![\"\"](\"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/fifty-for-rep.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAlthough situation concerning animal rights in my homeland, (Croatia), is far from an exemplary one, the number of street dogs and cats in Romania as well as the number of dogs that could be seen kept on very short chains in backyards left me in an unpleasant surprise. After an initial shock the easiest thing would be to let anger and prejudice shape one\u2019s attitude towards the situations. It is also very easy to forget that people\u2019s behaviors are influenced by their environments and that most of the time they do bad things not out of cruelty but because the lack of knowledge. Hence, in situations like this one it is much more useful to approach the problem with patience and openness to a dialogue.<\/p>\n
Having been given the privilege and the responsibility to participate in shaping some young minds in Romania, I decided to spend a couple of school hours dedicated to the topic of animal protection. I also decided to broaden the topic on animals in different industries. My first lesson on the topic was with the ninth grade in Maneciu and, honestly, before the class even started I was worried it would turn out to a disaster. How do I get an average teenager think about cruelty of meet farms and animal testing in cosmetics industry? In the worst case scenario the students would see me as a militant vegetarian enforcing her propaganda.<\/p>\n
When the class started, my fears faded away. The students approached the topic with curiosity. Their ideas and opinions showed empathy, humor and honesty. \u201cI feel very sad for the chicken but I also love to eat them.\u201d, a sentence that actually in a very simple and unpretentious way sums up all the problematic. At the end of the lesson I didn\u2019t leave the classroom full of new animal rights activist, of course, but I did leave this young people with many new questions and information that by their own words were completely unfamiliar to them before the class. I am not so na\u00efve to think that talking 50 minutes about animal rights will fully change their attitudes but I am very happy to at least scratch the surface.<\/p>\n
With six graders I concentrated mostly on talking about stray animals and pets. During the debate they were supposed to move over the line placed in the middle of the classroom floor according to their level of agreeing with a certain statement and then elaborate why and how they chose their position. I have to say that I was very surprised how they listened to each other and treated each other\u2019s opinions with respect. Most of them agreed that animals deserve shelter, that it is not right to physically harm animals and that it is necessary to take sick animal to a vet. However, when the topic of neutering came up, children were very indecisive. Some of them have witnessed horrible scenes like people burning alive newborn kittens and yet they believed that it is really important for an animal to have offspring even if that includes such tragic outcomes. Their view on that matter couldn\u2019t be more different than mine but in the world where many adults remain indifferent to the environment surrounding them, taking sort of \u201cwhatever\u201d attitude towards everything, it\u2019s refreshing to see children who think and readily voice their opinions.<\/p>\n
Before finishing my story, there\u2019s just one little thing I\u2019d like to mention. Sometime just one specific act of kindness can serve as more positive examples than all the theoretical discussion. That is the reason I would like to thank the former volunteers of Curba de Cultura who have adopted Fifty. Fifty is a former street dog who has been happily sharing home with the volunteers of Schiulesti for more than three years now. To avoid ending the article with some corny phrase, (and when speaking about a dogs it\u2019s difficult for me not to), I\u2019m offering you a photo of Fifty:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
De\u0219i situa\u021bia privind drepturile animalelor din \u021bara mea (Croa\u021bia) este departe de a fi una exemplar\u0103, num\u0103rul c\u00e2inilor \u0219i pisicilor str\u0103zii din Rom\u00e2nia, precum \u0219i num\u0103rul de c\u00e2ini care pe care \u00eei putem vedea \u021binu\u021bi lega\u021bi cu lan\u021buri foarte scurte \u00een cur\u021bile din spate, mi-au adus o surpriz\u0103 nepl\u0103cut\u0103. Dup\u0103 un \u0219oc ini\u021bial, cel mai u\u0219or lucru ar fi s\u0103 la\u0219i furia \u0219i prejudecata s\u0103-\u021bi modeleze atitudinea fa\u021b\u0103 de situa\u021bii. Este, de asemenea, foarte u\u0219or s\u0103 uit\u0103m c\u0103 \u0219i comportamentele oamenilor sunt influen\u021bate de mediile lor \u0219i c\u0103, de cele mai multe ori, fac lucruri rele, nu din cruzime ci din cauza lipsei de cuno\u0219tin\u021be. Prin urmare, \u00een situa\u021bii ca aceasta este mult mai util s\u0103 abord\u0103m problema cu r\u0103bdare \u0219i deschidere c\u0103tre un dialog.<\/p>\n
