A HARD-hitting poster campaign by Glasgow students is helping a national equalities charity spread its message to schools across the country.

Marco Romero, Dylan McKirdy and Lucas Ross came up with the idea for Nil by Mouth’s United Against Division school programme, which gives young people a greater understanding of different faiths and cultures.

Nil by Mouth was set up by former Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year Cara Henderson in response to the brutal sectarian murder of her friend, Mark Scott in 1995.

Glasgow Times: Divide numbers, not people graphicDivide numbers, not people graphic (Image: Nil by Mouth)

Marco, Dylan and Lucas won the City of Glasgow College’s Pitch Perfect competition, which attracted more than 100 marketing students and is judged by an independent panel drawn from the world of the arts, marketing and charity campaigning.

Drawing on classroom themes such as blackboards and numerical symbols, the three students created a range of posters with effective slogans such as “Divide Numbers, Not People.”

Their campaign is now running across a range of local media outlets and teaching websites as well as social media platforms.

Glasgow Times: Add yourself to the solution graphicAdd yourself to the solution graphic (Image: Nil by Mouth)

Marco, 19, from Maryhill, said: “We wanted to come up with a campaign that would let people quickly understand what the charity was all about and who its target audience is.

“Given the importance of education in Nil by Mouth’s work, we felt using symbols that people easily associated with schools, such as numerical signs and blackboards, would be most effective. 

“The charity liked the idea so much that in addition to the promotional campaign it's also commissioned hundreds of posters which pupils can hold up at the end of each Nil by Mouth workshop to reinforce their support for the campaign.”

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Marco added: “The feedback we’ve had so far has been amazing and we are hopeful it will encourage even more schools to become involved. We’ve learned a lot too, and it's been good developing our skills working on something which will hopefully promote greater tolerance and understanding between people.”

Nil by Mouth director Dave Scott said:  “We’re delighted to be working with the students on this campaign as they are very talented guys and the judges were hugely impressed by their presentation.

“Their idea is simple but highly effective and we had no hesitation in commissioning it to run during the first few months of 2024 to promote the United Against Division programme. Schools work is absolutely central to everything we do, as the earlier young people are presented with positive messages and facts, the lesser the risk of them developing sectarian attitudes.”