Education Scotland was established on 1 July 2011 by the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning as a new public body, charged with supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education and thereby securing the delivery of better learning experiences and outcomes for Scottish learners of all ages.

Statement: In Scotland, sectarianism is most often related to Protestant and Roman Catholic divisions within Christianity and the bigotry that manifests itself through abusive actions and words. The focus of this area is to encourage educational centres to tackle these divisions.

Definition of Sectarianism: A person is sectarian if he or she ‘adheres in a bigoted or narrow-minded fashion to a sect or body of persons who have agreed upon particular doctrines or practices’. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Resources within www.actiononsectarianism.info:

Balloon Tag This activity helps young people learn about world religions by having fun trying to burst each other’s balloons, but there is a serious message in the follow-up card game and poster activity.

Lines of Prejudice Young people consider personal prejudices and preconceptions, and are encouraged to challenge stereotypes.

Responsibility Continuum A tried and tested activity which encourages participants to think about who is responsible for sectarianism and raises awareness of who has the power to challenge sectarianism.

Sculpting Sculpting encourages participants to think about situations where sectarianism might occur and how they might react to it.

Snapshots This role-play activity with a difference increases awareness of how certain actions lead to certain consequences and how changing one action can create a completely different outcome.

Whispers In this ice-breaker activity, participants understand how information can become confused or distorted when not coming from its source. Participants improve communication and active listening skills.

Name: Education Scotland

Address: Denholm House Almondvale Business Park Almondvale Way Livingston EH54 6GA

Website:http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/

Telephone: (0)141 282 5000

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