St. Dominic Catholic Secondary School is bringing the world to Bracebridge later this month.

Led by the concerted efforts of the school’s Social Justice Group, the second annual Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Festival offers the students a learning experience in the world’s social and economic issues and offers the public the same opportunity, as well as a unique chance to purchase internationally made goods.

The school will host the event in the cafeteria on Friday, April 25 from 4 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Although nothing will be priced at more than $40, the event boasts a wide array of items from all over the world such as food, jewelry, musical and spring products such as flowerpots. It is estimated the entire collection is valued at $7,000.

All proceeds will benefit the communities that partner with villages.

Lisa Theriault, theology teacher and chair of theology at St. Dominic, knows this festival brings the world’s issues into the spotlight for her students.

“It gives them a sense of the global poverty. It gives them a sense of global awareness that they may not have otherwise had,” she said. “A lot of teenagers in a small town do not get to see a lot of that or take part in something larger than themselves. It helps them grow as individuals,” she said.

She added this year’s event weekend coincides with the same aim of global awareness that is being made by the globally recognized Earth Day on April 22.

Villages is a not-for-profit, self-supporting Fair Trade Organization that partners with handicraft and agricultural organizations that represent artisans around the world that produce products in low-income countries.

A former student and member with the justice group visited the village’s store in Toronto two years ago and brought back information that initiated the idea.

St. Thomas Anglican Church in Bracebridge has hosted a similar event annually and Theriault said the justice group based their event on the church’s model.

“As a social justice group you want to empower Third World countries. This is a way to do that,” she said. “By buying their goods, especially women can now feed their families and do not have to go into other suggestive occupations. It’s one of the main reasons why we like to do it.”

There are 20 members in the group and they have been involved with several events for worthy causes such as Halloween for Hunger, Manna Food Bank, and Think Fast.

Through the experience, Theriault added, these students learn how to market the event, showcase the products, run a store and work together setting and breaking down the displays.

The community and the students benefit from the event. The volunteer hours not only help the students deal with the public, but also enable the community to learn about what they are capable of. It also is a showcase of the talents at the school.

Some of the products offer­ed are one-of-a-kind items from such countries as Vietnam, Bangladesh and Africa.

Last year the festival ended with $3,500 in sales and Theriault hopes to double that total. She expects spring to be more prosperous than the winter date they had in their inaugural festival.