Starting Date: 04-15-2005
Ending Date: 04-18-2005
Seattle, Washington 98102
United States
360-301-6467Goodmorning Westside!
And all yall who are up for trecking out to Seattle for the USFT’s NW Regional Gathering
and the
2005 Specialty Coffee Association of America Convention
Seattle, WA
April 15th through 18th
Once again United Students is gathering at the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual convention. Over fifty students will be converging from across the region and the country to Celebrate the possibilities of Fair Trade. This is an amazing opportunity to show our motivation, passion, imagination, and commitment to the possibilities for real change in business as usual, and Fair Trade is a powerful portal. It is a chance to muster our energy from the Chicago convergence, the recent victory of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers negotiating withTaco Bell, and all the awesome events happening on our campuses, and boldly let the coffee industry know we are present, powerful, and excited to find innovative ways to make the coffee trade FAIR.
The weekend in Seattle will focus on celebrating the progress students, farmers and producers, and businesses are making to address the coffee crisis. It will also develop the Northwest region to have an amazing impact in Fair Trade. It will be an energizing combination of the power of students inside the coffee industry, the expansion of knowledge and possibility of Fair Trade, and a celebration of our goals and successes past, present, and future.
Our goals for the weekend are:
* For coffee businesses to hear our voice and feel our presence at the table,
* Charge up students beyond a "101" understanding of Fair Trade, and
* Strengthen the Northwest region to realize its very powerful potential.
The SCAA is the world’s largest coffee trade association and their annual conventions are organized to bring everyone involved in coffee production, distribution, and retail together in one forum to promote quality coffee, sensitivity to the environment, consciousness of social issues, and sound business practices and ethics.
USFT will host a booth to provide information on the Fair Trade movement and its impact. Additionally, fifty students ill be working the floor, making connections with the 10,000 vendors and encouraging them to be a part of the Fair Trade coffee movement. The gathering will be an opportunity for students who are new to Fair Trade to develop their interest, as well as for more experienced activists to dig deeper into the challenges and possibilities of the movement.
* The events for the weekend in addition to the four days at the convention are:
* A Gathering to bring together all the USFT student representatives attending to share what we hope to accomplish at the convention. This will also be a chance to provide some basic knowledge on fair trade as well as more in-depth information to prepare everyone to rock the SCAA.
* A Celebration to exhibit the amazing work being done by Fair Trade businesses, farmers and coops, and student activists.
* A Fair Trade Forum presented by TransFair USA precedes the convention on Thursday the 14th. This will include presentations on innovative partnerships between industry and producers, updates on the development of the US Fair Trade market and Fair Trade Certified’s continued expansion into new products, and discussion of creative marketing approaches to Fair Trade Certified products.
* The convention will feature Jane Goodall as the keynote speaker.
This is an amazing chance for anyone to learn a huge amount about Fair Trade, as well as to have a massive impact on the coffee industry. USFT has been a powerful and clear voice at the past two SCAA conventions, and we know this one will be our best yet.
Come join us and have a blast making a very tangible difference in the coffee world! This event is open to everyone, so feel free to spread the word and make this an opportunity to introduce USFT and Fair Trade to new people.
To reserve a spot at the convention, email haley@mackrow.com. There are about 60 spaces available, and the sooner you respond the more likely you are to get one. Please let us know if you would like to come by Friday April 1st so that we can make housing arrangements. We will accept responses after that but we would appreciate them ASAP.
Students will also be responsible for their food and miscellaneous expenses over the weekend. However, we do not want to exclude anyone for financial reasons, so if that is a matter of concern for you, let us know and we will do everything we can to accommodate your needs. Financial assistance for travel is available from Interfaith Fair Trade Initiative.
Adalante!
~Haley, Matt, Isaac, and the USFT-SCAA TeamGeographical Scope: Regional Conference |
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