[opirgyork] OPIRG York News: DisOrientation starts Next week + Community Event Listings!!

[OPIRG York]

*OPIRG-York News: September 16, 2012*
*
OPIRG-York News*
1) Disorientation @ York University: Strike Back!
2) Disruption Anniversary Party (September 28)
3) Disorientation Callout for volunteers (ONGOING)
4) Rebuilding Bridges Conference callout for proposals (DEADLINE EXTENDED)

*Community News*
1) Sex Week @ York U by the Centre for Women and Trans People
2) Disorientation Week 2012 Presents: The City is a Battleground
3) Tools for Change Fall Workshop Series (ONGOING)
4) Toronto Free'scool Fall Workshop Series (September 22-27)
5) Canada and the Palestine Question: Zionist Colonization, Anglo Imperial
Hypocrisy  (September 26)
6) Reclaiming the Pink Ribbon film screening and discussion  (October 2)
7) Sisters In Spirit Vigil" at Allan Gardens Park on October 4th (October
4th)
8) Toronto Palestine Film Festival  (September 29-October 7)
9) QUEER FROSH 2012 with TBLGAY


*OPIRG-York News*

*1. DisOrientation @ York University: Strike Back!*

DisOrientation is a radically different, politically progressive week of
events that will offer all students and community members access, critical
thought and insight into the exciting and political social justice spheres
that exist within and beyond York U.

-WORKSHOPS
-DIRECT ACTION
-FILM SCREENINGS
-PANELS
-AND MUCH MORE!

***** ALL EVENTS FREE, WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE and CHILDCARE AVAILABLE! *****

*Please email us at opirg at yorku.ca for all accessibility and childcare
needs!

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

*SCHEDULE

Wednesday Sept. 19th
12PM - 3PM
GSA Room 325 Student Centre.
Anti-Oppression Training
*
Have you been a part of a group where racism, classism, transphobia,
heterosexism, misogyny, ableism and/or any other form of oppression made it
impossible for you to stay in the group, made it impossible for others to
stay in the group, caused painful and unresolved conflict or hindered the
broader work of the group towards social change? Wondering what some of
those words mean? How can we build long-term and sustainable relationships
to anchor our work for the world we envision while getting real about how
systemic oppressions continue to damage and hinder our relationships to
each other?

*Wednesday Sept. 19th
3:30PM - 5:30PM
Vari Hall, meet outside the rotunda. – Rain location is GSA Room 325
Student Centre.
Jane-Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) Call to Action *

Please join Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) and DisOrientation
for an action at York University on September 19, 2012. We will be meeting
in Vari Hall on September 19th at 3:30pm to discuss and raise awareness
about the systemic discrimination against Jane Finch Community which is
being perpetuated at York University. In particular, we are calling
everyone’s attention to the Excalibur paper’s article by its
Editor-In-Chief, which contained misinformation and prejudicial stereotype
of our community. The article shamelessly states that the safety problems
and sexual assaults at York University “are coming from the area
immediately surrounding our campus, one of the most infamous high-crime
areas in the country.” Despite our protest letters to Excalibur and to the
administration of York University, no apologies or even a simple
explanation has been given to our community. Come join us as we stand up
against Excalibur and debunk popular beliefs. After the speak-out, we will
also attend the JFAAP meeting at BCCHC @ 6pm.

*Wednesday Sept. 19th 6PM - 9PM
Jane-Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP)
Black Creek Community Health Centre (BCCHC), York Gate Mall (1 Yorkgate
Blvd.) *

Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) is a resident-led grassroots
coalition of community residents, activists, workers and organizations
working to eliminate poverty in our community and in the world. Join the
JFAAP meeting on Wednesday, September 19th to learn more about the
successes of JFAAP, how to be involved in future events, rallies, and
social movements. You will also have an opportunity to meet and greet with
local residents, eat some good food, and view photos of past events. JFAAP
is constantly looking for volunteers with a strong sense of social activism
and community values. JFAAP meets at 6pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of
every month at the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Yorkgate Mall;
new members are always welcome!


*Thursday Sept. 20th
1:30PM-2:30pm
Student Centre 307
YU Free Press Writing Workshop*

Members of the YU Free Press will present how to write news articles,
feature pieces, and opinion editorials. Participants in this workshop will
practice writing in these styles, and will discuss the importance of
activist journalism. The YU Free Press is an anti-oppression,
activist-positive newspaper that has been part of campus culture for five
years.

*Thursday Sept. 20th
3PM - 5:30PM
Student Centre 307
Securing Positive Media Attention for Your Cause with Jessica Bell*

This workshop will provide participants with the skills to develop a media
strategy, secure media attention for an event, write compelling press
releases, deliver great interviews, and develop frames and messages that
are in line with their goals.

