for children right now and teachers repeatedly tell us that our session provides an effective way of having some serious conversations with children. We also seek to let people know that there shouldn’t be any stigma involved with having a religious faith or supporting a football team. Having been founded by a teenage girl our charity has always been about helping people find their voice on issues that matter and we secure funding to ensure that the project is offered free of charge to as many schools as possible - including here in Argyll & Bute - and we hope many more schools across the authority will get involved with our work during 2025.’
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