[van-announce] Subject: SFPIRG - Community Events Digest
SFPIRG
sfpirg at sfu.ca
Fri May 22 13:19:15 PDT 2009
Community Events Digest
==Social justice events happening in and around Vancouver==
1. Women's Empowerment, Learning and Leadership (WELL) Program!
2. Artist call out
3. Where's the Money in the Media?
4. Seeking volunteers for the First Nations Honouring Feast
5. Looking for Water Activists
6. Documentary - Seeking Refuge (2008)
7. The Undernineteens - Semi-formal dinner benefit
8. THE GREAT TURNING: an Unconference to Be The Change
9. Calling All Sikh Artists - When Lions Roar (Vancouver)
10. Pakistan Forum May 30th
11. Fundraiser for Zofia Cisowski, mother of Taser victim Robert Dziekanski
12. Picket the Jewish National Fund May 31, Vancouver, Canada
13. Author Yves Engler to speak in Vancouver
14. Left Film Night - Saturday, May 23
15. Solidarity Notes Choir Spring Concert
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Women's Empowerment, Learning and Leadership (WELL) Program!
PeerNetBC is looking for women of all ages and from all walks of life who are interested in gaining facilitation skills to join our WELL program. The program includes extensive training in facilitation skills and opportunities to learn through direct practice by co-facilitating workshops with PeerNetBC facilitators around the province.
The initial training sessions are scheduled for:
Monday, May 25th & Tuesday, May 26th from 5:30 to 8:30 PM
Saturday, May 30th from 9:30 to 4:00
Monday, June 1st & Tuesday, June 2nd from 5:30 to 8:30 PM
Saturday, June6th from 9:30 to 4:00
Following this training, participants will meet once a month to discuss ongoing learning opportunities and to prepare for co-facilitating workshops. Participants are asked to make a commitment to remain in the WELL program for one year.
This amazing opportunity is made possible by funding from Status of Women Canada.
If you're interested in applying for this program or would like further information, please contact Ellen Clague at 604-733-6186 or ellen at peernetbc.com.
___________________________________________________________________________
Artist call out
Megaphone Magazine is looking for artists to submit work for a silent
auction fundraiser on June 12th, 2009 at the Interurban Gallery (1 East
Hastings).
Megaphone is a magazine sold on the streets of Vancouver by homeless and
low-income vendors. Formerly known as Street Corner, the fundraiser will
celebrate Megaphone's one-year anniversary.
Over the past year, Megaphone has grown to 20 vendors across the city and
has a monthly distribution of 5,000 copies. Megaphone helps low-income and
homeless people become self-sufficient by selling a magazine that raises
awareness about poverty and homelessness.
The art auction will help raise funds for the magazine while giving exposure
to Vancouver artists. It will follow the same format as Megaphone's
successful art auction last year??? proceeds from each sale will be split
50/50 between the artist and Megaphone, and the artist sets the minimum
bid.
If you are interested in getting some exposure and contributing to the
event, please send an email to events at megaphonemagazine.com with the following information:
* Your name and contact info (email, phone number, website)
* Photo(s) of the work you would like to submit (maximum of five)
* A brief description of your work(s)
* The minimum price for your work
Megaphone will select work based on the following criteria:
* Is it a good fit with the nature of the event, and the limitations of
the venue?
* Is the work ready to hang?
* Is it awesome?
The deadline is May 29th. Please forward this message on to anyone you might
think would be interested in participating.
Thank you for your support,
Sean Condon
Editor-in-Chief
Megaphone Magazine
___________________________________________________________________________
Where's the Money in the Media?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
panel discussion on proposed corporate media bailouts, cuts to the public
broadcaster, and exciting alternative models for media
*
Wednesday, May 27
6:45-9:00 pm
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main St. near 3rd
close to Main Street/Science World Skytrain
and Main Street #3 bus
*
Organized by the Campaign for Democratic Media-Vancouver (formerly Media
Democracy Day organizing committee)
For more information and to reserve your spot please see the contact info
below.
*Featuring:*
*Charlie Smith*, Editor, The Georgia Straight
*Marika Swan*, Interim Manager, Redwire Native Youth Media
*Colin Preston*, Library Coordinator & Canadian Media Guild Secretary, CBC
Vancouver
and other special guests
At this critical time when the new media environment is being molded and the
traditional news industry is in a state of decline, creative approaches to
journalism are urgently needed.
