Newcastle Training Day

In May 2002 over 80 students and staff representing secondary schools from the Hunter region and the Central Coast attended the second Speaking Out For Justice training day organised by the Fair Wear campaign.

Ian Cohen, of the NSW Greens, accepted Fair Wear's invitation to be the guest speaker on the day. His message on the ability of the individual to bring about social change was very appropriate and certainly motivated those present to 'get involved'.

Other guest speakers included:

1. Hon Ian Macdonald, representing the Minister for Industrial Relations, who spoke about the NSW government initiative 'Behind the Label'

2. Barbara Jensen from the TCFUA who spoke about the problems in the fashion industry

3. Lisa Wriley from Fair Wear spoke about the history of the Fair Wear campaign

4. Qi Fen Huang from Asian Women at Work spoke as a representative of outworkers

5. and Jeremy Tucker from DIR spoke about the Ethical Clothing Trades Council and future directions for the fashion industry.

Participants overwhelmingly evaluated these speakers as informative and well-presented, and comments in the evaluations included "I knew nothing about it" and "I learnt heaps and want to join your campaign". The most moving speaker was definitely Qi Fen. Her personal experiences with outworkers and their families enabled participants to connect emotionally with the exploitation faced by outworkers.

During question time at the training day, the main point of interest was how individual consumers can ensure the garments they purchase have been produced ethically. There were also questions about "who pays" if outworkers' pay and conditions do meet the award requirements. Participants were definitely reacting to the input primarily as consumers - asking the basic questions "What can we do about it?" and "How much will it cost me?".

As a result of the training day there is now an increased awareness in school communities of the No Sweat Shop Label and the associated monitoring system as the tools for stopping the exploitation of outworkers. Postcards and stickers with the No Sweat shop label were distributed and a brief explanation of the monitoring system was given at the training day. Participants also received information about the Fair School Wear campaign, and were encouraged to pursue signing the School's Statement of Commitment.

Evaluations of the day show that the workshop sessions were a highlight of the day for many participants. Workshops run on the day included Public Speaking, Creative Print Publicity, Dealing With the Media, Influencing People, and Drama and Street Theatre.

A major outcome of the training day was the establishment of the Fair School Wear E-mail Network. The network comprises students and staff representing the schools who attended the Newcastle training day, plus students and staff representing schools from the existing Fair School Wear network.

The e-mail network has proved to be an invaluable tool in providing support, encouragement and advice to school based Fair Wear supporters. It has allowed extra resources to be provided for campaigning and has allowed the transfer of information and ideas between schools.

If you would like to join the Fair School Wear email list please contact us via fairwear@awatw.org.au.