The Spanish Club at Alton High School in Illinois will be selling macrame bracelets for $5 each, made by workers in Nicaragua and Guatemala, The Daily Bird student-run media reports.
The bracelets were made by about 200 independent artisans in those Central American countries, and proceeds from the Pulsera Project, a fundraising drive, provide for housing, healthcare, and scholarships for the families of artisans, who work their own hours to weave the bright and colorful accessories by hand.
“Come support this great cause while also getting a beautiful bracelet to color your wrist,” say the two student journalists.
The Pulsera Project is also designed to raise awareness among US students of often deplorable working conditions for the people who make the clothes students buy in department stores.
Turning the focus to working conditions in America, the student newspaper also announces that February is CTE Month, so named to stress the importance of career and technical education.
President Donald Trump made a nonspecific reference to CTE in his first State of the Union address Tuesday, calling on the US to “open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential.”
Of course, as Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted, Mr Trump’s budget proposal takes a billion federal dollars away from CTE programs, so opening any new schools or programs might have to wait a while.
But at Alton, “CTE is education that directly prepares students for high-wage, high-demand careers,” students read. “CTE covers many different fields, including health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, and many more.”
- Welding, woodworking, and automotive classes
- Family and consumer sciences classes
- Architecture, pre-engineering, computer-aided design
- Business management
- Graphic arts and photography
In the State of the Union, Mr Trump introduced Corey Adams, a welder at Staub Manufacturing in Ohio, where the president’s recent tax cut for business has resulted in raises and the hiring of 14 new employees during what the company says was its best year in two decades.
“Corey plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two daughters’ education,” the president said. “Corey, please stand. And he’s a great welder. I was told that by the man that owns that company that’s doing so well. So congratulations, Corey.”
