wordfalls and scatters

...is coming up soon! Please tell anyone who you think might be interested:

Lifecycles: Clothing
workshop and clothing swap

18 August 2010, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Edmund Rice Institute for Social Justice, 24 High Street, Fremantle, WA

Who makes the clothes you wear? What can you do to improve working conditions in the garment industry in Australia and overseas?

Many of the clothes sold in Australia are made in sweatshops in the developing world where workers are underpaid, ill treated and sometimes forced to work against their will. But what about clothing made in Australia? Even workers in Australia earn as little as $2-$3 per hour producing clothing sold here.

If you’re interested in learning more about sweatshops and promoting more ethical practices in the industry, come to the next Lifecycles workshop. The Bluestocking Institute's Lifecycles workshops help participants develop action plans around the issues that they care about.

At the Lifecycles: Clothing workshop we’ll discuss working conditions in the garment industry and the role of consumers, governments and corporations in addressing widespread abuse in the industry. We’ll also discuss the many active campaigns locally and internationally aimed at improving working conditions in the industry.

The workshop will also include a clothing swap, so if you have any clothes that you no longer need, bring them along to share with others and walk away with some new (to you) items.

Suggested donation $5

RSVP to bluestocking@bluestockinginstitute.org or visit the Lifecycles: Clothing event page on Facebook.

You guys! The Bluestocking Institute is going to be having a dinner on October 15th about 'the politics of food'. It would be great if you could come! The blog post is here, the facebook event page is here, the outline is here:

"The next discussion in our Community Scholars programme will look at 'the Politics of Food'. It will be held on October 15th, from 6:30 until 8pm at the Edmund Rice Centre in Fremantle.

The Bluestocking Institute's Community Scholars Discussion Group brings together experts from inside and outside academia, encouraging cross-fertilisation across disciplines and between local, national, and global perspectives. Discussion Groups aim to develop dialogue in a relaxed atmosphere, and address issues of peace and justice.

'The Politics of Food' will be explore some of the ethical and political questions surrounding what we eat, how we eat, and how we produce food. These include:

* What is the role of food in bringing together communities, or holding them apart?
* How can we produce food ethically and sustainably?
* Can movements promoting 'slow food' and organic farming meet the needs of those on a low income?
* Can urban food production and community gardens help to feed the world?

We encourage people from all walks of life to join us for dinner and discussion. Whether you're involved in academia, activism, or just have a personal interest in the politics of food, you're welcome to join us. We encourage you to bring a plate to share, and to begin the discussion: are you vegetarian? Vegan? Do you try to 'eat local'? Do you have food that is important to your community? Are you too busy too cook?

Eating together has always been an important part of building communities: please help us to build a vibrant dialogue around the politics of what we eat.

You can join the discussion on the Facebook group, or stay tuned to this blog for readings and ideas for further discussion."

Sounds like fun, right? Snacks, politics, new perspectives? Yes? Yes!