Despite being a very multicultural organization, CRS Fair Trade is going to claim a little bit of USA pride.  Last year more than 12,000 Fair Traders in the United States set the World’s Record for Largest Fair Trade break.  Soon thereafter, however, about 50,000 residents of Finland took away the title!

This May, Fair Traders in the USA are going to try to win back from the good people of Finland the bragging rights for World’s Largest Fair Trade break.  Because CRS recently expanded our Raise Money Right project to include both Divine and Equal Exchange chocolate, we will be offering a chocolate break to our staff in Baltimore on the eve of the big day.

But Fair Trade isn’t free my friends…CRS employees will be challenged to win chocolate by scoring a goal using a Fair Trade Sports soccer ball.  With many employees from Africa and Latin America where soccer (or futbol) is very popular, we expect to be awarding lots of chocolate during our friendly competition in the CRS lunchroom (no worries, nothing is breakable up there on the 8th floor!)

Even if staff have no soccer skills, they’ll have a chance to buy chocolate as a fundraiser for the overseas work of Catholic Relief Services.  If you are looking for a simple, fun and effective way to take a Fair Trade break on or about May 9, please consider holding a Raise Money Right fundraiser in your community.  When you order organizing material from World Fair Trade Day organizers you’ll get a tally sheet to help keep count of how many participants you had, and when you order chocolate you’ll get all the details on how to use this fun global moment to raise money for worthy local causes.

To encourage our hard working staff to leave their desks for the break, Katy has agreed to dress up as a fish and parade through our LEED-certified building.  I will be pounding on a drum as Mary chants, “Beat the Fins, not just the drums!”   Get it? Fins? Finland? Silly? yes, we agree.  But in these tough economic times, which hit the poorest of the poor the hardest, we need to take time out to celebrate our successes, to spread our passion, and to remember “everything’s better when its fair.”

There’s plenty of free information on how to organize your own event.  Also several supporters of the day, such as CRS partners Peace Coffee and Divine Chocolate are providing incentives for planning an event.  So please join us!

“….My experience at the USFT Convergence was very enriching. It was very exciting to see so many young people from all over the US and other countries wanting to learn more about Fair Trade!

In the Convergence I learned that the Fair Trade farmers and artisans are not looking for charity, but instead for social justice. I realized that there is a great need to educate the consumers in order to build a sense of solidarity with the producers. If the consumers put pressure on the supermarkets, then the supermarkets will choose Fair Trade products. Moreover, it was basic for me to understand that Fair Trade recognizes “the quality” of the work that is done by the farmers and artisans; and that it requires a trading partnership founded on dialogue, transparency and respect. Furthermore, I became aware of several catalogs and stores that offer options to support Fair Trade farmers and artisans.

With regards to Fair Trade certification requirements, I learned that FLO (Fair Trade Labeling Organizations) certifies the producers (cooperatives); and that to be FLO certified, cooperatives have to follow some social and environmental standards. On the other hand, TFUSA (Transfair USA) licenses Fair Trade importers….Most of the certification requirements are for food and beverage products. However, IFAT–the World Fair Trade Organization is currently working on standards for artisan products.

I was inspired by many success Fair Trade stories, among them:
• The Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida.
• The Mirembe Kawomera interfaith cooperative in Uganda.
• The Sol Colibri cocoa and coffee farmers in Costa Rica.
• The Nueva Vida Women’s Sewing Cooperative in Nicaragua.
• Fair Trade Sports, who supports hundreds of Pakistani men and women who make a living by stitching balls.

Finally, I was given ideas on how to promote the benefits of Fair Trade at my university as well as in the broader community.

Everything that I learned in the Convergence has fueled my passion for social justice; and has already given a great impulse to our St. Thomas University Solidarity Group who works with Haitian artisans and farmers. Thank you, CRS, for your invitation!”

CRS Fair Trade has been supporting student initiatives for several years, believing that their passion and intellect will help guide the movement well into the future. Here are some students from the University of San Diego demonstrating the coffee value chain.