John Houston on 4ward 2gether

This is an article which appeared in the Ayrshire Magazine, Issue 34 'Power' in May 2020 by Sergio Burns and which gives a background to John's talk. We expect that there will be a number of the current participants present who will hopefully be able to answer any questions.

Sowing The Seeds…: Five Girls From 4ward 2gether Tell Ayrshire
Magazine About Anti-Sectarianism and Why We Are All Better Together
We read the news…
A man attacked in a Cardiff street because of his sexuality, football fans in Glasgow
attacking a pub because it is the well known watering hole of their rivals, a former
soldier murdered in London in the name of religion. Try people at increasing risk of
domestic violence because two football teams have clashed and the emotions of their
partners are running high? A woman verbally abused in the street because she is
wearing religious clothing? A man called derogatory names because he is a different
colour and/or nationality.
These acts are unacceptable, often carried out in the name of religion, sexuality,
race or, in fact, any perceived difference the perpetrators can find to excuse their
actions.
Mad world?
It is difficult for most of us to understand why such cultural or religious or football
differences provoke such behaviour. But five young girls who not only want to
understand, change things for the better and celebrate diversity and are all
members of Kilmarnock-based youth group 4ward 2gether.
“4ward 2gether,” Ciara Bertoncini-Gilmour told AM. “Is a youth run group that
started out focusing on anti-discrimination, anti-sectarianism and anti-prejudice.
But it has now developed inti something much bigger. As well as teaching our
original values, we also like to talk about self-love and how similar we are deep
down.”
The girls also enjoy an active weekend with the Corrymeela Community in
Northern Ireland. Founded in 1965 by Ray Davey, John Morrow and Alex Watsonit
was set up to help people from both sides of the Northern Irish conflict, the so-called
“Troubles”, to deal with the violence and to look for reconciliation. Now a
residential centre on Northern Ireland’s north coast is used as a focal point for
promoting the belief that people from all backgrounds can recognise each others
differences, respect these and live and work together.
“It started when 10 of us were taken to Northern Ireland to learn about
sectarianism,” Eve Hamill one of the original girls to go over to Corrymeela chimed.
“We…returned the next year, with more girls, where we learned more about it – the
original girls were mentors. On the third trip, four of the original girls(including
me) were facilitators. We led a few sessions throughout the weekend about anti-
discimination.”

It is remarkable that these five young ladies, who, at present, are studying at
university, holding down part-time and full-time work, had such insight into what is
a complex and difficult subject.
“On the fourth and most-recent trip,” Eve continued. “Myself and four
girls…organised the whole weekend and led all but one session. We..also did a
number of sessions within the community – from groups of schoolchildren, to a
group of Protestant elderly people, to a group of young felons—all with the goal to
open people’s eyes to discrimination and prejudice; how we are all guilty of it, but
we are also all capable of putting an end to it and recovering from these thoughts.”
Recovering is a loaded word here, often used in the context of alcoholics or drug
addicts it resonates with ideas like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. But Eve, to her
credit, was nothing if not frank about her motivations for getting involved.
“In complete honesty?” She said. “I first wanted to get involved to get a day off
school and a trip to Northern Ireland! I didn’t know much about sectarianism,
except for in football with Celtic and Rangers. But going on this initial trip, I
learned all about the “Troubles” and how bad sectarianism is in Northern Ireland-
but also how far it has come.”
For another of the girls, Gabrielle Maberly, her interest was drawn from developing
sense of cause.
“I wanted to get involved,” she said thoughtfully. “Because I wanted to help inspire
different generations to take a stance and make a change in our society. The way we
talk, act and even think, contribute to stereotyping, sectarianism and diversity. I
enjoy challenging people to think before they act, and..consider the way their
thoughts and actions can have an effect on people.”
Meanwhile, Emma King’s incentive was more about understanding things she had
heard but didn’t quite understand when she was younger.
“When I was first approached to go,” She told AM. “I was really interested in
learning more about the roots of sectarianism, as I am too young to have been
around for the “Troubles”. Although, having grown up in Scotland around (the)
Celtic/Rangers feud I wanted to…understand where that came from.”
Emma was quick to agree. “I think modern day, sectarianism is mostly driven
through ignorance. People have grown up listening to parents and grandparents
going on about this hatred for so long that it is all they know.”
While agreeing with Emma and Isla, and while acknowledging the negative aspects
of this way of thinking, Gabrielle, however, was more than hopeful that progress
was being made. “It’s all people know,” she told me, “It’s what they are used to have
been brought up around. However, this doesn’t mean that this is the future or the
way forward.”
It is, for all five, a mission to understand where these ideas come from and why they
grow into violent, destructive forces. In turn, it presents itself as an opportunity to
take such powerful beliefs, challenge them and look at how they can be used for
good. How they can be used to bring communities together to celebrate that
diversity.

While recognising peoples’ differences, respecting and celebrating these, it is, for the
girls, the deeper—touching soul – similarities that people share that really make
them human.
“I think,” Eve started up again. “These small, personal sessions, led by young
people, has a bigger impact than a school/classroom situation. We are young, and
this can make the sessions seem much less about ‘learning’ in an academic sense.
Ihave also felt the of being a part of these sessions – and noticed how it impacted
others. It is amazing seeing peoples’ faces when they realise they have been
prejudiced, without meaning or wanting to. We try to emphasise this isn’t a bad
thing, we are all prejudiced, but it is how we act on these prejudices that matters.
You can see they want to change…. They even tell us that.”
Ciara added;
“I have seen at first hand how the 4ward 2gether project has changed attitudes.
We’ve been lucky…to lead workshops with people from all walks of life. While some
of these participants didn’t even realise they had problematic views, after taking
part…many of them came.. to us and said that what we said really impacted on
them and had changed the way they were now looking at the world and others.”
Moving from using differences, real or perceived, to rip communities apart to
standing together, in acceptance of everyone’s differences, and being stronger as a
result will take time.
“I owe a whole lot to this project,” Eve admitted. “I started as a shy teenager with a
lot of anxiety – this .. has helped me to be able to open up to and trust others.. also
helped me with my public speaking and musical performances. I have used the skills
I gained on the trips/at sessions in Kilmarnock for all parts of my life, including
university and the jobs I have had. I have become a much more confident and self-
assured person.”
You can only have respect for these five young ladies making their early foray into
life and their future and, the communities they are involved with and society in
general.
They stroke a difficult nerve, especially in these times of cornavirus when we have
no alternative but to all work together across the world. Who, in their right mind,
would go into hospital and refuse life-saving treatment because the person who was
going to look after them was of a different religious persuasion, or was of a different
nationality or colour or supported a different football team? And where do we stop?
Do brown-eyed people take up arms against blue-eyed rivals? Of course not.
Later as I drive, Tears For Fears “Sowing The Seeds of Love” comes on my radio.
It strikes a chord.. so to speak.
“I hope that 4ward 2gether will continue to grow,” Isla shared with me. “Reach as
many people as we possibly can. I feel that it’s crucial that we continue to recruit a
range of different people to join our group, as this way we ourselves are able to
learn more, and therefore educate more effectively.”