Action plan for Ayr - A fair trade town

What an amazing morning I had on tuesday.   Ayr fairtrade partnership are putting together an action plan in support of the renewal of their fairtrade town status.  As part of that Process we are consulting with as many people as possible in our community.  

Our first meeting was hosted by the Kyle Academy fair trade co-op and was attended by 8 pupils from  S2 and S3 as well as representatives from local primaries school and church groups.

I help the teacher organise the Kyle FT group.   It's run as an extra curricular activity on Mondays and fridays so I know that children are great when it comes to brainstorming.  They have an amazing capacity to think outside the box, the ideas just flow, they are not restrained by what others may think  ...... They'll explore the impossible, impractical outrageous even the ridiculous.  Us adults are left to do the boring bit .... thinking about resources and praccticalities!

So, between brainstorming, summing up, tea, juice, biscuits - all fairtrade of course and more brainstorming, these are the ideas we came up with.

Everyone recognised the need to strengthen links between secondary and primary schools.  klye pupils offered to go to other schools to talk about how to set up a fair trade group and run tuck shops and stalls

All schools need to encourage parents to get involved and include fair trade in all areas of the curriculum.  kyle pupils felt that attendance has to be voluntary and the lessons made more interesting.  One of their ideas is to do an interactive FT quiz, a bit like who wants to be a millionaire where the audience votes - apparently most schools have the facilities to do this sort of thing now.

The children like the Youtube videos and think it's much better to use these resources than be lectured at ..... Unless it's a real producer or someone who has visited a producer and can speak from personal experience. 

It was also felt that schools need to do more to investigate FT uniforms and sports equipment as most kids think fairtrade is just about chocolate.

Businesses

• Golf club houses – should be visited to persuade them to use and sell FT. Local courses first, then further afield. Research needed – costs?
• Produce laminated copy of Fairtrade town certificate for display by local shops and businesses (Troon do this)
• Find out which local businesses use FT
• Encourage local businesses to expand their range of FT products
• Talk to local nursing and care homes about using FT
• Talk to supermarkets about FT – more products
• Encourage all businesses to swap to FT, including sports retailers

Fairtrade Fortnight focus

Invite producer to come to Ayr

Social Media

• Use Ayr FT Partnership website; Glow website; Wordpress to promote FT
• Use Twitter, Hotmail, Slide Shure, Facebook
• Create Ayr FT Facebook group
• Use Wikispaces
• Use local press – make links with local papers

Campaigning

Contact local MPs & MSPs about their involvement and commitment

Olympics 2012 – write to politicians, sports teams etc about using FT equipment; ensuring FT in venues etc

Community

• Mini FT Olympics – as many events as possible for children and adults. People pay to enter and receive FT t-shirt
• Trip to Ghana, for example, to see how FT has helped people there. School pupils, business people  could go and then tell others from first hand experience.
• School twinning with school in developing country could expand to include community twinning
• Promoting FT in youth groups, Scouts etc (are there badges for FT, citizenship?)
• Competitions to find out what people know about FT
• Asking people what FT means to them
• Encouraging swapping normal purchases for FT

So thats it,  We now need to follow this up and see how we can carry forward some of these great ideas.  If you want to get involved in this process send me a message or contact us via the Ayr Fairtrade partnership website.