500th Fairtrade School!

The Fairtrade Foundation are very close to awarding Fairtrade status to the 500th school in the UK. This will be a big occasion to celebrate, with so much Fairtrade activity taking place in schools.

Schools in Wales are leading the way – we have more Fair Trade activity than any other region of the UK with the equivalent number of schools. Schools in Wales love Fair Trade. And we want the 500th school to be here in Wales! Wales was the first Fair Trade Country, we can now build on that by achieving the 500th Fairtrade School – lets show the rest of the world how it’s done!

STOP!!! If your school is close to submitting an application to become a Fairtrade School, STOP!!! Contact us first and we can put you in the running to become the 500th Fairtrade School. We can look over your application before you submit, identify any gaps and support you in becoming the 500th school Fairtrade School! Telephone us as soon as possible (today if possible as we're very close!) on: 0800 0699 409.

If your school becomes the 500th Fairtrade School, we’ll offer you a free live link up (worth £100) to a school in Ghana. The school in Ghana was built with Fairtrade money. Your pupils will be able to speak directly with the pupils in Ghana from Fairtrade farming families and exchange questions with them.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight runs from Feb 28th to March 13th 2011. Your school can take part in the following ways:

Bunting

Contribute to the worlds largest bunting (over 3 miles long). Your school can order bunting from here: You can then decorate it and send it back. Remember schools in Wales send their bunting back to the Wales office rather than the London office (as stated in the Fairtrade Fortnight bunting pack). The Wales office address is: Fair Trade Wales, 5th Floor, Market Buildings, 5-7 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1AT.

Cotton

Cotton is the theme for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight. Have you thought of looking into cotton uniforms, sports kits, bags or cooking aprons? How about personal tea towels for your school? Whatever you do on the theme of Fairtrade Cotton, ensure it’s linked to teaching and learning so that the children understand more about Fairtrade cotton and why it’s important. You can download lesson plans from here: or order your cotton resource CD, available at cost price (£1) from schools@fairtradewales.com (although most of it is downloadable free from the website).

Show off

Show off your label – think of interesting and fun ways to show off the Fairtrade mark. We want pictures of the biggest, best, weirdest, wackiest and most creative FAIRTRADE Marks you can possibly create, whether it is made out of people, flowers, sand, on a mountain side, up a tree, on top of a local landmark or anywhere else you can think of. If you’re already a Fairtrade School, you could put on an event to raise your flag! We’re collecting as many pictures of flags waving at the front of schools! The best picture will be receiving a Fairtrade football, send pictures to schools@fairtradewales.com.

Show off your status - if you are a Fairtrade School already, Fairtrade Fortnight is the perfect opportunity to work with other schools, showing them what you have done to embed Fairtrade into your school curriculum and ethos. You could offer your committee to talk to other schools or bring other schools to you to see a presentation or take part in one of your other activities. Remember that the more people we tell about Fairtrade, the bigger the change for producers.

For more information see the full Fairtrade Fortnight guide here. And for classroom resources click here.

Speakers

We receive many request for speakers during Fairtrade Fortnight. If you’re school would like a speaker, there are three options:

a) Invite Martha Musonza Holeman to your school. We are lucky in Wales to have a Fair Trade craft producer from Zimbabwe, now living in Wales. Martha visits schools to speak about her experiences of Fair Trade and offering first hand experience of how Fair Trade has benefitted her community back in Africa. She is an inspirational speaker and we would recommend a school visit from her. For visits contact Martha at: martha.fairtrade@googlemail.com or 07879 400 897.

b) If you’re unable to afford a Fair Trade producer visit above, you can invite a volunteer speaker – we may have a volunteer speaker in your area so it is worth getting in touch with us to find out. If we don’t, we can still put you in touch with your local Fairtrade Town group who may be able to support you more.

c) Contact partner organisations who may offer speakers in your area, including: Traidcraft, Action Aid, Oxfam, Amnesty, Sussed (Bridgend), TCC (Flintshire), PEDEC (Powys), Red Café (Swansea). However these organisations only have a handful of speakers. We would recommend Martha for first hand direct experience.

Get in touch with us

If you need any support, please get in touch with us at schools@fairtradewales.com. Also, just to let you know, I’ve been overseeing Fairtrade Schools for a number of years, but I’m personally taking a 6 month gap to visit some Fairtrade projects in India and Uganda and to teach English. So I’ll be bringing some fantastic stories back to share! The person covering my role is called Helen Bradley and is contactable on the same email address schools@fairtradewales.com Please feel free to contact Helen with any questions you may have, for information or advice about Fairtrade Fortnight plans, or if you want to aim to be the 500th Fairtrade School!

