GoodElectronics member SETEM has created a set of educational materials to sensitise children from 13 to 18 years old on the environmental and human impacts of the global electronics industry.
The training materials are meant to raise awareness among students on the labour and environmental violations across the electronics supply chain. Furthermore, they explore alternatives, using concepts such as technological sovereignty and circular economy. Students are invited to question current consumption patterns and think about personal and collective responsibilities to move towards a fair and responsible electronics production and consumption model.
All sessions, theoretical and practical, encompass and deepen the knowledge of the electronics industry, the violations that occur, the existing alternatives and strategies for personal and collective action to defend a fairer model that respects human rights and the environment.
Overview of the sessions:
1. What hides behind your smartphone?
Get to know the main characteristics of the electronics supply chain and its main phases, and discover the main social and environmental impacts associated with each stage. Let’s reflect together on what is the history hidden behind our devices?
2. Mining the truth
Electronics devices rely on a large amount of mineral resources. Let’s delve into the mines and discover the origin of the minerals, the impact associated with their extraction, and their function. Let’s also investigate in what ways has COVID-19 impacted the mining workers labour conditions and their health and safety.
3. Workshop – Get into the workers’ skin and defend your rights
Let’s address the vulnerations endured by workers in the production phase, such as low salaries, overtime, lack of unionization. In what ways has COVID-19 impacted labour conditions? Through role playing, let’s get into the skin of actors involved in production and let’s negotiate our rights.
4. End of life and the 4R
Does throwing away our devices have any consequences? Is there a possible second-life to our dead phone? Get to know the threat of e-waste to our modern world and how it directly affects communities in the Global South. Let’s brainstorm together to plan actions to give our old devices a second life.
5. Who controls your data?
Let’s understand the mechanisms of addiction to social media and let’s discuss tech giants who control our data and what they can do with our personal information. Which daily devices extract our private data and what can we do to have a better privacy? How does this threatens my life?
6. Workshop: Trial to Apple – child labour in DRC mines
Practical workshop where we will study the real case of the International Rights Advocate claim on the DRC child labour in the Cobalt mines. Through role playing, let’s delve on the labour conditions in mines and the dynamics between actors in the extractive phase.
7. Film forum
With the projection of videos that delve on specific cases of abuses in the electronics sector, let’s brainstorm together and discuss our assumptions on the electronics supply chain.
8. Lobbying: public procurement and binding treaty
What is being done at the international level regarding enterprises and human rights? In what ways can public administrations impact positively on the industry? Let’s discuss it and build up activist communicative actions to demand a fairer electronics supply chain.
Training for trainers
SETEM provides a ‘training for trainers’ workshop for GoodElectronics members and other organisations that want to use the materials in their campaigns.
For more information, check the website of SETEM or send an email to info[at]goodelectronics.org
