Well – the lynx! These days there are two films screening in Slovenian cinema; Together for Lynx and The Lynx.
After watching a documentary film The Lynx, depicting life of lynxes in the Jura Mountains, we held a workshop for 9th graders as part of the school programme at Kinodvor Cinema in Ljubljana.
Photographer and video maker Laurent Geslin filmed the descendants of the reintroduced lynxes, following them in the wild and capturing parts of their lives from a safe distance (for them). The film relates strongly to the themes we are working on within the project, which is also a great opportunity for children and youngsters to learn more about the experience of researchers here. That’s why we were delighted to hold a workshop by the Biotechnical Faculty after the pupils watched the film. After an engaging lecture, we also ran a role-playing activity. Each of the representatives – “a breeder, a hunter, a conservationist and the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment” – tried to play their assigned role with the help of roles’ descriptions. We were surprised how well the pupils played each part – with a lot of tolerance, yet thoughtfully, taking into account the perspectives of the different stakeholders.
We hope that through the play, the pupils have grasped the multi-faceted nature of topics connected to the lynx and other large carnivores, and that mutual respect and communication is the key to a better future, of which they themselves will be a part.
