People who are concerned about unfair international trade agreements should mark their calendars for November 1. Saturday, November 1 has been identified as a Day of Education and Outreach on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in Baltimore. The FTAA is a proposed trade agreement that would cover North, Central and South America. It has been described as "NAFTA on Steroids."

A working group of the Baltimore Coalition Against Global Exploitation (CAGE) met Tuesday Oct. 7. They discussed plans for education and outreach efforts in anticipation of the November 20-21 ministerial meetings on the proposed FTAA to take place in Miami, FL.

About 10 people met to discuss a wide variety of plans including outreach to church groups, student groups, labor organizations, and radio and newspaper outlets. The tentative strategy involves a series of small events and announcements leading up to a gathering of supporters at a press conference the morning of November 1. After the press conference, supporters will spend the day participating in various outreach activities, including the distribution of educational flyers.

The purpose of the November 1 Day of Education and Outreach is to draw people's attention to the upcoming FTAA Ministerial meetings in Miami, FL. CAGE hopes the outreach efforts will encourage people to raise their voices in opposition to the FTAA.

Those who are interested in being involved in planning for the November 1 event, or participating in the outreach activities on November 1, may visit the CAGE web site: www.baltimorecage.org which includes links to information on FTAA and CAGE contacts.