[van-announce] SFPIRG Community events digest
SFPIRG
sfpirg at sfu.ca
Fri Jul 17 16:53:33 PDT 2009
Community Events Digest
==Social justice events happening in and around Vancouver==
July 17 – 24:
1. Amnesty International Summer Youth Human Rights Camp - July 13-17 and July 20-24
2. Ancient Forest Trips – July 17-19 and July 25-26
3. Struggle is not a Luxury: a Spotlight on Womyn-led Movements in Vancouver - July 18
4. MAP Van Weekly Stands - Every Wednesday beginning July 22
July 24 – July 31:
5. Left Film Night - July 25
6. Grassroots Women's AGM - July 26
7. Grassroots Women - Child Care Subsidy Discussion: July 30 6:30
General:
8. Job Postings – Media Assisstant – Student position at SFPIRG – deadline July 27
9. Job Postings – Classroom Outreacher – Student position at SFPIRG – deadline July 27
10. Free Geek Student Internships - Available Immediately
11. The Dominion is seeking pitches for special issue on the 2010
Olympics – deadline July 27th
12. ELLE Project: Leadership Building for Young Women - application deadline - August 16
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1. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amnesty International Summer Youth Human Rights Camp - July 13-17 and July 20-24
Amnesty International will be offering two week-long day-camps this summer at Vancouver Community College – City Center (downtown). The camps are open to youth aged 13 to 17 years interested in developing knowledge and leadership skills around the promotion and protection of human rights, and run
July 13 to 17 and July 20 to 24.
Interactive presentations and workshops will focus on local, national, and international aspects of human rights activism and leadership, and each session will challenge participants to consider how they can positively influence and organize their peers, schools, and communities.
The week-long program is rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles that underpin Amnesty International public engagement and activism. Facilitators and guest speakers will provide factual information on domestic and international human rights issues, and discussion will be encouraged as part of each presentation.
Sessions will also focus on building skills for public engagement, activism, and working as an ally. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended.
The fee is $120 per person and scholarships are available. VCC City Centre is located adjacent to the Stadium Skytrain station and several bus stops, and just a few blocks from the Waterfront Station (Skytrain, Seabus, West Coast Express).
Full program description is available at www.aipacific.org or by
contacting Don Wright at dwright at amnesty.ca.
2. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ancient Forest Trips – July 17-19 and July 25-26
Join the SFU, UBC and UVic Ancient Forest groups and Wilderness Committee members for two overnight hikes on Vancouver Island. These trips are open to
any students interested in being involved in the Ancient Forests Campaign.
The trip dates are:
July 17-19 (2 nights)- Flores Island Wildside Trail in Clayoquot Sound
July 25-26 (1 night): Upper Walbran Valley
Please email ancientforests at sfpirg.ca if interested in attending (more details to come for those who sign up). Space is limited, especially for the Flores
Island trip due to the water taxi needed to get to the island.
3. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Struggle is not a Luxury: a Spotlight on Womyn-led Movements in Vancouver - July 18
Vancouver Status of Women is excited to present
Struggle is not a Luxury: a Spotlight on Womyn-led Movements in Vancouver
July 18th, 2009
10:00 – 5:00
Kiwassa Neighbourhood House
2425 Oxford Street
Vancouver – Unceded Coast Salish Territory
With the following workshops:
Anti-Violence - 10:00 – 12:00 - Angela MacDougall of Battered Women’s Support Services
For over 20 years, Angela Marie MacDougall has committed herself to ending violence against women through disrupting the colonial stranglehold.
“Ending violence against women is a teaching I must live every single moment of every single day, a part of every breath in and every breath out” For the past six years Angela has worked volunteers and paid staff at Battered Women’s Support Services to develop and deliver prevention and intervention activities toward responding to women survivors of violence and abuse, while working for systemic change through advocacy and community development.
Food Sovereignty - 12:30 – 2:30 - Cease Wyss of the Good Food Box
Through my personal journey of de-colonization, I have moved through many communities. This has resulted in exposing me to a number of teachings from many nations. Combining my studies of Ethnobotany and my artistic practice in Media Arts, I have been able to connect to my own sense of spirit, as well as to other peoples. I am the mother of one amazing daughter, who has been exposed to many elements of our Arts and Culture through ceremony, healing and teachings. Senaqwila has been training in the arts for her entire life, through being exposed to my practice, as well as in her personal studies in school.
We are learning how to walk together on the earth with more of a connection to one another, as well as to our environment, wherever we may be. We are learning together in digital and forest environments, how much creativity and inspiration we are surrounded by.
