The world should become different and more just, fairer. At least that is what the "weltfairanderer" have decided at the dr.-ernst-schmidt-realschule ebern on their flags. They want to draw attention to the fact that the resources in our world are not inexhaustible and that everyone can contribute to making the world a better place. It is not only a matter of talking about it, but also of taking concrete action.
Verena hack, education officer at the church youth work of the diozese of wurzburg, is active in a theme tent in ebern with eight employees who lead and accompany the project. "The idea for the project came from mainz and is now being continued in several dioceses," says verena hack, says the young woman. Not only students from the secondary school took part in the project in ebern, but also various other groups, such as the "I-have-a-dream-group" from kirchlauter committed to social causes. A group from the kindergarten and the senior altar boys from ebern also took part in a workshop. "Oh yes, from sendelbach the evangelic church group 'rocksofa' was there, who held a service in our tent", says verena hack.
Under the motto: "the little you can do is a lot" (albert schweitzer) liked the educational offer "become a fair-trade world traveller". Sensitizing children and young people to the important issue of sustainability and social justice in their own living environment. Since 2010, teams have been visiting schools to promote the "weltfairanderer" for a school week-to set up a tent and conduct workshops with the students. "The aim is not only to make children and young people aware of the important issues of sustainability, but also to show them a way to become active themselves, says verena hack.
In the project, which has already received several awards from unesco, children and young people are encouraged to take an active role in shaping their own lives and not just to talk and listen, but also to act.
Four focal points
As there was a church fair in ebern last weekend, some visitors came by the tent and there was also a parents' evening, where everyone was able to get the appropriate information. "The project has four focal points" tells verena hack. She mentions the key words: theological, social, economic and ecological.
One topic was fair trade, where the children were shown how the profits are distributed among producers, intermediaries and supermarkets, and how the relationship changes when "fair trade products" are sold buys. This way, more money reaches the actual producer.
"We also took up the topic of water to make clear which products contain water, what is needed for washing, drinking or showering, and how much water is needed for the production of various products, says verena hack. For example, there is a lot of water in the peppers that are imported from countries where there is a shortage of water. Her colleague katy says that it takes 11,000 liters of water to make one pair of jeans, for example. The company is trying to communicate this knowledge to children so that their future consumption behavior can be based on it.
Next year, too, the project will take place in a place of the diozese. Verena hacks balance sheet: "i have the impression that many children are very interested and that they get a slightly different perspective and therefore also think about shopping." If some of them succeed in drawing attention to the fact that the world's resources are exhaustible and everyone contributes a small part to making the world a little better, a lot can be achieved, says the education officer. Ecological and social action can make everyday life "sustainable and fair" change.