The International School of Toulouse has been a Fair Trade school for the last six years. This was a Group 3 project that was launched in lessons by looking firstly at the historical problems of inequity (History), the current spatial extent of inequalities in global development (Geography) and how organisations and business can work to make trade more fair (Business Management).
Every year, the students work as part of an business to raise awareness of Fair Trade through a series of community events. The Business students organise the organisational structure giving all members a clear job description (see example here). There is a published calendar of events that generally includes all parent - teacher meeting days (tea, coffee & cake service), school productions (refreshments) Christmas Fayre (food & drink), Valentines Day (flowers) and Halloween (chocolate). We buy Fair Trade products to process (add value) and then sell on in our various events. This way, we support the Fair Trade movement by purchasing the products in the first instance. We also raise awareness in assemblies of Fair Trade as well as providing teachers with materials for PSHCE lessons. However, as the initiative is run as a business, profits are divided between two or three local charities of choice of the current G12 students. We have supported a local cancer hospice, a local food bank, a mental health and wellbeing hotline and a children's charity in recent years. Representatives from those charities often come in to school at the end of the year to receive a cheque for up to €2000. There is no French version of the Fair Trade UK school initiative, so Fair Trade Schools UK, kindly accepted us onto their scheme. The students work hard to complete the self-assessments and requirements to attain the different Fair Trade school awards. More information on those here. Fair Trade School website - link here |