CERES Global

India Exploring Avenues for a Sustainable Fashion

Industry – Internship Opportunities

22 April – 2 May 2019 Sustainable Fashion │ Women in Business │ Waste/Pollution │Workers’ Rights │Consumer Advocacy │Collaborations

“Fashion has power, the power to change lives. The lives of farmers, spinners, weavers, printers, tailors, designers

and many more who have invisibly woven their souls into what we wear.” (Upasana)

Join us on a journey through India exploring fashion through a

sustainability lens, a philosophy of design that can be supported

indefinitely and carefully considers environmental impact and social

responsibility. Immersed in the vibrant culture and traditions of the

sub-continent, our focus will be on mutual cross-cultural exchange and

experiential learning. The aim of the trip is to re-imagine current

notions of fashion and strip it back to what it is in its original form –

embedded with tradition, craft, culture and personal expression.

Over 10 days we will travel from Kolkata in the north with its hipsters,

intellects, sweat shops and slums, to Auroville in the south, the

international city dedicated to peace sustainability and divine

consciousness. We will look at both the good and the bad sides of the

industry visiting sweat shops, factories, fashion outlets and talking with

workers artists and activists. We will discuss workers rights, fashion

waste production, women’s empowerment, and farmer suicides. All

this whilst exploring the rich and colourful textile traditions of India

that date back to the Indus Valley civilisation.

CERES Global Internship opportunities:

CERES Global are offering a number of internship places in 2018/19 for post & undergrad university students. As a

requirement of the internship, students will undertake pre-departure, in country, and post trip activities.

This internship would involve:

• Pre-Departure – Work with CERES Global to identify a relevant research topic based on the upcoming

international engagement and in response to community needs in country. This phase will require planning,

meetings, and activity conducted on site at CERES, as well as home based research.

• In Country – Engagements with our partner organisations requiring thoughtful contribution to discussion,

cultural consideration, sharing our CERES story, documentation and data collection.

• Post trip – Reporting on the international engagement, findings, recommendations, and details on issues

explored and the various needs of communities to meet challenges.

In designing your specific internship, we encourage you to contact CERES Global and we can meet

to explore your study interests and skill set to ensure you’re gaining the most from the

experience, and that you’re adding real value to the program partners and beneficiaries.

Project 1:

• Pre Trip - Compiling educational resources based on best practice and adapting them to the Indian context. This

will involve desktop research and/or liaising with organisations/practitioners/researchers that are working on

the chosen theme.

• During Trip – Sharing resources and ideas with partner organisations and work with them to adapt them to the

local situation.

• Post Trip – Write findings based on pre-trip research and in country observations into a report. This could be in

the form of a practice guideline, video, a story, a fact sheet, media release or other medium.

Project 2:

• Pre Trip – Desktop research on (specifically chosen) impacts generated by the fashion industry.

• During Trip - In the field observations on the perceptions of local communities and individuals about fashion

impacts, perceived and actual barriers to addressing these impacts.

• Post Trip - Compile findings based on pre-trip research and in country observations into a report. This could be in

the form of a video, a story, a fact sheet, media release or other medium.

Trip Themes:

Sustainable Fashion: Investigate the solutions to addressing the social and environmental impacts of the fashion

industry in India. What are businesses and organisations doing to ensure that workers have decent work conditions

and secure livelihoods? What methods are being adopted to ensure that products are being made ethically and with

minimal waste and pollution? What role does fashion play in preserving Indian textile and handicraft traditions?

Women in Business: Investigate the factors that promote the empowerment of women through business in the

Indian fashion industry. How are women becoming economically self-reliant and able to start their own businesses?

What impact does it have on women’s families and communities when they are successful in business?

Social Enterprise: Explore the contributions that social enterprises have made to addressing environmental and

social issues related to the Indian fashion industry. What problems are these social enterprises trying to solve? How

are they solving them?

Pollution: Research the extent to which the fashion industry pollutes the earth with harmful substances and how this

impacts communities. What impacts is this pollution having on local rivers, water supplies, food production, health

of animals and people? How can this be prevented or addressed?

Workers’ Rights: Learn more about the Indian workers who make the clothing that we wear. To what extent do

Indian fashion workers enjoy their rights? What sorts of working conditions do they experience? What is in place to

ensure that workers are given fair and decent work? Are workers operating in safe conditions? Are they being paid

fairly? Is child labour being made to make fashion products? What is being done to protect children from child

labour?

Consumer Advocacy: Explore the role that consumers can play in influencing businesses and governments to ensure

that fashion workers are treated well and that the environment is not damaged by the fashion industry. What are

the attitudes and behaviours in relation to consumption of ethical fashion products? What campaigns are being run

to promote sustainable fashion?

Waste: Examine the impacts of the significant volumes of waste that is produced by the fashion industry as well as

some of the solutions to this problem. What are the impacts of fashion waste on Indian communities and its

environment? Is upcycling, re-using having a positive impact? How does India deal with fashion waste?

Collaborations between India and Australia: Explore emerging collaborations between Australian designers and

India’s textile artisans. How does the fashion industry connect people in Australia to people in India? What stories

can be shared? How can fashion contribute to building connections between Australia and India?

Please note: internship projects can be designed to meet specific student needs. We are open to your

ideas about projects to ensure that they match your interests, skills and study requirements.

Accommodation: Accommodation is as far as possible in twin-bedded rooms (sharing with a participant of the

same gender). It is in modest, comfortable hotels, guesthouses or guest rooms with our partner organisations. When

in villages or small towns on project visits, accommodation can be basic but comfortable.

COST: $1650 for 10 days This price includes all internal transport, meals, accommodation, the purchase of carbon credits to offset airline

travel, administration and project running costs. This price does not include flights to and from India. Participants

can expect to spend just a few more rupees on items of a personal nature. Grants may be available to TAFE and

university students. Please contact your TAFE/ university regarding travel grants and OS-help options.

Flights: Arrival at Kolkota’s International Airport and departure from Channai’s international airport.

Visas: All trip participants will need to obtain a Tourist Visa for India. This can be obtained in advance or on arrival.

Further details can be found here: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html

A note before travelling with CERES global: Remember, this is not a tour and our facilitators from

CERES are not tour guides, but facilitators or enablers –

working alongside you to achieve insight and

understanding of the communities we visit, and to

engage discussion within the group and with community

members on social and environmental issues. It is

expected that you will show some initiative and make a

contribution to the journey, through sharing of your own

knowledge and experience, and working within the group

to ensure a cohesive and insightful experience is shared

by all. Most of all, enjoy this trip and embrace India,

there is an incredible energy within the culture that is

warm and welcoming, vibrant and alive! Step out of your

comfort zone and into a world like no other. Be prepared

to walk through a journey you will never forget.

CERES Global Trips aim to engage participants with the issues of development both overseas and in our own

countries whilst enjoying the richness of their cultures and the wisdoms they can add to our understanding of

sustainable wellbeing. For more information visit: http://ceres.org.au/global/

For any questions and for more information contact the CERES Global Team

Email: global@ceres.org.au

Phone: (03) 93890183

Web: http://ceres.org.au/global