The Robert-Bosch-Gymnasium Wendlingen is the 100th Fairtrade School in Baden-Württemberg. At the anniversary celebration of five years of the Fairtrade Schools campaign in the New Castle in Stuttgart, the school received the award from State Secretary Volker Schebesta from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture.
“I am pleased that more and more schools in the country are becoming Fairtrade schools and are using the cross-disciplinary and cross-school campaign,” said State Secretary Volker Schebesta MdL and added: “In this way, they are making an important contribution to the guiding perspective of education for sustainable development (ESD). to fill with life.”
According to State Minister Theresa Schopper, the state government sees development cooperation as a joint task. “A globally just and better world can only succeed if everyone is prepared to do something for it. The Fair Trade Schools campaign makes us more aware of the connections between our consumer behavior here in Baden-Württemberg and living conditions elsewhere.”
Prizes for cinematic representations
As part of a ceremony in Stuttgart to mark the 5th anniversary of the Fair Trade Schools campaign in Baden-Württemberg, four schools received prizes for the filmic representation of their commitment to fair trade. “It is always impressive to see how much creativity and commitment students show for sustainable consumption and fair trade in order to raise awareness of justice and responsibility in the school environment, but also in their own lifestyle,” says State Secretary Shebesta.
With the Fairtrade Schools campaign, schools have the opportunity to concretely implement the United Nations' global sustainability goals (Sustainable Development Goals) in everyday school life and to integrate fair trade into the school's everyday life. The campaign calls for fair trade to be discussed in class and provides information about fair trade products for use in school activities such as project weeks or school festivals. “Many of our purchasing decisions also influence people in the Global South. They often have to work under inhumane conditions, and child labor is also commonplace,” says Schopper. “That’s why we know: Changes have to start small in order to achieve big things.”
Support from ministries
The State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport are supporting the nationwide campaign under the patronage of Minister of Education Dr. Susanne Eisenmann. The coordination lies with the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ). It is supported by other development policy actors from the state such as the Baden-Württemberg Development Policy Association (DEAB), the Reutlingen Development Education Information Center (EPiZ), the Center for Development-Related Educational Work of the Evangelical Church of Württemberg, the Institute for Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Freiburg and the MISEREOR- Diocesan office Rottenburg-Stuttgart supported.
The Fairtrade Schools campaign was launched in 2012 as a unique nationwide educational platform on fair trade by TransFair e.V. Since its introduction in 2014, 100 schools in Baden-Württemberg have been recognized as Fairtrade Schools.
The awards at a glance
- Robert Bosch High School in Wendlingen: 100th Baden-Württemberg Fairtrade School
- Friedrich von Alberti Gymnasium Bad Friedrichshall: 1st prize film competition “Fair Filmt”
- Kopernikus-Gymnasium Wasseralfingen: 2nd prize film competition “Fair Filmt”
- Julius Springer School Heidelberg: 3rd prize film competition “Fair Filmt”
- Johann-Sebastian-Bach Gymnasium Mannheim: Audience voting film competition “Fair Filmt”
Further information
