Equalities charity releases book on tolerance for kids

Aim is to teach kids to ‘build bridges higher than walls’

AN equalities charity set up by a former Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year has teamed up with city students to provide free books about tolerance to schools and parents.

Nil by Mouth, founded by Cara Henderson after the sectarian murder of her best friend, has published Neeps and Tatties, which uses the Scots language to “encourage children to build bridges higher than walls”.

It is being made available free of charge to teachers and parents in the run up to next year’s Burns Night.

Created by author Carey Morning and illustrator Anna York, it tells the story of two warring vegetable tribes who are finally encouraged to put the past behind them.

The book examines issues such as discrimination and prejudice and highlights how old grievances can be overcome by a new generation. It was shortlisted for Bairns Book of The Year at this year’s Scots Language Awards.

The promotional campaign is being spearheaded by City of Glasgow college students Dara Cetin, Michael Peters, Ryan Pollock and Chris Lindsay, who won the charity’s Pitch Perfect competition.

Support from the Templeton Trust and Whitehill Secondary means more than 500 copies of the book will be available free to teachers. A free digital version of the book can be downloaded from the Scots Language Centre website.

Cara, who was named SWOTY in 2014, said: “This is a story with a very strong message about hope and the power of children to encourage their elders to look again at their certainties and consider if things might not now be as they have always feared.

“In a city where just a few weeks ago young people from around the world gathered to tell us why we should act to protect our planet I hope this book encourages children to question and adults to consider their answers.”

Nil by Mouth director Dave Scott said: “This project has been brought together by the goodwill of so many people, from Carey and Anna donating their beautiful work, to the students, and the Whitehill pupils who secured the money to let us give away so many copies to schools. Last year, Neeps and Tatties was used in more than 200 schools and, driven by the students’ campaign, we are hopeful we can double that. The support we have received means we can offer the book, resources and activities absolutely free of charge to schools and parents across Scotland and we hope that anyone with an interest in promoting equality and celebrating Scots will get involved.”

I hope this book gets kids to question and adults to consider their answers