FBLA American Enterprise Project involves all

Odessa HS FBLA put in a lot of hard work this year with the seventh grade class for their American Enterprise Project. The topic this year was fair trade, a type of business operation for trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries. It is a trading partnership based on transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers.

FBLA members taught the younger students how fair trade is an ethical way to do business, and why it is important. The seventh graders learned a great deal about the free enterprise system. The FBLA’s American Enterprise Team spent time in the classroom teaching them all about imports and exports, producers and sellers, and the relationship between fair trade and the economy. They were even able to participate in a simulation to understand the ethical value of fair trade.

The students then researched fair trade products and organizations and used their newfound knowledge to put on a Fair Trade Exhibition at the school on Thursday, February 24. All students from Odessa were able to tour the Exhibition, where they compared products and learned from the seventh-graders all about fair trade. The project was a huge success and all students were able to learn a great deal about fair trade and the American enterprise system.