*Thursday Sept. 20th
6PM - 7PM
Student Centre 307
Boycott Elections? The case of Egypt with Ali Mustafa*

A discussion around how as radicals committed to fundamental social change
we should/shouldn’t engage with electoral politics, using as a case study
the very timely example of revolutionary Egypt, which has just undergone
it’s first ever post-Mubarak presidential elections.

*Monday Sept. 24th
11AM - 1PM
Student Centre 307
No One Is Illegal (Toronto) Workshop*

A workshop to look at some of the changes being made to immigration
legislation, how these link to the austerity agenda, and how we can fight
back. Learn more about the NOII Toronto campaign and ways you can get
engaged and involved! No One Is Illegal (Toronto) is a group of immigrants,
refugees and allies who fight for the rights of all migrants to live with
dignity and respect. We believe that granting citizenship to a privileged
few is a part of racist immigration and border policies designed to exploit
and marginalize migrants. We work to oppose these policies, as well as the
international economic policies that create the conditions of poverty and
war that force migration. At the same time, it is part of our ongoing work
to support and build alliances with Indigenous peoples in their fight
against colonialism, displacement and the ongoing occupation of their land.
Contact us: nooneisillegal at riseup.net


*Monday Sept. 24th
1:30PM - 3:30PM
VH 1152
Standing Opportunities: 20 Years of Vari Hall with Clare O’Connor*

Since it opened in September, 1992, the Vari Hall rotunda has been an icon
of multicultural liberal education. Symbolically and architecturally, it
suggests both a gathering place for York University’s diverse campus
community and an ideal site for individual and collective expression.
According to Vari Hall architect Daniel Teramura, “the building was
intended to facilitate informal learning”—a goal best achieved by offering
spaces that “could be appropriated.”However, as with the multicultural
liberal university itself, the rotunda’s attributes are contradictory.
Although celebrated in principle at the highest levels of university
governance, students’ acts of appropriation have been consistently thwarted
by the university’s actual priorities. Concerned foremost with preserving
the institution’s investor-friendly public image, university administrators
have tried to deter activists from using the rotunda by intimidating and
disciplining them, instituting prohibitive bureaucratic regulations,
and—most recently—by intervening architecturally.In this workshop, a panel
of speakers will provide a history of Vari Hall’s contestation and offer
suggestions about how best to engage it’s contradictions.

*Monday Sept. 24th
4PM - 6PM
GSA Student Centre 325
Know Your Rights with the Movement Defence Committee*

The Movement Defence Committee [MDC] is an autonomous working group of the
Law Union of Ontario made up of legal workers, law students, activists and
lawyers which provides legal support to progressive organizations and
activists in Toronto. We recognize that members of oppressed groups are at
higher risk when they encounter the law and we work to provide information
and support that is specific to these groups. In this workshop we will
outline your legal rights in regards to police interactions, the basics of
what happens upon arrest and, in going through the court process, and
suggest some practical things to consider as you prepare to go out on the
streets. We do this with a solidarity approach and with a focus on those
who are most vulnerable to arrest/criminalization.

*Monday Sept. 24th
6:30PM - 9:30PM
Vari Hall B
Chile, Québec, Toronto: Students Strike Back!*

As the global economic crisis deepens, and governments push through
austerity measures meant to bail out the rich and powerful at the expense
of workers and communities, students around the world are fighting back. In
this participatory workshop, we look at the cases of Chile and Québec,
where two of the most important student movements have emerged in recent
years. In addition, we will engage in an open discussion of the issues
students are presently dealing with at York University- student
mobilization and neo-liberal university model, and affordable education.
Lastly we will brainstorm ideas for how to build a student movement at York
University and beyond.

*Tuesday Sept. 25th
Social Justice and Alt Media Fair
ALL DAY from 10am-5pm
Various locations: Vari Hall, Ross Link, Central Square and the Upper and
Lowere Bear Pitt*

Come check out some of OPIRG York’s Working groups and learn about more
ways to be involved! You can also check out tables by different community
groups that we support and do ongoing work with, as well as many
alternative media vendors!

This event is being Co-sponsored by the Graduate Program in Communications
and Culture at York University.

*Tuesday Sept. 25th
12PM - 2PM
GSA Student Centre 325
Building the Picket Line Around Israeli Apartheid: A Workshop on the BDS
Movement at York*

This Teach-In would be introduce attendees to the global BDS Movement and
the politics behind it. We will present on SAIA’s divestment campaign and
the research and other efforts that have gone into it thus far. Attendants
will have the opportunity to engage the facilitators and be offered ways to
engage with the movement.

*Tuesday Sept. 25th
3PM - 4PM
TBLGAY Office, Room 449A Student Centre
Queering Queer Identities with TBLGAY*

Do you ever question the representation of queer individuals in popular
culture? Do you wonder why your queer identity seems to be excluded? This
event will feature a discussion surrounding queer identities in the media
and their influence on the heteronormative society. After, we will be
taking action by making banners to show what being queer really means and
to make our identities visible!

