M&Ms help students learn about world economy

During a recent lesson, Mrs. Page randomly gave cups of M&Ms to the students. Three students received 50 candies, eight students received 30 candies and 12 students received 20 candies.

This activity helped the students see that the distribution of wealth is random, that more people are poor than are rich, and that those with more have a responsibility to help those with less.

Sharing

From this introductory lesson, the youth began to study just wages and working conditions around the world, and their link to the Corporal Works of Mercy.

"I want to get them to understand what they can do as common people," Mrs. Page said.

Sweatshops

"It's really cruel to pay such low wages for hard work," she said. "People in this country do less work for more wages."

The class wrote letters to their school uniform supplier to make sure that what they had on wasn't made by sweatshop labor. Some students took other action:

* Devin Nolan changed his own behavior in the hopes of putting an end to sweatshop labor. "I used to have my mom give me name-brand stuff," he said. "Now I told her she didn't have to."

* Classmate Vera Murphy realized her life was good. "I used to complain that I didn't have a lot of clothes," she said. "Then I realized that I had more than most people, so I stopped complaining. Now I don't buy Nike stuff anymore."

Working conditions

Those working in the sweatshops work 11-hour days, are often required to work on Saturdays for no pay, are allowed one bathroom break per day, and are not allowed to talk.

The employees earn unjust wages, according to the NLC. One Nike worker profiled by the NLC makes $4.80 a day. She can only afford to serve her family a dinner of beans, tortillas, coffee and plantains -- when they are available. She can afford to buy milk once every two weeks.

Perspective

Learning about sweatshop abuses caused Ryan to look at his heroes in a different light. "It makes me look at sports figures differently," he said. "Like Tiger Woods, who makes millions promoting Nike."

He would like the sports figures that promote companies that use sweatshop labor to use their money to help the people working in the sweatshops or to stop promoting the companies.

Taking action

It's important, the students said, for whole groups of people to stop buying sweatshop produced apparel. "Unless everybody stops buying, [the abuses] won't stop," Laura said.

The students came up with many actions that can be taken to put an end to sweatshops including: purchasing only sweatshop free items, writing complaint letters to the companies that utilize sweatshops, and writing the government to urge restrictions on imports produced in sweatshops.

Poverty lesson

"A lot of people at some time in their life have money problems," Ryan said. "I think people should try and get a job and stay with it as long as they can, and the people in charge should make fair wages."

Until poverty is eradicated, the eighth graders will do what they can to make a difference. The class decided to increase the amount of food they collect during the holidays, Mrs. Page said. She is also keeping a jar on her desk so that students can donate money throughout the year to help those in need.

(To learn more about sweatshop abuses, visit the National Labor Committee's website at www.nlcnet.org.)

(12-09-99) [[In-content Ad]]