This section - Asylum Scheme | Mythbuster | Terminology

A Safe Place - Coaching with a conscience

Glasgow: January - March 2006

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Questionnaire responses

Five word description of refugees or asylum seekers

Of the pupils who responded negatively before the workshop, 76% gave a positive response when asked a similar question after the session. In response to this question before the workshop, a pupil from St David's could only come up with one word, namely, "coloured". After the session the same child's response was "frightened, scared, upset, petrified and miserable". For this child the focus was no longer on the person's skin colour but on the underlying reasons for their arrival in our country.

A pupil from St Philomena's five word description was " uneducated, poor, dumb, criminals and cheeky". After the session the reply was "frightened, lonely, sad, smart and young".

A child from Holy cross had written her five words to be "nasty, stealing, homeless, hungry and jobless". After taking part in the workshop these had altered to "homeless, jobless, hungry, scared and desperate".

A Shawlands Academy pupil's description changed from "scary" to "helpless" following their involvement in the workshop.

Another pupil from Shawlands whose description was "cheeky, scary and weird", altered to "scared, lonely and ashamed". " Creepy and weird" became "lost and isolated" for another pupil from Shawlands following their workshop.