Hace unos meses Paula decidió que participaría en un proyecto educativo. Contaría su forma de entender el antiespecismo, su percepción de la realidad que padecen los animales y nos animaría a dar un paso más para defenderlos. Su voz es un testimonio más de entre un grupo de gente joven que podemos encontrar en "Ethics in the classroom: understanding the world beyond our species", un programa educativo que pretende facilitar al profesorado y demás personas vinculadas con la educación una serie de recursos didácticos para tratar en el aula el especismo y nuestra relación con los demás animales, y que hemos elaborado de forma conjunta entre Animal Ethicsy Aula Animal.
Hace tan sólo unos días Paula ha tenido la oportunidad ser ella quien compartiera por primera vez sus experiencias con otras personas jóvenes a través de unas charlas en un instituto de Educación Secundaria en Galicia y que hoy queremos compartir a través de este blog.
Enhorabuena y mucha suerte en tus próximas charlas, que seguro que están muchas más por venir : )
I've always been concerned about animals, I suppose like any child before they learn to ignore their suffering. When I decided to give these talks to students, I knew it was a big step for animals, but also for me. I was scared because I'm a very nervous person who always reacts negatively to things; I didn't know how people would react, but it seemed necessary to face my fears—animals need us.
Young people are the future, and as such, I believe it's important to convey this message of respect and empathy. In the few talks I've given (I hope there will be more), I've noticed two things: one is the lack of awareness people have about what they consume, where the products they buy come from, or what animals experience in the world, whether in the wild or under human exploitation. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised that some listeners were more aware than most adults. And two, the empathy that young people possess. Our generation is endowed with a strong sensitivity towards others; there's nothing nobler than this. When I speak at presentations, I notice gestures of disapproval towards the actions I explain: glassy eyes, averted gazes, rejection of the facts I'm discussing, voices faltering when asking questions…
It's nothing new that talking about animal exploitation is uncomfortable, very uncomfortable, but worse is living in ignorance and apathy towards those around us. I know that the future will be more respectful and ethical, I know because future generations are too.