Student’s work in campaign
A West Lothian student’s aim to encourage people to put ‘humour over hate’ has been recognised by a leading national charity.
Mia Henderson from Livingston has teamed up with anti-sectarian charity Nil by Mouth to create the ‘Don’t be a Clown’ campaign which aims to encourage people to think about their language and the line between ‘banter’ and ‘bigotry.’
Mia created the campaign alongside three other City of Glasgow College Students, helping script and produce a cartoon showing two men morphing into clowns as they continue to use sectarian language in a pub.
Along with supporting artwork, the animation will become part of Nil by Mouth’s nationwide ‘ Beyond Religion & Belief ’ workplace training programme which has been delivered to more than 10,000 staff across 95 workplaces since 2012 including councils, government departments and FTSE 100 companies.
The charity uses these sessions to discuss the link between language and attitudes, highlighting the consequences of verbal abuse for user, victim and often employers. It will be delivered to staff across West Lothian over the next few months.
The campaign was launched at a special event at the Blythswood Hotel in Glasgow with comedian Keara Murphy providing real laughs with a set focusing on how humour can be used to break down barriers between people.
‘Don’t be a Clown’ is the latest campaign to emerge from the charity’s ‘PitchPerfect’ collaboration which sees students compete to devise a campaign aimed at raising awareness of sectarianism, with the winning entry being selected by a panel of prominent media figures and charity leaders.
Mia Henderson, explained what inspired her to get involved.
She said: “We wanted to get people thinking about their words and actions and give individuals a chance to look in the mirror and see how their behaviour doesn’t just impact on others but also on how they themselves are perceived. I’m delighted that the campaign will now be rolled out across the country as part of Nil By Mouth’s workplace training programme.”
Nil by Mouth Campaign director, Dave Scott, said the charity aims to get people to change their attitudes about the things they say.
He added: “For most of the twentieth century many people were quick to dismiss sectarianism in Scotland as ‘banter’ and even in 2017 there are those who excuse their own behaviour and attitudes by hiding behind the idea that abusing others is somehow funny.
“Real humour is laughing with people, not at them and this campaign seeks to encourage people to reflect on the type of language they use.
“We have always found that our most effective campaigns are those which harness the creativity and imagination of young people and the quality of the artwork and the clarity of the message produced by the students was exceptional.
Dave Scott added that Mia and her fellow students have done a great job in interpreting the charity’s work.
He said: “Mia and her colleagues really shone through with their passion, energy and ideas.
“The judges couldn’t believe the standard of their work and we have no doubt Mia has a big future ahead of her.
“The campaign isn’t about preaching or pointing fingers but highlighting the difference between humour and hatred. We will use it in workshops right across the country to stimulate debate and get people thinking.”
Mia and her colleagues really shone through