*Tuesday Sept. 25th
4:30PM - 6:30PM
The Underground, Student Centre
Moving Beyond “Missing and Murdered” with Aboriginal Students Association
at York (ASAY)
*
The Aboriginal Students’ Association at York is hosting a video screening
and panel discussion with keynote speakers to raise awareness about
Canada’s epidemic of “Missing and Murdered” Aboriginal women. Our focus is
to discuss how we can prevent the stereotyping and victimization of
Aboriginal women and deliver justice for our stolen sisters.

*Tuesday Sept. 25th
6:30PM - 9PM
VH 1152A
Canada’s Guantanamo Bay: The hidden history of Canadian detainees in the
“war on terror” with Justice for Mahjoub Network.

*For almost twelve long years, Mohammad Mahjoub, a torture survivor, has
been detained without charge in Canada. He was held for lengthy periods in
solitary confinement and later under house arrest. All on the basis of
secret information which the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
has admitted was likely obtained under torture. Now, for the first time in
twelve years, Mr. Mahjoub is permitted to speak publicly about his
experiences. Mr. Mahjoub is one of five Muslim men who have been struggling
for justice in Canada against so-called security certificates. Security
certificates allow the government to indefinitely detain or deport people
on the basis of their profile. This event will include speakers from the
Justice for Mahjoub Network, academics contextualizing the legal and
political context of the Canadian War on Terror as well as Mr. Mahjoub
himself.

*Wednesday Sept. 26th
12:00PM - 2:00PM
Student Centre 307
Becoming an Ally to Mad People: Resisting Mentalism with Mad Students.
*
This workshop will examine unexposed sites and methods of discrimination
against Mad people, psychiatric survivors, consumers, and those labelled
with “mental illness” diagnoses or mental health disabilities (also called
mentalism or saneism) – especially how mentalism is enacted at school. To
counter stereotypical and medical model understandings of madness (eg.
“mental health awareness”) pervasive in society and on post-secondary
campuses, the presenters will talk about Mad people as a people. Like other
equity-seeking groups, Mad people have a history, language, community, and
culture that would-be-allies need to acknowledge and celebrate. Through
group activity, participants will be encouraged to challenge their
mentalist attitudes and support local (at YorkU, in Toronto) and global
expressions of the Mad Movement.

*Wednesday Sept. 26th
2:30PM - 4:30PM
Student Centre 307
Understanding Palestine and Settler colonialism with SAIA
*
This panel aims to raise the importance of the struggle for
self-determination in Palestine. Utilizing an anti-colonial and
anti-imperialist analysis, it will discuss the nature of Israeli Apartheid
within the context of the global capitalist system. Illustrating the links
between Palestine and other struggles around the world, the panel will then
bring the subject matter back to the Palestine solidarity work being done
in Toronto and the necessity to organize around this topic at York.”

*Wednesday Sept. 26th
5PM - 6PM
Greenspace between Scott Library and the HNES building
Community Round Dance with Aboriginal Student Association @ York (ASAY)*

In many Aboriginal communities across Canada, the Round Dance is an
opportunity to building strong sober communities and allies. Let’s join
together in a celebration for life around a big drum to listen, socialize,
and most importantly, dance! This year’s Round Dance will mark the closing
of 1st Annual YUCAAN: York University Conference on Aboriginal Affairs Now,
a student run, student led conference. With this year’s theme being Health,
we will dance together to honour the health of all York U community
members. The dance will be lead by a head dancer, so don’t be shy, they
will teach you the simple footwork, just follow the leader! Aside from the
round dancing the drummers will offer intertribal songs that everyone is
welcome to partake in. We are excited to bring a traditional Aboriginal
social dance to DisOrientation this year, and we hope to see you there,
dancing!

*Wednesday Sept. 26th
6pm
Curtis Lecture Hall F
Rethinking Solidarity, Rebuilding Alliances: Building anti-colonialism on
our campuses and in our communities
*
*With
Maia Ramnath (author, Decolonizing Anarchism)
Bonita Lawrence (author, “Real” Indians and Others)
Ajamu Nangwaya (organizer, Network for Pan-African Solidarity and Toronto
Haiti Action Committee)
*
With the largest indigenous reserve by population located an hours drive
from Toronto, how well do activists and movements engage with anti-colonial
solidarity? From the Canadian military interventions in Haiti to
international solidarity with South African miners to indigenous solidarity
here at home, what do our movements need to do to be effectively
anti-colonial? How do we go beyond statements of solidarity to actual
relationships and alliance-building?

How do we sustain these relationships long-term?

Join us for a panel discussion with three amazing writers and activists who
will share their experiences and thoughts on anti-colonial and anti-racist
activism. This panel will engage with questions with how activists can
relate and build relationships with communities and movements engaged in
anti-colonial work. And how to sustain them.

The event is free and wheelchair accessible. Please contact
opirg at yorku.ca if you need ASL interpretation.

