Chocotastique ! Le voyage d’une cabosse

L’objectif de l’activité est d’initier les enfants à des thèmes tels que le commerce équitable et le développement durable, par exemple en les sensibilisant aux aliments qui voyagent beaucoup, comme le cacao. La mise en évidence des dures conditions de travail des producteurs de cacao et de la répartition des bénéfices entre le Sud et le Nord en ce qui concerne le cacao et la production de chocolat doit attirer l’attention sur les différences et les inégalités. Les enfants doivent porter un regard critique sur le système commercial conventionnel et découvrir ainsi le commerce équitable pour pallier les problèmes.

Tout le monde connaît le chocolat et le cacao, mais d’où vient le cacao pour le chocolat, comment vivent les cultivateurs de cacao et comment cultive-t-on le cacao ? Les enfants obtiennent des réponses à ces questions dans la première partie de l’atelier. Après avoir jeté un coup d’œil détaillé sur la vie quotidienne des producteurs de cacao, l’accent est mis sur la transformation du cacao. Où les fèves de cacao sont-elles transportées et comment la matière première qu’est le cacao est-elle transformée en chocolat que nous pouvons finalement acheter au supermarché ? Et qui profite le plus du commerce du chocolat ? Est-ce juste ? Ou faut-il changer quelque chose ? Qu’est-ce que le commerce équitable et peut-il être une réponse aux conditions de travail et de vie injustes des producteurs du Sud ?

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 helps create group knowledge 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 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.

A computer and projector are required for this animation.