Call for Action

Swap Market


Teachers and students organise a public venue (first in school premises, later may be in a larger format involving the local community) in which participants bring clothes that they do not wear any longer and swap them with others with clothing that they like.


Main Rules:

1. Create a theme.

Be clear about what type of goods this swap party is about. You can make it a “bring anything you want” swap party. Or make it specific for kid’s items, clothing, books, Christmas stuff, kitchen tools etc. You could also go really specific with a theme like designer purses, jewellery, or kid’s clothing 0 months to 5 years.

2. Be clear about what type of items people should bring.

You want everyone to have the same understanding and expectations about what goods should be brought in.

You don’t want some people bringing €200 purses while others bring in €5 pantyhose. This makes everyone feel bad! You want people to leave the party feeling like they received what they put into it. A way to do this is to provide examples and state what goods (if any) you don’t want at your swap party.

For example, if you’re having a general clothing party, you might want to say, no used undergarments, swimwear etc. Usually this goes without saying, but sometimes it’s good to clarify things anyways. If this party is about women’s clothes only, state it.

3. Set a specific number of pieces each person must bring to participate e.g. 5 – no more and no less.

This is essential if you’re inviting a lot of guests or you have limited space.

4. Set a rule that no excessively large items will be accepted.

You want to make the whole process manageable for yourself. Unless you own a large truck, you don’t want to be responsible for lugging a lot of huge items to the donation center afterwards!

5. State the expected condition of items to be swapped.

For example, only clean goods in excellent condition will be accepted. Nothing that’s stained, expired, smelly, chipped, cracked, scratched, dented, broken, missing key pieces etc. Basically, there should be no damaged items. Ask guests to bring items on a hanger if they look best that way

Link

Swap Party Rules, Tips and Other Ideas You Need to Know


Topics covered

Sustainability, Lifestyle, Awareness


Relevance

Willingness to take actions / active participation, Active engagement, Achieve sustainability