More than 60 primary schoolchildren gathered in Legislative Buildings yesterday (26th January) for the annual Fairtrade Primary conference, run by the One World Centre in conjunction with the Isle of Man Fairtrade Group.
Small groups of students from 16 of the Island’s primary schools took part in the event which saw them take a day out of the classroom to learn about all things Fairtrade. As well as a formal conference session, the students each participated in four workshops. These included a chance to debate in the Tynwald Chamber, a look at the production of Fairtrade chocolate (including an all-important tasting!), a philosophy for children discussion on the concept of fairness and a look at all the different products now available as Fairtrade.
The event was supported by the Manx Co-operative Society, who provided items for a packed lunch, and the keynote speaker was Amy Morris from the Co-op’s Fairtrade team who talked about the benefits of Fairtrade for producers in the developing world. President of Tynwald Steve Rodan addressed the conference and welcomed the children to the Legislative Buildings.
Towards the end of the day, the children worked in groups to come up with ideas for Fairtrade activities in their own schools during Fairtrade Fortnight which this year takes place between 27th February and 12th March.
This is the fifth year running the Fairtrade Primary conference has been held. It has been previously recognised by the Fairtrade Foundation as the outstanding Fairtrade campaign in the British Isles and was praised for its “imagination, inclusion, inspiration and impact.”
Speaking after the event, Amy Morris said: “I’ve really enjoyed the day. It has been wonderful to talk with such an engaged group of students. It was clear they could really see the difference Fairtrade makes and they are keen to spread the word back at their schools. It’s great for the Co-op to be able to support initiatives such as this and share our passion for fairly traded products.”
Rosemary Clarke, Director of the One World Centre, added: “Once again, the students were an enthusiastic audience who really took the opportunity to get to grips with what Fairtrade is all about. In the debating session in particular there were a lot of alternative views being shared, which showed excellent critical thinking skills, and there were some really interesting discussions about fairness and the best way that people could make a positive impact on others.
“I’d like to thank Mr President for making Legislative Buildings available to us and allowing us to use the Tynwald debating chamber. It’s a fantastic experience for the students to sit in the very room where our politicians discuss and decide the fairness of all sorts of other issues.”
Photo - Students taking part in one of the Fairtrade workshops.
