On April 6th the students of the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz were welcomed back from their Easter break with a visit by lead educator Yann Lenggenhager and Youth Ambassadors Co-President - also alumna of the Lyceum Alpinum - Cinzia D’Adamo. By a series of presentations the students, accompanied by the director Dr. Christoph Wittmer, were introduced to the Speak Truth To Power exhibition.
During the first part of the lectures, small groups of students were informed about the life and work of Robert F. Kennedy and attained general information on the foundation’s work. After that, the portraits of Marina Pisklakova and Kailash Satyarthi were interpreted and discussed to provide the students with powerful and inspiring examples of activists. The two activists could not be more different from one another: coming from different nations – even continents – and fighting for different causes in very different circumstances. Their relentless and passionate fight for justice and for a better world however, connects them and also inspired many students from all age groups.
Following the presentations, many lively discussions on the human rights situation in both Switzerland and abroad were held. At the end of the presentations, the students were able to listen to the stories behind the portraits individually or directly ask questions, which many of them did with great enthusiasm. What was most remarkable was to see students coming from all corners of the world, recognizing the portraits of human rights activists from their own country and sharing their own thoughts, resulting in many enriching conversations. A 14-year-old Guatemalan boy for example, passionately explained the symbolism of the traditional clothing worn by Rigoberta Menchú and a Czech girl immediately noticing the picture of Václav Havel on the day the exhibition was set up.
During Yann and Cinzia’s visit, the students were able to engage with the portraits in an active way by seeking to understand the stories behind the impressive portraits. At the end of the day, a 7th grade class even came back to the exhibition with their German teacher, in order to complete a task of writing a short essay on the portrait that struck them the most. The hallway was filled with chatter as the students were browsing the pages of the Speak Truth To Power book and listening to the stories behind the QR codes.
It is clear, that the presentations and exhibition struck a chord with the pupils. The interesting exchange characterized by a multitude of perspectives certainly made the visit enriching for everyone - both for the pupils as well as for Yann and Cinzia.