*Thursday Sept. 27th
12PM - 2PM
Location: *Note the location for this is not yet confirmed- we will post it
on Facebook and the website once confirmed. The time could also change from
12-2pm, to 1-3pm instead. Sorry for any inconveniences!
Un-Settling: Performance and Interactive Workshop with Nisha Ahuja
*
Do you hear that? In the distance, but like its right underneath us? She’s
running from that rumbling In White Face. The colonized becomes the
colonizer. The settled-on becomes the settler Dis-ease settles into the
body, heart, mind, and spirit. Until the rumbling erupts, forcing an
unsettling. Who is on top? Who is at the centre? And is that really where
we want to be? This playful and puncturing performance followed by a
theatre-based workshop examines the impacts of colonial legacies on gender,
race, class, power, and privilege locally and globally.

*Thursday Sept. 27th
2:30PM - 4PM
Vari Hall, meet outside the rotunda.
Radical History Tour of York U
*
This political history tour attempts to get you on your way to uncovering
and developing a historical knowledge of York. York has, is and always will
be a contestable space, and is a space that will always need to be fought
over. As members of York’s community we are responsible for the actions of
the University and holding the University accountable for its actions.
Building resistance to inequities produced by and through the university
cannot spring from nowhere. The history of successful resistance at York
goes back before the first buildings were built or the York University Act
was introduced in 1959. Contemporary campaigns, actions, coalitions, and
solidarities can be built on this tradition- or historical memory - of
resistance and political organization. The tour guides will provide you
with a brief history of political actions on campus to help you better
understand the politics of education at York University and better
strengthen historical memory. The tour will take about 1.5 hours.

*Thursday Sept. 27th
4PM - 6PM
GSA Student Centre 325
Queering Bystander Intervention with Alexandria Maclachlan SASSL &
Christine Sinclair, Denise Mertiri, Brittany Harris CLASP
*
There are many bystander intervention workshops out there but this one is
radically different. During the two hours we have together, we will dispel
some of the myths surrounding what sexual assault/domestic violence and its
perpetrators look like. We will go where other workshops don’t, daring to
discuss how power and privilege affect how we can respond to situations.
Self-care will also be discussed and recognized as animportant part of
being a community member in a society where sexual assault/domestic
violence happens daily. This workshop will be interactive but the amount of
involvement you have with it is up to you.
*
Thursday Sept. 27th
6:30PM - 8:30PM
Curtis Lecture Hall I
"WHO'S UNIVERSITY? OUR UNIVERSITY! A Public Forum on the Future of
Post-Secondary Education in Ontario
*
Over the summer, the Government of Ontario embarked on a secretive
consultation program designed to garner support for a series of proposals
to drastically change post-secondary education. Their proposals amount to
nothing more than cost-cutting and attempting to do more with less,
effectively opening the door for privatization of our public colleges and
universities.A deadline for September 30 has been set to submit concerns,
questions and suggestions to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and
Universities. Join us as we take part in a public town hall explaining the
report, its implications for you and how we can build an alternative vision
for higher education that is free, accessible, public and of high quality!"

*Friday Sept. 28th
12PM - 4PM
GSA Student Centre 325
Racial Profiling: An Approach to Address with Black Action Defence
Committee (BADC), Justice is not Colour Blind (JINCB), Rights Watch Network
(RWN)
*
An Approach to Address is an interactive action packed half day session
giving participants an uninhibited opportunity to become aware of Racial
Profiling. The workshop will give many an eye opening experience in the
structures surrounding Racial Profiling and an clear informed knowledge of
political actions on the horizons to address and eradicate the practice of
racial profiling.

*Friday Sept. 28th
CLOSING EVENT! Doors 8PM, until 2AM
United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street (near College and Spadina)
DISRUPTION: Decades of Resistance, Decades More to Come!
*
For several decades, OPIRG-Toronto, OPIRG-York and the York University
Graduate Student’s Association have been agitating and demonstrating for
social change. OPIRG-Toronto and the Graduate Student's Association are
reflecting on 30 years, and OPIRG York on 20 years, of student organizing,
grassroots education and action on social and environmental justice. We
have been disrupting the normal run of things since our inception, and we
don’t plan to stop anytime soon! We invite you to Disruption! a anniversary
party recognizing decades of resistance, and decades more to come! This
isn’t your everyday birthday party- this is a story sharing, art making,
eclectic musical celebration!

MUSIC FROM PROGRESS, LAL, MAIKO WATSON, WOLF J
DJ Sets from DJ Zehra & DJ Saira Chibber
*Venue is wheelchair accessible with fully accessible washrooms. *Childcare
available – Please get in touch with us if you require childcare at
opirg.toronto at gmail.com.
$5 suggested donation or pay what you can
*No one turned away for lack of funds*



*2) Disruption Anniversary Party *

*JOINT ANNIVERSARY EVENT*
Disruption! Decades of resistance, and decades more to come!
OPIRG-Toronto, OPIRG-York and York University Graduate Student’s
Association Anniversary Party!

