I spent the afternoon at Teesside High Prep school as part of their International week. Discussing Fairtrade with young people aged 9 to 11 I was struck again, as I often am, by the depth of their questioning, their thirst for knowledge and justice. A group of girls expressed their disappointment with a local Town Council which had listened to them and received a petition asking them to promote Fairtrade in the town but then apparently done nothing. We discussed ways of influencing the democratic bodies in the area and they resolved to "have another try".
The school council is committed to forming a steering group to encourage the school on its way to Fairtrade status and two girls have taken on the job of co-chairing that group. I've promised to go in again and discuss with them what support they'd like from the Borough partnership.
Other young people, preparing to move on to the senior school in September, spoke of a desire to encourage young people there to think more about Fairtrade while others talked of lobbying their local shops to stock more goods.
A host of enthusiasts, a pleasure to be with and a joyous way to spend the afternoon.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting Teesside High School's Prep school for the first time. Their splendid new entrance tells everyone approaching "You have the right to be happy", a very positive way to start the school day. I was there to finalise arrangements for my contribution to their International week next week, when I'll spend an afternoon helping the children and any parents who attend to understand a bit more about Fairtrade. The school has been interested in Fairtrade for some time and has now decided to make the push towards becoming a Fairtrade school. Excellent news.
During the afternoon I attended my first meeting for a while of the Positive Contribution and Economic Wellbeing Partnership - quite a mouthful! The council is involved in many partnerships and this one is about enabling young people to make a positive contribution to their community and take part in education or training or employment or any combination of them. For once yesterday we weren't receiving reports and nodding wisely, but were having a real discussion about how to make sure the young people of the borough have the best opportunities we can provide even in a time of economic difficulty. I was sorry to have to leave before it finished in order to get to my next meeting, also very important and interesting. Three good things in one day - wow!