… the highlights from our annual conference and AGM in Edinburgh
We learnt at our annual conference in Edinburgh recently that there are not many things you can’t do with a pin, solving world hunger and changing the weather included (although you may well be in for the long haul if you decided to give either of these a go!)
Being uncomfortable
Yes, the annual conference was all about challenging the way we think and speak about things and one of the threads that was woven through the whole of the conference was the fact that we have to be prepared to be made uncomfortable to be comfortable. This recurring theme was first mentioned by Martin Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, in his opening words on Sunday morning. As a movement, we need to be open to partnering with other organisations who may not share our precise DNA but who care about the same things we care about. This way, our collective voices stand a better chance of being heard and heeded. Basma El Doukhi, a Palestinian who was born and brought up in a refugee camp in Lebanon and who is now pursuing a PhD at Kent University, challenged us all with her passion for the women she now works with through her social enterprise, Roouh. Each of their embroideries tells a story and she is adamant that the women must be able to tell their own stories in their own words. Refusing pity and describing herself as ‘thriving’ rather than resilient, Basma urged us to be angry about injustice and to use our anger to change the world.
More than succession planning
Kate Welch, pioneer of ‘pin economics’, spoke about much more than succession planning, encouraging everyone to write down their vision for the future on a physical piece of paper and to use the ‘wisdom in the room’ to help make it happen. Fayola Francis joined us via Zoom to talk about unconscious bias and, once again, about being prepared to have uncomfortable conversations in order to learn and grow and treat other people with the respect we would like to receive ourselves.
Palestine and Climate Action
On the Monday morning, Mel Woodcock chaired a very moving Panel Discussion on the situation in Palestine and how people that our members are connected with are faring in the current horrific circumstances. Each panel member told their own story of tragedy and loss, most of which began long before the events of 7th October, 2023.
A session on climate action served to highlight the fact that many communities in the majority world are the ones paying the highest price for climate change. It was, however, heartwarming to see some of the regenerative actions they are taking to remedy some of the negative impacts.
Political fun!
There were lighter moments, too. Everyone who participated in the fantastic Ceilidh on the Sunday evening really enjoyed it. Stan and his band led the event brilliantly and before long, even the least likely among us were ‘stripping the willow’ and having a whale of a time. And where else but a BAFTS conference would you get a campaigning Ceilidh band raising awareness of the decline in indigenous music! The ‘Invisible Cities Tour’ around Edinburgh was eye-opening, informative and entertaining as Sonny showed us the alternative sites of the city and talked about his own experience of homelessness and brushes with the law.
Rounding off…
The whole event was hosted at the beautiful Cornerstone Centre on Princes Street, home to One World Shop for the last 40 years. It was great to hear the shop’s manager, Rachel Farey, talking about the ever-changing landscape of fairtrade/fair trade shops and shoppers and the art of re-invention to keep pace with it.
The ever popular Shop and Supplier workshops were as stimulating as ever, the Supplier one being all the more memorable for being held in a graveyard!
There was more – there always is. For many, the highlight was just being able to spend time with like-minded people who are all working together to make the world a fairer, better place. How many pins we will need to achieve this is anyone’s guess but as Lenshina (our Chair) said as she shared our vision for the future, if there is one thing we have all learnt from the conference it is that we are better together.