DON T FEED EXPLOITATION 8 Feed empowerment. Choose fairtrade. A resource guide for communities
FEED EMPOWERMENT DURING FAIRTRADE MONTH May is Fairtrade Month. It s when we ask communities, volunteers, consumers, and businesses to come together to support and empower the farmers and workers who work hard to provide the food and drink we depend on every day the coffee in our mugs, the bananas in our breakfast, the tea at our break, the chocolate pick-me-up snack. Why do we need to feed empowerment? We may think that by simply purchasing our favorite food and drink, those farmers and workers will surely benefit. But unless those goods are sustainably sourced and traded under fair terms like with Fairtrade certification, they often don t. Global supply chains and a legacy of trade exploitation often squeeze out the most vulnerable, and keep the poorest link in that chain from thriving the farmers themselves. Together we can end exploitation by campaigning to encourage everyone to choose Fairtrade. CONSUMERS CAN BE CERTAIN THAT THE FAIRTRADE PREMIUM HAS BEEN USED IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER TO HELP STRENGTHEN OUR ORGANIZATION. I INVITE THEM TO COME TO PERU AND SEE IT THEMSELVES VALENTIN RUIZ is a member of APPBOSA, a Fairtrade banana co-operative in Peru. Read more about the real lives of farmers and workers at FAIRTRADE.CA/FEEDEMPOWERMENT
THE HUMAN COST 46% of people in the sugar growing region of Belize live in poverty 1 in 4 children in Kenya s coffee and tea growing regions are malnourished, leading to stunted growth 2m Over 2 million children work in hazardous conditions in cocoa production When farmers aren t paid a fair wage: They can only afford to feed their families one meal a day They can t afford medical care They don t have enough money to send their children to school They can t afford to invest in better farming practices Fairtrade exists to change this, but we need more people to know why choosing Fairtrade really matters. We want them to understand that Fairtrade means farmers will get a better and more stable income, and this helps transform entire communities. But there is not enough demand for Fairtrade products in Canada. Not enough farmers are producing products under Fairtrade terms, so not enough farmers are benefiting from it. PUT FAIRTRADE IN, TAKE EXPLOITATION OUT It s time get together as many people as possible in your community, school or workplace to help empower the farmers and workers that work hard for the things we depend on. Whether you re a small town or a national workplace, a local congregation or a multi-campus university, you can create activities and initiatives to encourage, promote and celebrate Fairtrade in the month of May. There is no activity too small! Every bit of awareness about Fairtrade creates a ripple effect that will benefit the 1.66 million farmers and workers that depend on the Fairtrade system. When you choose Fairtrade, they earn a decent and fair wage and can afford basic health care, send their kids to school, and rise above the trappings of poverty. Let us know what you re up to! Email Fairtrade Canada at action@fairtrade.ca so we can report on your activity and its success. 72% of people in the coffee growing region of southern Peru don t have safe drinking water THAT S WHERE YOU COME IN
A FLASH MOB ON CAMPUS Want to catch the attention of students in the name of Fairtrade? Arrange an eye-catching flash mob Disruptive activities like this really A BAKE SALE AT SCHOOL have an impact and can be a lot of Who doesn t love a bake sale? fun to take part in. Make use of text Engage students and staff in a conversation messages and social networking about Fairtrade while you sell them their groups to organize your flash mob favorite baked goodie. Encourage those and be sure to invite local media to baking to use Fairtrade ingredients as much as witness it live. possible, and make sure to use social media in a popular campus hangout spot. Dress up as a banana or coffee cup and dance, dance, dance! to publicize your bake sale to ensure a great turnout. Use the proceeds to help grow your school s Fairtrade product offering, or even purchase Fairtrade t-shirts for your school or class group.
WE LOVE OUR AMBASSADORS! A BRUNCH WITH YOUR FAITH GROUP Fair Trade Ambassadors exist to motivate their peers and train volunteers on the real lives of Fairtrade farmers and workers. Whether its hosting a movie night, organizing a Mad Hatter tea party, or going on a café crawl, Ambassadors you are an inspiration! Communicate the importance of Fairtrade while enjoying a leisurely brunch. Make sure that your brunch is stocked with plenty of Fairtrade sugar, tea, coffee and hot chocolate don t forget the cereal, bananas and dried fruit! Discuss how you can enlarge your circle of influence within your faith group and beyond your community so that you can encourage others to follow your lead. A BREAK AT YOUR WORKPLACE Encourage employees to take a break when the 3pm work day lull strikes. Invite staff to your break or lunch room to feast on Fairtrade. If you already have Fairtrade tea and coffee in your office, discuss how you can stock more products like sugar and hot chocolate. Hand out Fairtrade stickers or buttons and use a signup sheet to get employees to coordinate the next Fairtrade break. Pairing up Fairtrade bananas with Fairtrade chocolate is a sure way to get willing volunteers!
