Glebelands Primary School pupils are helping to stamp out racism in Dundee by educating the city on the harms of racist abuse.
The P6 class won national and local awards with the Social Enterprise Academy for their work on the Don’t Recycle Racism campaign.
Julita Klapkowska, a pupil working on the project, said the class were shocked to learn that 75% of their school had experienced or witnessed a racially motivated incident.
And the school, which celebrates its diversity, has more than 20% of pupils for whom English is an additional language.
Stickers featuring a QR code, which takes you to the class’ bespoke website, will be placed in every primary school in Dundee so that pupils and their teachers can learn about racism, its history and the trauma it causes.
The school have also partnered with Biffa and Xplore to spread the positive message, and locals will be able to scan the QR code on bins and buses around the city.
P6 pupil Miah Bolden, who came up with the social enterprise idea, said: “Everybody should be treated equally. It doesn’t matter how you look or what you believe in.
“We should all be treated the same. There is no point in bullying someone just because they look different from you.”
The website – www.dontrecycleracism.co.uk – was created by Jigsaw Media and pupils conducted their own research to provide the city with knowledge.
The pupils also encourage those who experience or witness racism to report the incident through their website.
And they are promoting sustainability at the same time, by encouraging people to purchase a water bottle or tote bag which helps pupils spread the message further than just Dundee.
💚 We were delighted to be at Glebelands Primary School this afternoon, where we were supporting the children's "Don't Recycle Racism" campaign about sustainability and citizenship.
These polite, bright youngsters are the future of our city – and a credit to their communities! pic.twitter.com/iPVVoWr29k
— Xplore Dundee (@XploreDundee) February 8, 2022
Teacher Gary Jamieson, said children enrol at the school will little to no English but are welcomed with “open arms” because of the inclusive attitudes of the schoolchildren.
However by spreading their social enterprise message across the community and the city, it can help make the world safer when the children leave their school bubble, he said.
Lynne Short, Maryfield ward councillor and Dundee City Council’s equalities spokesperson, said the message of Glebelands Primary School stands strong against racism in the city – despite two high profile alleged racial attacks in the community in recent years.
She said: “When you listen to children, they tell us the world they want. They are saying to us ‘Don’t Recycle Racism.
“Ultimately, all racism is recycled. We come into this world with no prejudice and we learn it.
“It’s hugely important that this message goes into all of the schools across the city.”
The Social Enterprise Academy has kickstarted projects in around 1,000 Scottish schools so far and the Scottish Government have enlisted its help to progress this into every primary and secondary in the next three years.
