Back to School with Fair Trade + A Giveaway!

Fair Trade Campaigns August 11, 2017

To all of our student, teacher, and staff organizers – welcome back to school! With everyone returning to classrooms and campuses feeling rested from the summer and ready for a fresh start, the beginning of the school year is a great time to recommit to your Fair Trade campaign.

Reach out to incoming students to get new members involved with your Fair Trade efforts, set goals for the next few months, and kick off the year with a fun Fair Trade event!

Educate and Engage with Fair Trade Events

Make Fair Trade part of existing events, like orientation activities or club fairs, or host your own event to attract new members and teach your community about Fair Trade. Here are two simple and impactful events that you could host at your school this fall:

Tabling for Fair Trade

Set up a table in a high traffic location in your school or on your campus – in your dining hall or cafeteria, at the cafe where everyone grabs their morning coffee, at a school festival or new student orientation – and talk to your classmates, teachers, and colleagues about Fair Trade. Here are a few tips to make your tabling event a success.

EDUCATE Print resources for people to learn more about Fair Trade. We have 101 guides on Fair Trade, coffee, bananas, women’s empowerment, and more in our resource library.
ENGAGE Have a sign up sheet available for people to join your Fair Trade committee. Does your campaign have a social media page? Encourage people to like or follow you!
SHARE Free samples are always a great way to get people to stop and chat. Offer Fair Trade coffee or chocolate, or even baked goods made with Fair Trade ingredients. Explore working with dining services at your school to get coffee or tea donated for your event.

Fair Trade Film Screening

Pop some popcorn and pull up a chair for a Fair Trade movie night! There are a number of excellent Fair Trade films to choose from, covering topics from ethical apparel to bananas. Check out all of our suggestions in our Fair Trade Film and Book List. Here are a few tips to make your film screening a success.

PARTNER Team up with other groups on campus to reach a wider audience. Does your school have a club focused on sustainability or anti-trafficking? Does your college have a fashion design program? Think about what other groups would be interested in the topic of the film you’ve selected.
EDUCATE Share information related to the topic of your film. Are you screening Dukale’s Dream? Share information about Fair Trade coffee. Are you showing The True Cost? Check our our Apparel 101 guide. If you have enough time, start a conversation after the film to answer questions and talk about people’s takeaways.
ENGAGE Have a sign up sheet available for people to join your Fair Trade committee. Does your campaign have a social media page? Encourage people to like or follow you!

Enter to Win! Fair Trade Giveaway

Two lucky winners will receive a prize pack full of Fair Trade products, thanks to our amazing sponsors. Enter to win with three simple steps:

Register your event. Add your event to your campaign’s page on our website.
- Not sure how? Check out this simple tutorial.
Host your event. Educate, engage, and have fun! Host your event by October 23 to make sure you have time to complete step three.
Report back on your event. After your event, you’ll receive an email asking you to report back on how it went. Submit that report back no later than October 27.

One Fair Trade Colleges & Universities winner will receive a soccer ball from Senda Athletics, backpacks from Gallant International, yerba mate from Guayaki, and ice cream coupons from Ben & Jerry’s.

One Fair Trade Schools winner will receive a soccer ball from Senda Athletics, backpacks from Gallant International, yerba mate from Guayaki, and indoor gardening kits from Back to the Roots.

Extra Credit

Share on Social

Connect with us, and with other campaigns across the country, by sharing your event on social! Post photos and tag Fair Trade Campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Looking for another way to engage people at your event? Use these printable templates to show the many and diverse reasons why your community supports Fair Trade! Ask classmates, teachers, and colleagues to write in why they choose Fair Trade, or what Fair Trade means to them, and snap a photo to share on social.

Sustainability Tip: Save paper by using a small whiteboard instead of printing the paper template.