Trading Trainers. For the leaders running the game you will need a Cost of Living collector sheet, and a market info sheet.

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1 Trading Trainers Suitable for Purpose To understand how big Transnational Corporations hire cheap labour forces in underdeveloped countries and how these labour forces are people working long hard hours, get paid little and have little or no rights as workers. It s still possible to work hard for a living but be poor. Materials needed Money, role cards, scissors, a whistle, crayons, pencils, rubbers, pencil sharpener, paper, shoe templates, and a diagram with the three different shoe types on it. Split these materials into the following family packs: Gutirez and Vargas Families Trade Marks A & C 1 Model Training Shoe 2 Scissors 8 Pieces of Paper 2 Pencils 15 x 10 intis 3 x 50 intis 1 Role Card Hernandez and Robles Families Trade marks A & B 1 model Training shoe 2 scissors 4 pieces of paper 1 pencil 10 x 10 intis 2 x 50 intis 1 crayon 1 role card Gomez and Garcia Families Trade Mark A 1 model training shoe 1 scissors 2 pieces of paper 1 pencil 5 x 10 intis 1 x 50 intis 1 role card For the leaders running the game you will need a Cost of Living collector sheet, and a market info sheet. Time 60 minutes How to run the activity Split the group into three or six small groups and arrange each group around a table. Explain that each group is a family, living in a shantytown in South America, and who work in a factory making Nike Trainers. They have to make as many pairs of Trainers as possible out of paper using the cardboard templates. You then sell the trainers to the market, hired by Nike. The market can also sell you raw materials if you need them, and lend you money if you need it. However if they lend you money, you need to pay them back the next week plus 10%.

2 The trainers must be sold in pairs, one left one right, otherwise they won t be accepted. They also need to be perfect to the template. There are three brands of trainers you can make, depending on the trademark. The different trademarks are worth different amounts of money, and this can change each week. 10 minutes indicates a week, and at the end of each week, people called Cost of Living Collectors (you) will come round and collect money to pay the rent, buy food and send the children to school. Blowing the whistle will indicate each week. This may change as the week s progress. If you cannot pay one week, then the following weeks is doubled, and then doubled the following week etc. Every two weeks, there is inflation, and the prices of everything double. They can now look at their role cards, and start making trainers. Note: If any one type of Trademark Trainer keeps getting made, announce that because of surplus production, the price is halved, and the price on another trademark is doubled. If any one type of Trademark Trainer is not getting made, announce that it has suddenly become very fashionable and in demand, and the price for that trainer has doubled. If any family gets very behind in their payments, you can send a bailiff in to remove key equipment or resources. At the end of the game, count up how much money, and how much debt, each family has. Discussion Which family made the most money? Do they think it s fair that some made more than others? Ask each group what their biggest problem was Did anyone join with another group? Why? How? What happened? Which family is in the most debt? Why? Which families could not make ends meet? Did families help each other to survive? Why? Why not? How did the groups feel about the changing prices? What could be done to improve the situation for these families in real life? Is it fair that big companies like Nike, Reebok and Adidas make their products cheaply but sell them for much more and make big profits? Note Try to recycle all the paper used in this game.

3 Cost of Living collector sheet The families that are playing in this game have to make enough money to pay the rent, buy food and send their children to school each week. At the end of each week (10 minutes), the Cost of living Collectors need to do the following: 1 minute before the end of the week, blow the whistle and announce to the families that the cost of living is to be collected The price for cost of living the first week is 100 Intis. This can change during the game at the choice of the collectors. If a family cannot pay then they must pay double the following week, and then double the week following that. The Collectors must make a note of which families have paid, which families owe and how much At the end of the game, any families in debt, or who haven t been able to pay at all, have not survived Gutirez Vargas Hernandez Robles Gomez Garcia

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5 Market owner sheet In this game, the families will be trying to sell the pairs of trainers they make to the Market, and their aim is to make enough money to survive. The market has a number of tasks to do. 1. The main task is to buy the shoes from the families: Must only accept shoes perfect to the template Shoes must be in pairs a left shoes and a right shoe The shoes must have a trademark on them that matches the trademark template 2. When the family presents the market with the shoes, but they re not perfect, the market can decide to: Reject the shoes completely Send them back for modification 3. If a pair of shoes has been accepted, it must be torn or marked in some way and put to one side so they cannot be resold 4. The Market not only buys shoes, it can also: Sell equipment and paper Loan money There are three possible trademarks that can be on the shoes, and each is worth different amount. There is also inflation every week so please refer to the following table regarding prices. Market Price List Buying Weeks 1 and 2 Weeks 3 and 4 Weeks 5 and 6 Zyke Shoes Freebox Shoes Pumps Shoes Selling Trademark Crayon Sheet of paper Scissors The market can also make announcements regarding prices any time during the game: If any one type of Trademark shoe keeps getting made, announce that because of surplus production, the price is halved, and the price on another trademark is doubled. If any one type of Trademark shoe is not getting made, announce that it has suddenly become very fashionable and in demand, and the price for that trainer has doubled. If any family gets very behind in their payments for loaned equipment, or borrowed money, you can send a bailiff in to remove key equipment or resources.

6 Templates Cut out these paper templates and use them to create cardboard stencils to be used by the participants in the game. For the trademarks (Zyke, Freebox and Pumps) just the shapes (square, arrow, triangle) are needed, not the names.

7 Money templates This page can be photocopied for multiple notes to be used in the game.