In December last year I was invited by some fellow Knowmads students to join the Future of Faitrade event they were organizing at the HUB. An inspiring day of connecting, discussing new views and ideas for the future of fairtrade.

YES I’m interested in fairtrade and sustainability,
YES I’m a young social entrepreneur,
YES I want to meet more people with this interest,
YES I want to explore new opportunities of retail,
YES I want to get inspiration,
YES I joined!

At this day we were exploring together what the future of fairtrade could be from the perspective of a new generation, lots of young people are already involved but how can it be even more? We worked with Wereld Winkels (WW) and WAAR as an example throughout the day. We started the day by visiting one of the shops of WW or WAAR, after that we shared our perspectives on these shops. How do we look at them now, do we like what we see, the products, the image, do we connect with them etc.? If we could design our ideal WW shop and the future of fairtrade how would it look like and how could it be?
We started thinking, dreaming, designing, discussing, sharing ideas and harvest it together. We came up with the greatest ideas, beautiful solutions and I met inspiring people I would love to work with in the future, do something with or stay connected with. It was an interactive day full of energy, joy, games, stories, experts, visions, good food, dreams and actions. I walked away with new insights and connections into the world of fairtrade and most important with new energy for taking it further.

So have I taking it further? Yes I have, I was so inspired by the event that I asked the organization if I could join them and organize the next events with them. The organization exists out of my good friends Marlies, Jonas, Eva and Filippa. And…..
I could join them YES!

Now I have been working with them on Fairminds Friday the follow up on the first event. I am super excited to organize 4 events for Fairminds, a fairtrade co-creating platform that is an initiative from Wereld Winkels and WAAR.  Their main goal is to develop fairtrade with young people in Fairminds and to challenge young adults, consumers, entrepreneurs, designers by bringing them all together. The first event was a great start but we also need to do something together. A lot is already going on and with a movement we can open up, spread the word and build something new.

Are you with us for creating a movement?

At our event we will discuss the reasons, the goals and the structure to decide on the next steps to kick off the movement. The event will take place March 9th from 14-18hs, with Trendsactive and it’s facilitated by Knowmads. Participants can expect co-creating, enthusiasm, inspiration, new creative ideas, knowledge, and an action plan with the next steps and not least the networking.

So far we are very busy with designing the program and every step we need to take to prepare and facilitate a great day for YOU! With a big smile I can announce we officially have found the best starting point/location for all our next 4 events + movement: we have started a partnership with the HUB. The HUB is a place for people with ideas for a better world to work, meet, learn and connect. They support new solutions for the world’s most pressing issues. We think the HUB is a very inspiring place; first of all it looks amazing, it’s located in a beautiful restored school building at the heart of the city and it has an interactive community with a variety of people from all over the world. The ideal place to realize impactful ideas, develop new ventures and meet for Fairminds Friday the 9th of March.

Curious? Want to make a difference together? Don’t wait and sign up for free here: http://www.knowmads.nl/event/fairminds-friday-1-creating-a-movement/

Wanna see more and stay updated? Check our facebook-event http://www.facebook.com/events/375031165845115/.

I can’t wait and hope to see you there!