Yet politicians and policy makers are poised to further support the big
conglomerates that got us into this mess in the first place. Canwest and
other corporate media may even get a government bailout. At the same time,
CBC is slashing jobs and programming under unprecedented cuts, and there is
no end in sight.
-If news financed by big business is failing, what alternatives do we have?
-What role could/should CBC play?
-What other models for media are available?
-What can we do?
Vancouver's leading independent media makers lead a panel and discussion
about proposed government bailouts of corporate media, the impacts of cuts
to the public broadcaster, and exciting alternative models for media.
Suggested Donation $7 in advance, $12 at the door
no one turned away for lack of funds.
Snacks will be served
bus tickets available
Free childcare available onsite with advance request
*Seating is limited! To save your spot, please R.S.V.P. by net, phone, or
email:*
to register online: http://moneymedia.eventbrite.com/
by email: naava.smolash [at] gmail.com
by phone: (604) 875-8455 (please leave a message)
For more information and updates, check out the Facebook event page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=94149873120:
Visit: http://mediademocracyday.org
And see Campaign for Democratic Media: http://democraticmedia.ca
___________________________________________________________________________
Seeking volunteers for the First Nations Honoring Feast
Greetings and Salutations!
We are seeking volunteers for the First Nations Honoring Feast to be held on Wednesday, June 3rd 2009.? This event was previously called First Nations Honoring Ceremony and is to honor all the graduates of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit ancestry who are graduating from SFU.? We look forward to hearing from you!
- We will need volunteers for various activities throughout this event: preparation in weeks before, during, and after. ?
- It will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm on Wednesday June 3 2009
- The event will take place at West Mall Complex (WMC), Student Lounge, SFU-Burnaby Campus
- If you wish to volunteer please contact Lena Moysiuk , Email: lma34 at sfu.ca ? Phone: 778-782-6929?
- Gary George, Email: ggeorge at sfu.ca Phone: 778-782-5663 First Nations Student Centre 1500 Maggie Benston Centre Simon Fraser University Phone: (778)782-5663
___________________________________________________________________________
Looking for Water Activists
Howdy Water Activists,
As summer is right around the corner, there is no better time to keep our
wave of action going! Below are two simple ways you can stay involved this
summer:
1) Research Opportunity-Volunteers are needed to conduct primary research
for a Polaris Institute and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives water
fountain study. The time commitment is minimal and volunteers will be
credited in a national report to be released in September 2009. If you are
interested please contact Richard Girard: richard at polarisinstitute.org
2) Take the Bottle Water Free Orientation Challenge!-Now is the time to
promote a bottled water free orientation/event to your Student Union and
PIRG for Fall 2009.
Here are two ways you can help:
1) Send Elly the contact info of your campus orientation
organizers.
2) Email, call or meet with your orientation organizers to
discuss bottled water free events and give alternatives to bottled water.
Click
<http://www.insidethebottle.org/files/Bottled%20Water%20Free%20Events.pdf>
here for info on Bottled Water Free Events.
If you think you can do either of these tasks, please sign the challenge
below and send it back to elly at polarisinstitute.org We will get the ball
rolling together!
Are You Up For The Challenge?!
I, _________(Insert Name)___________________, would like ___________(Insert
Campus)__________________________, to hold a bottled water free
orientation/events during the Fall of 2009. I am ready to help make this
happen!
As always, I enjoy hearing from you, so feel free to call, email or send
word via carrier pigeon!
Best,
Elly Adeland
Water & Energy Campaigner
Institut Polaris Institute
Email: Elly at polarisinstitute.org
Tel: (613)237-1717 ext. 106
Toll Free: (866)346-6602 ext. 106
Fax: (613)237-3359
Web: www.polarisinstitute.org
www.insidethebottle.org
www.tarsandswatch.org
___________________________________________________________________________
No One Is Illegal is excited to partner with the DOXA film festival this
year for the screening of Seeking Refuge...
The 2009 DOXA Documentary Film Festival runs from May 22 to May 31 and
showcases documentaries that uplift through inspirational, often untold,
stories.
.......................................
Seeking Refuge (2008)
Monday May 25 at 6:00PM
Pacific Cinémathèque, 1131 Howe Street, corner Davie.
Filmmaker Karen Cho in attendance.