The focus in my arts practice has been Community, Health and Healing Practices. This is visible in my works over the past two decades. I have been writing, producing, directing and training in all the important skills that I have trained in. Currently, I am working with Vancouver Native Health Society, where I run the Urban Aboriginal Food Enhancement Program, which includes the Aboriginal Good Food Box Buying Club, Community Gardening, and Community Kitchens.
Anti-Poverty - 3:00 – 5:00 - Harsha Walia and the Power of Women Group
This workshop will be facilitated by members of the Power of Women Group in conjuction with Harsha Walia. The Power of Women Group is located in the DTES of Vancouver. We are a group of women from all walks of life who are either on social assistance, working poor, or homeless; but we are all living in extreme poverty. We are affected by the myriad of social conditions resulting from our poverty including chronic health problems, addictions, homelessness, violence, and extreme isolation. For indigenous women, we are affected by a legacy of the effects of residential schools and a history of colonization and racism. Harsha Walia facilitates and supports the Power of Women group in various capacities (paid and volunteer) and has been involved in grassroots anti-poverty, feminist, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist movements for over a decade.
Childcare, bus tickets and light refreshments provided.
Donations to support VSW’s Leadership Empowerment Activism Program (LEAP) are welcome and appreciated ($5-20 sliding scale); no one turned away for lack of funds.
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The Leadership Empowerment Activism Program (LEAP) is a FREE 18-month program of Vancouver Status of Women that offers training and mentorship in anti-oppression, community organizing, transformative leadership, popular education, creative expression and group facilitation to womyn facing multiple systemic barriers including colonialism, racism, poverty, disability, LGBTQ identity and single motherhood.
Due to the immense response that we received from the community in terms of need for this program, we have taken on more participants than originally planned. We need more resources to offer adequate accessibility provisions for our participants and their children (food, bus tickets, stipends, children’s materials).
If you are interested in volunteering with LEAP, please get in touch with Cynthia Oka, LEAP Coordinator, at leapcoordinator at vsw.ca or 604-255-6554.
Exciting volunteer opportunities include participation in our (revolutionary!) child care and fundraising committees, as well as developing skills in logistical and administrative support.
4. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAP Van Weekly Stands - Every Wednesday beginning July 22
Help support the Mobile Access Project!
MAP Van Weekly Stands
Every Wednesday beginning July 22, 2009
7 PM – 9 PM
Alternating locations:
First United Church (320 East Hastings, at Gore)
July 22, August 5 & August 19
Grandview Park (1657 Charles, at Commercial Dr.)
July 29, August 12 & August 26
Bring your signs & banners and your candles!
NOT A WORD FROM THE PREMIER OR THE SOLICITOR GENERAL.
ARE THEY GOING TO LET THE MAP VAN DIE?
PLEASE COME AND STAND, WRITE LETTERS,MAKE PHONE CALLS!
PROTEST THIS CUT TO SERVICES FOR WOMEN ON THE STREET
· MAP is an essential overnight service providing women with
options for health and safety.
· We can never forget the 67 women who went missing from the
same streets where the MAP van works every night.
· 95% of all "Bad Date" reports are made to the MAP van staff,
providing the only and immediate warning for sex workers against
violent predators.
· What is the social cost of taking the MAP van off the road?
· Show the government that they can make the difference between
life and death!
For more information, please contact Kate Gibson at (604) 669-9474
or email mobileaccessproject at hotmail.com
MAP is a joint project between WISH Drop-In Centre Society
www.wish-vancouver.net
and PACE Prostitution Alternatives Counseling & Education Society
www.pace-society.ca
Join MAP on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=70019874391&ref=ts
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Left Film Night - July 25
LEFT FILM NIGHT presents a double feature on July 25:
7 pm: 638 Ways to Kill Castro
(Dir. Dollan Cannell, UK, 2006, 78 minutes)
This documentary looks at the incredible story of the 638 alleged plots by the CIA and Cuban exiles to kill former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. It reveals every conceivable method of assassination, from exploding cigars to femme fatalism, a radio station rigged with noxious gas to a poison pen. If you think this sounds like something out of a James Bond film, then you're not far from the truth.
8:40 pm - The Waiting List
(Dir. Juan Carlos Tabio, Cuba, 2001, 105 min., English subtitles)
In this comic hit, set in an isolated bus terminal in the middle of nowhere, dozens of passengers are stranded when a bus they were waiting for breaks down and cannot leave. Forced to spend the next few days together, everyone works together to overcome adversity, revealing humanity's ability to overcome the toughest circumstances through sharing, cooperation and solidarity. Made by award winning director Juan Carlos Tabio (Strawberries and Chocolate).
