Global Problem, Local Solution

Stepanka Korytova was interviewed about her I300 class's upcoming presentation on their research and projects on fair labor.

How are you envisioning this panel to go? 

I think it will be somewhat of a reaction to earlier projects that my earlier I300 classes have done, before interacted with the managers with the Bloomington Human Rights Commission but they have taken a new direction. So the students are doing group projects, some are talking to employees of the restaurants, so that the project is credible. One group is setting up a Facebook page to raise awareness for the Fair Labor Initiative. Some students did independent projects, one is a journalism major who wrote an op-ed piece on the project. Global problem, local solution is sort of the theme of the class so that … There are students who are showing a documentary to different student groups and then giving them a survey on how much was known before and how much was learned. There was a lot of fieldwork done by the students. There will also be an explanation in the beginning of what human trafficking and labor rights are.

How many people do you have in your class?

We have 30 people. People have been taking notice there has been three articles in Bloom Magazine on fair labor since my students have started these projects.

Jessica Rodriguez, a sophomore International Studies student in I300 was asked about her role in the project.

I interviewed restaurant workers it was pretty interesting. Half of them had no issues but the other half had experienced a variety of things, almost all of them under the radar. They were asked what their idea of fair labor was and then how they were treated specifically. The worst instance was that one of the interviewees was told to stay and scrub the floor and then never paid for it. There was nothing specific that has not been publicized before.

Alexa Blanton, an I300 student was also asked about her role.

My group created community outreach flyers with information about fair labor standards initiative they include coupons with three member restaurants the Bloomington Sandwich Company, Baked and the Runcible Spoon.

"A Global Problem, a Local Solution," a student panel discussion on fair trade

Join students from Dr. Stepanka Korytova's International Studies course, INTL-I 300 Global Human Trafficking, in a discussion on fair labor in Bloomington, IN .

Start: Monday November 09, 2015 04:00 PM

End: Monday November 09, 2015 05:30 PM

Location: Wylie 015

By: Allison Larmann, 2015 Themester Intern