Pupils told of poverty in world (From Gazette Series)

Pupils told of poverty in world

STUDENTS at schools in Dursley, Thornbury, Wotton-under-Edge and Winterbourne learned the importance of cancelling debt in the developing world at a special conference on Monday.

Around 300 Year 12 pupils discovered the economics and exploitation behind the problems many poor countries face. They were told that rich countries, particularly the G8 leaders who also met this week, play a fundamental role in exploiting their poorer neighbours.

The teenagers, from 27 schools across the South West, listened to lectures by leading economists at the University of the West of England and played a pioneering game called the World Trading Game.

Organiser John Sloman, from UWE's school of economics, said: "Not every team gets all resources and they have to produce specific shapes from paper to sell to get payment or barter with other teams to gain resources needed to trade.

"This represents economic resources in the world and how rich and poor countries trade and the resulting outcome of often the poorer countries being unable to reach the same level of profit as the richer countries."

The game has been designed with youngsters in mind and aims to teach economic principles and demonstrate how producers in poor but material rich countries often suffer in a climate of unfair trading.

The annual conference, which was held at UWE's Frenchay campus, was attended by students at Rednock School in Dursley, Katharine Lady Berkeley's School in Wotton-under-Edge, Marlwood School, Alveston, Thornbury's Castle School and The Ridings High School in Winterbourne.