Saturday, July 25, 7 pm
Centre for Socialist Education,
706 Clark Drive, Vancouver (corner of Clark & E. Georgia)
No admission charge, but donations towards our costs are welcome. Coffee and refreshments available. Left Film Nights are presented by the Centre for Socialist Education, Young Communist League, and the Latino and Vancouver East Clubs of the Communist Party of Canada. Call 604-255-2041 or email <pvoice at telus.net> for further information.
6. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grassroots Women's AGM - July 26
Come out to Grassroots Women's Annual General Meeting!
Connect with other working-class women. Hear what Grassroots Women has been
up to in the past year. Share ideas of what we can do together to further
the struggle for genuine women's liberation!
Sunday, July 26, 1 - 4pm
1115b East Hastings St. (entrance on Glen St.)
Childcare + snacks
Telephone to RSVP: 604.682.4451
Grassroots Women is an anti-imperialist women's organization formed in
Vancouver in 1995.
We stand and fight for the following:
* Our democratic right to expose and oppose the negative impacts of
imperialist globalization in Canada and internationally, particularly its
impacts on working class and other marginalized women.
* The right of working class women to be free of class exploitation
and sexism, racism, and all other forms of oppression.
* The right of exploited and oppressed peoples to struggle against
imperialism and for human rights, freedom, liberation and a just and lasting
peace.
7. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grassroots Women - Child Care Subsidy Discussion: Thurs. July 30 6:30
[Rescheduled from July 16]
Confused by the application process?
Frustrated about the catch-22 of having to begin paying for childcare before
you know if you are approved for a subsidy?
Discouraged by top-up fees you cannot afford?
Convinced there is a better way to meet the needs of working class women?
Share your experiences and problem solve collectively! Past and future
applicants for the subsidy (parents and providers) are particularly
encouraged to attend.
Thursday, July 30, 6:30pm
1115b East Hastings St. (at Glen)
Telephone to RSVP: 604.682.4451
Grassroots Women is an anti-imperialist women's organization formed in
Vancouver in 1995.
We stand and fight for the following:
* Our democratic right to expose and oppose the negative impacts of
imperialist globalization in Canada and internationally, particularly its
impacts on working class and other marginalized women.
* The right of working class women to be free of class exploitation
and sexism, racism, and all other forms of oppression.
* The right of exploited and oppressed peoples to struggle against
imperialism and for human rights, freedom, liberation and a just and lasting
peace.
Grassroots Women
1115B E. Hastings (entrance on Glen)
Vancouver, BC V6A 1S3
web: www3.telus.net/grassrootswomen
email: grassrootswomen at telus.net
phone: 604-682-4451 (fax same #, please call first)
8. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Media Assistant - JOB POSTING
[Temporary student position – for SFU students only] (Posted July 8h, 2009)
An average of 6-10 hours/week [more at the beginning of term]
Wage rate: $17.79/hour
Duration: 104 hours / term, Fall 2009 & Spring 2010
Starting date: Week of August 10, 2009
Deadline: Monday July 27th, 2009 10:00 am
The Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) is a student-directed social and environmental justice resource centre at SFU. We are a collectively-run organization that uses consensus decision-making. To qualify, students must pursue full or part-time studies at SFU in the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters. Due to the nature of this position, the successful candidate will be required to work a higher concentration of hours in the first 6 weeks of each semester and less in the second half of the semester and will also need to be flexible for occasional after-hours work. This is a unionized position with CUPE.
Duties and Responsibilities:
· Coordinate and participate in tabling at campus events to promote SFPIRG.
· Update events listings around campus: website, classifieds, my.sfu.ca, emails etc.
· Do a weekly poster-run around campus.
· Help with day-of set up for SFPIRG events and workshops.
· General office tasks: greeting people, answering phones, dealing with correspondence, and maintaining the office space.
Skills:
· Interest in and awareness of social justice and environmental issues.
· Friendly and approachable manner.
· Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
· Knowledge of the SFU campus and student groups an asset.
· Ability to work autonomously in a hectic environment.
· Strong writing skills and attention to detail
· Computer skills: Word, updating websites
· A sense of humour
Application Procedure:
SFPIRG is an affirmative action employer. In order to increase the range and diversity of skills, perspectives and experience presently existing within SFPIRG, hiring preference shall be given to qualified applicants from groups who face systemic barriers to employment. Applicants who wish to be considered for affirmative action are encouraged to discuss this in their cover letter. We also encourage applicants to include other skills and experiences in addition to those outlined above. SFPIRG is committed to accommodating people with mental and physical disabilities, including, for example, obtaining necessary adaptive technologies. Note: No previous experience with SFPIRG is necessary to qualify.
