Ana Banana - Educational file

The aim of the educational program is to encourage children and young people to reflect on the world in which they live, the products they consume, their everyday actions and the impact these have on others. The aim is not only to get them thinking, but also to ensure that this thinking gradually translates into action.

This educational pack takes children on Ana Banana's journey from the banana plantations of Peru to our supermarkets in Luxembourg. Through games, riddles and more, they'll become real banana experts... and learn all about Fairtrade bananas! This teaching pack can be used in conjunction with the «Ana Banana» workshop, but can also be used without a workshop.

The proposal is to move away from the usual, conventional framework in which the facilitator carries out a workshop or a one-off activity with a class on a given theme, without there being any form of continuity. The idea is to gradually introduce the theme of fair trade into the subjects taught at school, and to motivate teachers to work on this issue in several stages. The fair trade theme can in fact be integrated into numerous disciplines, and can thus be approached in its entirety and in a cross-disciplinary manner. The impact on students, their understanding of the subject, and even their commitment will thus be greater, since they will have had time not only to assimilate the information, but also to question it, discuss it with others, and exchange their ideas and impressions.

Rather than a presenter and a fairly passive audience listening to a story, the aim is to create a participative offering, where students contribute to the unfolding of the activity through their ideas, creativity and questioning. This approach allows us to create knowledge as a group, and stimulates young people who are involved throughout the activity or project. Giving students a voice shows them that their opinions are important, and that no one is excluded from the discussions. Of course, the facilitator needs to be knowledgeable about his or her subject, but he or she must also be open to discussion and a good listener.

It also shows that there are many alternatives, and that many citizens' projects continue to be set up and run thanks to group synergies. These initiatives can thus be a source of motivation and inspiration, and perhaps spur a group to commit to a common cause. As the overall aim is for our audiences to become responsible and aware citizens, sharing good experiences also helps to network different players interested in the same issue.

It is therefore a method that can be described as «bottom up», It's a bottom-up approach, where everyone has their place as an individual, but also knows how to interact as part of a group. We need to strike a balance between the individual and the collective, both of which are important in today's society. The collective is of considerable importance, as it shows young people that in a group they can create and build, and that unexpected ideas can emerge. It also teaches them that working in a group can be complex, since we have to reach agreement, and that compromises are sometimes necessary to meet everyone's expectations and needs. The individual is also important, and it's vital to value each child and each young person for his or her actions and commitment, the message being that each person can act and that each player counts.

Link to download files : https://www.fairtrade.lu/fr/activites/education/nos-outils-pedagogiques/dossiers-pedagogiques.html