Name
Matt Vaughan
School
Western Kentucky University
City or Town
Bowling Green, KY
Graduation Year
2011
How many hours are you able to commit to USFT weekly during the 2009/2010 school year?
I am able to commit at least 15 hours a week to USFT during the 2010/2011 school year.
Please summarize your experience in the Fair Trade movement.
I first got involved with the fair trade movement during my junior year of high school when I arranged to host a table for Oxfam's Make Trade Fair Campaign during one of the first US Screenings of the Black Gold documentary on coffee in Ethiopia. That was at the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, MO. Since then I have stayed actively involved with fair trade including with my campus activism efforts here in Kentucky. Last spring, for example, I organized a Fair Trade Scavenger Hunt to document the availability of fair trade products in the Bowling Green, KY community. I have been inspired to see the explosive growth in fair trade availability around the globe since I first got involved in the movement but I still see an incredible opportunity for fair trade to grow in America.
What is your understanding of anti-oppression and anti-racism?
My understanding of anti-oppression and anti-racism is that it is a belief in the pursuit of mutual respect for all. It's about giving every human being their due dignity. This means putting people before profits and supporting programs life Fair Trade, which empower disenfranchised citizens to rise above their circumstances.
Why would you like to be on the Coordinating Committee?
I would like to be on the Coordinating Committee because I plan on making WKU an official Fair Trade University this upcoming school year and would very much appreciate the opportunity to connect what I hope will be an inspiring movement on our campus to a renewed initiative in America to get America to follow in the footsteps of progressive countries such as the UK, where there is a much greater awareness of and demand for fair trade products. Of course, this has resulted in a greater supply of fair trade products to consumers in the UK exclusively, where the demand is highest. When I hear news like Kit Kat becoming Fair Trade certified in the UK, I ask, why can't it be Fair Trade in the States as well? And I believe the answer is that the corporations are not seeing or hearing from enough of us that there is demand here for FT products. I plan on becoming a part of the movement here in the US, whether at WKU or hopefully with USFT as well, to create that demand for FT products in our country.
What do you think you can bring to the CC?
I bring the experience of leading a movement on my campus. My freshman year I rallied over 3000 students at WKU to support the ONE Campaign to raise awareness to fight global poverty. We successfully received official endorsement for our campaign from both our university president and our city's mayor. We also collected hundreds of letters to students' members of Congress. We ended up winning ONE's national Campus Challenge between over 1500 schools nationwide. The experience I have in leading this movement combined with my personal passion to promote a just and sustainable future for all are attributes that I believe will greatly benefit the CC.
What is your vision for the position(s) you are applying for?
As a regional coordinator for the Heartland I would use my knowledge of the region, and affiliate orgs I have worked with there, to create a support network of students supporting fair trade. I would also use my experience from my year as a regional coordinator for Americans for Informed Democracy to strengthen existing USFT chapters and assist new, aspiring leaders to found their own chapters. Most intriguing to me is the idea of pooling resources across campuses in the region that have the same food service providers to put combined pressure on them to meet the demands of USFT students and allies.
As the movement liaison I would use my previous experience working with other NGOs including Oxfam America, AID, the ONE Campaign, etc to further grow the network of USFT affiliates. I would also use my contacts to look into new partnerships with similarly minded organizations and movements. I also feel that it is important for USFT to communicate with other student allies in other countries organizing Fair Trade Universities such as in Australia and the UK.
What does Fair Trade mean to you?
Fair Trade is a new way of looking at consumerism. The reality of today is that we live in an interconnected world in which we all have an impact on other people as well as the natural environment. The great thing about fair trade is that it allows you to make sure that your impact is a positive one.
Who are you, really? What are you passionate about?
I'm a dreamer from Mexico... Missouri. I'm a tall guy who sees a world with a lot of troubles but also sees the incredible opportunity for an alternative future built on the pursuit of justice and sustainability. It is that potential, which drives me in my effort to combat injustice and work to alleviate poverty.
