Calendar

Initiated in 2009, this in-person event at John Carroll University will bring together hundreds of fair trade supporters, advocates, retailers, and vendors from across the state.  Each year the Ohio Fair Trade Teach-In & Expo continues to build energy around the already vibrant Ohio fair trade movement. In addition to the Global Marketplace of fair trade vendors, we’ll host educational presentations and our Fair Trade Around the World program for kids. And hopefully returning this year: Fair Trade Fashion Show for high school students!

WHAT:     Ohio Fair Trade Teach-In & Expo 2025

WHERE:  John Carroll University, Dolan Science Center; University Heights (Cleveland), OH 44118

WHEN:    Saturday, October 4, 2025

TIME:      9am-2pm (attendees are welcome to come and go)

See and share the Facebook event here:

More info:

216 961 0003

OhioFairTrade@irtfcleveland.org

2025 THEME: MIGRATION

Throughout history, it has been shown that free trade agreements spur increased levels of migration. As workers in the Global South face suppressed wages, they are understandably attracted to higher wages in the Global North.  Additionally, free trade agreements often lead to environmental degradation, fostering poverty, unemployment, and unsustainable conditions, forcing individuals to leave their home countries. In a time where international migration is increasingly difficult, dangerous, and political, especially in the United States, it is important to target the source of this migration. By supporting fair trade cooperatives–-especially in countries most impacted by free trade agreements (e.g., CAFTA)--communities are able to create opportunities and build the capacity to remain safely and economically secure in their home countries. Fair trade cooperatives offer higher incomes to artisans and farmers, reducing the need to emigrate to higher wage countries like the United States. Additionally, fair trade practices prioritize care for land and the environment, reducing displacement of people from their home communities.

Goals of the Ohio Fair Trade Teach-In & Expo:    

-Present high quality educational forums to increase attendees’ understanding of fair trade

-Provide resources and active campaigns for fair trade supporters to join

-Create a larger network of socially conscious consumers committed to Fair Trade

-Offer opportunities for networking amongst vendors, advocates, and supporters from across Ohio

-Raise tens of thousands of dollars in vital income for fair trade artisans and farmers around the world

Thank you to our co-sponsors, including several in-kind donors (list in formation): Church of the Gesu, Equal Exchange, Kahiniwalla, The Market Path

Global Fair Trade Marketplace

We want to fill the atrium at the Dolan Science Center with more than a dozen fair trade vendors. Ask your favorite fair trade vendor to join us: OhioFairTrade@irtfcleveland.org .

Community Partner Info Tables

Info/outreach tables from community groups promoting justice, equity and human rights are welcome.

Kids’ Activities

Kids (ages 6-12) are invited to participate in our Fair Trade Around the World. As kids travel around the auditorium, they will learn about different countries, cultures, languages, climate and habitats—as well as personal stories about the farmers and artisans—from the vendors. Stopping at each station, kids can participate in a 5-10 minute activity and have their fair trade travel booklet stamped to be entered into the kiddie raffle.

Teen Activities

We are inviting teens to show off their fair trade clothing and accessories in our Fair Trade Fashion Show!

Food Vendor

We are currently seeking a food vendor.

Complimentary Refreshments

by Equal Exchange, staffed by sales reps from their warehouse in Bedford, OH.  Complimentary chocolate, tea, and coffee.

Goodie Bags

We are seeking donations of fair trade items to stuff the goodie bags for attendees. Ask your favorite fair trade vendors if they even 10, 20 or 50 items (they don’t need to be the same) to give away.

Location

Dolan Science Center at John Carroll University, 1 John Carroll Blvd, University Heights, OH 44118

Time

Come and go anytime between 9am and 2pm. Programs are scheduled for 11am and 12noon.

Event Organizers

IRTF: InterReligious Task Force on Central America

John Carroll University Campus Ministry

on behalf of the Ohio Fair Trade Network

This year's conference theme is abolition. How do we move towards a world without wars, weapons, police, prisons, the death penalty, and borders? How can we work towards our collective liberation, recognizing that oppressions are interconnected? Come to #NoWar2025 to explore how we can join in solidarity across movements and borders to abolish these interwoven systems and build a world based on common security. 

View event on WBW website here: https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2025/?link_id=3&can_id=540e92ff874a6b94a0ca720db2a7dff1&source=email-learning-from-alternatives-to-militarism-police-prisons&email_referrer=email_2846323&email_subject=youre-invited-to-our-annual-conference-october-24-26

Register here: https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/nowar2025?clear_id=true 

#NoWar2025 Schedule

All sessions will be broadcast on Zoom. All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Day 1: Making the Case for Abolition

3:00pm-3:30pm EDT: Welcome & Opening Remarks from WBW’s Co-Founder and Executive Director David Swanson

World BEYOND War’s Co-Founder and Executive Director David Swanson will provide the opening remarks for the #NoWar2025 Conference, with an introduction to World BEYOND War’s mission and the conference theme.

