Chocotastic! The Journey of a Cocoa Pod

The goal of this activity is to introduce children to topics such as fair trade and sustainable development, for example by raising their awareness of foods that travel long distances, such as cocoa. Highlighting the harsh working conditions faced by cocoa farmers and the distribution of profits between the Global South and the Global North in relation to cocoa and chocolate production is intended to draw attention to these disparities and inequalities. Children should take a critical look at the conventional trade system and, in doing so, discover fair trade as a way to address these issues.

Everyone knows about chocolate and cocoa, but where does the cocoa for chocolate come from, what are the lives of cocoa farmers like, and how is cocoa grown? Children learn the answers to these questions in the first part of the workshop. After taking a detailed look at the daily lives of cocoa farmers, the focus shifts to cocoa processing. Where are the cocoa beans transported, and how is the raw material—cocoa—transformed into the chocolate we can ultimately buy at the supermarket? And who benefits most from the chocolate trade? Is it fair? Or does something need to change? What is fair trade, and can it be a solution to the unfair working and living conditions of producers in the Global South?

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.