Good luck with all your Fairtrade activity, and keep in touch!
Danielle Johnson
and the Fair Trade Wales Team
schools@fairtradewales.com, www.fairtradewales.com

500fed Ysgol Masnach Deg!

Cyn hir bydd y Sefydliad Masnach Deg yn rhoi statws Masnach Deg i’r 500fed ysgol yn y DU. Dyma achlysur mawr i’w ddathlu, gyda chymaint o weithgaredd Masnach Deg yn digwydd mewn ysgolion.

Mae Ysgolion Cymru ar flaen y gad – mae gennym fwy o weithgaredd Masnach Deg nag unrhyw ran arall o’r DU sydd â nifer cyfatebol o ysgolion. Mae ysgolion Cymru wrth eu bodd gyda Masnach Deg. Ac rydym am i’r 500fed ysgol fod yma yng Nghymru! Cymru oedd y Wlad Masnach Deg gyntaf, gallwn adeiladu ar hynny drwy gael y 500fed Ysgol Masnach Deg – gadewch i ni fod yn esiampl i’r byd!

STOP!!! Os yw eich ysgol yn agos at gyflwyno cais i fod yn Ysgol Masnach Deg, STOPIWCH!!! Cysylltwch gyda ni i ddechrau, ac fe allwn roi cyfle i chi fod yn 500fed Ysgol Masnach Deg. Gallwn fwrw golwg dros eich cais cyn i chi ei gyflwyno, nodi unrhyw fylchau, a’ch cefnogi i fod yn 500fed Ysgol Masnach Deg! Ffoniwch ni cyn gynted ag sy’n bosibl ar: 0800 0699 409.

Os mai’ch ysgol chi fydd y 500fed Ysgol Masnach Deg, byddwn yn cynnig sesiwn cysylltiad byw (gwerth £100) i chi gydag ysgol yn Ghana. Adeiladwyd yr ysgol yn Ghana gydag arian Masnach Deg. Bydd modd i’ch disgyblion siarad yn uniongyrchol gyda disgyblion yn Ghana o deuluoedd ffermio Masnach Deg, a chyfnewid cwestiynau gyda hwy.

Pythefnos Masnach Deg

Cynhelir Pythefnos Masnach Deg rhwng Chwefror 28 a Mawrth 13 2011. Gall eich ysgol gyfranogi yn y ffyrdd canlynol:

Baneri

Cyfrannwch at gadwyn baneri hiraf y byd (dros 3 milltir o hyd). Gall eich ysgol archebu cadwyn o faneri yma: Yna gallwch eu haddurno a’u dychwelyd. Cofiwch fod ysgolion yng Nghymru i ddychwelyd eu baneri at swyddfa Cymru yn hytrach na swyddfa Llundain (fel y nodir yn y pecyn baneri Pythefnos Masnach Deg). Cyfeiriad swyddfa Cymru yw: Cymru Masnach Deg, 5ed Llawr, Adeiladau’r Farchnad, 5-7 Heol Eglwys Fair, Caerdydd CF10 1AT.

Cotwm

Cotwm yw thema Pythefnos Masnach Deg eleni. Ydych chi wedi ystyried gwisgoedd ysgol, dillad chwaraeon, bagiau neu ffedogau o gotwm Masnach Deg? Beth am lieiniau llestri personol ar gyfer eich ysgol? Beth bynnag y byddwch yn ei wneud ar thema Cotwm Masnach Deg, sicrhewch ei fod yn rhan o’r dysgu ac addysgu er mwyn i’r plant ddeall mwy am gotwm Masnach Deg a’i bwysigrwydd. Gallwch lwytho’r cynlluniau gwersi i lawr yma: neu archebu CD adnoddau ar gotwm, ar gael am bris cost (£1) o schools@fairtradewales.com (er bod y mwyafswm ohono ar gael i’w lwytho i lawr am ddim o’r wefan).