3:30pm-4:30pm EDT: Reports from WBW Chapters Around the World

4:30pm-4:45pm EDT: Break

4:45pm-5:00pm EDT: Performance

5:00pm-6:30pm EDT: Panel: Making the Case for Abolition

6:30pm-7:00pm EDT: Breakout Rooms: What does abolition mean to you?

Day 2: Learning from Examples of Abolition Movements

1:00pm-1:15pm EDT: Performance
1:15pm-2:30pm EDT: Panel: Case Studies of Abolition

2:30pm-2:45pm EDT: Break

2:45pm-4:00pm EDT: Panel: Learning from Abolitionist Movements and Cultivating Intersectionality

4:00pm-4:15pm EDT: Break

4:15pm-5:15pm EDT: Training: We Keep Us Safe: Preparing for Arrests and Building Communities of Abolition

Day 3: Exploring a World Beyond War / Imagining the Abolitionist Future

12:15pm-12:30pm EDT: Performance by Dana Dajani, award-winning Palestinian-American poet

12:30pm-1:45pm EDT: Active Bystander Intervention and De-escalation Training

1:45pm-2:00pm EDT: Break

2:00pm-3:15pm EDT: Panel: Indigenous Restorative Justice: Pathways towards Abolition

3:15pm-3:30pm EDT: Closing Words by WBW Board President Kathy Kelly

3:30pm-4:15pm EDT: Breakout Rooms: What does a world beyond war look like to you?

source: Share Foundation

2025 December Delegation - SHARE Foundation

Apply here to join this delegation.

The SHARE Foundation and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) invite you to join us in celebration of the 45th anniversary of Ita, Maura, Dorothy and Jean.

2025 is a year of anniversaries; it is the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si, the Holy Year of Jubilee, the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Monseñor Romero, and the ninth  anniversary of the martyrdom of Berta Cáceres… and many more.

We want to remember our sisters alive in the struggle for a better world; we remember them by continuing walking with The People of God of El Salvador, Honduras and of our communities.

We celebrate the lives of our sisters by embracing Laudato Si on its 10th anniversary and continue planting seeds of hope that produce healthy food to nourish our tired bodies, and care for our Madre Tierra.

We invite you to bring our sisters to the presente by planting seeds of solidarity: 

Join the Pilgrimage to El Salvador November 28th to December 6th, 2025. Walk on holy land with the people of Ita, Maura, Dorothy, Jean, Romero, Berta, the people of God.

1. Join the Virtual Pilgrimage to follow the Pilgrimage to El Salvador and Honduras. You will receive daily reflections, pictures and invitations to FaceBook live. Register here: https://forms.gle/HphV6kahuhRwR9cC7
2. Educate your community about Ita, Maura, Dorothy and Jean during 2025; organize an event, show a movie, and or invite friends and family for a house gathering for a toast in celebration of their lives.
3. Support women’s projects in El Salvador and Honduras: help with fundraising for local projects promoting women’s rights, health care, community development and support for refugees deported from the US.
4. Host a woman from El Salvador or Honduras to visit your city for 2 to 3 days to educate your community and plant seeds of solidarity in May – June 2026.

We invite you to join us in celebrating the lives of our sisters; help us invite others by sharing this invitation among your friends and other contacts. Contact us with any suggestions or questions: Jose Artiga: jose@share-elsalvador.org telephone + 1 510 848 8487 and Bridget Bearss: bbearss@lcwr.org Visit www.share-elsalvador.org

MORE BASIC QUESTIONS/ANSWERS ABOUT THE DELEGATION

A Pilgrimage / Peregrinaje is a journey to a holy place. You as a pilgrim / Peregrinus will be walking on Holy Land Walking with the People of God ( el Pueblo de Dios).

 1. Who is inviting you? SHARE and LCWR are extending an invitation from Christian Base Communities in El Salvador to women religious and lay women and men to join them on this special Pilgrimage to walk with the People of God in Holy Land.

2. What are the dates?

Pilgrimage to El Salvador, November 28 to December 6, 2025.

Pilgrimage to Honduras December 6 to 10, 2025

November 28th: travel to El Salvador, arriving any time and returning on December 6th; for those going on to Honduras, will travel by land on December 6th and return home from SAP San Pedro Sula Airport.

3. What are the objectives of the delegation?

a. To remember and celebrate the lives of Ita, Maura, Dorothy and Jean.

b. To be in solidarity with the organized people of El Salvador and Honduras.

c. To return to the U.S. and continue planting the seeds of solidarity. We hope each pilgrim will become a promoter of solidarity, including organizing presentations to share their story, educating their elected officials in Congress, hosting a guest from El Salvador who is visiting the US, and raising funds to support SHARE’s partners in El Salvador.