A SNACK TABLE AT YOUR EVENT A GLASS TO TOAST THE TOWN Set up a table so that you can have Fairtrade food and drink available. Whether you choose healthy avocados and bananas, or more indulgent chocolate and rich, dark coffee, give Host a wine tasting event and introduce your community to Fairtrade. your guests the opportunity to sample Use wine tasting for a volunteer action and have information sheets appreciation night or as a cocktail-hour or producer stories available so that after a committee gathering. If you run Fairtrade snacking and learning can into a shortage of Fairtrade wine, try happen simultaneously. supplementing it with Fairtrade beer otherwise, just turn it into a coffeetasting event! Be sure to invite local retailers to take part so they can display their Fairtrade products and let people know how to stock up on all the great beverages they ve sampled. the goodness of Fairtrade. Set up a table or two close enough to the
WHO TO TARGET THINK about who you want to target and your activity can involve and then inspire new why. Invite people in your immediate circle but audiences? also those you don t know that could have an ORGANIZE an activity with other like-minded interest and influence in Fairtrade. organizations. There may also be other DREAM BIG and envision all the people out groups in your network you could encourage there who could be moved to act because to hold their own activity. they don t want to feed exploitation. How WHAT TO DO PLAN your activities based on what you think TELL real stories about Fairtrade farmers and will grab people s attention. workers who produce the food and drink we DISPLAY free samples of Fairtrade products enjoy everyday. We want to show how unfair and have flyers, stickers or information sheets trade impacts their lives and leave people the available for handout. thought: how can I not buy Fairtrade? KEEP IT GOING COLLECT contact details of the people that information with a chance to win the jar at the end! observe, attend or participate so that you can DIRECT people to your fair trade Facebook page organize a follow-up to generate new interest and to learn more and ask them to use the hashtags engage different audiences. Guessing how many from your activity. Get people to like your content Fairtrade coffee beans in a jar is one way to collect and share often.
GET SOCIAL Invite people to take a picture during your activity and share it on social media. Use a prop like a picture frame or hold a banana up to mimic a smile ask people to share and post widely. #FairtradeMonth #FeedEmpowerment #ChooseFairtrade #MayisFairtradeMonth MAKE IT OFFICIAL If your town, school, campus, workplace, faith group or event regularly stocks or serves Fairtrade products, you could get officially designated as one of our Fair Trade Programs. Learn more at fairtrade.ca/programs BREAKING NEWS A press release, sample social media posts, producer photos use our free materials to engage with journalists, bloggers, and local media to get coverage and reach for your activity. FACEBOOK GROUPS LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION Show one of our YouTube videos at your activity, or use your Ask about joining our Facebook groups smartphone to livestream or make a for Town, Campus or Ambassador. It s fun 30-second clip. a great place to share local content and get everyone on the same page! FREE IS FUN We have a Fairtrade Month toolkit at fairtrade.ca/materials that is packed with free materials to help you promote your activity. Not enough? Check out the next page for more resource ideas.
RESOURCES There are plenty of free resources available to help you organize your activity for Fairtrade Month. If you re looking for POSTERS, POSTCARDS, STICKERS, BUTTONS and more, go to the Community section of our online store. If you re looking for VIDEOS, RETAILER LISTING, BANNERS, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS and more, you can download our digital toolkit. I Have noticed the climate has changed a lot in the past ten years. Our plot had no water and the forest was destroyed. Today we have four water springs, and we preserve the area around the rivers. The quality of the water is great. Now the water to the communities comes from right here. WILSON PEDROSO LIMA is a coffee farmer from Brazil and a founding member of his local Fairtrade cooperative. Read more about the real lives of farmers and workers at FAIRTRADE.CA/FEEDEMPOWERMENT GO TO FAIRTRADE.CA/MATERIALS to order your activity resources GUIDE.FAIRTRADE.CA to find brands that sell Fairtrade products FAIRTRADE.CA/FAIRTRADEMONTH for more information on Fairtrade Month
When you choose Fairtrade, you become part of the solution for farmers and workers and feed empowerment instead of exploitation. 8 Fairtrade Canada 800-250 City Centre Avenue Ottawa ON K1R 6K7 T: +1 613 563 3351 E: info@fairtrade.ca fairtrade.ca Photo credits: Sean Hawkey Marie-Eve Rompré and Sébastien Dagenais - La Boite 7 / Oxfam-Québec Feed empowerment. Choose fairtrade.