20th May, 2020

5 Tips for an out-of-this-world Fairtrade Challenge!

As the summer winds down you begin to think ahead to the next school year, are you struggling to come up with ideas for your next Fairtrade Challenge? I mean let’s face it, your Tuck Shop last year couldn’t have gone better, so what to do next?

It’s time to get your creative juices flowing again! Looking back on some of our favourite activities from this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, we’ve come up with a list of five tips to inspire your next Fairtrade Challenge. Engaging students and members of your wider community to empower change has never been so entertaining… and delicious!

Tip 1: Act it out!

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method of teaching new language and vocabulary concepts by using physical movements to react to verbal inputs. While generally used when teaching foreign languages, it is also a great way to engage younger students in learning new vocabulary.

After watching Guardians of the Rainforest, these dancing queens and kings from Duannie and Bedales Primary School demonstrated the steps to planting and caring for cocoa trees by acting them out, solidifying their knowledge of key terms like forest friendly farming.

Take your learnings to another school in your area, show them what you have been up to and help them begin their Fairtrade journey by performing one of our Assembly Scripts.

Tip 2: Now auditioning….. Master Chef Jr.

The Lord Mayor and Sheriff of York judging the Bake Off

After learning about all the different Fairtrade products available at your local supermarket or co-op, the only logical next step is to get baking! There is no better way to learn about all the beneficial aspects of becoming a Fairtrade certified producer (did anyone say Fairtrade Premium and Minimum Price?) than doing so while enjoying a delicious Fairtrade Chocolate Cupcake or piece of Fairtrade Banana Cake!

Making Fairtrade smoothies

Students at Applefields School, a secondary-age special needs school, got busy this Fairtrade Fortnight hosting a Great Fairtrade Bake Off, with class entries featuring different Fairtrade ingredients. Their competition was even judged by the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of York!

Choosing a slightly healthier option, St. Joseph’s RC Primary School pupils got to experiment themselves in making their own Fairtrade smoothies.

They first discussed where their ingredients came from and calculated the cost of their smoothie before preparing and measuring all Fairtrade fruit and blending it into a delicious drink!

Are all these recipes making you hungry? Activities that involve baking with Fairtrade products are great to incorporate in any challenge! After learning how easy it is to switch to Fairtrade in their own baking, students can then write to their canteen or school’s catering company to encourage them switch to Fairtrade ingredients too!

The Fairtrade Smoothie poster

Tip 3: Fairtrade: An Idea Worth Spreading!

Everyone loves colouring in the Fairtrade Mark but there are 3.452.283 more ways to engage with the concepts of Fairtrade … okay, maybe not exactly that many but you get the point! Why not engage students with the complicated issues of trade justice and inequality through hands-on activities and games? Even better, support your students in growing and sharing their Fairtrade knowledge by inviting other local schools to visit and organize a day’s worth of activities and games!

During this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight festivities, 18 Monmouthshire schools got together at Raglan CiW Primary School for a daylong Fairtrade Conference filled with workshops, activities, snacks and a special guest visit from Jenipher Wettaka, a coffee farmer from Uganda.

Here, pupils from Durand Primary went fishing for bananas while participating in one of the many interactive games at the conference. They also tasted a variety of Fairtrade products and talked with local Fairtrade suppliers about where their food comes from and how to spot the Fairtrade Mark!

Tip 4: BYODIYP- Bring your Own DIY Prop!

The inflatable banana is iconic for Fairtrade: not only does it help portray our mission to fight for global trade justice but it also brings a smile to anyone holding it. Props, acting as easy ice breakers, instantly spark up conversations, questions and giggles!

Pupils from one of Hull’s Primary Schools brought along their banana when visited Hull’s Guildhall during Fairtrade Fortnight. Meeting with the Lord Mayor, the Leader of the Council, the Ward Council and the Chair of the Health and Well-Being Board, it was all smiles as they talked about the importance of Fairtrade in their community and around the world.

Fairtrade at St. Michaels

However, what if you can’t get your hands on the elusive inflatable banana for that Instagrammable group photo?

Well… bring your own DIY prop of course!

Some great ideas include a life-size picture frame with the phrases like “I have the power to change the world” written around the border, Fairtrade product costumes, papier-mâché props or this amazing homemade Fairtrade logo with a head insert from Fairtrade St. Michael’s. The options are endless and whichever prop you choose is guaranteed to bring a whole lot of laughter and happy faces to your challenge!

Tip 5: Age is just a number

No one is ever too old to learn new tricks… or switch to using Fairtrade bananas in their morning porridge. There is no age limit when it comes to learning about our consumer power and the impact our choices can have around the world!

At Greatwood Community Primary School, they ended Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 with a Fairtrade Hall of Fame. With over 100 parents and family members attending the event, students spoke confidently about Fairtrade’s global impact as they walked their families around the different exhibits and let them taste some of their Fairtrade recipes. A few Whitaker’s chocolatiers even came to talk about the chocolate making process and their relationship with Fairtrade.

Any type of event— from a Fairtrade Hall of Fame to a Fairtrade Fashion Show to even a Fairtrade movie night— can help raise awareness of Fairtrade within your community. By inviting members of all ages, we strengthen our shared commitment to supporting Fairtrade producers around the world!

So remember, when planning your next Fairtrade Challenge there is no need to stress! Take a deep breath, hold it, and release. The world is your oyster and we cannot wait to see what ideas you come up with!

We hope these five tips and Fairtrade Fortnight activities have provided some inspiration, and don’t forget to check out the Fairtrade School Awards here for more information on how to get involved!