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“…it is a question of fair balance between your present abundance and their need….” (2 Corinthians 8: 8-15)
What People Are Saying
“I would love to teach this unit. It provides so much opportunity for in-class and home discussions, relevant activities and hopefully a lifelong imprint on young minds. It certainly assists the students in meeting Catholic School Graduate Expectations.”
Mary Carroll, Retired Principal
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
Unit Context
In this era of global economic, cultural, and environmental integration, ‘good citizenship’ can no longer be defined by national borders. It is essential that every young Canadian student develop a deep understanding of Canada’s links to the broader international community. Students must become more familiar with their global neighbours, appreciate different cultural, social and religious world views, and understand the global impact of their daily choices and actions.
In this unit students will explore Canada’s links to other countries, with a particular focus on our country’s international trading and economic relationships. Through the exploration of Canada’s connectedness to other countries and their citizens, students will begin to develop a better understanding of Canada’s role in the international community. Students will also begin to develop attitudes and values rooted in Catholic social teachings and aimed at promoting social responsibility, human solidarity, and the common good.
Unit Summary
This unit will help engage students to actively explore international trade, development and co-operation issues as they pertain to Canada, its trading partners, and the Fair Trade system. The unit will first provide students with some basic background knowledge of the living and working conditions faced by those living in developing countries. By comparing their own living conditions here in Canada to those in developing countries, students will begin to understand the stark contrasts that exist within our world economy. This will be an important starting point in the development of an informed and action oriented attitude towards global citizenship. Students will then learn about ‘Fair Trade’ values and practices and how this alternative approach to trade can make a significant difference in the lives of those farming families and communities in developing countries. In turn they will explore the global impact of the Fair Trade efforts made by Canadian organizations and individuals to improve the quality of life for all the worlds’ citizens.
Lastly this unit will help engage students in making connections between their community and the farming communities of the developing world. Through an understanding of this interconnectedness, students will come to see how making Fair Trade choices here in Canada can directly impact the well being of those in developing countries. In doing this students should come to feel they have an important role to play in international issues as not only a Canadian citizen but also a good ‘global citizen’.
Culminating Task Assessment
In the culminating assignment, students will consolidate the knowledge they have gained through the activities, discussions, assignments, and research completed in this unit, in order to develop a presentation on the benefits of Fair Trade. Much of the information gathered through reading and research in previous subtasks will form the basis of this final project. Through their presentation, students will demonstrate to others what they have learned about Canada’s trading relationships and partners, the inequality that exists within our international trading systems, and the alternative Fair Trade model. This final project may be in the form of an oral, written or visual presentation and may be prepared and presented individually or by a group.
By focusing their presentation on the benefits of a more equitable and fair system of trade students will be giving witness to key Catholic social teachings such as promoting equality, democracy, and solidarity for a just peaceful and compassionate society.
The EOCCC would like to acknowledge that this project was "Produced with the support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)".
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