Youngsters from a primary school in Cambuslang hit a purple patch when they teamed up with students and a Scottish charity in a bid to encourage people to consider the impact of offensive language.
Pupils at Cairns Primary in Ivybank Avenue were the first to take part in the Put a Sock in Sectarianism campaign, which will run in schools across Scotland for the next 12 months as part of Nil by Mouth’s education programme.
The campaign is encouraging young people to think about the language they hear and use, in person and online.
It is devised by marketing students, Ben McGovern, Ellie Harkins, Nalin Botterill and Philippa Lynas as part of City of Glasgow College’s Pitch Perfect competition which sees more than 100 marketing students, working alongside the charity, compete to create a campaign which encourages people to take a stand against sectarianism.
The Cambuslang pupils pulled on purple T-shirts and socks to show their support. The campaign has received a very positive response with pupils and staff at schools across the country set to hold “purple socks” days during 2025 to highlight their support.
Nil by Mouth was founded by Cara Henderson following the brutal sectarian murder of her school friend Mark Scott. Every year staff and volunteers deliver workshops and activities to thousands of children and young people through its United Against Division programme. It brings together denominational and non-denominational schools to work alongside each other.
One of its most successful partnerships has been with Cairns Primary and their next-door neighbours at St Cadoc’s which have been involved with the charity for over a decade. The project is supported by the Scottish Government as part of its Tackling Sectarianism programme.
Student Nalin Botterill said: “Given the audience are children we needed to come up with a campaign that conveyed a serious message in a fun way and provided a positive message for schools to share. All the research we saw highlighted the role language plays in sustaining sectarian attitudes and we wanted to highlight the importance of people moderating what they say, especially around young people.
“The role older people play in terms of influencing the behaviour of children is well documented but we shouldn’t overlook the capacity of young people to change the minds and behaviour of adults for the better.”
Philippa Lynas added: “We’ve created visuals and classroom activities that examine the impact of language and the ‘wear purple’ model also allows schools to highlight to parents and the wider community that they are working with Nil by Mouth and that these values matter.
“We believe they will pick up these positive messages and bring them back home and into the communities they live in. This has been a great experience for us to develop our skills and use them to help them to create positive change on society.”
Nil by Mouth director Dave Scott said: “Nil by Mouth was started by a young woman who wanted to encourage others to find their voice and here we have four young people using their skills and passion to help the next generation find theirs. It’s also brilliant to be back at Cairns Primary which has always been a big supporter of our work.
“Language is a hugely significant driver for sectarian attitudes, how we talk too, and about, each other matters and nowhere is this more obvious than when it is used in front of children.
“With this campaign we hope to encourage young and old to consider this impact and help promote positive relationships between people from different faiths and cultures.”
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