A World Record Event for FT!!
Organized the World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break: over 65,020 participants, plus over 456 events, and 101 media articles for World Fair Trade Day 2009. In 2008, FTRN also coordinated WFTD, which also became the largest single Fair Trade event in North American history. WFTD 2008 events and outreach directly involved over 50,000 people.
Key Fair Trade Education Website
Developed one of the major websites for advancing Fair Trade, with mostly free resources for learning about, connecting with, and discussing Fair Trade. Growing in popularity, the online resource receives tens of thousands of visitors per year.
Popular Educational Booklet
Produced and distributed over 60,000 copies of the leading Fair Trade primer, Conscious Consumer, a 34-page booklet that introduces Fair Trade to consumers, students and the general public.
Largest FT Conference
With the Fair Trade Federation, hosted the largest conference of Fair Trade supporters in N. American history: 750 participants advanced Fair Trade in 2005 in Chicago.
Most Comprehensive Online Catalog of FT Academic Papers
In partnership with academic Valéry Bezencon since 2008, we have developed the Fair Trade Institute, the world’s largest online collection of research papers and publications about Fair Trade.
Youth United Across Borders
Launched a pen pal program in June 2009 that empowers youth to advocate for Fair Trade. Youth United Across Borders partners U.S. youth groups or classes with those in Fair Trade communities overseas, and trains them to write letters to the editor and letters to local or national leaders about Fair Trade.
Education through the Arts
In 2008, launched a traveling photo and postcard exhibit, Education through the Arts, that shows communications and images exchanged between a Fair Trade tea community in India & a Fair Trade coffee community in Guatemala. Fair Trade businesses, civic organizations, conferences, faith communities and schools can host this educational display for several weeks or months.
Other Highlights
In 2008, FTRN conducted an in-person training for local organizers from around the U.S. in media skills and doing outreach to the media.
In the summer of 2007, FTRN involved nine organizations in a discussion about future cooperation in developing and promoting Fair Trade curricula. Available curricula are listed in an online clearinghouse at FTRN.org, including descriptions to help teachers find the curricula that best meet students’ needs.
In October 2007, Fair Trade Towns USA (FTT-USA), a campaign to connect local Fair Trade activists nationwide, was officially launched with support from FTRN. FTRN still serves on the Steering Committee.
In mid-2007, we launched the movement’s only Fair Trade newsroom, which features recent and archived national and international Fair Trade news.
FTRN was the fiscal sponsor of United Students for Fair Trade (USFT) from 2004 to 2008. This student-run organization unites approximately 150 student-run organizations in their efforts to bring Fair Trade to campuses and communities nationwide. Over the course of 2007, FTRN worked with the students to phase out FTRN’s fiscal sponsorship and move USFT towards independence.