This isn’t your everyday birthday party- This is a story-sharing, art
making, eclectic musical celebration!
Friday September 28th, 2012
DOORS at 8 PM
MUSIC FROM PROGRESS, LAL, MAIKO WATSON, WOLF J
DJ SETS FROM ZEHRA & SAIRA CHHIBBER

United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street (near College and Spadina)
*Venue is wheelchair accessible with fully accessible washrooms*
*Childcare available
*$5 suggested donation or pay what you can*
*No one turned away for lack of funds*

For several decades, OPIRG-Toronto, OPIRG-York and the York University
Graduate Student’s Association have been agitating and demonstrating for
social change. OPIRG-Toronto and the Graduate Student's Association are
reflecting on 30 years, and OPIRG York on 20 years, of student organizing,
grassroots education and action on social and environmental justice. We
have been disrupting the normal run of things since our inception, and we
don’t plan to stop anytime soon! We invite you to Disruption! a anniversary
party recognizing decades of resistance, and decades more to come!

Join us as we celebrate our achievements and reflect on our involvement in
so many amazing and influential campaigns over the years. What better way
to end two packed weeks of DisOrientation than sharing stories and dancing
the night away with friends and comrades! With performances from LAL,
Progress, Maiko Watson and Wolf J, this night is sure to be one to
remember! DJs Zehra and Saira Chhibber will end off the night and keep you
on your feet with their sweet beats. Take a look at the archived posters
and materials from 30 years of Toronto's political work, and don't forget
to grab your anniversary swag: silk screened birthday t-shirts, buttons,
patches and a collaborative mural, to be produced the night of the party.
Good food, drinks and great friends.

Check out the Facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/events/341439582609870/

*3) Disorientation Callout for volunteers*
*
*We are looking for folks from all walks of life to join us this year to be
a part of DisOrientation 2012, which promises to be a series of exciting
and engaging events that will promote and support critical thinking and
activism in our communities on and off campus. No experience is necessary
for any of these positions – training, tokens, food and reference letters
will be provided. If you are interested, please get in touch with us at
disoyork at gmail.com, or drop by anytime at the OPIRG office at 449C Student
Centre!
We need volunteers for the following exciting positions:

**Media Documentation Team: Love Media? Recording? Video? Wanna learn about
these things? You + teammates will be:
- Audio recording each event - Film/Video recording each event -
Photographing each event *All equipment and training will be provided

**Promotion/Outreach Team: Wanna meet people and have lots of energy? This
is the team for you!
- Promote and give out DisOrientation programs - Help staff give class
talks - Poster and leaflet handing out - Table Schmoozing/chilling

**Event Logistics Team: Well organized? Think on your feet? Wanna watch
magic happen?
- Assist Programming Coordinator with event coordination - Be the go-to
person on the day of for workshops - Participate in the DisOrientation
events - Ensure that facilitators have what they need


*Full DisOrientation schedule is available online here:*
http://www.opirgyork.ca/diso2012
http://tinyurl.com/disofacebook

*
4) Rebuilding Bridges Conference callout for proposals*

ReBuilding
Bridges

 November 16th-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: The deadline was September 1st, but we are
giving you an extra few days to get in your proposals! Send them in now!

Check out the work that we do!
 www.opirgtoronto.org     www.opirgyork.ca.


****************
*
Community News
*
*1. Sex Week @ York U by the Centre for Women and Trans People*

The Centre for Women and Trans People at York is going to have its SEXWEEK
2012 - From SEPTEMBER 17-20th
@ The Centre for Women and Trans People at York University
322 The Student Centre
*Women and Trans people of all genders and abilities are welcome
*Email cwtpyork at gmail.com for access needs and further information
*Snacks will be provided

MON 17, 12-2pm
Get Me Bodied: A Burlesque 101 Workshop,
Facilitated by: Masti Khor
Did you know that the can-can has revolutionary roots and was outlawed?
That burlesque was used to mock the rich? That women and trans people
continue to use burlesque as a means of empowerment? In this workshop,
we'll learn about some of the radical histories of burlesque, focusing on
burlesque performers of colour in North America. Learn a few sashays,
shimmies and bump'n'grinds! Please wear or bring something that makes you
feel sexy, whether that is stockings, a tie, silk gloves or jeans. Let's
feel great in our fabulous bodies!
*Please note that there will be no stripping in this workshop. Sexy dancing
is encouraged but you are welcome to participate as suits you.

MON 17, 3:30-6pm
HIV Stigma 101 - PASAN,
Facilitated by: Kyisha Williams
Why is HIV seen differently then cancer or other illnesses? Using lived
experience and the context of incarceration/the legal system; This workshop
will define and explore the complexities and personal/systemic impacts of
stigma around HIV.

