“A great opportunity to collaborate with other schools and learn together, the benefits of Fairtrade.” Teacher feedback.
On March 2nd 2017 Honley High School opened its doors to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight with Secondary Schools from across Yorkshire at the FIRST EVER fairandfunky Fairtrade Conference for Secondary Schools! And it won’t be the last!
The Conference brought schools together to inspire students and teachers to get involved with Fairtrade back at their individual schools. Interactive workshops from fairandfunky, Pockets Theatre, Koolskools and Upcycle Fashion engaged students through drama, creative arts, and debate; enabling students to collaborate on shared values and discover more about the impact of Fairtrade on local and global communities.
Honley High School is a Fair Aware School, and we were delighted to welcome Nyall and Ben from the Fairtrade Forum to kickstart the conference with an inspired call to action for Fairtrade engagement; before breaking out into our workshop groups.
“Great trigger for our school to engage with Fairtrade!” Teacher feedback.
Taking to the stage was Pockets Theatre, developing an emotional response to Fairtrade through drama. Students took on roles within the supply chain of bananas and worked together to create ‘Fair’ and ‘Unfair’ freeze frames, considering how producers feel when empowered with Fairtrade.
With fairandfunky the focus was the power of the consumer. Through group discussion students considered the effect of Fairtrade on producers and how, as consumers, we have power to make a difference. All students made a wallet (recycled from a juice carton!) to focus their thinking when shopping.
“An interactive and informative day – so many ideas to implement back at school.” Teacher feedback.
Students discovered there was more to Fairtrade than chocolate and bananas in an informative session with Koolskools. A leading Fairtrade School Uniform company, Koolskools shared their experiences of working with cotton producers in India, and manufacturers in Mauritius, with thought provoking video.
Many schools were excited by the prospect of following Honley High’s example and sourcing Fairtrade hoodies for school trips and sports teams.
“Students were really inspired today; excellent workshops!” Teacher feedback.
During the Upcycle Fashion workshop students continued their journey on a fashion revolution; considering the question: Who made your clothes? Almost every student in each group became part of an incredible supply chain to determine the answer. Cheaply made garments come at a price to producers, and students were empowered to take action in their consumer choices.
After lunch (which included delicious Fairtrade juice from Natural Beverages!) students were treated to a presentation from Bala Sport, who shared how important Fairtrade is to the workers in Pakistan stitching footballs, to them and their communities. Inspiring schools to take Fairtrade into their sports break!
“The fascinating and motivating conference will inspire our Fairtrade Forum” Teacher feedback.
All delegates were also enraptured listening to our special guest Linda Berchie, a Fairtrade cocoa farmer from Ghana. Hearing directly from producers like Linda brings a powerful message of hope and empowerment to the schools: “Fairtrade enables women like me to get up off my knees and stand tall. Thank you.”
The Conference closed with certificate presentations to all schools by The Mayor of Kirklees, and everybody left with a bag of rice – enabling fairandfunky to complete another 90kg rice challenge!
A huge THANK YOU to all teachers and students for joining the Conference and for taking their own little steps to change the world. And a massive thank you to the following businesses who all supported the Conference and helped make it happen:
Suma Wholefoods – Conference Champion
Social Progress – Conference Champion
Traidcraft – Conference Partner
Kirklees Fairtrade – Conference Partner
Ramsdens – Conference Partner
Together, we will change the world.
Tweets by @fair_funky
