Events in LV
Trainings for pupils
The purpose of the trainings is to present the Fair Trade to pupils, help them understand the importance of Fair Trade mouvement in global context and encourage young people to reduce poverty in developing world through every day choises.
Fair Trade booth in festival
Fair Trade Booth took place in a music, health, spiritual festival HELSUS, which took place on the 22nd and 23rd of August 2015 in the island of Lucavsala, Riga.
Fair Trade Booth consisted of 5 activities.
1. Information stand contained information materials about Fair Trade, FT products for degustation, FT information roll-ups, also a Fair Trade Wheel game – a turning wheel containing questions about FT. Winners received FT products as prizes.
2. Fair Trade dynamic culinary workshop took place in a separate tent next to the info stand. Participants were able to make their own Fair Trade chocolate sweets, using Fair Trade ingredients or watch how they are being made.
3. In Fair Trade Games area participants were able to play 2 active games related to Fair Trade.
4. In workshop “Planting cocoa tree” participants were able to plant their own cocoa seed in a small pot. During the process they were educated on the process/problems of cocoa production and Fair Trade cocoa. Participants were able to choose wether to take the planted cocoa seed with them. For those, who chose to leave it, the plants were taken to the National Botanical Gardens of Latvia after the event.
5. The Fair Trade Chillout&Library offered the chance to relax in comfy chairs in a chillout corner, also a small selection of books related to Fair Trade and health food was available.
Presentation of cartoons
Two presentations of cartoons were organized in Latvia.
Date: October 18, 2014
Place: Kalnciema Kvartāls, Kalnciema iela 35, Rīga.
The goal: To present the new cartoons for the younger generations in an appealing way.
The event was held within an inside building during a farmers’ market. As an additional activity we offered visitors to cast their own fair trade chocolate figures. After the introduction and the first viewing the cartoons were continued to show on loop while the children worked in the workshop.
Date: November 21, 2014
Place: University of Latvia, Department of Pedagogy
The goal: To present the perspective and already working teachers (pedagogy students) with Fair Trade and cartoons for additional multiplier effect.
At the beginning of the event the cartoons has been shown and Green Liberty leaded discussion about Fair Trade. After coffee break, as an additional activity students were asked to think of separate product’s life cycles in groups (chocolate, milk, bananas etc.). This task was also followed by a discussion.
Events in shopping centres
Five events were organised in Latvia.
Date: 4-6 September, 2014.
Place: RigaFood exhibition, Ķīpsala, Ķīpsalas iela 8, Rīga.
The goal: To inform the visitors of the exhibiton about the current Fair Trade issues.
Programme: The event was a stand with Fair Trade related materials and products for degustation. The visitors had the ooportunity to play the Fair Trade quiz and receive prizes for correct answers. Cartoons were presented on a monitor and interested people could also play the Fair Trade tracker on a laptop. The stand was active 3 days – throughout the duration of the exhibition
Date: 13 December, 2014.
Place: Farmer’s market, Bergs Bazaar, Dzirnavu street 83/85, Riga.
The goal: To inform the visitors of the market about the current Fair Trade issues.
Programme: The event’s background topic was sugar, sugar trade and related social and economical global issues connected to Fair Trade. The events’ main activity was an informational and degustational stand about Fair Trade and sustainability issues, it was accompanied by two workshops managed by volunteers. The first one gave the visitors the opportunity to cast their own sugar candy and the second one – to garnish Christmas biscuits. The necessary Fair Trade certified sugar ingredients for workshops were provided by DanSukker. Bergs Bazaar had also arranged a live musician.
Date: 8-9 May, 2015.
Place: shopping center Spice Home, Jaunmoku street 13, Rīga.
The goal: To inform the visitors of the shopping center about the current Fair Trade issues.
Programme: The event was a stand with Fair Trade related materials and products for degustation. The visitors could not only taste Fair Trade products available in Latvia, but also see how the Fair Trade composite sweets are made on spot and even do it themselves – all prepared using Fair Trade organic products (almonds, cocoa powder, sugar).
Date: 4-7 September, 2015.
Place: RIGA FOOD 2015, BT1, Ķīpsalas iela 8, Riga, Latvia
The goal: To inform the visitors of the shopping center about the current Fair Trade issues.