.......................................
TICKET INFORMATION:
Single tickets are $10, Festival membership (for all movies) $2
Can be purchased at select locations, online or door:
http://www.doxafestival.ca/festival/tickets.html
Every year, some 30,000 people come to Canada to apply for refugee status.
About 40-45% of those are eventually accepted. Seeking Refuge takes us
into the lives of five claimants and their support networks.
Though Esly and her common-law husband managed to evade violent gangs in
Honduras, they were stopped at the US-Canadian border. Since they could
not prove they had been living together for more than a year, he was
deported and eventually killed by the men who were threatening them in
Honduras.
Najia is a human rights activist from Kabul whose parents begged her to
flee after two of her colleagues were assassinated. When the death threats
spilled over to her father, she came to Canada.
Leyla escaped serial rape and other violence at the hands of soldiers in
the Democratic Republic of Congo but cannot produce the exact documents
demanded by refugee board members.
Fouad is a Palestinian from Lebanon who is running through his limited
legal options after his claim is rejected, due in part to bad luck as his
brother’s nearly identical claim had been accepted by a different board
member.
On the other end of the process is Kader, a blind man from Algeria who has
been living under asylum at his Montreal church for over three years.
Together their stories provide a provocative look into this lengthy,
frustratingly bureaucratic process, fraught with political landmines. For
the government it has become, to an extent, a numbers game. For the people
who come to Canada seeking refugee status, it is usually a matter of life
and death.
* More information about the film or the festival:
http://www.doxafestival.ca
Director’s Biography: Karen Cho is an emerging filmmaker who has carved
out a name for herself directing both documentary and fiction films.
Karen’s films often recount un-told histories and explore themes of
immigration, activism, self-identity and social justice. Her approach to
filmmaking is shaped by personal experience, pop-culture and her
background in a richly multi-ethnic family. Karen is interested in using
film as a tool for social debate. A graduate from Concordia University in
2001, she has already received several awards for her work.
___________________________________________________________________________
The Undernineteens - Semi-formal dinner benefit
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce Street
Vancouver, BC V5R6C9 Canada
Saturday, May 23, 6:45PM
778-836-7716
This summer, us four Windermere students (Neelam, Peggy, Jonathan, and Chitha) will be going across Canada to film an amateur documentary on homelessness and poverty. That's why we're reaching out to you for your support!
Join us for a semi-formal dinner benefit. It will be a night of entertaining performances, inspirational talks, a delicious three-course vegetarian meal (Indian cuisine), and a silent aunction!
Tickets are $20.00 each, email us at under9teens at hotmail.com if you're interested in coming.
*We'll be accepting payment in cheques and cash for silent auction items.
Feel free to spread the word.
Want to know more about our trip? Visit http://under9teens.wordpress.com
-The Undernineteens :)
___________________________________________________________________________
THE GREAT TURNING: an Unconference to Be The Change
Saturday, May 23 9:30am - 7:30pm Dinner at 5:30
MARITIME LABOUR CENTRE, 1880 Triumph St (Victoria north of Hastings)
TAP INTO THE GLOBAL MINDSHIFT
and get ready to BE THE CHANGE
YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
This exciting and innovative gathering will convene a spicy mix of over 30 passionate community leaders and change agents.
Join with them in intimate “circle talks” to inspire, connect, brainstorm, dialogue, and move forward with personal and collective actions to change our world.
Share in stimulating conversation, tasty food, inspiring short videos, live performances, & lots of fun!
Advance Registration only $55 for the full day, including lunch
www.bethechangecircles.org
5:30 - 7:30 Delicious organic, vegetarian & vegan dinner $11 with live performances, cash bar.
Later... a kickin’ afterparty hosted by Tribal Harmonix! (Party free with registration.)
We are honoured to present over 30 round-table speakers, each a brilliant thread in the tapestry of our future, weaving together social justice, environmental sustainability, and our evolution of consciousness.
___________________________________________________________________________
Calling All Sikh Artists - When Lions Roar (Vancouver)
This July 3rd, contribute poetry, spoken word or any other artistic pieces
on the 25 year mark of the Sikh genocides in 1984.
The Sikh Activist Network is currently fielding an open call for artists of
any sort. So, contact us for an opportunity express yourself on a day of
not only remembrance but change.
