"Knowing the reality of impoverished countries and the main reasons why they are impoverished is a treasure for our children as it will mark their way of acting in the future when looking beyond and in their daily lives" Gemma Cortina, Montnegre School.
Four schools from Baix Montseny take part in the project Fair Trade Schools Networkcoordinated by Alternativa3. The main objective of this development education project is to introduce the principles and values of Fair Trade and responsible consumption into the school curriculum. The aim is to encourage the emergence of critical attitudes towards conventional consumption and to be drivers of change towards a sustainable and ethical economy. Fair Trade is an alternative trading system based on democratic decision-making, gender equality, non-exploitation of children, decent wages and conditions for workers and respect for the environment.
We wanted to interview Gemma Cortina, teacher at Montengre school and coordinator of the project at the centre to see her vision and experience.
Has the Montnegre school been part of the Fair Trade Schools Network since last year? What interests you most about the project?
What interests us most about the project are the values and principles it conveys. It is a very good opportunity to make our students aware of responsible consumption and, at the same time, to transmit important values such as cooperation, gender equality and respect for the environment, among others. Knowing the reality of impoverished countries and the main reasons why they are impoverished is a treasure for our children as it will mark their way of acting in the future when looking beyond and in their daily lives.
What activities are you carrying out at Montnegre School for this Fair Trade project this year?
This year we will repeat some activities that were very successful last year such as the cocoa tasting, learn Fair Trade with music, the clean clothes activity and the visits of Nicaraguan products, if possible, among others.
We will continue to correspond with students from Nicaragua. In fact we have already prepared a book for them to explain a tradition from our home: the Castañada.
As a novelty, this year the students in charge of the Cooperative project (CUEME) will work with this NGO, some of their products will have a Fair Trade label and the students will have the opportunity to explain to their buyers where they come from and the advantages of being responsible when buying some products.
We will also introduce Fair Trade in the school library with related stories, proposals and games. Pupils will be able to enjoy them during break times if they want to.
Which one did you enjoy the most or find most interesting?
All the activities have been very successful. The activity "Learn music with Fairtrade" is very popular with the pupils and it's true that it is a real eye-catcher. It's great to see the smiling faces of the pupils when they hear that we play their song at arrival or departure time. The visit of the producers and the women's collective from Matagalpa is an extraordinary way to bring to a close what we have been working on during the whole course. In fact the response of the students and teachers to all the activities has been very positive.
What have you and the teaching staff learned from the trainings in this project?
Above all, we have learned the importance of transmitting to our students the values and principles that I have already mentioned. From the problems that exist to using the right vocabulary when it comes to transmitting them to the children. A simple fact such as categorising these countries as impoverished and not poor opens up a huge range of possibilities to make the pupils understand the root of the problem.
What do you think students learn from this project?
Apart from learning about a problem that, although far away, they are part of as consumers, they also learn about all the values that the Fair Trade way of working encompasses.
For further information, please contact
Maria Fernandez
maria@alternativa3.com
619178779
www.xarxaescolescj.org
- 13-12-18