University Park

Fair Trade student group attends national conference

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Six students from Fair Trade Penn State attended the Fair Trade Campaigns Conference from Oct. 26 to 28 in Chicago. Fair Trade Penn State aims to "empower producer communities, activists and consumers, and radically redefine power structures through people-centered, democratic trading alternatives."

Penn State Brandywine professor Laura Guertin was a panelist at the conference, discussing her experience with her students becoming leaders. Sarah DeMartino, a junior in International Relations at University Park, is a National Steering Committee Member of Fair Trade Universities and led two workshops on "Working with your Administration" and "Effective Social Networking." Also attending the conference were Vicente Ortiz Cortez, Jamie Milletary, Abdullah Alrashidi, Mariana Ponte, Jamie Nicole and Tygh Kane.

Penn State Brandywine also won the Fair Trade Bananas challenge, giving out more than 1,000 Fair Trade Certified bananas, and was the first Fair Trade campus in Pennsylvania. Fair Trade Penn State, the University Park group, is trying to make their campus a designated Fair Trade University as well. Fair Trade Universities are recognized for promoting the values and benefits of Fair Trade as well as contributing to the growth of the movement.

For more information, go to www.fairtradepennstate.com or contact DeMartino at szd5130@psu.edu

Mariana Ponte, left, and Jamie Nicole were among the students from Fair Trade Penn State who attended the Fair Trade Campaigns Conference in Chicago. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated November 26, 2012

Contact