If interested, please submit cover letter and resume [by email only] to: SFPIRG, Attn: Media Assistant Hiring Committee. Email Submissions: Please include cover letter and resume in ONE attached document, with your name as the title of the file.
Deadline for application is Monday July 27th, 2009 at 10:00 am. No phone or email inquiries please. Late applications will not be accepted. We regret that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
SFPIRG
TC 326, SFU, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Coast Salish Territories
Tel. 778.782.4360 - Fax. 778.782.5338
sfpirg at sfu.ca - www.sfpirg.ca
FOR A JUST, SUSTAINABLE AND MEANINGFUL WORLD
9. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Classroom Outreacher - JOB POSTING
[Temporary student position – for SFU students only] (Posted July 8th 2009)
An average of 6-10 hours/week [more at the beginning of term]
Wage rate: $17.79/hour
Duration: 104 hours / term, Fall 2009 & Spring 2010
Starting date: Week of August 10, 2009
Deadline: Monday July 27th, 2009 10:00 am
The Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) is a student-directed social and environmental justice resource centre at SFU. We are a collectively-run organization that uses consensus decision-making. To qualify, students must pursue full or part-time studies at SFU in the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters. Due to the nature of this position, the successful candidate will be required to work a higher concentration of hours in the first 6 weeks of each semester and less in the second half of the semester and will also need to be flexible for occasional after-hours work. This is a unionized position with CUPE.
This position will be responsible for doing outreach to students, in strategically chosen classrooms, regarding SFPIRG programs and services generally, and the Action Research Exchange [ARX] program specifically. ARX is a program of SFPIRG which facilitates connections between community organizations, that need research but have limited resources, and SFU students who can take on that research for course credit.
Duties and Responsibilities:
· Learn and remain familiar with the current programs and services that SFPIRG offers
· Learn and remain familiar with the ARX program and the ARX database of available research projects
· Research SFU courses and match ARX projects with courses each term
· Outreach and liaise with SFU faculty to conduct targeted classroom-speaking campaign
· Coordinate 5-8 classroom-speaking presentations per week in the first 6 weeks of the semester
· Update the online project database, and help write content for ARX website and promotional materials.
· General office tasks: greeting people, answering phones, dealing with correspondence, and maintaining the office space
Skills:
· Interest in and awareness of social justice and environmental issues
· Friendly and approachable manner
· Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
· Knowledge of the SFU campus and student groups an asset
· Ability to work autonomously in a hectic environment
· Strong writing skills and attention to detail
· Computer skills: Word, updating websites
· A sense of humour
Application Procedure:
SFPIRG is an affirmative action employer. In order to increase the range and diversity of skills, perspectives and experience presently existing within SFPIRG, hiring preference shall be given to qualified applicants from groups who face systemic barriers to employment. Applicants who wish to be considered for affirmative action are encouraged to discuss this in their cover letter. We also encourage applicants to include other skills and experiences in addition to those outlined above. SFPIRG is committed to accommodating people with mental and physical disabilities, including, for example, obtaining necessary adaptive technologies. Note: No previous experience with SFPIRG is necessary to qualify.
If interested, please submit cover letter and resume (by email only) to: SFPIRG, Attn: Classroom Outreacher Hiring Committee. Email Submissions: Please include cover letter and resume in ONE attached document, with your name as the title of the file.
Deadline for application is Monday July 27, 2009 at 10:00 am. No phone or email inquiries please. Late applications will not be accepted. We regret that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
SFPIRG
TC 326, SFU, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Coast Salish Territories
Tel. 778.782.4360 - Fax. 778.782.5338
sfpirg at sfu.ca - www.sfpirg.ca
FOR A JUST, SUSTAINABLE AND MEANINGFUL WORLD
10. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Geek Student Internships - Available Immediately
Free Geek Vancouver still has three student internships available
starting July 20 and ending August 29, 2009. The internships are
Computer Reuse, Ewaste Recycling and Policy & Governance Development. We
encourage you to pass on the attached job postings to your clients.
Candidates must be all of the following:
- Age 15 to 30
- Full time student for the past school year
- Intend to return to school full time in the fall
- Canadian citizen, or permanent resident, or convention refugee
To get more info, please go to: http://freegeekvancouver.org/
Please note that Free Geek's regular hours are Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm;
however we will be conducting interviews on Monday July 20th.
Free free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your help!
Sincerely,
Ifny Lachance
Coordinator, Free Geek Vancouver
hr at freegeekvancouver.org
http://freegeekvancouver.org/
11. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Dominion is seeking pitches for our special issue on the 2010
Olympics. Submit your pitch by July 27th!
