[opirgyork] Digest: August 25th

[opirg at yorku.ca]

Hi All,

Below is some OPIRG-York News and Community event listings (Including a demo
today @ 1pm: Demonstration outside the South African Consulate).

OPIRG-York's DisOrientation schedule is coming SOON! If you are on facebook,
check out the event here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/112853958862501/?ref=ts

Full details to be posted by next week!

-OPIRG York

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OPIRG-YORK News

1) Rebuilding Bridges Conference callout for proposals (DEADLINE EXTENDED)


Community News
1) Tools for Change Fall workshop series (ONGOING)
2) Demonstration outside the South African Consulate (August 25)
3) Riddims of Resistance: a Benefit for the Toronto Rape Crisis
Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape (August 25)
4) Queeriot Toronto 2012 (August 31-September 2)

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OPIRG-York News

1) Rebuilding Bridges Conference callout for proposals


ReBuilding Bridges

****NEW DATE****

November 16-18th, 2012
Toronto, ON.


Rebuilding Bridges is a convergence of community organizers, educators, radicals
and activists from across different social movements, intent on engaging in
conversations and discussions about our political work. We are in a time of
intense uprising, social unrest and student strikes, but our movements remain
fragmented and our campaigns mostly one-dimensional. How have our movements
lost out on valuable cross-movement collaborations in the past? What can we
learn from each other? Though we may employ different tactics or prioritize
certain issues, we all envision and work towards dismantling a system built on
exploitation, colonialism and oppression, and building a better, more just
world.  Let’s start speaking and sharing with each other!


Toronto and York PIRGs will be celebrating our anniversaries through reflecting
on our history of work in this city. With a mandate for education, action and
research on social and environmental justice, OPIRG is bridging gaps everyday
between different movements and campus and community based organizing.
Rebuilding Bridges is about connecting and reconnecting movements, sharing
skills and knowledge and building people power. We are stronger when we work
together towards grassroots social change!


SUBMIT A PROPOSAL!

We know there are so many incredible organizers in this city and beyond making
amazing contributions to our movements. Please share you knowledge,
experiences, successes and failures, thoughts and reflections with us! We are
accepting proposals for workshops, panels and caucuses that promote open
dialogue between movements and that fit within OPIRG’s mandate of analysis and
action on intersecting forms of oppression.

Please submit proposals to rebuildingbridgestoronto at gmail.com. Please e-mail us
to join the organizing committee or to volunteer with Rebuilding Bridges.


DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS EXTENDED: Get them in by September 1st!


Check out the work that we do!

 www.opirgtoronto.org     www.opirgyork.ca.


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COMMUNITY NEWS


1) Tools for Change Fall Workshop Series

A project of OPIRG Toronto, Earthroots, and Greenpeace Canada, Tools for Change
helps you develop skills to advocate for social, economic, and environmental
justice.

Tools for Change Fall 2012 Workshop Schedule:
Group Decision Making Workshop
Saturday, September 15, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
>From hierarchy to consensus, choose the decision making structure that's right
for your social change organization. Learn techniques that can help you address
some common
decision making problems and bring about organizational change.

Organizing Rallies and Marches Workshop
Tuesday, September 20th, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
This workshop will cover the basic steps to organizing a rally or march and show
examples of creative innovation in rally design.
 The workshop will also offer tips on planning routes, roles, marshalling,
escalation and de-escalation, promotion and visuals.

Advanced Meeting Facilitation for Change Makers
Sunday September 30th, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
This workshop is for people who have some facilitation experience within social
movement groups and organizations. Learn advanced meeting facilitation
techniques, practice facilitation and
receive critical feedback. Participants must apply to attend this workshop.

Introduction to Media for Campaigns
Thursday October 4, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
This workshop will help activists understand how the mainstream media works, and
how to use it as a tool in your campaigns for social, economic and ecological
change. We will cover the basics of how
to write compelling press releases, give great interviews, and develop frames
and messages that are effective and in line with your goals.

Meeting with Government and Elected Officials
Saturday, October 6, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Politicians, their staff and high-ranking bureaucrats hold significant formal
power in society, including legislative power. While it is often not useful to
exclusively rely on a lobbying strategy, politicians can
help us achieve our social, environmental and economic goals. This workshop will
provide you with the tools you need to get the most out of your meetings with
elected officials. Topics to be covered include:
when is it useful to meet with elected officials and when it is not useful, what
to ask for, who to bring, how to negotiate, how to prepare, and how best to deal
with 'friendlies' and 'opponents'.

Introduction to Meeting Facilitation for Change Makers
Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Learn and practice key tools, techniques and approaches that will help you
effectively facilitate meeting within your group. Participants will have the
opportunity to practice their facilitation skills and receive
critical feedback.

