Me + Us engaged children in an exploration of what makes them unique and what connects them to others. Children from six local investigation teams across six local authorities collaborated on the Me + Us project over a period of six months. Through their personal and group investigations children documented their cultural identity and heritage; discovering the meaning and experience of sectarianism in contemporary Scotland’s communities. They worked together to explore how we might make Scotland an inclusive nation; the best place to grow up.
Each participating child produced a self-portrait banner and artist statement. This banner expressed their identity and through local exhibitions the teams were able to share these artworks with their family, peers and communities. In 2013, the Children’s Parliament organised a national event in Edinburgh; project investigators were able to share their ideas with invited officials and MSPs – see the film below.
Local authorities involved: South Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Aberdeen, City of Edinburgh, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, West Lothian.
By using creative processes to explore cultural representation the investigators were able to develop a deep understanding of contemporary prejudice and stereotypes.
The Me + Us newspaper was produced to collate the children’s explorations, download a copy here (this is a greatly compressed file – for a better quality copy please get in touch).
Between each workshop the Me + Us Investigators were kept up to date with the project and other groups through the Me + Us Investigator newsletter:
The following resources were developed for practitioners who wish to engage their community group or school classes with the themes explored through Me + Us.
Workshop plans:
Workshop resources:
Me + Us was supported by Scottish Government Community Safety Unit
