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Lesson 5 - Fair Trade is About Being Fair
Objectives
To understand the need for organizations such as the Fair Trade Federation,
and how it can help artists and artisans receive a more just price for the
arts and craft they produce.
Vocabulary
Cooperative: An enterprise owned by and operated for the
benefit of its members who use its services. For example, by
banding together, the members of a
weaving cooperative are able to buy their supplies (thread, yarn, etc.) more cheaply
and they are able to sell their products at a better price than if selling individually.
Fair Trade Federation (FTF): A U.S. based association
of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed
to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically
disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. It endorses and promotes US wholesalers,
retailers
and a number of producers as complying with Fair Trade principles.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's): The term for many
kinds of groups and organizations who provide development and humanitarian aid
to people in many parts of the world who suffer from environmental disasters,
effects of wars or from social inequalities of many kinds.
Learning Activities
- Role Playing: Bargaining for the purchase of a craft item in a Guatemalan
Market. After reading or relating to students the main ideas of the Background information,
encourage discussion. Then ask for two student volunteers to act the parts
of a tourist and an artisan selling their crafts in a market in Guatemala. The tourist pretends
to have a lot of money but still hopes to buy from the artisan at bargain prices.
- What would the tourist say or do to the craft seller to
pay the least amount of money?
- How do you think the tourist justifies what they do?
- What would the artisan seller say or do to try to convince the tourist to pay the price he/she asks
and give reasons why the item is worth what is asked?
Throughout the role playing, ask the players to contribute their own ideas. Ask
students to think about if they have ever bargained for something and
to consider if bargaining for a purchase is ever done in Canada and the
USA. What do you think would happen if we tried to bargain at the checkout
counter at out local super market?
After finishing this activity, give students the a chance to share their
opinions about bargaining. Some things to consider are:
- Is bargaining a good way to buy things?
- Does bargaining work in some places and not in others?
- Is a bargainer with a lot of money in a different position than one on a more equal income level with the seller?
- Does the richer buyer have a responsibility to think of the welfare of the seller?
Try to think of still other issues.
- Discuss with students why we should care about the amount of money earned by artisans,
factory workers and farmers who live in other counties and make and grow the
things we buy. Explore with students the reasons why promoting
a just wage and the creation of a fair trading environment helps to enable artisans, factory workers, farmers
and farm workers to earn a adequate dignified living, while at the same time
helping to make the world a better and more peaceful place.
- Find out if you have a Fair Trade store in your community by looking
at the Fair
Trade Federation website. If there is a store, perhaps you and
your class could visit and talk with the owner. Note that sometimes stores
are selling arts and crafts items
from Fair Trade sources but are not themselves members of the FTF. Other stores
sell arts and crafts but do not buy them from Fair Trade sources.
Students
could make a list of questions to ask the store owner about the kinds of items
offered for sale and their origins. Some examples of questions they could ask
are
- why he/she decided to sell particular Fair Trade items
- if they sell items from non-Fair Trade sources, why did they decide to do
so?
- how can they find out if an item comes from a Fair Trade producer?
Assessment
After participating in activities and discussions students should
be able to articulate why paying a fair price for crafts is the right thing
to do.
Students should be able describe bargaining as a way to buy things,
and how it can be done in the right way.
Further Exploration
Many sites are listed on the Links page which
can students find out more about the Fair Trade Federation and associated
FTF stores, as well as about Coops and Non-Governmental Organizations.
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