TUES 18, 12-2pm
Kink 101 - Come As You Are,
Facilitated by: Nina Choi
In this great intro workshop, Come As You Are worker-owner and workshop
facilitator, Nina Choi, will discuss safety, safer sex, establishing
boundaries, negotiating consent and beginning to explore fantasy for those
interested in trying out some power-play (BDSM.) From bondage techniques to
floggers, safe words and how to use pervertable everyday objects for your
kinky fun, come join the discussion and discover the kink in you! This
accessible workshop is for everyone, every gender, every sexual preference
at every level to come and talk kink in a fun, light and informative way.

TUES 18, 4-6pm
Talking Dirty and Roleplay - Good For Her,
Facilitated by: Rebecca Rosenblat
If the 50 Shades phenomenon has taught us one thing, it’s that we find sexy
dialogue and role plays to be enticing. So if you’ve always wondered how to
communicate desire and fantasies in exciting ways, or set up role plays in
safe and consensual ways, this workshop is for you. You’ll learn what to
say, how to say it and how not to say it, to get what you want. If you can
think it, you can ask for it; if you can ask for it, you can fulfill it –
how else could a multi-billion dollar telephone sex industry survive, where
the magic comes from the perfect use of the perfect words!

WED 19, 12-2pm
Consent is Sexy,
Facilitated by: Arti Mehta, Volunteer and Peer Support Coordinator at
CWTP at York
It's that awkward moment at the end of a first date and you're not sure if
there's going to be a kiss. What do you you? Lean in for a kiss? Ask? Stand
around awkwardly staring at the ground? Get consent! Even though we often
feel great and respected when people get our consent, many of us still
struggle with the fear of asking for permission to be sexual from people in
different settings (e.g. a bar, your date, your partners). In this
workshop, we'll learn practical skills for giving and receiving consent and
recognizing yours and other's boundaries/autonomy.

Wed 19, 3-6pm
‘Expressing your Inner Sexual Spectrum’ With Colours and Paints,
Facilitated by: Suede Dyment
Since role-changing and expectations of gender roles can be psychologically
stressful, we are working here on "Healthy Self-Definition" as well as
"Fluidity." Since role-changing
and expectations of gender roles can be psychologically stressful, we
particularly want to emphasize a play element that integrates emotional
maturity and safety at the same time.
Most importantly, if possible, we want the final pieces to convey a bit of
a message as well as being simply an expression of feelings.

THURS 20, 11:30-1pm
Wanted: Disability Understood as Red Smoking Hot,
Facilitated by: Loree Erickson
Loree made the internationally awarded short video want. In want, she uses
hot and sweaty moments of entanglement present in genderqueer-crip desire
and an alternative model of personal care to offer a complex and sexy image
of disability. This work also brings forward relationships between systems
of oppression and everyday lived realities. Drawing on reactions to want,
Loree will facilitate a discussion of any of the above topics as well as
what possibilities occur through the production of disability, not only as
desirable but, as red smoking hot!

THURS 20, 2-5pm
Sex for Survivors - Barbara Schlifer Clinic,
Facilitated By: Farrah Khan
In this compassionate, non-judgmental space you are invited to say yes to
loving yourself. This anti oppressive and sex positive workshop for
survivors of trauma will provide tools for strengthening self confidence,
embracing desires and building intimacy. Together we will engage in
activities that explore communicating boundaries, addressing triggers and
being more conscious in our bodies. Resources will be provided at the end
of the session.



*2) Disorientation U of T Week 2012 Presents: The City is a Battleground*

The City Is A Battleground
September 17-September 21, 2012
University of Toronto
www.disorientation2012.org

Austerity. What is it? What does it mean for our communities? How can we
resist it?

It isn’t always easy to understand it as a concept, but we know what it
looks like on the ground. Attacks on public sector workers and cuts to
social services have been on the rise in Toronto and abroad. This is only
the beginning. The local cutbacks are only a small part of a larger agenda.
This fight against austerity also resists the same exploitative system that
keeps communities and people poor, and works to end a system built on a
continuing history of white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, ableism,
and the colonization of indigenous people. A brutal era of austerity is
already being felt, but so too is the resistance to it.
Join OPIRG-Toronto and the University of Toronto Student’s Union for a week
of discussion, debate and direct action!

Dis/Orientation is the radical alternative to frosh week. Organized
annually by OPIRG-Toronto, in conjunction with the University of Toronto
Student’s Union, disorientation aims to introduce new and returning
students to the politicized side of campus life, and connect them with
student activism, community organizing and the work of OPIRG’s action
groups.

All Disorientation events are free and wheelchair accessible. For childcare
and other accessibility inquiries, please get in touch with us at
opirg.toronto at gmail.com.
Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/278295422274492/.

Disorientation U of T Full Week schedule:
www.disorientation2012.org
http://www.facebook.com/events/278295422274492/.


*3) 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:

Organizing Rallies and Marches Workshop
Tuesday, September 18th, 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.


