Worker Empowerment & Trade Justice in the Dominican Republic
January 2nd – 10th
Worker Empowerment & Trade Justice in the Dominican Republic
January 2nd – 10th
Join the Fair World Project (FWP) to explore the emerging world of workers’ rights, union-made living-wage apparel and trade justice in the Dominican Republic. FWP’s Dominican Republic tour will provide an on the ground opportunity to learn from Alta Gracia factory workers, Free Trade Zone garment workers organizing for their rights, social justice activists, and small cooperative producers. Alta Gracia is a living-wage union-made apparel initiative on more than 400 college campuses that was ten years of student-worker organizing in the making. This video made by students in United Students Against Sweatshops is a good overview of the project’s history, as is this recent article from The Nation and this New York Times article.
In addition to experiencing the reality of workers and farmers in the Dominican Republic, tour participants will meet workers organizing in the so-called “Free Trade Zones” and gain a wider context of how trade law impacts local communities.
Amidst beach time, dancing, chocolate, and loads of fun, we’ll learn how to run strong, direct action campaigns on our campuses back home, and follow up as a community in the Spring as we run and win parallel campaigns at our universities.
This tour will facilitate home stays for participants with Alta Gracia families.
Tour Highlights Include Visiting and Experiencing:
- Visit the ground breaking Alta Gracia apparel factory and meet with union workers
- Experience the realities of working and living in a “free trade zone”
- Visit with cocoa and banana coop members and workers
- Organizing 101 workshops
- Dancing, beach and fun!
Cost: $500
Package Includes:
- Guest Family Housings; two meals a day
- On-ground transportation including airport pick-up and drop-off
- Translation and program activities
- Speaker and worker honorariums
- Preparatory reading materials
- NOT INCLUDED: airfare, airport departure taxes, lunches, tips, and personal expenses.
How to Register:
Register online and pay a non-refundable deposit of $250 by December 15st.
Contact Ryan ([email protected]) with any questions about this trip, or call toll-free 800-631-9980.
About Fair World Project Tours
FWP Tours provide a unique opportunity to visit projects, businesses and organizations to expand and deepen your understanding of Fair Trade, from the producer to the consumer. Tour participants will have the opportunity to meet with farmers, cooperative members, workers and artisans and learn firsthand the realities and challenges of fair trade.
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