Citizenship workshop at St Mungo's Museum
The Education Team at St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, led by education and access curator Kiran Singh, has developed a new education for citizenship workshop aimed at primary school children.
Pupils have the opportunity to explore Glasgow's many faith communities and learn how people of different faiths contribute to, and enrich, the city. Themes include active citizenship, community, faith, racism and sectarianism.
St Mungo's Museum is the ideal place to engage in these issues - it is a beautiful open space which explores the six main religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
The museum aims to promote understanding and respect between people of different faiths and those with no faith. The workshop emerged from and supports the annual interfaith Meet Your Neighbour festival - a programme of free activities, workshops and talks which takes place at St Mungo's on 6-12 June.
Structure of the workshops
Each workshop lasts an hour and a half. If there are two or more schools taking part, the session begins with each school introducing themselves and buddying up together. The workshop facilitators, Robert and Tony, introduce the ideas of citizenship and community. Pupils are asked to comment on a range of issues and discuss their knowledge of different faiths, and are invited to talk about the communities and activities they are involved in. Throughout the workshop everyone is encouraged to voice their opinions and to listen to and respect the views of others.
After the discussion they divide off into two groups. One group explores a series of 'faith boxes' while the other watches a short film about the museum and completes an exercise relating to the museum's displays. Each group independently works through a series of activities that encourage the children to find and interact with objects in the museum.
View the workshop outline for more information:
Word file: St Mungo's education for citizenship workshop outline (36 KB)
Exploring the faith boxes
There are several boxes, each covering a different religion or theme. Two or three pupils group round each box and are invited to handle the objects and discuss their significance. For example, in the Islam box, pupils are presented with a Muslim cap and a hijab and are shown how these are worn. Then they are drawn into a discussion on the significance of clothing both in religion and within their own lives.
Respecting, appreciating, and understanding differences between people, their beliefs and their values are discussed, drawing on the young people's own experiences wherever possible.
St Mungo's also uses contemporary images and objects: another box contains Rangers and Celtic scarves, leading to a discussion on sectarianism and bigotry, which is sensitively led by a facilitator. The pupils continue to move round different boxes throughout the session.
Finding out about objects in the museum
In the other session, after the short film about the museum, pupils are provided with an activity worksheet. It is structured around four topics: the first asks them to consider the role of the museum and why it has chosen to represent all faiths. The remaining topics cover three religions: Christianity, Sikhism and Islam.
The worksheets demand no prior knowledge of any of the faiths and encourage the pupils to find items within the displays, reflect on their purpose or significance, and form their own opinions of them.
Future plans for the workshop
While still being developed, this workshop is a new and welcome contribution to education for citizenship. Robert and Tony try to cater for a variety of learning styles and levels and are committed to creating a rich, inclusive and engaging experience for everyone taking part.
Over 200 pupils have taken part in the workshops and the feedback so far has been positive. The Education Team plans to develop workshops for secondary pupils and run regular sessions throughout each school term. It is a great opportunity to get young people thinking creatively and participating actively in their own learning.
If you would like to book a session, contact the Museums Education Service on 0141 565 4112. You are also welcome to contact members of the Education and Access Team (details below) to discuss your visit. All workshops cater for individual needs and additional support needs.
Contact details
Kiran Singh, Anthony Lewis and Robert Gallagher
Education and Access Team
St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art
2 Castle Street
Glasgow, G4 0RH
Tel: 0141 553 2557
E-mail: Kiran Singh
kiran.singh@cls.glasgow.gov.uk