Urban Outdoors - Issues - ...trade scerets

...trade scerets

Behind The Label

In Urban Outdoors 1 - The Activities Playground you had the chance to get to meet the people who provide a whole range of urban services, what they do and how they do it.

This time we are going behind the label!

Style, image and branding are everything in the 21st Century - labels are everywhere.

Many of the activities in Urban Outdoors 1 - the Activities Playground have their own image and style - Just look at the links for:

Don't kill the groove (DJing)

freespace.virgin.net/john.tiss/learntodj.htm
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/djing

Wheelie cool (BMXing)

www.byke.com/ukflat
www.teamextreme.co.uk

Half Pipe Dreams (Skateboarding)

www.knowhere.co.uk
www.teamextreme.co.uk

The activities below can be adapted to help all sections explore the issues behind the labels.

Useful Links

www.labourbehindthelabel.org
Explores the issues facing garment workers in the UK and across the world. Look at the Campaigns section for information on what really happens behind the label.

www.jusbiz.org/resources/Exposed.html
Free on line resource to explore the ethical issues within the global fashion industry.

www.maquilasolidarity.org
A Canadian Network promoting solidarity with garment workers in Central America and Asia. Look at the Action section for activities and personal stories

www.traidcraft.co.uk
The UK's leading Fairtrade Organisation helping poor communities work their way out of poverty. Look at the People behind the products section for to find stories of where fair trade is making a difference

www.gapp.me.uk
Activities and information on a range of issues from the Global Awareness Partnership Project (GAPP) Scout Fellowship

Ice Breaker and Introduction

Game: Run around quiz
Duration: 5 - 10 minutes
Equipment: Signs with A, B, C

Running the game:
The Leader puts together a number of questions about clothing and brands, printing off logos from the Internet, asking what is the favourite sports brand etc. The Scouts need to run to the sign that corresponds to their answer.

Alternative idea: Split the groups into Teams, organise a relay race whereby the Scouts run up to a piece of paper and name or draw a logo.

Discuss:

Why do the majority of young people like to wear designer brand names?
What is special about brand names?
What about the cost? Are they too expensive? Why are they more expensive than other clothes?
Are they really any different to other clothes (i.e. from the High Street or the Supermarket?)

Activity 2

Activity: How 'cool' are your clothes when you don't know the brand name?
Duration: 15 minutes
Equipment: Lots of different clothes (or alternatively pictures of different clothes from catalogues or the web), with a mixture of designer brands and unbranded items, perhaps even scout clothes! Pen and paper for each Scout

Running the activity:
Take each item of clothing, show the Scouts the garment and ask them to rate it in terms of:

Style
Coolness
Credibility
Whether they would choose to buy it
How much they would pay for it etc

At the end of the activity reveal the logos and where the clothes came from to the Scouts

Discuss:

Did they recognise the designer/popular brands?
Did they rate the designer/popular brands highest?
Is there any difference?
What influences them in their choice of clothes? Friends, Advertising, Celebrities etc?
Is it right that these people influence you?

Activity 3

Activity: Design your own brand/label
Duration: 45 - 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: One T-shirt per person (Bring an old plain T-shirt to Scouts), fabric paints (available from art shops) or iron on printer paper, pens and paper

Running the activity:

Start with a quick discussion on what makes a good logo, have examples to look at (from catalogues or the web)
Spend 15-20 minutes designing their own logo for the T-shirt. Once they have done this, either use fabric paints to re-create the design on a T-shirt or use a computer to print off the design on special paper and then iron on to the T-shirt.
Be sure to take a photo of the finished T-shirts for all to see, and to post on this website.

Alternative idea: Having discussed what influences young people in their choice of clothes, think of celebrities who use their clothes to highlight issues that are important to them. Look through magazines to find examples.

Create a design for your T-shirt that expresses something that you feel strongly about. Look at UO3 - Express Yourself for ideas.

Activity 4

Activity: Where do our clothes come from?
Duration: 10 minutes
Equipment needed: Everyone to bring his or her favourite item of clothing, a world map

Running the activity:
Everyone looks in the label of their favourite item of clothing to see where they are made and marks this on the map. You could make this into a circle game; each Scout sits on a chair in a circle with one person in the middle. The Leader says 'Anyone who's clothes were made in China/Asia/Latin America change places' 'Anyone who's clothes are made from cotton/are blue, black/has buttons etc change places' Each Scout tries not to be left in the middle.

Discuss:

In how many countries were the clothes made?
Why do you think the clothes were made here?
Designer images and labels often cost a fortune but where does the money go?
www.maquilasolidarity.org/tools/education/5catsshoechart.pdf
Download the shoe to see where the money goes.
Labour Behind The Label
www.labourbehindthelabel.org
Labour Behind the Label is a membership organisation which brings together pressure groups, trade unions and individuals in support of garment workers' efforts to improve their working conditions and wages.
Members are committed to drawing attention to the plight of garment workers around the world, including the UK.
70% of garment workers are women, working in factories, 'sweatshops' or as homeworkers. Wages are very low - often below minimum wage levels. Hours are long and forced overtime is common; health and safety standards are poor.
Click on the Campaigns section of the website and tell the story of the people behind the labels.
Traidcraft
www.traidcraft.co.uk
Traidcraft is the UK's leading Fairtrade Organisation helping poor communities work their way out of poverty. Look at the People behind the Products section for to find stories of where fair trade is making a difference.

Activity 5 - Take Action!

Activity: Alternative Fashion Show
Prepare an alternative fashion show combining great designs and what you have learned about labour behind the label!
Equipment Needed: Clothes, stories from people who make clothes, stage, music etc

Running the activity:

Design the clothes for the fashion show
Put together a commentary for the costumes, using the stories of people behind the labels (from Activity 4), both positive and negative to illustrate the labour behind the label. Remember to keep the message simple.
Put stage and music together
Practise being a model!
Invite friends and family along, perhaps make it into a wider fundraising or parents evening