Activity for young people aged 6-11
Why not organise a short assembly or play about the difference Fairtrade makes to the lives of farmers in poorer countries? Young people could present this in as little as 10-15 minutes at a Fairtrade event or in a lesson. They’ll also need a bit of time to prepare and make props.
The script is about banana farmers, but it’s quick and easy to amend it to focus on another Fairtrade crop or product, like chocolate, cotton or sugar. Young people can act out the parts of children in the UK, buyers and growers. A teacher or adult presents the play with young people, who work in two groups. There are two presenters, up to seven farmers, two buyers and four young people in brief roles.
You could also think about:
· Backdrops, such as a cardboard mock-up of a shop in the UK and some cardboard banana plants represent where the growers live.
· A projector and screen, if you also want to show everyone how bananas are grown, watch a video or show the FAIRTRADE Mark and photos of other Fairtrade products
· Costumes and props
· Samples of Fairtrade bananas and other
What will you need?
Print the script, or put each part on some card or laminate it. Before you start, you could use a slideshow or short film to introduce how farmers grow and harvest bananas and how Fairtrade helps them and their communities. There are lots out there, or you could check out the resources at:
www.fairtrade.org.uk/schools/bananas
www.fairtrade.org.uk/resources/films/tipping_the_balance.aspx
www.greenschools.coop
www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/go_bananas/?30
Script
Welcome everyone and explain that today they’re learning about something very important: when we buy food, the choices we make affect the lives of people who grow crops in other countries. If you like, ask for ideas about which crops grow in other countries, and where. Ask them what they think life might be like in other countries – how is it similar or different to the UK?
GROUP 1
Presenter 1: [hold up bunch of bananas] Who can tell me what today’s play is about?
That’s right, bananas.
Lots of us love to eat bananas but how much do you know about the people who work hard to grow them? Without banana farmers, we can’t enjoy bananas. But do banana farmers get a fair deal? Let’s find out.
Young person 1: Yum! I love bananas. I wonder who grew it?
Young person 2: Who cares? I want something else to eat now! How about some chocolate?
Young person 3: Um, I care! I hope banana farmers can earn a living. That only seems fair
Teacher: Ask everyone: who has ever wondered about the lives of the people who grow the food they enjoy? Do they think their lives are like ours, or perhaps very different?
Farmer 1: I work hard to grow and harvest bananas. I have to make sure they look and taste great so people in the UK want to buy them.
Farmer 2: It’s not always easy growing bananas. Some of my plants died in a hurricane.
Buyer: I want to make as much money as I can! I know – I’ll pay these farmers as little as possible.
Farmer 1: I don’t earn enough to pay for growing my bananas.
Farmer 2: I can’t always pay for what my family needs, like food and school.
Farmer 1: Our village doesn’t always have clean water. My children’s school doesn’t have many books or resources.
Teacher: Ask everyone for their reaction. What do they think life must be like for these growers, who can’t earn enough to live on? Do they think this is fair? Gather ideas about what young people think might be a fair solution to this problem.
GROUP 2
Presenter 2: What about if we start with a different idea? What about if we think that farmers should get a better deal? What about if we chose a special sort of bananas? Bananas that make sure farmers earn enough to live on? Let’s find out.
Young person 3: Yum! I love bananas. I wonder who grew these ones.
Young person 4: Look – the packet tells you! And because they’re Fairtrade, we know the farmers got a better deal.
Farmer 3: We work together to grow our bananas.
Farmer 4: We share what we know and we help each other. Together we can sell more bananas to buyers.
Buyer 2: I’m a Fairtrade buyer. I’ll give you a better price for your bananas.
Farmer 3: Fairtrade will also help us improve our farms and community. That’s only fair!
Farmer 5: We’ll decide together what we’ll do. That’s fair!
Farmer 6: I earn more money now. I can buy food, and send my children to school.
Farmer 7: I now have clean, safe water.
Farmer 5: We also have a better school in our village.
Teacher: Remind everyone that Fairtrade helps by paying growers and farmers a fair price, and also by paying an extra sum of money (the Fairtrade premium) that they can spend on improving their communities. Tell the audience what else is planned for Fairtrade Fortnight and encourage everyone to get involved.
If you have time, you could
• Ask the audience how they can tell that a product is Fairtrade, and show the FAIRTRADE Mark. Does anyone remember seeing this on other products in shops or at home?
• Show examples of other Fairtrade products
• Ask what we can all do: we can tell other people about Fairtrade, and look out for Fairtrade products when we are shopping, to help make sure growers get a better deal. If we can’t see any, we could even ask for them!
This activity was adapted for Fairtrade Fortnight from an existing resource with kind permission from The Co-operative’s Green Schools Revolution.