Street Cents: Sweatshop Warriors

Street Cents: Sweatshop Warriors
CBC TV, 2002
9 minutes

What it's about:

Aimed at a younger audience, this Street Cents segment is a useful tool to motivate students to take action against sweatshops. Sweatshop Warriors gives advice on how to become more informed and provides examples of how students have taken part in anti-sweatshop campaigns. This video also explains the complexities of taking action against a single brand or company (i.e. not all Nike products are made in sweatshops).

How to use it:

Prior to viewing this show, your audience should have an understanding of what sweatshops are and how retailers are responsible for the conditions in which their merchandise is made. It would be useful to introduce the video with a discussion about why we (students, educators, workers, consumers) should care about sweatshops or with a brainstorming activity that draws together the audience's ideas about what can be done about sweatshops.

Notes on video:

As the credits roll at the end of the episode, there is a spoof of a Nike commercial that highlights their reputation for using sweatshops. This could be used as an example of how culture jamming can be used to challenge sweatshop abuses.