Starting Date: 02-13-2004
Ending Date: 02-16-2004
Santa Cruz, California
United StatesSFT's 2004 national Convergence, to be hosted in Santa Cruz, California from February 13th-16th, 2004, will focus both on stimulating new, effective organizing, and better coordinating and reinforcing existing activism within the U.S. Fair Trade student movement.
As USFT enters its second year, a regional structure will be introduced that lends to a more intimate and persistent relationship between member schools and the national organization. The Convergence will act as a starting block for regional campaigns across North America, facilitated by USFT representatives that have built successful initiatives at their home universities.
A primary objective will be to establish mechanisms that insure the sustainability and development of student organizations that form around Fair Trade. While emphasis will be placed on raising demand for Fair Trade products through increasing the number of campuses conducting active campaigns, there will be a concerted effort to invite unusual suspects to the table�that is, universities and individuals not traditionally inclined to engage global justice issues. Fair Trade is a practical and powerful point of entry for many young activists, and offers a valuable opportunity for shaping the next generation of the Global Justice Movement.
In collaboration with experienced allies in the non-profit and for-profit sectors, USFT will produce an interactive, workshop-based conference that will serve as an important venue for sharing best practices and creative mediums for raising consciousness amongst students and consumers. Preliminary research and an extensive outreach effort will identify a diverse participant pool capable of nurturing the vitality of the Fair Trade student movementGeographical Scope: National Conference |
|
