Carlisle One World Centre's Youth Year means that we are doing more this year (June 2011 to May 2012) to get young people and the organisations they attend - schools, university, clubs etc. - involved in some of our "Think Global Act Local" campaigns and initiatives.

Our main campaign at COWC continues to be Fairtrade. Buying Fairtrade goods ensures that small farmers in the developing world get a fair price for their produce. Carlisle is a Fairtrade City - this means that many of our shops, cafes and businesses are selling and using products which have been certified by The Fairtrade Foundation and which will bear the Fairtrade logo. Visit the main Carlisle Fairtrade website www.carlislefairtrade.org.uk for more information on how to get involved.

We also campaign on climate change, human rights and other causes of poverty around the world, working closely with Sustainable Carlisle, Amnesty International, Christian Aid, CAFOD and other local and national campaigning organisations such as the Stop Climate Chaos coalition. Our food voucher scheme here in Carlisle supports local homeless and other vulnerable young people.

Working with Schools and Youth Clubs

St. Margaret Mary's Primary School is Carlisle's first fully certified Fairtrade School and we hope to support many more with this worthwhile campaign. We were delighted to attend the celebration of St. Margaret Mary's Fairtrade Status in June 2011 along with a Fairtrade Flower producer from Kenya (left with the school's Eco Warrior Group and their teacher), The Mayor of Carlisle and Joe Human MBE from the Cumbria Fairtrade Network.

Our second Fairtrade School, awarded at our Fairtrade Schools Conference on 1 March 2012, is James Rennie School. The staff and students on the Fairtrade Steering Group were delighted to be awarded their status by another visiting Fairtrade producer, Francis Chisuse from Malawi, and from the Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr Earp.

The Fairtrade Schools Conference was a great success. James Rennie School hosted the event and we had a team of over 20 volunteers running workshops and organising refreshments and activities for 92 students and teachers from 23 local schools.

We are looking forward to seeing more Fairtrade Schools in the next few years and we are working with Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC) to support a cluster of local schools working towards this status.

We can also help schools with organising Fairtrade tuck shops, talks or workshops and bigger events such as fashion shows. Visit the Carlisle Fairtrade website or contact our Fairtrade Co-ordinator [email protected] for further information.

We also support the Carlisle Eco-Schools Network Group under Sustainable Carlisle. Contact [email protected] for more information about this group.

We are also working with Carlisle Youth Zone this year and have run a Fairtrade Walking Tour around Carlisle with some of its young members. We hope to do more activities together in the new year.

Working with the University of Cumbria

We recently held several events at the university as part of the Freshers Week activities We had a "Campaigning in Carlisle" stall at this year's Freshers' Fayre at the Fusehill St. Campus of the University in September. We invited students to a Wild Food Walk and a Fairtrade Walking Tour the same week and, the following Friday we hosted a very successful Sustainability Debate on The Big Green Issues with the MP for Carlisle, John Stevenson, the Green Party candidate, John Reardon and Sonny Khan from the South Lakes Action on Climate Change campaign.

We are supporting the Student Union at the University with working towards becoming a Fairtrade University and we are hoping to set up a Carlisle People and Planet group. Get in touch if you would like to be involved in this group through the contact details below.

We organised a talk on volunteering overseas on Thursday 19th January at The University of Cumbria 's Learning Gateway on Fusehill St. This event brought together speakers from 4 different types of volunteering organisations and signed up at least one student to a project in India as a result of the information she got.

For more information about any of the above or to get involved in the Youth Year's activities contact COWC by email [email protected] or
phone 01228 546287 (Tuesdays 10-1 or Thursday 11-2) or 07881488566
www.cowc.co.uk