A story worth more than words...The plight of the Coxen's fig-parrot motivates prep children

Abstract

I have a story I want to tell you, a story that will you give you hope. It begins with me performing the Freedom Bird story with a prep class in a Brisbane public school, as part of my PhD research on the topic of young children's responses to performative storytelling on social justice issues. The undying urge for freedom is expressed in this story through a bird surviving numerous violent acts, inflicted by a hunter who is determined to silence the bird's song. From this story, many of the children became alarmed about the wilful harming of animals, so I shared further stories and information to provoke critical awareness of hunting, such as a Cherokee story of respectful hunting and information on the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) anti-poaching campaigns.