What did we pay for all this comfort? How come we have so many of such items in our cupboard to choose from? What do we do them once they’ve lost their zingy newness?
The IB Learner Profile student cares enough to ask such questions, to find answers, to reflect and to act on their knowledge. Principled learners “…act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice, and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.”
What more striking examples have we seen recently than those principled young people who took to the streets urging politicians to do something about climate change? This is just one among a complex web of issues which this current generation of high schoolers have batted firmly into our court. Another issue which many thinking and caring students are worried about is the fashion industry and the hugely negative impact it is having on people and on the environment.
Working for social justice and sustainable ways of producing are issues which span the generations. Fashion Revolution is a global movement with local teams, including Switzerland, aimed at persuading people to change their behavior when it comes to buying clothes. In other words: don't buy cheap stuff, it's really not worth it!
Who is behind Fashion Revolution? In their own words:
“We are Fashion Revolution. We are people from all around the world who make the fashion industry work. We are the people who wear clothes. And we are the people who make them. We are the industry and we are the public. We are world citizens. We are you. We want to unite people and organisations to work together towards radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed so that our clothing is made in a safe, clean and fair way.”
Here are some teaching materials to use in your classes: Economics, Business, Geography, Environmental Studies - right across the curriculum. What about a project week devoted to this issue?
https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/get-involved/educator/education/resources/