Programme: The activities consisted of the information stand where different tasteable Fair Trade products were available. Similary to the first event, in the stand they also had the opportunity to create their own Fair Trade composite products. A useful way to attract people was also the Fair Trade wheel, where visitors answered Fair Trade related questions in return for Fair Trade product prizes. The volunteers helped to attract people by talking to people dressed in FT Banana and Coccoa pod costumes. Another attraction was completing the Fair Trade crossword in return for prizes.
Date: 25 October, 2015.
Place: Farmer‘s market in Kekava, near Doles Tautas nams, Rīgas 26, Ķekavas p., Ķekavas n., LV-2123
The goal: To inform the visitors of the shopping center about the current Fair Trade issues.
Programme: The main focus of this event regarding the digustation of Fair Trade products was the tasty Fair Trade cocoa, coffee and tea available in Latvia. Apart from degustation of different Fair Trade products, visitors had the opportunity to add localy grown spices and herbs to Fair Trade cocoa drink and tea drinks to enhance the taste to their liking. Like in the previous event, Fair Trade Wheel game was a popular attraction and the volunteers in banana and coccoa pod costumes were walking the market and educating people on Fair Trade.
The Gamechangers workshops
Three Gamechangers workshops were organised in Latvia.
Date: January 23rd, 2015
Place: homo ecos, Green floor, Ernestīnes street 12, Riga
The goal: to increase young leaders understanding and acceptance of Fair Trade
Programme:
The event consisted of three parts.
In the first part the participants were educated by Green Liberty in consumption patterns and the social, economical and environmental effects of consumption. Also, Diāna Stendzeniece, a representative from “Glen Latvia”, delivered a lecture on “the current problems of developing countries” and her experience as a volunteer in Senegal.
In the second part Green Liberty introduced the audience to fair trade, its principles, history and various fair trade certification systems.
In the third part the participants were given separate tasks in groups, the topics were a) fairer tropical fruit supply chains and b) sustainable supermarket brand products. The practical task was followed by the presentations of the groupwork and a discussion. Representatives from 2 types of stores also participated in the discussion – public relations manager from a supermarket chain “Maxima Latvia” (Ivars Svilāns) and an owner of an ecological products store “Dabas Dobe” (Ervins Labanovskis), which has a vast selection of fair trade products. The event was concluded by Inga Belousa, who moderated an interactive game entitled “The Story of the Coffee cup” about the social, economical and environmental effects of coffee production.
Date: July 29rd, 2015
Place: homo ecos, Green floor, Ernestīnes street 12, Riga
The goal: to increase young leaders understanding and acceptance of Fair Trade
Programme:
The event started with a lecture on the life in developing countries, delivered by Silvija Pūpola, representative from GLEN Latvia, who has spent 2 months in Uganda teaching children. Further on, Janis Brizga from Green Liberty talked about the global effects of local consumption within the context of Fair Trade. Next, Valters Kinna delivered a presentation on Fair Trade, its’ origins and the different labelling systems.
Lectures were followed by the interactive part of the seminar, where the participants were engaged in a recently created simulation game called “BananaGate” (Game created by Green Liberty). The game simulates work in a banana plantation and is intertwined with interesting facts about problems in the banana supply chain and Fair Trade. The game was followed by a discussion and conclusion.
Date: November 19rd, 2015
Place: LU PPMF Jūrmalas gatve 76, Rīga, LU Dabaszinātņu centrs, Jelgavas iela 1, Rīga
The goal: to increase young leaders understanding and acceptance of Fair Trade
Programme:
The first part took place in the Faculty of Pedagogy, psyschology and arts. The main participants were students of pedagogy, future secondary school teachers. After introduction in Fair Trade delivered by Valters Kinna from Green Liberty they were given a workshop exercise in groups. The task was to think of ways to integrate Fair Trade in the curriculums of different high school subjects. The chosen subjects by groups were Mathematics, IT, geography and history.
The second part of the workshop took place in the Centre for Natural Sciences, University of Latvia from 18:00-20:00. In order to provide the participants with the knowledge of difficulties faced by farmers and people in developing countries, a member of the expedition “Two Wheels and two capes” Martins Sils was invited to tell about his experience travelling through Africa. He brough with him a photo exhibition about the trip and delivered a lecture.