Ymfalchïo

Dangoswch eich label – meddyliwch am ffyrdd diddorol a hwyliog o ddangos y nod Masnach Deg. Rydym am weld lluniau o’r Nodau MASNACH DEG gorau, mwyaf, rhyfeddaf, a mwyaf creadigol y gallwch eu creu, boed wedi’u llunio allan o bobl, blodau, tywod, ar fynydd, ar goeden, ar dirnod lleol neu unrhyw le arall sy’n dod i’r meddwl. Os ydych eisoes yn Ysgol Masnach Deg, gallech gynnal digwyddiad i godi eich baner! Rydym yn casglu cymaint o luniau ag sy’n bosibl o faneri yn chwifio o flaen ysgolion! Bydd y llun gorau yn derbyn pêl-droed Masnach Deg, anfonwch eich lluniau at schools@fairtradewales.com.

Dangoswch eich statws – os ydych eisoes yn Ysgol Masnach Deg, mae Pythefnos Masnach Deg yn gyfle perffaith i weithio gydag ysgolion eraill, gan ddangos yr hyn yr ydych wedi’i wneud i osod Masnach Deg o fewn cwricwlwm ac ethos eich ysgol. Gallech gynnig anfon eich pwyllgor i siarad gydag ysgolion eraill, neu ddod ag ysgolion eraill atoch er mwyn gweld cyflwyniad neu i gyfranogi yn un o’ch gweithgareddau eraill. Cofiwch, po fwyaf o bobl yr ydym yn eu hysbysu am Fasnach Deg, y mwyaf y bydd y newid ar gyfer cynhyrchwyr.

Am fwy o wybodaeth, gweler canllaw llawn Pythefnos Masnach Deg yma.

Ac am adnoddau i’r dosbarth, cliciwch yma.

Siaradwyr

Rydym yn derbyn nifer o geisiadau am siaradwyr yn ystod Pythefnos Masnach Deg. Os hoffai eich ysgol chi gael siaradwr, mae tri dewis:

a) Gwahodd Martha Musonza Holeman i’ch ysgol. Rydym yn ffodus o gael cynhyrchydd crefft Masnach Deg o Zimbabwe, bellach yn byw yng Nghymru. Mae Martha yn ymweld gydag ysgolion i siarad am ei phrofiadau o Fasnach Deg, gan gynnig profiad uniongyrchol o fuddiannau Masnach Deg i’w chymuned yn Affrica. Mae’n siaradwraig ysbrydoledig, ac rydym yn argymell ymweliad ysgol ganddi. I drefnu ymweliad, cysylltwch â Martha ar: martha.fairtrade@googlemail.com neu 07879 400 897.

b) Os nad ydych yn medru fforddio’r ymweliad uchod gan gynhyrchydd Masnach Deg, gallwch wahodd siaradwr gwirfoddol – mae’n bosibl fod gennym siaradwr gwirfoddol yn eich ardal, felly mae’n werth i chi gysylltu gyda ni. Os nad oes un ar gael, gallwn eich gosod mewn cysylltiad gyda’ch grŵp Tref Masnach Deg lleol a all roi mwy o gefnogaeth i chi o bosib.

c) Cysylltwch â mudiadau partner a all gynnig siaradwyr yn eich ardal, yn cynnwys: Traidcraft, Action Aid, Oxfam, Amnest, Sussed (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr), TCC (Sir y Fflint), PEDEC (Powys), Red Café (Abertawe). Fodd bynnag, llond llaw o siaradwyr sydd gan y mudiadau hyn. Rydym yn argymell Martha ar gyfer ei phrofiad uniongyrchol.

Cysylltwch â ni!

Os oes angen cefnogaeth arnoch, cysylltwch â ni ar schools@fairtradewales.com. Hefyd, er gwybodaeth, rwyf wedi bod yn goruchwylio Ysgolion Masnach Deg ers nifer o flynyddoedd, ond rwyf i’n bersonol yn cymryd 6 mis i ffwrdd i ymweld â rhai prosiectau Masnach Deg yn India ac Uganda, ac i roi gwersi Saesneg. Felly bydd gennyf straeon anhygoel i’w rhannu pan fyddaf yn dychwelyd! Y person sy’n gofalu am fy nyletswyddau yw Helen Bradley ac mae modd cysylltu gyda hi ar yr un cyfeiriad e-bost, schools@fairtradewales.com Mae croeso i chi gysylltu gyda Helen gydag unrhyw gwestiynau, am wybodaeth neu gyngor am gynlluniau Pythefnos Masnach Deg, neu os ydych am geisio bod yn 500fed Ysgol Masnach Deg!

Pob lwc gyda’ch gweithgaredd Masnach Deg, a chadwch mewn cysylltiad!
Danielle Johnson
a Thîm Cymru Masnach Deg
schools@fairtradewales.com, www.fairtradewales.com