Resources for students

Free resources

10 questions to ask footwear and garment companies (PDF, 33KB): Ten questions designed to assist individuals or organisations in assessing a company’s labour rights practices.
Unfair Factory Game: The Playfair 2012 Campaign has released an interactive game designed to demonstrate the pressures of garment factory work and the challenges that workers face in organising and obtaining their rights.
Labour Rights: Behind the Seams: A blog featuring the most recent Oxfam Australia labour rights news and campaign updates.
In My Shoes: This blog takes you on a journey through the life of a 24-year-old footwear factory worker.
My name is Imas: The story of Imas Mutia – a sports shoe worker in Indonesia
Fair Play for Workers information brochure (PDF, 1.3MB): This short black and white brochure explaining Oxfam Australia’s labour rights work is free to download and use as a teaching resource.
Worksheet: Nike, a global company (PDF, 20KB): This one-page comprehension worksheet and discussion starter is suitable for students aged 14 to 17. It was prepared by NSW high school Teacher Kate Hungerford.
Fashioning an ethical industry: Fashioning an ethical industry has some great, free resources including A role play for different levels which explores how the decisions made by different actors within the fashion supply chain impact on working conditions in garment manufacture.
Frequently asked questions (PDF 1.1MB): A very good overview of labour rights issues and ethical manufacturing in the footwear and garment sector. Includes links to further information.
Frequently asked question on ethical gear (PDF 200kB): These frequently asked questions explain the difference between fair and ethical trade and provide information about buying, sourcing and producing ethical gear. It is a useful introductory guide to the issues surrounding fair and ethical trade.
Fairwear’s “Home Truths” curriculum kit: A set of lesson plans for schools that covers the key learning areas of English, Design and Technology, Visual Arts, Legal Studies and more.
Freedom at Work Campaign Toolkit: An excellent resource produced by the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) which explains why freedom of association and union rights are key to preventing all forms of worker abuse and exploitation. The information includes common “union busting” practices as well as practical actions that individuals can take to support workers’ rights.
Globalisation: Fair vs Cool: Global Education has prepared this Global Learning Quest. The quest encourages students to ask whether it’s possible to care about fashion and global issues at the same time.
Sim Sweatshop: This free online interactive game invites you to enter the world of the sports shoe worker. Work hard and you will be paid your full wage. Make a mistake and you will be punished accordingly.
Trading Trainers simulation game: Christian Aid and CAFOD in the UK designed this highly recommended simulation game for between 16 and 40 students (aged 13 and up). It is currently out of print but, until it is reprinted, CAFOD have given us permission to distribute free copies of the game to interested teachers. Download the game here (PDF, 4MB) or if you would like a hard copy please email us your postal address.
Rethinking Schools site: The Summer 1997 edition of Rethinking Schools Online includes a great lead article and some excellent resources suggesting innovative ways to teach the issue of workers’ rights in the sportswear industry.
Order your own Labour Rights DVD: Oxfam Australia has a collection of DVDs which feature short films about labour rights in the garment and sportswear industries. To order a copy of the DVD please send us an email.
Suparjo’s Adidas Story: In this short film 32 year old Hamdani shares the story of his struggle to find work after his unfair dismissal from an adidas supply factory in 2005. Hamdani asks adidas and adidas consumers to think about the human face of production and support the rights of unfairly dismissed workers.
Hamdani: the human face of adidas production: In this short film about freedom of association in Indonesia, former footwear worker Suparjo shares the challenges that he has faced since his unfair dismissal from an adidas supply factory in 2005.

Asia Floor Wage Campaign Comic: Find out what is meant by a floor wage how this campaign is working to end exploitation and strengthen the position of garment workers across Asia!
Step into her trainers: Created by UK-based advocacy organisation Labour behind the Label, this resource pack explores questions about the sportswear you buy and the workers across the world who make it. It includes quizzes, real life accounts from garment workers, a day in the life of a t-shirt and a special section for design students.

Inexpensive resources

Sweatshop Curricula: The Intercommunity Peace and Justice Centre has put together this useful list of anti-sweatshop curriculum resources.