Fairtrade

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is not charity; it is about trading in a fair way with communities who have little strength, and giving producers a better deal in return for their hard labour.

Fairtrade is about working in a fair way with overseas communities who are at risk of exploitation. It means making sure these workers get a fair wage for their work so they can improve their lives, live more safely and healthily and be able to educate and train themselves and their children.

Click a link to jump to a section:
Becoming a Fairtrade Church 
Becoming a Fairtrade School 

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Becoming a Fairtrade Church

If you are just beginning to think about Fairtrade issues and would like more information, contact the Diocesan Fairtrade Steering Group colin.brady@salisbury.anglican.org 

• Agree at your next PCC meeting that you want to stand with others in promoting and supporting Fairtrade
• Pass a resolution at your PCC to only use tea and coffee that carries the Fairtrade mark at all activities for which you have responsibility and to promote Fairtrade throughout all the church organisations
• Raise awareness of Fairtrade by distributing leaflets in your church. The Fairtrade Foundation provides leaflets on a range of campaigns and for Fairtrade Fortnight each year
• An application form to register as a Fairtrade Church is available from the Fairtrade Foundation along with other resources and ideas

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What can we do?

• Be informed! Visit www.fairtrade.org.uk website so that you are fully aware of the issues
• Find out where your local Fairtrade stockists are – supermarkets, Oxfam, cafés, etc
• Raise awareness of Fairtrade by putting up a Fairtrade display and distributing leaflets in the church and locality
• Include prayers on Fairtrade in a service
• Provide information on Fairtrade in parish magazines
• Only use fairly traded products for catering in your congregations
• Promote Fairtrade locally during Fairtrade Fortnight

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Fairtrade Schools

Schools have been making a commitment to Fairtrade around the country by running Fairtrade tuck shops, stocking vending machines with Fairtrade juice and chocolate, and doing assemblies to educate about trade justice.

There are lots of good resources on the Internet for finding out how to introduce Fairtrade into your school. Good places to start are the websites of the Co-op website and the Fairtrade Foundation.

How do you promote Fairtrade in school?

There are lots of easy ways to promote Fairtrade in your school during lessons, assemblies, social events, and by using only fairly traded products in the staff room. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

• Set up a Fairtrade tuck shop
• Mark Fairtrade Fortnight by holding a Fairtrade treasure hunt
• Run a Fairtrade coffee morning for staff to introduce the idea
• Hold a Fairtrade assembly (lots of resources are online at the Christian Aid and Co-op websites)
• Incorporate Fairtrade issues into Citizenship, RE and Geography coursework
• Invite a speaker to talk to your class or school
• Link up with your local supermarket (e.g. do a customer survey and talk to shoppers about what they are buying
• Hold a Fairtrade event for the wider community

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