Local high-school hosts annual fair trade sale

A group of students from Moira Secondary School organize the jewlery table at the 10th annual fair trade sale.

By Christine Hosler

Fair play has turned to fair trade for a dedicated group of students at Moira Secondary School.

For the 10^th year in a row, students at Moira Secondary School have put on a sale of products from the 10,000 Villages organization. Everything being sold is “fair trade”, meaning that the people making the products are given appropriate pay for their work.

For some students, buying fair trade expands outside of the sale they put on.

“It’s cool to see something so global come to Belleville,” said Indigo Christ, a Grade 12 student at Moira Secondary School. “As students it’s not something you see all the time.”

“And to expose younger students to something like this,” said Chantelle Kerr, a returning Grade 12 student at MSS. “So that when they’re our age and even older they can be like ‘oh I’m going to make a conscious decision about where I get my jeans or where I buy this or that’.”

Both Kerr and Christ agree that being involved with 10,000 Villages and the sale every year has made them more aware of what they buy, and how it was made.

And while it may be harder to find fair trade for everyday things, the students think it’s worth it.

“When you look at organizations like this that are actually making a difference in people’s lives,” said Kerr. “So when they come to events like this and they can spend a hundred dollars or a couple hundred dollars on goods they know are fair trade, I think it just makes people feel better.”

While it was a slow opening night, their customers where impressed with the quality, as well as the student’s dedication to the project.

“I like the stones, I work with stones in my job,” said Mark Bannister. “It’s amazing how they make this stuff. It’s really nice, beautiful.”

“It’s good, it keeps everyone learning different things,” said Kelly Bannister.

The sale at Moira continues through the weekend and ends Sunday November 27 at 2 p.m.

10, 000 Villages is a non-profit organization part of the global World Fair Trade Organization. Their basic goal is to give people a chance where they otherwise would have none by employing artisans around the world.