Women's Fair Trade Delegation to Chiapas, Mexico - participation opportunity

Women's Fair Trade Delegation to Chiapas, Mexico 

June 25-July 2, 2005

United Students for Fair Trade (USFT) & Mexico Solidarity Network (MSN) 

are co-hosting a delegation of women students.

For seven days this summer a wonderful group of women will be traveling to Chiapas, Mexico to visit a number of women's fair trade cooperatives. You can be one of them! We will be traveling throughout Chiapas, spending a portion of our time in the beautiful colonial town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, and a portion in the campo (or countryside) with local Indigenous communities. We will learn about the Chiapas women's movement, and the work that Indigenous women have done to empower themselves and build sustainability in their communities.

One of the primary objectives of the delegation is to build women's leadership and women's voice within the student fair trade movement. The selected delegates are expected to have an interest in continuing participation in the Women's Working Group. The group is in its early stage of development, and a portion of our time in Chiapas will be spent exploring how we would all like to see the structure and objectives of the group unfold. We will be discussing women's roles in the North American fair trade movement, and what we might do to support the work of women in Chiapaneca cooperatives.

Participants are encouraged to fundraise in their community to cover delegation and travel costs, and every effort should be made on the part of the participants to fundraise using their own school and community resources. However, several group fundraising efforts are in action with the intent that everyone approved to participate will have the opportunity to do so, regardless of their personal funding situation. 

Women of colour are strongly encouraged to apply for the scholarship available through the MSN website: mexicosolidarity.org, proceed to 'delegations'. 

Delegation coordinators are happy to discuss with you different fundraising ideas and opportunities. 

Information and applications can be found on the USFT website at: http://www.usft.org/index.php?p=/ActionCenter/Programs/Women 

and on the MSN website at: 

http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/Delegations/Chiapas/ 

Please contact me if you have any questions jenniferboundy@gmail.com 

Hope to see you in Chiapas! jen 

jen boundy 

Canadian Delegation Coordinator 

MA candidate, 

Women's Studies York University