I presented soon after noon, following on from representatives from Pekerti, a WFTO producer group from Indonesia. A few technical problems meant that the system on which all the presentations were stored was not linked to the Internet, so it was not possible to show the "For a Few Pesos More" video, but everyone got the lyrics and a link to the Youtube Video. I spoke about BAFTS' history, what we do, and who we are, how we have changed, member benefits, WFTO, and events coming up soon, adding the quip that if there was time left I might sing the lyrics to the audience - thankfully there wasn't! It was hard to know who exactly the audience was (maybe about 30-40 people) as people kept mingling, coming and going, chatting quietly in the background, but I suspect that many were Scottish citizens, a few were maybe committed Fairtrade and fair trade activists, and a few were suppliers or shops (Suzanne Whittingham from Traidcraft told me later that she popped in from manning her stall, but you try and phase out movements when presenting, to focus on what you have to say). I was careful to point out that there may well be some shops and suppliers in the audience who were not members of BAFTS, and whilst that did not mean that these shops and suppliers were not indeed genuine and ethical, we felt that our organisation offered regular monitoring, accountability, community and a shared purpose in promoting fair trade.
The audience seemed to enjoy the presentation, which was speedily followed by Elen Jones speaking about Fair Trade Wales and five years as a Fair Trade Nation. Then we were both whisked away to sit on the aforementioned panel discussion, alongside Barbara Crowther (Fairtrade Foundation), the two Indonesian ladies representing Pekerti, and Martin Meteyard, Chair of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum. Interestingly, Barbara mentioned that the Fairtrade Foundation had been approached to certify Scotland a Fair Trade Nation when they first decided to move towards this, but it had been decided that they should set their own goals and get plenty of evidence of working towards these, before proclaiming that they have achieved them. It took seven years all told!
I stated that I felt BAFTS was in a good position to help them move forward - we already had several Scotland-based shops and suppliers selling their goods that day in their "Market Place" and more around Scotland, so interconnections already existed; many of our members have connections with Fairtrade Towns, so we support the successful growth and campaign around the FAIRTRADE (FLO) Mark; because our organisation is a member (indeed the national network representative) of the WFTO, we adhere to the 10 Principles of Fair Trade, which can be applied in a wider context than the commodity-based FLO Mark, and we were able to share information on our website and social media, plus attend meetings whenever this was geographically possible.
The remainder of the day was spent talking to existing members and taking photographs, chatting to a few ex-members about re-joining, welcoming Traidcraft and chatting with them, buying a few small fair trade gifts (obligatory, of course!), speaking to Oromo Coffee Company (who will be represented at out member meeting at The FIG Tree Centre, Garstang on 23rd September), and listening to Humza Yousaf, MSP for External Affairs and International Development, talk about his support for the Scotland Fair Trade Nation Campaign. I had approached Martin Rhodes, Director at the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, for a photograph, so decided to be bold and ask if a few more representatives of key organisations could be involved too. It rounded up a very stimulating, thought-provoking and exciting day, of which I was proud to be a part.
Below are (L to R)Martin Rhodes, Director of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, Humza Yousaf MSP for External Affairs and International Development, Kathryn Sygrove for BAFTS, Elen Jones from Fair Trade Wales, and Betsy Reed, former Director of The Scottish Fair Trade Forum.
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