User:ElleMegan

I am a student at Drake University, currently enrolled in Global Youth Studies. I am interested in women's rights, fair trade (especially coffee), and traveling! Below is my project proposal:

Article revision proposal
For my Wikipedia project, I plan to add a “youth” section to the already fleshed-out article called Fair trade. This article is very detailed and already looks great, but it is missing a youth component. Youth and students have played a huge role in the fair trade movement and they are a key component in understanding the popularity of fair trade economics. There is also the side of the fair trade movement advantaging youth and students in the Global South. The children and adolescents in the Global South, who have families that participate in fair trade farming, benefit greatly from this practice.

I will pull information from resources such as, Fair Trade from the Ground Up, about youth participating in the consumption on fair trade in the Global North. This section will outline the psychology and gender differences behind youth participation, using articles such as, “Gender Differences in Psychosocial Determinants of University Students' Intentions to Buy Fair Trade Products.” I will pull neutral information from resources such as the chapter from Sustainability in Higher Education about youth in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to use as examples of student and youth participation. I will also touch in this section about what it means to be a “Fair Trade University.”

Fair trade has positively affected youth in the Global South through the basic principles of the movement, fair prices and opportunities. When youth and their families farm and sell their goods and products fair trade, they are able to earn a higher income. This leaves families and communities with more money to invest in the education of their youth and other youth-centered programs. For example, “Fair Trade Awareness and Engagement: A Coffee Farmer’s Perspective,” is an article that outlines some of these programs. I think it will be interesting to add a youth section to the fair trade page because the youth of the Global North and Global South are connected by fair trade.

Declared article
I will be editing the Fair trade article to bring it up to "good article" status and add youth components where they are relevant and necessary.

Project Nica 2015
I recently traveled to Nicaragua through On The Ground and Just Coffee to visit women coffee-growers and see the devastation of a coffee blight called La Roya, or Coffee Leaf Rust. These women are some of the most inspirational people I have ever met and I will do anything I can to help. I am currently raising funds for the women to purchase new coffee plants, fruit trees, and minerals for their organic compost. If you would like to donate or learn more, visit my fundraising page here.