How to Host a Workshop
Saturday, October 20, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Sharing knowledge is a critical component of social change work. This training
will cover the principles of workshop design and delivery including: how to
create a comfortable learning environment, manage
workshop logistics, and choose content and tools that cater to different
learning styles and level of participation. The workshop will explore
strategies to deal with common challenges workshop leaders face.
Participants will have the opportunity to create a simple workshop design and
get feedback.

Locations are given to participants at the time of registration.
To register for individual workshops or for more information on Tools for
Change, please visit our website: www.toolsforchange.net.



2) Demonstration Outside the South African Consulate

Demonstration outside the Consulate of South Africa in Toronto



When: 1:00 pm, Saturday, August 25, 2012

Where: South Africa Consulate-General, Toronto

110 Sheppard Ave East, Suite 600, (Sheppard-Yonge Subway Station)



Condemn the massacre of South African miners

Stand in solidarity with mineworkers in South Africa



A rally is being organized by labour, community and international solidarity
activists on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at 1 pm, outside the Consulate of South
Africa in Toronto, in condemnation of the massacre of striking mineworkers and
in solidarity with South African workers’ movement.



On August 16, 2012, police launched an offensive against thousands of striking
workers from the Marikina Platinum Mine and began shooting and killing dozens
of workers. More than 35 workers were killed and hundreds were wounded and
arrested.

The mine is owned by U.K.-based Lonmin Corporation, the world's third biggest
platinum producer and it accounts for 12% of the world's output of platinum.
However, the working condition of the mineworkers and the standard of living in
their communities are outrageously bad.



All working people and concerned individuals and organizations are urged to join
this protest action.



For more information and to endorse this rally contact:

Network for Pan-Afrikan Solidarity: network4panafrikansolidarity at gmail.com

Ilian Burbano, Chair, CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee:
cca_toronto at hotmail.com



Endorsed by:

Network for Pan-Afrikan Solidarity
CUPE Ontario Division
CUPE Local 4772
International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI)-Canada Branch
OPIRG York


3) Riddims of Resistance: a Benefit for the Toronto Rape Crisis
Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape

Riddims of Resistance: a Benefit for the Toronto Rape Crisis
Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape

http://www.trccmwar.ca/

Sat Aug 25th
9pm - 2am
Cost: $5-50 sliding scale

featuring
Olive-or-Oliver
amai kuda (r3)
Jamaias Da Costa (r3)
sonny b (r3)
Brixia Bloodbeard
Joce Tremblay
Emily Pohl-Weary and Fiona Raye Clarke (Toronto Street Writers)
nisha ahuja (r3)
Evalyn Parry
Rehana Tejpar (r3)
Sedina Fiati (r3)
Cherish Blood
Dainty Smith
Maryem Tollar
Ill Na Na
Aisha Wahid
Bruno Capinan
Gein Wong
Irma Villafuerte
Zena
LeatherDATA
dj ariel
DJ Zehra
Kismet Star

Produced by:
R3 Collective
http://www.facebook.com/r3artists

Offical Media Sponsor: www.rabble.ca

Community Sponsors:
Come As You Are
www.comeasyouare.com

Glad Day Bookshop
http://www.gladdaybookshop.com/

South-Asian Women's Centre
http://www.sawc.org/

Women's Health in Women's Hands CHC
http://www.whiwh.com/

3) Queeriot Toronto 2012

QUEERIOT is coming!!

August 31st- September 2nd, some radical queers in Toronto will be hosting the
3rd annual Queeriot!
Workshops, Panel, tabling and lively conversation: Saturday September 1st &
Sunday September 2nd, 10 AM - 4 PM
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George Street (near College and Spadina)

Save the date and bring your fierce bodies out!

We are calling on all anti-authoritarian queer and trans folks to join us for a
weekend of fabulous, glittery, accessible, consensual, anti-capitalist fun!

Let’s converge to talk about how we ‘queer’ organizing spaces! How do we talk
about queer & trans struggles as interconnected with anti-racist, disability
justice and feminist organizing? How do we bridge the gaps between sexual
liberation politics and liberation from the exploitation of the capitalist
system?

And after all that
don’t forget to de-stress at the queer dance party!

Want to host a workshop? Have a skill to share?
Interested in tabling?

Please get in touch with us!
E-mail queeriotTO at gmail.com for information about the schedule, accessibility
concerns and billeting requests.
More details at queeriotto.tumblr.com

****Queeriot was initially scheduled for August 1st-3rd. We apologize to those
who took the time off or have planned around our initial date to travel and
make it to toronto. We hope  you can make our new dates****