Our partners in Sri Lanka recently hosted FEE’s Economics in One Day workshop at the Mahadivulwewa School in Morawewa, Sri Lanka.
Economics in One Day is a facilitator-led workshop that can be delivered by local partners, introducing the humane values and ethical principles of free markets to students and young professionals. Last month, partner groups, working with The Bastiat Society, hosted 64 advanced level students of economics, commerce, sciences and arts from two different schools in rural Sri Lanka.
The students were eager to engage with new ideas as they were buying, selling, deal making and pencil building with gusto during activities like the Trading Game. One of the most memorable moments occurred when facilitators announced that everyone must pay a tax to fund the cost of administering new government programs. There was an audible collective groan that was heard from otherwise shy participants.
Everyone was especially proud that Sri Lanka was mentioned in the iconic story, I, Pencil. Even the teachers
observing the workshop thanked the facilitators, saying this was the first time they understood how unregulated markets might actually work.
The Bastiat Society has also translated Economics in One Day into Spanish, and are hosting workshops throughout Latin America. This is just one example of the remarkable power of a simple concept: making practical products like Economics in One Day openly available to all, for free, in order to inspire the rising generation with the humane values and ethical principles of a free society.