BANGOR — Area residents going to their local grocery stores, public libraries and restaurants
may notice a series of posters focusing on an unexpected topic — the relationship of international chocolate production and its use of child labor.
The posters, created by Junior Youth Group members of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, are the result of a 15-week social justice project undertaken by the group of sixth- through eighth-graders. The youth group members hope their posters will help local consumers make more thoughtful decisions about chocolate purchases and consumption.
Meeting Sundays for their religious education class, the youngsters chose to research and study the little-known issue of the use of children as laborers — and sometimes slaves — on west African cocoa plantations that source cocoa to all major international chocolate corporations. The youth group members created the informative posters and wrote to three major corporations expressing their concern.
The young people presented their work during the Religious Education Sunday service held June 7 at the UUSB church, 120 Park St.
“I was deeply impressed by the youths’ understanding of and desire to act upon our Unitarian Universalist principles, particularly in this instance, the second one that calls us to affirm and promote ‘justice, equity and compassion in human relations,’“ said the Rev. Arthur Vaeni, UUSB interim minister.
As youth member Cecil Charuk-Wilson said, “I was unaware of the horrors the children go
through — like forced labor, beatings and long hours.”
The Junior Youth Group members “were able to find a situation that they were able to confront and one in which they could have a voice to make a difference,” said Karen Childs, UUSB director of religious education. “I think it empowered them.”
The class was taught over the past fall and spring by Valerie Carter, Rob Wheeler, Sue Ann Gaitings and Desiree Viel. They followed a junior-high curriculum prepared by the Unitarian Universalist Association titled “Heeding the Call: Qualities of a Justice Maker,” Carter said.
“We talked about different kinds of oppression,” Carter said, “and if people can’t get their fundamental needs met, then it’s hard for them to work on other kinds of needs not as critical to survival.”
The teachers did online research on a range of social justice issues and presented them to the children to choose to study, Carter said. Doing their own research and sharing it with their parents, the youth group decided to study chocolate production and found that children as young as 4 years old were working 12-hour days on cocoa plantations. Many children are sold as slaves by impoverished parents thinking their children will be provided with adequate care and education.
The young teens wrote letters of concern to Nestle, Cadbury and Hershey. Only Hershey and Nestle responded, outlining the company’s commitment to source 100 percent certified chocolate
The corporate response was “an indication that they as young people can have some kind of impact,” the teacher said.
The posters made by the church group highlight safety issues and injuries, wage issues, the
number of children working in chocolate production and brand names of questionable companies. The posters are being placed in grocery stores, public libraries and area restaurants in Bangor, Orono and Hampden, Carter said.
Youth member Franny Charuk-Wilson said, “It’s a big issue that not a lot of people know about, and when we inform other people, they can take action with us.”
Further resources on the use of child labor in the production of cocoa and chocolate are available at.dol.gov/ilab/issues/child-labor/cocoa/ and www.foodispower.org/chocolate-list/.
For information about the Unitarian Universalist Association of Bangor, go to http://uubangor.org/. Religious education classes will begin Sunday, Sept. 20, at the UUSB church, 120 Park St. For information, call the church office at 947-7009.