Engineering students “freeze” on a Friday night in Toronto

Engineers Without Borders staged a “Massive Outreach Event” in downtown Toronto on Friday, January 23 to promote Fair Trade.  More than 600 students and young engineers posed for two separate 2-minute “freezes” to attract the attention of pedestrians and motorists in the downtown area.

The participants were divided into small groups to perform the freeze between 6:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. in a dozen locations in an area bounded by Front, Bloor, Spadina and Yonge Streets.  Afterwards they gathered in the Ryerson University campus quad to spell out the words “FAIR TRADE” in human bodies.

 
Danny Howard, a spokesperson for Engineers Without Borders, explained: “Every day we drink and eat things like coffee, chocolate, bananas — things that are produced by people in the developing world, and we have an opportunity to buy those as Fair Trade Products. Fair trade products ensure that the farmers and others who produce those goods get a fair deal. It is a powerful way for us as consumers to have an impact on the lives of the people that produce our food.”

The outreach event was part of Engineers Without Borders’ annual national conference, which was held this year in Mississauga. The organization sends volunteers to work in developing communities overseas and undertakes other outreach events with the goal of alleviating poverty in those countries.