Fife pupils are helping tell the largely unknown tale of the Suffragette movement in Scotland.
As part of Scotland’s Local Storytelling Campaign and to mark this year’s centenary of the women’s right to vote and the Year of Young People, Edinburgh storytellers Lea Taylor and Nicola Wright have teamed with students from Woodmill High School in Dunfermline.
Together they will be looking closely at themes connected to their performance, The Purple White and Green: The Story of Scottish Suffragettes written to mark this year’s centenary.
Focusing on the Scottish Suffragette movement, the storytellers present this important piece of social history.
With the help of Vote 100 UK Parliament funding, Nicola and Lea are working with students in Dunfermline to explore this story further.
The project began with an education session on democracy at the Scottish Parliament where pupils watched Lea and Nicola tell their story and then took part in an open discussion on the themes surrounding the performance.
Back in school, the pupils will take part in a series of workshops to generate a deeper understanding of democracy, the voting system in Scotland, the issues the Suffragettes faced and how and why their struggle still has relevance today.
Lea said: “Scotland’s contribution is a lesser known tale in the larger narrative of the Suffragette movement and we’re delighted that we can work with Woodmill to explore in greater detail the many issues of Scotland’s suffragettes and how they are still relevant today.”
The pair are also hoping to tour other schools in Scotland and will be taking part in the Toronto Storytelling Festival next year where they would love to work with a Canadian school on a similar project.
The event is part of Scotland’s Local Storytelling Campaign which runs until the end of November.
National storytelling co-ordinator Miriam Morris said: “The local storytelling campaign is a great opportunity for schools and community groups to get together and share and connect with stories in their own creative way.
“This year’s theme highlights how stories enable communities to grow and how stories, such as The Purple, White and Green, are key to preserving heritage and cultures for new generations whilst connecting us with the greater world around us.”
