Subject: Film on fragile networks?

Posted by Niall Palfreyman on 4/23/2010
In Reply To:Film on fragile networks? Posted by Niall Palfreyman on 4/7/2010

Message:

Hi,
I'm writing to follow up on my promise to inform you about the results of the confirmation class last week on responsibility for the environment. Unfortunately the films Baraka and Home were not suitable for the group. We came to the decision that even Medicine Man was too slow-moving to grip them. They really are a very hyperactive group of 14-year-olds, and this is not school, but indeed for some of them something they don't themselves want to do, but have been sent by parents.

In the end we showed them "The Day After Tomorrow". They were suitably impressed. The previous film had been "The Boy in Striped Pyjamas", and they had then said that they had never seen a film like that before, that shocked rather than entertained. This time they were just totally in awe of the whole thing. Surprisingly for me they didn't raise any objections like "That couldn't possibly happen!", but merely asked curiously about the likelihood of it happening.

This was the sequence we followed:

1. The film itself took 2 hours. Then we we had a wee break and just sat and chatted about the film for 20 minutes over coffee and cake.

2. (30 mins) Next we moved into more formal conversation. We spread out a large piece of poster paper on the table between us, and asked the
question: In what ways are we currently damaging our environment? They came up with many ideas, which they wrote in marker pens on the paper together with causal arrows between them. They also found some surprisingly complex ideas, such as that even the manufacturing of artefacts contributes to pollution.

3. (15 mins) Next we turned over the paper and asked: "What can we personally do to help heal the environment?" Again they wrote the ideas down on the poster paper in a scattered, brainstorming sort of way.

4. (30 mins) Finally, we gave them each a piece of A3-size poster paper plus a tourist magazine with lots of luscious nature pictures. They each found a picture which they liked and cut it out to stick on the paper.
Then they wrote on the paper personal resolutions of things they wanted to do in their own lives to help the environment. One girl said she'd cycle to school from now on, and a boy said he'd try to hang onto his mobile phone as long as possible before buying a new one.

Feedback: The high point of the exercise came for me as we were getting ready to go home, when one of the boys discovered in surprise during a conversation with the others that this was the last of our meetings. He
said: "Oh no! But this group is really cool!" So I guess we managed to offer them something.

That's it. Thanks very much for your help everyone!

Best wishes,
Niall Palfreyman