*4) Toronto Free'scool Fall Workshop Series
*
On September 22nd, and 29th, Free’scool will be running a workshop series.
The series is designed to enhance people’s personable skills that will
enable them to teach, organize, and interact peacefully, democratically,
and with mutual respect and accountability. Democratic, community-based
education is a largely new concept for a lot of people, and while there are
a lot of people who want to teach and organize within it, they don’t
necessarily know what that kind of education looks like in practice,
because   they’ve never experienced it.

This series is for those interested in teaching, but unsure about how to do
so in popular/democratic education settings; teachers who have begun to
teach at free’scool and want to further develop their teaching skills; and
for organizers, educators, and community members from all areas who want to
develop their democratic facilitation skills.

Check out the full workshop schedule on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/345813568841029/

*****IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND YOU MUST REGISTER (due to limited space
and resources): http://www.freescool.com/classes/fall-workshop-series/



*5) Canada and the Palestine Question: Zionist Colonization, Anglo Imperial
Hypocrisy *

Presented by Students for Justice in Palestine at Ryerson University

Wednesday September 26, 7:00 pm
Thomas Lounge, Oakham House
63 Gould Street, Ryerson University

Visiting Toronto in 2009, Israeli cabinet minister Silvan Shalom remarked:
“when I close my eyes and listen to the prime minister of Canada, I think I
am in Jerusalem in the Knesset” (Israel’s parliament). As Israeli politics
veer far to the right, marked by increasing chauvinism and violence,
Stephen Harper's Conservatives have only escalated support for Israel and
its perpetual war against the Palestinians.

Although currently extreme, Canadian support for Israel against the
Palestinians is hardly new. Fr
om early on, the Zionist movement and Israeli state were determined to
dominate Palestine by the force of arms. Their power to do so was enabled
by external backing. This backing took two main forms: support from
organized Zionists in Europe and North America; and alignment in the Middle
East with leading imperial powers, especially Britain and the United States
-- the "masters of the region," in the words of one Israeli diplomat. The
success of this strategy has long shaped Canadian engagement with the
Palestine question.

Join us on September 26 at Ryerson University to discuss this history and
how it continues to play out today.

Formerly an organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Committee at York
University (2005-2008), Dan Freeman-Maloy has written over the years for
publications ranging from ZNet and Toronto’s NOW Magazine to Race & Class
and The Journal of Palestine Studies. He is currently a research student at
the University of Exeter’s Centre for Palestine Studies.

Join us for our first lecture of the year! We promise it will be very
enlightening!


*
6) Reclaiming the Pink Ribbon film screening and discussion *

Tuesday October 2nd, 2012
Reclaiming the Pink Ribbon
7:00 pm Innis College Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue
Film Screening of Pink Ribbons Inc. followed by a talk and Q & A with
Samantha King, author of "Pink Ribbons Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics
of Philanthropy" The Pink Ribbon.

The symbol of the struggle for a breast cancer cure. Millions of women
march every year to raise money for breast cancer research, sporting their
ribbons proudly. But where does the ribbon come from, and what does wearing
it really mean? People have begun to question how breast cancer went from a
personal battle to its own industry. Are we any closer to finding a cure?
And where are all those donations going? The film Pink Ribbons Inc.
deconstructs and documents how breast cancer fundraising has been co-opted
to promote a frightening corporate agenda, with devastating consequences
not only for women’s health, but also for environmental justice and
workers’ rights. Based largely on the book of the same name, both the film
and the book explore the history of the commercialization of breast cancer,
how the pink ribbon became the ultimate symbol for corporate philanthropy,
and how we can start to take the pink ribbon back. The screening of Pink
Ribbons Inc. will be followed by a presentation from Samantha King, the
author of "Pink Ribbons Inc: Breast Cancer and the Politics of
Philanthropy".

Samantha King is an associate professor of physical and health education
and women’s studies at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario.
* Wheelchair accessible venue*
* Childcare available*
* $5-$10 Admission or pay what you can*
* No one turned away for lack of funds*
All proceeds raised from this event will go to the Access fund at the
Choice in Health Clinic, which provides free surgical abortions and
contraceptives to women, including those without health coverage. This
includes women without immigration status; homeless women who do not have
an OHIP card and young women whose parents hold their OHIP card. The Access
Fund is as crucial today as it has ever been. Government claw backs against
reproductive rights and the Conservative majority’s efforts to reduce
refugee health care increasingly jeopardize access. Choice anticipates an
increase in the number of women needing the funds due to the recent cuts to
the Interim Federal Health program. Without the Access Fund, uninsured
women in Ontario will have even less access to a time-sensitive procedure.

More information on the Choice in Health clinic at www.choiceinhealth.ca.
See the trailer for Pink Ribbons Inc. here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2xY2cxto1M Presented by Choice in Health
and OPIRG-Toronto.

