Sustainability Fair at Botanical Garden

Fairtrade was well represented at this, our main event in 2013.  Fairtrade movement, as always working side by side along other campaigners for fairer and more sustainable trade.

FAB market at Sustainability fair

Excellent day in Victoria Square, as part of Birmingham's Sustainability Fair.  Here are a few photos from the day:

More fairsteps across Birmingham

More pledges, artwork, activities and chocolate (thanks Coop) across Kings Heath, and also at Evergreen Care Home, winners of our FAB photo competition, October 2011:

Fairtrade Chocolate at theTea Dance, KHCC 

Freya helps make fairtrade chocolate eggs at Evergreen Res home, Stechford 

Foot Pledges at All Saints Church, part of Fairtrade at Kings Heath Farmers Market

Traidcraft table set out for Education Sunday, All Saints Church

More footprints and handprints for fairsteps 

First steps for Fairsteps in Kings Heath

Freya examines the pledges so far

Today we started 'fairsteps', based on fairtrade foundation's 'Take a step in 2012' campaign in Kings Heath Community Centre Playgroup (thanks Midlands Coop for free chocolate and other goodies).

Children, parents and carers worked together to decorate paper feet, add their fairtrade pledges, and stick them up on our washing line.

This is the first of several workshops to take place across Kings Heath, and to be added to more in the city centre on 10th March.

It's a great opportunity to discuss what people think about fairtrade:

'This isn't something I think about everyday, and it should be.'

Attitudes to fairtrade are changing, but although fairtrade movement is growing there is still a lack of awareness about what is available - no one in the group, for instance, was aware of 'fairmined Gold', and one parent did comment, 'I can't afford fairtrade'.

The Fairtrade movement has taken many steps to get to where we are today - fairtrade still needs to work to get it's core message out, to promote the new lines and commodities available, and  to keep in step and understand what our customers are looking for, in terms of ethics and commodities.  Thank goodness for fairtrade fortnight.

FAB celebrates fairtrade fairmined gold

Members of FAB will be walking from Victoria Square to the Jewellery Quarter on Saturday 3rd March at midday to celebrate Fairmined Gold, a new and exciting development of ethical trade.  FAB is using the theme of Fairtrade Fortnight of “Make your step count” to follow the tourist trail of footsteps to the Jewellery Quarter and promote Fairmined Gold. They are being joined by Jewellery Quarter’s Cookson Gold and Weston Beamor who supply Fairmined Gold to the trade.

Fairtrade and Fairmined certified gold, the world's first independent ethical certification system for gold, will offer you the guarantee of a product which has been responsibly mined. All Fairtrade and Fairmined gold is mined from small-scale and artisan mines in a way that seeks to reduce dependence on harmful chemicals. Good news for mining communities in South America and good news for the people who live and mine there. Look carefully and you'll find the Fairtrade and Fairmined stamp on the inside of every piece.

'I think that Fairtrade is going to help us to sell our gold at the right price and we will be better paid. It will also help the environment.' Gina Dávila, mineral sorter, Sotrami Mine.

FAB have been supporting a range of promotional events throughout Fairtrade Fortnight to promote ethical trade and encourage people of Birmingham and the West Midlands to support retailers who sell Fairtrade goods.

John Boyle Chair of FAB:

“ this celebratory walk is a simple step toward making peoples lives better, by encouraging people in the UK to shop with their heart they will benefit those who have no choices due to their absolute poverty.”

For further information please contact:
John Boyle
07736792518
john.boyle@midlands.coop

Fairtrade working with Sports relief

There is an exciting opportunity for Fairtrade Towns and Cities to get involved with the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile flagship events taking place in one of the following locations on Sunday 25^th March:


London 
Manchester 
Edinburgh 
Glasgow 
Belfast 
Cardiff 
Plymouth 
Southampton 
Brighton and Hove 
Milton Keynes 
Bristol 
Birmingham 
Nottingham 
Norwich 
Leeds 
Hull 
Newcastle 
Gateshead


Fairtrade groups in these locations have been offered the chance to take part by having some kind some of Fairtrade presence, eg holding a stall at each of the Sport Relief Flagship events.


Further details can be found on the Sports Relief website at the following link: http://www.sportrelief.com/the-mile#tab3


This offer does provide a great opportunity to Take a Step for Fairtrade beyond Fairtrade Fortnight in 2012.  But time is running short so if you feel able to take that additional step (or should I say go that extra mile?) for Fairtrade Fortnight this year then please contact me as soon as possible and we shall be delighted to send on further details.


Bruce Crowther Fairtrade Towns Advisor Fairtrade Foundation

Normal working hours: 8am - 4pm Mon, Thurs and Fri.

Tel: 01995 601258

Mobile: 07866 541940

Blood, Sweat, & Chocolate

Fair trade enters the Dragons Den

Piecing together a story from B'ham Archive images

Over the last three weeks over 100 young people from Holy Trinity Catholic Media Arts College have been working on their own ideas for fair and ethical trading to appeal to young people in Birmingham.

Their creative ideas could be developed with the support of Fairtrade Association Birmingham and Creative Partnerships.  Their enquiry 'should all trade be fair?' was supported by a range of our different fair trade experts who made presentations about their practice, and answer any questions about the ideas of the young people.
Apart from the obvious enthusiasm of young people to explore fairness and trading, there are a range of curriculum learning objectives that could be covered by this project. We supported learning by offering a range of different workshops covering related issues:

• Birmingham and Fair Trade - Marcus Belben (Bham Archives and Heritage)
• Marketing and Publicity - Marcia Springer (Bright Space)
• The Cooperative movement - John Boyle (Midlands Coop)
• Fairtrade and film, John Cooper (Just film Cooperative)
• Trade and Charity, Sylvia Gardner (LUCIA)
• Faith and Fair trade, Karem Issa (Faiths Act Fellow with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation).

Mapping out where goods have come from to make their clothes

The dragons den was hosted at Holy Trinity, the panel including young people, teaching staff and Jane Colbourne (FAB secretary and procurements manager, University of Birmingham).  Each class from year 8 presented one of their ideas, including clothing for young women, sportswear, drinks and make up, mobile phones and an app to find fairtrade goods, footwear including fairtrade trainers (Fairtrainers+, the dragon's den winners) and not forgetting chocolate.

Clothing designed during project

Presentations were mostly organised with powerpoint, including drama, artwork and a rap, all demonstrating the understanding of young people and their creative approach, in their words, to 'young people changing the world'

Sushan Dasgupta also coordinated a meeting at Shared Earth, on 10th March to discuss and develop a youth forum for young people and schools across Birmingham. Our work at Holy Trinity and all the other schools we have worked with over fairtrade fortnight in Birmingham, has demonstrated a need to collaborate more with young people to develop their campaigns on fair and ethical trading in Birmingham.

Kit on at Kings Heath Primary

Two days of workshops at Kings Heath Primary saw us working with the stay & play group, and the whole of year 3.

Blood, Sweat, Traffic event in photos

Evening with Divine Chocolates

Kit on Baptist Church Stay and Play

More fun and games at Baptist Church Stay & Play, Kings Heath High Street!

Kit on for Fairtrade first event

Kings Heath Community Centre hosted the first Kit on for fairtrade events today - photos below