Fair Trade Reverse Trick-or-Treating

Reverse Trick-or-Treating sounds, well, a little tricky, but really it’s an amazing campaign to help stop all sorts of social and economical ills around the world, as well as encourage kids and adults to learn about the issues now.

The Reverse Trick-or-Treating campaign launched three years ago by Global Exchange in order to create awareness of the pervasive problem of child labor, forced labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields. It also serves to empower consumers to advocate for more fair cocoa sourcing policies. Fair Trade standards matter to people all over the world – when you support Fair Trade you’re saying no to abusive child labor and yes to environmental sustainability protections plus you’re helping farmers to escape poverty.

How Reverse Trick-or-Treating works:

You order a Reverse Trick-or-Treating kit from Global Exchange. The kits contain samples of vegan-friendly, Fair Trade dark chocolate accompanied by a card informing recipients of poverty and child labor problems in the cocoa industry, affecting mainstream candy enjoyed at Halloween and around the year, and how Fair Trade certified chocolate provides a solution.

On Halloween, kids hand out these Fair Trade chocolate and cards to adults as they trick or treat (hence the reverse factor). Adult learn something and kids get to be young advocates for a better world.

The cost:

Amazingly, Reverse Trick-or-Treating kits cost just $5 for consumers thanks to generous donations of Fair Trade chocolate from companies such as…

• Equal Exchange
• Alter Eco
• Sweet Earth
• La Siembra
• Coco-Zen

Why bother?

Adrienne Fitch-Frankel, Director of Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Campaign, notes, “Kids have a well-developed sense of fairness. I regularly hear stories of US schoolchildren who are really outraged to learn that mainstream chocolate companies are making them complicit in the enslavement of their peers… Kids are eager to show solidarity and make it possible for their peers to do go to school and go out and play. That is why so many kids are thrilled to participate in Reverse Trick-or-Treating and make a difference. Now, it’s up to the chocolate companies to listen to their important message.”

Kit sell out fast each year so you’ll need to jump on this. Organizations, such as schools, churches, youth groups, and so on, must request their kit by October 1. Individuals and families must request a kit by October 13. If you don’t want or can’t get a kit, consider printing out some free flyers to hand out on or before Halloween.

Go to Global Exchange to learn more or to request a Reverse Trick-or-Treating kit.

[image via Global Exchange Gallery]