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Description

A role play to demonstrate Fair Trade

Resources

20 pennies per Six.

Instructions

As a Pack, discuss what makes trade fair or unfair. How can the Cub Scouts try to make sure that they people who make the clothes they buy are treated fairly? They might write to companies to show they care about this issue, or carry out a survey to find out what people think about Fairtrade and send this to retainers (as a stimulus for discussion, you could tell the Pack that typically out of the £20 that they pay for a new outfit, only £3 will go to the person who made it. Sometimes it is much less; it can only be a few pence).

As a role-play, you could assign members of each Six with particular roles:

1-3 Cub(s) as The cloth weavers
1 Cub as The middleman
1 Cub as The clothing maker
1 Cub as The retailer
1 Cub as The consumer

To highlight what we mean by Fairtrade, give the consumer 20 pennies. Then list how the money gets split up in the various stages in many cases:

The consumer pays 20 pennies for an item.

The retailer takes the 20 pennies and pays the clothing maker 12.

The clothing maker passes on nine to the middleman.

The cloth weaver receives one from the middleman.



Then use a similar example to show Fairtrade.

The consumer pays 20 pennies for an item.

The retailer takes the 20 pennies and pays the clothing maker 14.

The clothing maker passes on eight to the middleman, meaning that the workers making the clothes can be paid a fairer wage, as the clothing maker keeps 6 pennies.

The cloth weaver receives four pennies from the middleman. This quadruples the wage of the cloth maker and is a much fairer wage.

Some of the Cub Scouts may ask why the retailer still keeps six pennies. It might be worth explaining that the cost of living, overheads, staff etc are more expensive in this country than in countries where the cloth is made. Also, the middleman is very unlikely to be the same person or group when dealing with Fairtrade.

Explain how buying Fairtrade products can benefit people all over the world that would otherwise not earn a fair wage. It may also be worth asking the Pack to imagine what it would be like to work long hours, seven days a week, just to survive.

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Badge Links

• World - International issue