Training

At Interfaith Scotland, we have extensive experience of providing engaging and interactive training to a wide range of audiences.

Our courses consistently receive outstanding feedback and are excellent value for money.

We are happy to offer our training courses online via Zoom.

Visit our Eventbrite to view upcoming trainings.

Training reviews

“Jamie is an exceptionally talented trainer with demonstrable experience. He was professional and related to the class well.  His pacing was impeccable.  Thoroughly enjoyed this course – well done and thank you.”

“Perfect – extremely impressed with Jamie, excellent trainer, diplomatic, factual, engaging and right!”

“Discussions were really meaningful and allowed for in-depth debates.”

Contact

Please contact our religious equality trainer Jamie Spurway to discuss staff training.

Call: 0141 558 0778
Email: jamie@interfaithscotland.org

Public Training Courses

Working with People from Diverse Religion and Belief Backgrounds

In this half-day course, delegates will improve their confidence in engaging with the religion and belief of those they work with.  We learn about the core beliefs and cultural practices of the main faiths, and the individual needs that may arise from a person’s faith or belief identity.  The course is designed for those who work directly with service users, but is also relevant to HR staff, equality officers and managers who may be working with staff from diverse religion or belief backgrounds.

Course topics

  • Introduction to the topic. Do you choose your religion?
  • Religion and belief as a protected characteristic. How does it compare to race, age, disability etc?
  • Chronology of religions quiz and discussion. An interactive group exercise which invariably prompts a range of questions and helps delegates identify gaps in their own knowledge.
  • Faith demographics in Scotland. How many people identify as being from the main faith groups and how has this changed in recent years?
  • Core beliefs and cultural practices of the main religions in Scotland –Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism

Participants will also have an opportunity to discuss the impact of religion and belief on their own working role. This could include:

  • Gender roles and expectations
  • Religious clothing and symbols
  • Dietary needs and fasting
  • Prayer times, festivals and holy days
  • Cultural ideas related to death and dying, sickness and disability
  • The organisation’s internal policies and practices

Three Mottos for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity takes a wide variety of visible and invisible forms – many more than those protected by law (race, religion and belief, disability etc). A team composed of people from many backgrounds and identities, with varied personalities, skills and perspectives, has many advantages. But such differences can also be a source of tension, misunderstanding and even hostility.

In this interactive workshop, we consider three models that help guide our thinking – as we seek to tackle discrimination, communicate across difference and understand the relationship between our identities, our experiences and our worldview. They provide touchstones to aid empathy, give valuable insight on our interactions and, taken together, can greatly improve equality & inclusion.

Through discussion of different case studies, we consider: why some people ignore or deny the discrimination that others experience; how to respond to misunderstandings or offence; and the impact of our inner narratives on our interactions.

Course Topics

  • Which aspects of diversity are protected by law and why?
  • Identifying unintentional discrimination and why it is often hidden from us
  • Separating intention from impact in communication
  • A communication technique for overcoming division and misunderstanding

Not Only Religion & Belief

Although religion and belief are our focus at Interfaith Scotland, during this course our discussions will cover many aspects of diversity, including race, sexuality, gender etc. Our trainer has broad experience to bring to the topic.

Interpreting Culture – Improving Cross-Cultural Communication

Our cultural background has a profound influence on each of us.  It shapes our behaviour, values and beliefs.  It even affects our thought processes and how we perceive the world.  In this half-day course, we will examine where culture comes from and identify many extraordinary examples of its diversity.  A simple gesture or phrase can mean dramatically different things from one culture to another and can cause unintended embarrassment, confusion or even offence.  We learn to consider how others might interpret our behaviour and also examine our own interpretations, focusing on some of the areas that can cause division such as gender norms, perceptions of rudeness and body language.

Learning Objectives – by the end of the course delegates will be able to:

  • Describe the wide-ranging influence of cultural background on people’s behaviour, expectations and beliefs
  • Utilise a simple tool for recognising and responding to misinterpretations stemming from cultural difference
  • Reconsider their responses to the behaviour of others, to avoid cultural difference becoming a source of anger and prejudice
  • Show improved communication skills when communicating with those from other cultures

In-house training

If you have a group of delegates, the above half-day training courses can also be delivered at your venue.  Our recommendation is no more than 15 delegates per course but we can manage larger groups if necessary. We can deliver training anywhere in Scotland, and have worked with a wide-range of organisations including local authorities, colleges and nation-wide businesses.