Av\u00e2nd privilegiul \u0219i responsabilitatea de a participa la modelarea unor min\u021bi tinere \u00een Rom\u00e2nia, am decis s\u0103 petrec c\u00e2teva ore de \u0219coal\u0103 dedicate temei protec\u021biei animalelor. De asemenea, am decis s\u0103 extind subiectul asupra animalelor \u00een diferite industrii. Prima mea lec\u021bie despre acest subiect a fost cu clasa a IX-a la Maneciu \u0219i, sincer, \u00eenainte ca lec\u021bia s\u0103 \u00eenceap\u0103, am fost \u00eengrijorat\u0103 c\u0103 se va ajunge la un dezastru. Cum fac ca un adolescent obi\u0219nuit s\u0103 se g\u00e2ndeasc\u0103 la cruzimea fermelor de carne \u0219i la testarea pe animale \u00een industria cosmetic\u0103? \u00cen cel mai r\u0103u scenariu, studen\u021bii m\u0103 vor vedea ca un vegetarian militant care \u00ee\u0219i impune propaganda.<\/p>\n
C\u00e2nd a \u00eenceput ora, temerile mele au disp\u0103rut. Studen\u021bii au abordat cu curiozitate subiectul. Ideile \u0219i opiniile lor au ar\u0103tat empatie, umor \u0219i onestitate. “M\u0103 simt foarte trist pentru pui, dar \u00eemi place \u0219i s\u0103 \u00eei m\u0103n\u00e2nc”, o propozi\u021bie care, \u00eentr-adev\u0103r, \u00eentr-un mod foarte simplu \u0219i nepreten\u021bios, rezum\u0103 toate problemele. La sf\u00e2r\u0219itul lec\u021biei, nu am p\u0103r\u0103sit sala de clas\u0103 plin\u0103 de activi\u0219ti noi pentru drepturile animalelor, desigur, dar am l\u0103sat ace\u0219ti tineri cu multe \u00eentreb\u0103ri \u0219i informa\u021bii noi care, prin propriile lor cuvinte, erau complet necunoscute \u00eenaintea orei. Nu sunt at\u00e2t de naiv\u0103 s\u0103 cred c\u0103 vorbind 50 de minute despre drepturile animalelor ei \u00ee\u0219i vor schimba pe deplin atitudinea, dar sunt foarte fericit\u0103 c\u0103 cel pu\u021bin am atins subiectul.<\/p>\n
M-am concentrat al\u0103turi de 6 elevi vorbind despre animalele f\u0103r\u0103 st\u0103p\u00e2n \u0219i animalele de companie. \u00cen timpul dezbaterii, ei trebuiau s\u0103 se deplaseze peste linia aflat\u0103 \u00een mijlocul s\u0103lii de clas\u0103, \u00een func\u021bie de nivelul lor de acord cu o anumit\u0103 declara\u021bie \u0219i apoi s\u0103 explice de ce \u0219i cum \u0219i-au ales pozi\u021bia. Trebuie s\u0103 spun c\u0103 am fost foarte surprins\u0103 de cum s-au ascultat unul pe cel\u0103lalt \u0219i s-au tratat reciproc cu puncte de vedere. Mul\u021bi dintre ei au fost de acord c\u0103 animalele merit\u0103 ad\u0103post, c\u0103 nu este corect s\u0103 se fac\u0103 r\u0103u fizic animalelor \u0219i c\u0103 este necesar s\u0103 se ia animalul bolnav la un veterinar. Cu toate acestea, c\u00e2nd a ap\u0103rut tema castr\u0103rii, copiii au fost foarte indeci\u0219i. Unii dintre ei au fost martorii unor scene oribile cum ar fi oameni care ard puii nou-n\u0103scu\u021bi vii \u0219i totu\u0219i ei au crezut c\u0103 este cu adev\u0103rat important ca un animal s\u0103 aib\u0103 descenden\u021bi, chiar dac\u0103 acesta include asemenea rezultate tragice. Opinia lor \u00een aceast\u0103 chestiune nu ar putea fi mai diferit\u0103 dec\u00e2t a mea, dar \u00een lumea \u00een care mul\u021bi adul\u021bi r\u0103m\u00e2n indiferen\u021bi fa\u021b\u0103 de mediul \u00eenconjur\u0103tor, lu\u00e2nd o atitudine “indiferent\u0103” fa\u021b\u0103 de tot, este r\u0103coritor s\u0103 vezi copiii care g\u00e2ndesc \u0219i \u00ee\u0219i exprim\u0103 u\u0219or opiniile .<\/p>\n
\u00cenainte de a \u00eencheia povestea mea, este doar un mic lucru pe care a\u0219 vrea s\u0103-l men\u021bionez. Uneori, doar un singur act de bun\u0103tate poate servi drept exemple mai pozitive dec\u00e2t toat\u0103 discu\u021bia teoretic\u0103. Acesta este motivul pentru care a\u0219 dori s\u0103 mul\u021bumesc fo\u0219tilor voluntari ai Curba de Cultura care au adopta-o pe Fifty. Fifty este un fost c\u00e2ine de strad\u0103 care a \u00eemp\u0103r\u021bit fericit aceast\u0103 cas\u0103 cu voluntarii lui Schiule\u0219ti de mai bine de trei ani. Pentru a evita sf\u00e2r\u0219itul articolului cu o anumit\u0103 fraz\u0103 (\u0219i c\u00e2nd vorbim despre un c\u00e2ine este dificil pentru mine s\u0103 nu), v\u0103 ofer o fotografie cu Fifty.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tea este \u00een Rom\u00e2nia pentru o perioad\u0103 de \u0219ase luni, din decembrie 2018 p\u00e2n\u0103 \u00een mai 2019, \u00een cadrul proiectului\u00a0Volunteer to Grow<\/em>\u00a0[2017-1-HR01-KA105-035177]\u00a0proiect co-finan\u021bat de Uniunea European\u0103 prin Programul Erasmus+ \u0219i implementat \u00een Rom\u00e2nia de c\u0103tre\u00a0Curba de Cultur\u0103.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"