Football fans will be aware of the Show Racism The Red Card campaign at stadiums on matchdays. The rest of the week, the action moves to schools, where the real work of the crusade takes place. And it's ex-footballers such as Rangers and Hearts player Derek Ferguson who are working with kids to spread the anti-racism message. In partnership with the campaign's team, they visit schools, hosting workshops on racism and take kids on football coaching sessions. And it has proved a big success. Derek said: "The workshops work really well and I enjoy being a part of them. The coaching sessions blend well with the classroom lessons and the response we get from kids is great. "Linking the issue to football has been useful as it helps break up the session so that kids aren't just sitting in a classroom having information fed to them for two hours. The things we are focusing on in the training sessions complement what we've been talking about earlier." One of Derek's workshops was at Glasgow's Bellahouston Academy, a school with a diverse population. He was joined by education worker Dee Kinning, who led a talk on Islamophobia. It featured a DVD in which footballers Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry talked about their attitudes towards Islam.
Dee said: "The Show Racism The Red Card campaign began when the Newcastle goalkeeper Shaka Hislop visited a few sixth-form colleges to talk about racism. "We have 11 former professional footballers working with us. "The workshop we're doing captures kids' imagination. It gets them talking about their experiences. "We also do club events where primary sevens get to visit football grounds, have a tour of the stadium and meet players who talk to them about their experiences of racism. "It's all about challenging stereotypes and building empathy. "It gives kids from an ethnic minority background the opportunity to get a dialogue going with their classmates." Pupils agree that the workshops are worthwhile. Second-year pupil Zharah Khan, 12, said: "We learn a lot about racism in school and that's important as it shows you how much you can hurt people by what you say." Classmate Jaffer Naheem, 13, said: "Some people who are racist don't know the consequences of what they are doing but we learn about that, so we know what it's like to be a victim."
Deputy headteacher Margaret Canning added: "Pupils' relationships with each other is a major theme. Racism is addressed throughout the school, from religious and moral education classes to English to modern languages." Show Racism The Red Card campaign manager Billy Singh added: "Our aim is for future generations to be responsible citizens and live in a tolerant society. "We also recently launched our anti-sectarian film called Rivals Not Enemies at Fir Park. "Our first fans' event will take place at Hamilton Racecourse on Thursday. Anyone interested should get in touch. Confirmed for the event are ex-players Derek Ferguson, Gerry Britton and Jim Duffy." The seventh annual Fortnight of Action in Scotland will take place from Friday October 15 to 31.
Scotish Daily Record
