Lord Provost’s Fair Trade Awards
On Monday evening the Lord Provost the Rt Hon Donald Wilson welcomed people to the City Chambers who have been instrumental in Fair Trade across the city. He then presented the Lord Provost’s Fair Trade awards to several recipients including St George’s School who won the School Fair Trade Award.
Awards are made each year as part of Edinburgh’s Fair Trade Fortnight celebrations to recognise schools, businesses and individuals who promote Fair Trade. Fair Trade is an important worldwide initiative that seeks to challenge injustices in trading structures and practices that often lead to the exploitation and marginalisation of poor people. It supports farmers, workers and producers in third world countries in order for them to receive a better price for their products and fair terms for their labour.
Anne Everest, Head of St George’s, commented:-“Receiving this year’s Fair Trade School Award is a great honour, and something the whole school is very proud of. Our Fair Trade committee has helped to raise awareness about the importance of Fair Trade amongst our girls across all ages.
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Through our Fair Trade activities we have also highlighted the importance of equality and fairness in life and given students a greater understanding about the challenges faced in these areas by many people in third world countries who suffer from unfair trade and working conditions.
Over the last year our Fair Trade committee worked closely with the school’s Eco committee and we are equally pleased that the school has also been recently recognised for its Eco work. Earlier this month we were awarded the highly regarded Green Flag award which is awarded to schools by the Eco-Schools Scotland programme who promote and celebrate sustainable education amongst young people and their communities.”
St George’s has run a series of events and activities designed to raise awareness about Fair Trade. In the Junior School girls have been learning about Fair Trade and Fair Trade products as part of their curriculum. This culminated in pupils producing a leaflet informing parents and children about why Fair Trade is important and identifying which products carry the Fair Trade logo.
Other school initiatives have included learning about the Fair Trade logo and finding out how to recognise it on Fair Trade products, singing Fair Trade songs, sourcing and selling Fair Trade products in school, and conducting a survey with staff and students to determine current attitudes towards Fair Trade. Plans are also underway to organise a Great St George’s Bake-off as part of the School’s Eco-day where students have been given the challenge of producing an appetising meal or cake made only from Fair Trade products.