*
7. Sisters In Spirit Vigil" at Allan Gardens Park on October 4th*

Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto will once again be hosting
Toronto’s "Sisters In Spirit Vigil" at Allan Gardens Park on October 4th
from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

In addition, we’ll be hosting a Sunrise Ceremony at City Hall at 7:00 AM on
October 4th.

Bearing witness is the an empowering act of an ally. Please join us as we
celebrate the lives of our sisters.

For more Information Please Call:
(416) 963-9963 or e-mail us at: info at nwrct.ca

http://www.facebook.com/events/221601807967436/

Partnering Organizations Include:
-------------------------------
Aboriginal Students Association at York
Anishnawbe Health
Council Fire
Elizabeth Fry
Maggie's
METRAC
Native Child and Family Services
Native Youth Sexual Health Network
No More Silence
OPSEU
PASAN
Sistering
Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape


*8) Toronto Palestine Film Festival *

The  Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) would like to invite the OPIRG
community to this year's festival. TPFF is taking place from Sept 29 - Oct
7, 2012 at various Toronto locations. The week long festival celebrates
film as an art form and means of expression by showcasing the extraordinary
narrative of a dispossessed people living in exile and under
occupation. The full program and tickets may be accessed via the TPFF 2012
program page -  http://tpff.ca/tpff-program-2012/.

The 2012 festival opens with the Canadian premiere of the award winning
documentary, The War Around Us, directed by by Abdallah Omeish. Set in the
winter of 2008, when the first Israeli bombs dropped on Gaza in Operation
Cast Lead, the film follows Ayman Mohyeldin and fellow Al Jazeera
journalist and friend Sherine Tadros, who found themselves the only Western
reporters there to capture it. To watch the film trailer:
http://vimeo.com/16007525.

The 2012 closing film, Habibi by Susan Youssef, is based on the Arabic
folkloric story of Layla and Qays (the Arabic Romeo and Juliet), which is
re-told, and filmed, in modern day Gaza. The subjects of this tragic
romance are two university students studying in the West Bank whose love
story is abruptly interrupted after their student visas are revoked by
Israel and they are forced to return to their families in Gaza. To watch
the film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTEnneD1dZY.

To complement our films programs, we are bringing back one of our most
popular TPFF events: Sahtain! TPFF's Traditional Palestinian Brunch.
Catered by the highly reviewed Isam Kaisi of 93 Harbord, and co-hosted by
our community partner Beit Zatoun, this year's brunch will offer our guests
the opportunity to enjoy a number of delicious traditional Palestinian
brunch dishes. This year's Sahtain will also feature a live musical
performance by oud master Bassam Bishara and tablah master Suleiman Warwar.
And as most of you already know, TPFF 2012 will close with a concert, Fall
of the Moon: An Homage to Mahmoud Darwish, featuring Marcel Khalifé and the
Al Mayadine Ensemble. Fall of the Moon: An Homage to Mahmoud Darwish
revisits and re-imagines the ties that bind the two most powerful advocates
of Arab and Palestinian culture - Marcel Khalifé and Mahmoud Darwish - and
features soulful vocals accompanied by the sounds of classical Middle
Eastern and Western instruments in contemporary arrangements spanning from
intimate duets to rich ensemble pieces. For more information on the
concert, please visit: http://tpff.ca/marcelkhalife/.

To view the full 2012 program, please visit the TPFF program page:
http://tpff.ca/tpff-program-2012/

*
9)  QUEER FROSH 2012 with TBLGAY*

--All events are FREE, open to any York student!
-TBLGAY's office is located in room 449A of York Student Centre (wheelchair
accessible)
--Questions/Comments: Contact us at 416-736-2100 ext 20494 or email
tblgay at yorku.ca

Schedule of events:

Monday, September 17th
Event: Queer Campus Walking Tour, time: 3-4pm, location: meet in TBLGAY
office

Event: Potluck and Movie Night, time: 7-10pm, location: TBLGAY office.
Please
bring a food item to share.

Tuesday, September 18th
Event: Queer Sexualities Workshop with Come As You Are, time: 5-7pm,
location:
TBLGAY office

Wednesday, September 19th
Event: First Collective Meeting, time: 6-8pm, location: TBLGAY office

Event: Mocktails, time: 9-10pm, location: TBLGAY office

Event: Queer Night Dance with DJ Cozmic Cat, time: 10pm-2am, location: The
Underground Nightclub, York Student Centre. All Ages, Licsensed event.
NOTE: Admisssion at door is limited so come by TBLGAY's office to pick up
your
FREE ticket to bypass any lines!

Thursday, September 20th
Event: Button Making, time: 2-3pm, location: TBLGAY office

Event: Toronto Queer Histories Walking Tour, time: 5:30-7:30, location:
meet in
TBLGAY office at 4pm to head downtown together, or meet group at Wellesley
subway station at 5:30pm

Friday September 20th
Event: Queer Art Attack with The AGYU, time: 2-4pm, location: TBLGAY office
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