Some of the issues that we hope to cover in the lead up to the games include:
-Native land rights struggles in occupied BC
-Ecological effects of the Games
-Olympics and nationalism
-Displacement and the Games
-The corporate media and the Olympics
-Torch activities
-The Games and the Economic Crisis
-The costs of "Securing" the Games
-Effects of Olympics on municipal and provincial budgets
-Labour and the 2010 Games
-Resistance to 2010
-Beneficiaries of the Olympics
-Articles that put the games into a historical context, in Canada or elsewhere.
If you would like to write on one of these topics, or pitch us
something different, please read on!
We're looking for pieces in a variety of different of formats, not
limited to: briefs (150 to 200 words), articles (800-1000 words),
infographics, graphs and maps, comics, and illustrations, and we plan
to have video and audio content online to supplement the special
issue. The Dominion has a modest budget to pay writers and
contributors whose pitches are accepted.
If you've got an idea for something you'd like to contribute for the
Dominion's Olympics special issue, please submit your pitch here
before July 27:
http://www.mediacoop.ca/node/add/pitch
Background on the Vancouver Media Cooperative and The Dominion.
The Vancouver Local of the Media Co-op is being launched this summer.
By 2010, it will be a node for unembedded coverage of the Olympic
Games. We encourage writers, researchers and journalists to create an
account and share information and coverage about the 2010 Games.
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/
The Dominion, the flagship publication of the Media Co-op, will
publish a special issue about the Olympics in November 2009. Thousands
of copies of the issue will be printed and distributed through
grassroots networks across Turtle Island in November 2009. Previous
special issues of The Dominion have received critical acclaim for
their coverage of Canadian foreign policy, the Athabasca tar sands,
and the Canadian mining sector.
http://dominionpaper.ca/
Call for participation and input: Olympics Special Issue
"In Canada, you will find a nation that works every day towards
creating the conditions of the Olympic ideal." --Jean Chrétien
The "Olympic Ideal" is part of one of the world’s most successful
marketing campaigns, built around concepts that almost everyone can
agree upon: world-class amateur sport and peaceful competition.
But a rising chorus of critical voices say that the Olympics are
deeply implicated in the expropriation of land, money and resources.
>From movements demanding "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land" to angry
business owners, resistance to the Olympics economic and social agenda
is growing.
The Olympics budget includes a billion dollars for security. A billion
dollars each will be spent on a new convention centre, a larger
highway to Whistler, and SNC Lavalin's rail link from the Vancouver
airport to downtown.
In the political and economic maneuvres leading up to the 2010
Olympics, a different "ideal" has been revealed – one of exclusive
contracts, sponsorship deals, displacement, social cleansing, and
corruption. At times, sport seems like an afterthought.
Many of the real stories behind the Olympics remain to be told.
The Media Co-op and The Dominion want to know what kinds of critical
coverage you want to see. Add your ideas as a researcher, a resident,
or a reader, and check out what idea others are contributing by
visiting our online discussion:
http://www.mediacoop.ca/olympics/coverage
We want to hear from you! Join the Olympics working group at
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/Olympics or email olympics at mediacoop.ca
with your story suggestions and ideas.
If you want to support independent coverage of the 2010 Games, please
consider becoming a sustaining member of the Media Co-op by visiting
http://www.mediacoop.ca/join.
12. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ELLE Project: Leadership Building for Young Women * - application deadline - August 16
October 18 to 24, 2009
Are you somebody who gets fired up about issues? Do you want to make something happen in your community? Want to meet other young women with a passion for change?
If this sounds like you, you should definitely register for the ELLE Project!
ELLE Project is a free leadership retreat for young women between the ages of 16 and 25 put on as part of the Girls Action Foundation annual National
Retreat. 20 young women from across Canada will be brought together just outside Montréal for 7 days of workshops, skillsharing, and fun times. Topics covered will include anti-oppression, media literacy, making your own media, mentorship strategies and more!
The time to register is now, because the deadline is August 16th.
For more information on logistics, programming and registration...
* Check out our website, at www.girlsactionfoundation.ca/en/
* Give us a call at 1.888.948.1112
* Contact Keetha at keetha at girlsactionfoundation.ca or Anne-Marie at annemarie at girlsactionfoundation.ca
To read some writing by past participants of the ELLE Project, check out the Kickaction.ca Blogging Carnival.
* By young women we mean anyone who identifies as a young woman, whether cis or trans.
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Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG)
~For a just, sustainable, and meaningful world~
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http://www.sfpirg.ca (778) 782-4360
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