Community collegeurges shoppers to buyfairtrade

This year, Castleisland Community College Transition Year Students are taking part in the AIB Build a Bank Challenge.

The competition sees a team of eight students selected to set up and manage a bank in their school with the full support of a dedicated AIB Student Officer.

The students get involved in everything from developing a Business Plan, branding their Bank and engaging with the community to sourcing new customers through creative marketing campaigns. This year, students in at the college have selected the theme of Fairtrade for their bank.

The Fair Trader’s Bank is made up of: Manager, Denise Crowley; Assistant Manager, Niall Fagan; Financial Officer, Shane Fagan; Sales and Marketing, Ruth Borgeat; Digital Officer, Conor O’ Sullivan and Joseph Sheehy while Liam Moloney and Robyn White act as customer service representatives

Fairtrade is about giving the farmer / producer a fair price for his/her product.

The farmers are located in the developing world and supply products such a tea, coffee, bananas, chocolate and cotton.

“With Fairtrade, farmers and workers are paid a minimum price and an additional Fairtrade premium to invest in business or community projects of the community’s choice,” college teacher, Doreen Killington explained.

Ms. Killington lived and worked in Nicaragua for two years with the Department of Foreign Affairs as an aid worker and she has seen the benefit Fairtrade can bring to impoverished farmers and workers.

“Fairtrade products are found in all our local supermarkets and do not cost extra. The consumer just needs to look for the fair trade logo on the product. Castleisland Community College is a fair trade school which means that it only purchases fair trade tea and coffee for the school.

“The Fairtrade bankers wish to extend this practice into the Castleisland community and to hopefully transform Castleisland into a Fairtrade town.

“Over the coming weeks, the students will approach all cafes, restaurants etc to distribute information about Fairtrade.

“The minimum price paid to farmers allows many secondary school children to continue their education and remain on in school instead of working on coffee farms.

“So the next time you shop remember - the power is in your pocket,” Ms Killington urged.

Inset: Photo by John Reidy Castleisland Community College teachers, Doreen Killington (left) and Elaine Murphy launching the Fair trade Promotion at the college. Students included are: Ruth Borgeat, Scartaglin; Denise Crowley, Currow; Niall and Shane Fagan, Castleisland, Robyn...