MOVIES AS A MEANS OF DELIVERING CONSERVATION MESSAGES TO CHILDREN
By: Pratama Aditya Haryanto (Panda Mobile Coordinator)
For some people, watching movies is a fun thing to do. Apart from spoiling the senses of sight and hearing, watching movies can also add insight. Such is the case with children. Through age-appropriate movies, they can gain insights from all fields.
For this reason, WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile also uses movies to deliver conservation messages to children. In fact, movie watching is one of the media that is always done in Panda Mobile visits. Based on a survey conducted by the Panda Mobile team, movie watching is ranked as the second favorite activity in Panda Mobile after storytelling.
The movies and videos shown on Panda Mobile are very diverse, ranging from cartoons, documentaries, to animations. The movies or videos contain a very wide range of environmental issues, such as marine issues, forestry, species, green lifestyles, etc.
One of the movies on Panda Mobile that always gets a positive response is "Hunters and Tigers". The movie, which has been used by Panda Mobile since approximately seven years ago, always has a place in the hearts of children who participate in Panda mobile activities. The animated environmental film tells the story of two hunters who hunt into the forest to catch a Sumatran Orangutan which will later be sold. On the way, the two hunters meet a tiger who is about to prey on them. The hunters, who ran away in fear, were then helped by an orangutan mother who threw durian fruit at the tiger. Seeing the kindness of the mother orangutan who had saved them, the hunters repented and switched professions to become forest rangers.< br />
Another movie on Panda Mobile is "Quartet at The Crossroads" which tells the story of four umbrella animals that are the focus of WWF-Indonesia's conservation. The Panda Mobile team also has various video documentations on field analysis, research methods, and ecosystem improvement carried out by experts to be discussed with teenagers in schools and the public in public areas.
All films or videos screened aim to further educate many people about the importance of protecting the environment and animals around them. Thus, the 'virus' of environmental love can be passed on to the younger generation in a fun way.
Interested in watching movies with Panda Mobile and doing other activities that can increase environmental awareness? Please invite Panda Mobile to your school or area by sending an email to pandamobile@wwf.id.