JTS is a not for profit, fair trade organisation set up to facilitate the import and distribution of fairly traded products to the UK.
We empower and educate producers and consumers, through the fair purchasing and sale of delicious food products from the developing world.
We seek to provide sustainable incomes and wellbeing for small holder farmers, producers and their families.
90KG RICE CHALLENGE
An educational tool to teach pupils about Fairtrade, Sustainability, Social Enterprise and Global Citizenship and it runs throughout the whole year. Three reasons why every school should take on the Challenge:
The 90kg Rice Challenge is becoming more and more popular due to its ease to take part in, its clear message, and its worthwhile outcome. The simple concept is that a rice farmer in Malawi has to sell 90kg of rice to give him enough of a sustainable income to run his farm, feed and clothe his family and enable him to provide education for his children.
The 90kg Rice Challenge is a teaching tool to demonstrate:
The Challenge costs £288 (£3.20 per 1kg bag of rice) and the idea is that having completed the lessons, the pupils will sell the rice on to family members or in the community in order to cover the costs, but some schools prefer to cook with it, host curry nights, bake offs, or do a Dragon's Den scenario etc. The school has 30 days to pay the invoice in the hope that they will have sold the rice in that time and therefore have no upfront costs.
HILLHEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL
Across 2017 Hillhead Primary School managed to sell an incredible ton of Kilombero Rice. They managed to do this by selling the rice at stalls at their Christmas fayre, at events in their local community and throughout the school year.
Their amazing feat led to them getting visits from local press as well as a special visit from two of our farmers in Malawi!
BISHOPBRIGGS ACADEMY
Bishopbriggs Academy's approach to the rice challenge focused heavily on fulfilling the social enterprise criteria of the curriculum for excellence. Children from an s2 class where formed into teams of eight and then within the team individual roles ranging from Managing director to sales executive to marketing director where delegated depending on the pupil's preferences. From here the pupils were then challenged to come up with a unique selling point for their rice and produce advertising materials consisting of 3 leaflets and 3 flyers. The pupils then delivered a presentation to a Teacher outlining why they should be given the money necessary to buy the 90kg of rice.
After this was successfully completed the kids where then able to market and sell the rice. The school enjoyed great engagement from the community with business leaders offering to come in and speak to the kids about how to increase their sales acumen. In this context, the 90kg challenge was a valuable teaching tool for how businesses are able to make a positive impact on solving global problems.
EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE NURSERIES
Fourteen nurseries in East Dunbartonshire teamed up to undertake the Fair Trade Tonne challenge for Fairtrade Fortnight, buying over a tonne of rice to sell. In order to complete this challenge individual nurseries set up market stalls operated by the kids where parents would be able to visit at the end of the day. Additionally, they also ran special events and open days to promote sales of the rice.
GOUROCK PRIMARY SCHOOL
Have completed four rice challenges in the last few years, they have been able to do this by creating recipe cards which have been sold alongside bags of rice as well as creating promotional materials such as posters and leaflets which have been used to advertise the selling of the rice at school fete's and parents evenings. One of the keys to Gourock primary school's great success over the years has been actively engaging the kids with lessons plans which have made them passionate about helping the people of Malawi, these lesson plans are sent out alongside the 90kg challenge pack and include lesson plans with a focus on Global Citizenship.
It's a fantastic opportunity for children to take part in. My class have thoroughly enjoyed it, the excitement when the rice arrived was amazing. The children were organised into three teams, marketing, sales and finance. They are beginning to understand how a business works, the responsibilities and the excitement. It has increased their confidence in talking, listening, it has also improved their presentation skills. Parents have helped by coming in and talking about their jobs in sales, marketing and finance.
The 90Kg Rice Challenge is a fantastic social enterprise initiative to run in school, not only do the children have an opportunity to run a small-scale business but they can see how their efforts and actions directly impact positively on the lives of others. It has been particularly successful at Primary 7 in our establishment where we have been able to link it to the pupils' own experience of preparing for High School transition while thinking about those who do not have the same opportunity as themselves. This was a very powerful message and helped encourage and motivate our pupils a great deal.
Scotland’s Enterprising Schools
Rouken Glen Park
Rouken Glen Rd
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Glasgow
G46 7JN
Scotland
United Kingdom
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