The Edinburgh Interfaith Roadshows at Scottish Primary Schools

“We believe we are helping the world to work better together, starting with one child at a time.”

Professor Joe Goldblatt

The EIFA Faith Roadshows at Scottish Primary Schools

This blog is written by Professor Joe Goldblatt, chair of Edinburgh Interfaith Organisation (EIFA).

EIFA are now Scotland’s longest running interfaith charity and have a proud history of working with faith communities.

When leaders from Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Baha’i, Buddhist, and other faiths along with Constables from Police Scotland walk into a primary school – what happens? The answer is magic!

Each year the Edinburgh Interfaith Association (EIFA) visits dozens of primary schools to help pupils learn about respect, compassion, and love for all faiths and none. They also learn how Police Scotland can help them protect their rights in case they face discrimination.

The EIFA Faith Road Show invites small groups of children to meet six different Faith leaders and Police Scotland and at the end of an hour they have learned how much we have in common as well as learning about many different rituals and beliefs that each faith celebrates.

As a Jewish leader, I start my session with a magic trick. I tell my pupils that on Friday evening when we come together to celebrate the sabbath, something magic happens as we relax and give thinks for this period of rest.

I watch their eyes widen with interest and then we are off to explore the many Jewish festivals and strong values such as charity.

When we all come together at the end of the hour, I ask all of the children what did they learn? One nine year old looked at all the faith leaders and Police Scotland standing side by side, smiled widely and said, “I learned how the world really works!”

“Due to the success of the Roadshows in increasing knowledge, respect and understanding for different faiths and cultures, in a fun and interactive way, we have received unprecedented demand from schools for these programmes. In any given week we could be delivering 2-3 Roadshows reaching approximately 500 pupils, which has put considerable strain on our volunteer pool. As a consequence, we have a waiting list for schools looking to book a Roadshow. We hope to attract more funding that will enable us to employ a volunteer coordinator to train and recruit more volunteers to meet the need.

We believe that every school should have the opportunity to be part of an Interfaith Roadshow. Over 95% of pupils reported having learned something new about another faith and the majority reported increased confidence to talk to someone from a different religion. These crucial programmes are helping to counter negative stereotypes and build more cohesive communities resilient to hate ideologies.”

The EIFA Faith Roadshows are an Edinburgh Interfaith Organisation initiative funded through the Sky Grants, a fund tackling racism and antisemitism in Scotland.