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A REASON FOR HOPE: FRIDAYS AT THE DOG SHELTER
summary
While working on free time activities with seven- and eight-year-old participants
in the day care program provided at the “Mladost” Primary School in Osijek, I
created an integrated program for developing childrenʼs complete personalities,
based on the principles of drama and relax pedago". Within the program, I
carried outa project entitled “Fridays at the Dog Shelter” which brings together
social sciences and the humanities, natural sciences, art, and practical activities.
$e goal of the project is to develop aconsciousness of the connection between and
the importance of all living beings on Earth (in Space), as well as of individualsʼ
personal power and responsibility to encourage the development of tolerance and
sympathy, to free their desire, will, and imagination, and transform them into
artistic and humanitarian action. In this paper, I will first describe the process
which directed children from games, emotions, and inner needs, to different types
of performance. $en I will describe the process of working on an engaged
contemporary play with interactive elements entitled ”Ljudi upoznaju pse – TV
show” (People meet dogs: A TV show). $e aim of working on this show was to
discover the quality and joy of living with Others, with difference and otherness.
Interaction, helping the dogs in the shelter, playing, and putting on the play helped
participants develop understanding, self-confidence, tolerance, and sympathy,
learn to work in a team, free their emotions and use them as a source of creation,
and enhance their spirit of exploration, creativity, citizenship, and
humanitarianism. $e paper is accompanied by an attachment which includes an
example of our drama lessons and photographs that document the process of
working on the select play.
Keywords: abandoned dog, emotion, game, drama