4. What is the Cost?

The cost for the Pilgrimage to El Salvador is $1,250 plus airfare. The cost for Honduras is $450 which includes housing, food, translation, in-country transportation, partner organization honoraria, and organization of events. The total cost for El Salvador and Honduras is $1700.

5. What airport do I fly to?

Arrive in El Salvador’s Monsenor Oscar Romero Airport SAL, anytime on November 28th. Depart December 6th from El Salvador. For delegates going to Honduras, return on December 10th from San Pedro Sula SAP airport.

6. When do I pay?

First payment is a $100 NON-refundable on or before September 1. Second payment on or before November 1. To pay, please send a check for $1,250 or $1700 to SHARE Foundation, memo line Roses in December, and send to 2425 College Ave. Berkeley, CA 94704; or online at share-elsalvador.org (plus a 3% processing fee)

 7. How do I apply for a partial scholarship?

Please send a letter to jose@share elsalvador.org We have many ideas and suggestions on how to fundraise for this trip, please contact Jose at 510 848 8487.

8. I would like to join the Pilgrimage, but I cannot go on the delegation; are there other ways to be part of this Pilgrimage?

Yes, there are several ways to be part: a. Join the online pilgrimage to receive before, during, and after emails with pictures, reflections, and invitations to Zoom on activities. Register HERE. b. Sponsor a Pilgrim with a donation and frequent flyer miles. c. Join the organizing team to help with the Pilgrimage.

9. Are children and youth welcomed?

Yes, minors are welcomed as long as they are accompanied by a relative or guardian. Pilgrims in their 80s and plus are also welcomed and we will do our best to accommodate any mobility need they may have. Please advise us beforehand of any such needs.

10. Where will we stay? We will stay in humble guest houses or hotels in El Salvador.

Meals are simple and healthy and we will have access to purified water at all times.

11. Who should come to this delegation?

Young and old, women and men, elected officials and their aides, journalists and people working in the media, artists, and religious leaders. Younger folks, women and people of color are encouraged to join. People working with justice issues such as immigration rights, women’s rights, etc., are most welcome.

12. Are there concerns about safety?

Safety is one of our primary concerns and we take all possible measures to insure the safety of our delegates. El Salvador and Honduras have a long history of being one of the most violent countries in the region, yet some of these conditions have improved over the past few years. Our itinerary is developed in close collaboration with partners in El Salvador and Honduras who are aware of the risks and mindful to reduce them in every possible way. We will be lodged in secure locations and will not be traveling at night; being part of a group provides some safety. We will not participate in demonstrations or knowingly enter situations that would put us at risk. This delegation is one of accompaniment and we encourage participants to consider both the risks and the rewards of this form of activism. SHARE and LCWR have sponsored these delegations for several decades following very strict security measures and, thanks be to God and our martyrs, we have had zero negative incidents. If people are still concerned about safety, they should not go on this Pilgrimage. Please check and follow the US Travel Advisories travel.state.gov

13. What are the expectations for preparation and follow-up for this journey?

Some weeks before the program begins, you’ll be asked to engage with study materials that will help you understand the people and places we will visit, as well as the long history of US intervention in the region. On your return home, we hope you will find many ways to share your experience and all that you’ve learned with your community and engage with your local congressmembers. We will support you with ideas and resources for action and advocacy. Those with particular skills will be asked to organize presentations, blog, write and produce media pieces. There will be 3 required Preparatory Calls for Delegates: the first Thursday of September, October and November at 4 pm PST/7 pm EST.

14. Do I need a passport or a visa to travel?

A valid passport with an expiration date no less than 6 months from the date you are returning is necessary for travel. U.S. citizens do not need a visa.

15. Do I need to speak Spanish?

Spanish is not necessary for participation. Interpretation will always be provided.

16. Are there any cultural issues or group norms to be aware of?

YES:

a. Wearing modest clothing is most appropriate. Women in El Salvador do not usually wear shorts. Skirts, capris and long pants work best. Men often wear longer shorts.

b. Alcoholic drinks are not allowed in the retreat houses where we stay, and it is not appropriate to be drinking in the context of so much suffering in the communities we visit.

c. It is possible that particular people may approach you personally for financial help of some kind. Please know that SHARE offers support to organizations not to individuals; this is the best way to be in solidarity. We ask you not to give any person-to-person financial assistance if approached.

17. When is the deadline?

How do I sign up: Deadline is October 15th. Please apply at share-elsalvador.org

Please send us any additional questions to jose@share-elsalvador.org .