Ambassadors

In my thirty years of work as an environmental educator, the wolf has always had a privileged place; its tracks this time
have taken me to Albino (BG). The participation in the two-day Winter School 2023 (Orobie Bergamasche) organised within the framework of the LIFE WOLFALPS EU Project thanks to the expertise of the speakers and the fruitful exchange of information, ideas and operational methods with other educators and teachers
certainly enriched my cultural and professional background.
A very positive educational experience, definitely to be repeated.

An intense training with a scientific and popular slant that allowed me, as a teacher of literature, to learn more about the wolf as an integral part of a complex and stratified ecosystem, of which man is an integral part, together with other large carnivores and the animal world in general.
On the subject of the wolf, being a literature teacher, I had previously proposed titles for children in my reading courses (e.g. Festa, Pennac, London). This course Winter School 2023, Orobie Bergamasche) gave me a lot of ideas to propose in the classroom, together with didactic activities inside and outside the classroom, in collaboration with other figures who are fundamental for a truly formative approach to environmental education and capable of involving the school and the entire community around it. I recommend this experience to teachers of all school levels, certain that they will find endless work tracks to explore and a very rich bibliography to draw on.

The Winter school 2023 in the Parco delle Orobie Bergamasche was a wonderful opportunity to meet new specialists who allowed me to put in order the numerous but vague knowledge I possessed and to appreciate many new aspects, not only concerning the wolf itself but, in general, the type of scientific approach adopted to study it.
The insights I received are many and certainly my work in environmental education will benefit from this experience. It would be nice if it became a regular event, so that we could explore a different aspect of the Park each year.

This training (7-8 October 2021, PNM) enabled me to develop a project with my two classes of 3rd grade.
I included it in the framework of our study of low density areas in France in geography and around debates and conflicts of use in EMC. The pupils took part in a role-playing game based on the one presented during the course.
Throughout the year, the pupils also worked on current affairs (indeed, many articles were published in Var Matin on this subject).
I did not have the opportunity to organise an outing on this theme because I had already planned outings as part of other ESD projects.
Many of them (18 students out of 55) chose to take this topic on the wolf to present it as an oral exam for the brevet: this shows how much they liked it and how much they could learn from it.
We hope that other teachers have been able to tackle this fascinating and socially sensitive issue with their students.

My, or rather our, experience as a school has certainly been very interesting and stimulating: starting with the training for us teachers and ending with the project for local schools EUlulati sulle Alpi proper, organised by the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps and carried out in the Vernante site.
The children, already very curious and motivated even before starting the activities, had the opportunity to learn a lot not only about the wolf as an animal in itself, but also about its being a social animal, with precise roles within its pack. But not only that, they also had the opportunity to understand how fundamental it is to our forest ecosystem and to go beyond the common thought about it being seen, for many, still as an element of danger and annoyance.
Also very useful was the direct confrontation with the shepherd and the hunter, from whom they received a lot of input and subsequently a lot of ideas for going beyond the social prejudices that unfortunately exist about this animal. From this experience, many pupils came away impressed and fascinated not only with the animal, but also with the professional role of the park ranger.

I already had the opportunity to collaborate with the first LIFE WOLFALPS project (2013-2018) to participate in the Summer school in Trento in 2014. In September 2020 I gladly repeated the experience, which gave me excellent insights and new stimuli and insights to work with my classes. I would like to thank the experts who followed us with great professionalism and gave us the opportunity to compare different points of view, bringing together pupils and teachers with breeders, hunters, biologists, park rangers and veterinarians to give a complete view of the wolf issue. It is a good way to stimulate the critical spirit and the formation of independent and informed opinions in children… and adults! The knowledge gained and the materials shared by the project will come in handy in the years to come.

As a forest educator, I always convey the bigger picture of a healthy ecosystem. Thanks to the 2-day seminar, I can now also better understand the role of wolves and advocate for a peaceful coexistence.

The training offered a wealth of interesting facts and news about the wolf, which can be used perfectly in biology lessons. With the child-friendly teaching materials, the wolf can be brought directly into the classroom.

It was very interesting to see everything from a different perspective. The speaker addressed the questions very appropriately. I congratulate you on the good idea of making the seminar digital: for the good of the environment! Again and again!