The New Zealand curriculum explains that students need to be able to decide on, plan, and take effective action on sustainability issues that concern and motivate them.
At Sunnyhills School, the Year 3 students have decided to take action through Fairtrade. They are all about taking RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTION, and making choices that are fair to people and the environment.
“I was so impressed with how these students really understood the concept of what is fair and how they want to make good choices for all children” – Year 3 Teacher.
The class has identified a SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE – Ensuring food is produced and sold in ways that the earth can sustain and people gain a fair price for their goods.
The students were encouraging their whānau to choose Fairtrade products, but they couldn’t always find them in stores.
What to do next?
Take action!
The students decided to write notes to the local shops to ask them to stock more Fairtrade groceries like bananas, vanilla, chocolate, ice cream and coffee.
Here are some of the Year 3’s recommendations:
“Look for the Fairtrade symbol. It means it gives people a fair life and they’ll have the basics they need. Make life fair for others.” – Lachie
“Without Fairtrade the growers can be living in poverty.” – Jamie, Marco & Max
“With Fairtrade the money goes to the people that grow it.” – Abigail
“We think all children in the world deserve a safe place to sleep, shelter, food, clean water, an education and medical care.”
All Good Bananas have seen the work that the students have done taking action for fairtrade, and want to visit Sunnyhills School in Term 4.
The NZ Curriculum explains that Education for Sustainability should support and empower all students to achieve, by enabling them to experience and participate in learning towards a goal that they see can make a difference. Sunnyhills Year 3 class are a great example of Enviroschools students who are using their learning to empower others.
Check out other Education for Sustainability learning at Sunnyhills Blogspot
You can also find further Curriculum-based information about Education for Sustainability learning experiences (including Fairtrade) here
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