TransFair-Minka asbl was founded in 1992 as the luxembourgish fair trade labelling association. Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional world trade. It is a partnership between producers and consumers, based on mutual benefit and respect. It aims to tackle the long term problems of the South through sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers. We work to offer the disadvantaged producers in the South a fair price for the work they do, to gain a better access for their products to markets in the North and to improve their social conditions.
TransFair-Minka Luxembourg is a member of FLO (Fair Trade Labelling international organisation - www.fairtrade.net) based in Bonn. Our activity aims to arise awareness of the Luxembourgish population towards social conditions of the third world producers. Its regular activities are organising awarness campaigns about fair trade products and philosophy. TransFair-Minka is frequently present in schools, on markets, and has regular public appearances through advertisments, press conferences, etc. It has two full time staff members and one half time staff member. Those are responding to the board consisting exclusively of volunteer members.

Possible EVS Activities
Our organisation welcomes volunteers from abroad in order to achieve the following aims:
- work on development education in primary and secondary schools and in youth associations and world shops for fair trade products and philosophy.
- rise awareness and a sense of empathy with disadvantaged producers in the South.


Tasks

ACTIVITY 1: SCHOOL PROJECTS
We want to make peer education, youngsters talking to youngsters in their classroom or their youth association's home, and by that educating them to fair trade behaviour. At TransFair-Minka the volunteer can experience fair trade education for children and young people. After an initial period in order to get familiar with our work the volunteer can develop her/his own educational projects and carry them out with children and young people. Thus, she/he can train her/his public speaking abilities and make pedagogical experiences. We also often attend fairs and markets, where the volunteer may explain fair trade principles to people of any age groups.

While preparing the training sessions, the candidate will be assisted by the supervisor and the regular office staff. Implementation of the activity, peer education sessions with youngsters, will be done by the volunteer. The volunteer is asked to establish herself/himself contacts with schools and youth associations, in order to cooperate directly with the responsible of the youngster groups (how many people, main language understood, age of the young people, previous fairtrade knowledge, etc.). All didactical and practical materials are provided. This preparation phase includes a lot of computer work (research on internet about fairtrade subjects, preparation of lessons and PowerPoint shows, etc.) in order that the volunteer may deeply improve her/his computer skills during the EVS.

Besides the outside office work at schools and associations with young people and children, some office duties may occur, preparing and filing given trainings, reporting about the work done, helping building up exhibitions and helping wherever a helping hand may be needed, often together with many other local part time volunteers in a lively environment, which also enables the integration of the volunteer in the local volunteer staff.


ACTIVITY 2: WORLD SHOP ASSISTANCE AND PROJECTS
At TransFair-Minka, we are able to offer a wide range of activities and learning opportunities linked to the cooperation in the 7 world shops of Luxembourg. The volunteer will be in touch with different publics and target groups. Assistance is always provided by the regular staff of the world shops.

Assistance in the Worldshop
contact with product suppliers' NGO's (Oxfam, Gepa, etc.), customer care, controlling the goods (incoming orders, pricing, delivery, handling of perishable foods, pecularities of the various crafts from emerging countries), stock management and updating of the stockpiles, electronic cash management, diversified design of the showcases and shop windows, decoration of the Worldshop by introducing regularly alterations and updating the supports available (promotional material, thematic brochures and information about events divulged by others organisations in the shops), etc.

Awareness Actions
The volunteer will be largely involved in fair trade activities related to the world shops such as sociocultural and environmental activities with local NGO's, visits from school classes in the world shop with explanations on fair trade, marketing tasks and promotional campaigns for world shops, fair trade catering, collaboration with the development projects financed by the income of the world shops, workshops to put the public in touch with the themes related to Fair Trade, interaction with the local volunteers of the world shops, etc.


ACTIVITY 3: OFFICE RELATED PROJECTS
At TransFair-Minka, we can provide a multitude of office projects and learning opportunities, such as

1. fund raising activities
2. various internet research on fairtrade products and subjects
3. project descriptions
4. preparation of and participation at press conferences
5. preparation of educational and public relation programmes on fair trade and development issues
6. preparation and presentation of PowerPoint shows
7. statistics concerning licence fees
8. updating of membership and volunteer files
9. cooperation with world shops and other NGO's
10. promotion of fair trade catering to public institutions and sociocultural organisations during their meetings, conferences, seminars and other events
11. phone calls to establish usefull contacts
12. etc.


Criteria

Recruitment & Profile of volunteers
The candidate should be very interested in fair trade and in North-South relations in general, making pedagogical experiences through working with children and youth and expanding fair trade awareness. Being open minded towards people and having an idea about voluntary service (want to help, to learn, have new experiences) is considered as inherent to someone that wants to make EVS.
Given the specific language situation in Luxembourg (mother tongue Luxembourgish, children start learning German at the age of 7, start learning French at the age of 8 and start learning English at the age of 13), she/he should have good knowledge of German while knowledge in French and English may be very helpful. The candidate should be motivated to work independently. Neither should she/he be afraid of computerwork which makes the major part of the office working hours.