Use the power of words, unity and community on this night to express your
feelings, emotions and solidarity against the oppression of our peoples.
*Examples of Artistic pieces can include:*
- Gatka (Sikh Martial Arts)
- Spoken Word
- Hip Hop (Acapella)
- Graffiti Artists
- Painters
- Dhadi
- Punjabi Folk and Traditional Performances
- Kavishri
- Tanti Saaj (classical instruments)
- Singing
- and much more
Interested in performing? Deadline is *JUNE 5TH 2009.
Contact: kamal at sikhactivist.net or call 604-719-1871
___________________________________________________________________________
SANSAD Public Forum on Genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka
Sunday, May 24, 2009
2-5 p.m.
Cafe Kathmandu
2779 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Discussants:
C. Premarajah, Hari Sharma, L. Pathmayohan, Raj Chouhan (MLA), and others
***********
Please note that we also plan to use the forum for raising funds for
humanitarian relief for the Tamil victims of the military assaults.
***********************
Tamils in Sri Lanka have, over the decades, been systematically
deprived of their rights and reduced to second class citizenship. Now
this minority is facing genocidal violence as the government pursues
its military solution to the insurgency led by the LTTE.
Rejecting international appeals for ceasefire and access of relief
agencies to the civilians trapped in the war zone and in camps, the
Sri Lanka government has continued its bombardment, including rocket
attacks on makeshift hospitals in the "no fire" zones that have
killed hundreds of patients. Over 6500 innocent civilians have been
killed and more than 11000 injured. There are no figures for those
who have disappeared and those who have been buried in mass graves in
Vannu. There are over 300,000 internally displaced people (IDP).
About 185,000 are in camps without basic necessities.
This genocidal violence must be stopped. The murder, imprisonment,
and intimidation of journalists daring to report on the situation
must be stopped. We must support the Tamil diaspora in Canada in
their effort to provide humanitarian relief for the victims of war in
Sri Lanka.
As the Sri Lanka government reaches the stage where they are getting
ready to declare a total victory over the Tamil enclaves, it is very
important that the issues that led to Tamil militancy and civil war
are sufficiently addressed, and that the government follows policies
to ensure justice for the Tamils in Sri Lanka. This is also the
responsibility of the international community.
Please join us at the public forum, and please help us raise funds
for humanitarian relief.
___________________________________________________________________________
Pakistan Forum May 30th
BUILDING PEOPLE TO PEOPLE SOLIDARITY
CREATING REAL "HOPE" AND "CHANGE" FOR PAKISTAN
PUBLIC FORUM AND DISCUSSION
************************************************************
SATURDAY, MAY 30th, 2009
2 pm - 5 pm
Newton Library
13795 - 70th Ave, Surrey
Light refreshments provided
Free Event
************************************************************
Join us for a public forum and interactive
discussion on what the future holds for Pakistan.
ORGANIZED BY:
Fraser Valley Peace Council, Siraat Collective and
Pakistan Action Network (www.pakaction.org)
"If they snatch my ink and pen, I should not complain,
For I have dipped my fingers in the blood of my heart.
I should not complain, Even if they seal my tongue,
For every ring of my chain is a tongue ready to speak"
(Faiz Ahmed Faiz)
Media headlines and pundits have been inundating
us with images of Pakistan as a nation on the
brink of disaster. Pakistan is facing many
critical issues: the expansion of the U.S. led
War on Terror into Pakistan with continued drone
attacks, Obama's AF-PAK strategy, the
government's deal in Swat, the rise of religious
extremism and a majority of the population living
in poverty without access to basic human rights.
Yet there is also another Pakistan, one in which
one of the most vibrant struggles for democracy
and rule of law has recently resulted in victory,
where poets, lawyers, activists, journalists and
other Pakistanis are forging movements of
resistance against U.S imperialism, religious
extremism and injustice.
In this context, what does the future hold for
Pakistan? Speakers will discuss the various
issues facing Pakistan and provide an analysis
and framework for what we can do as concerned
members of the public to contribute to building a
movement for justice and peace in Pakistan.
SPEAKERS:
Haider Nizamani, Sunera Thobani, further speakers tbc
Haider Nizamani is a Lecturer in Political
Science at UBC. His specialization is in the
fields of International Politics, Security
Studies and South Asian Politics. Dr Nizamani
authored a book "The Roots of Rhetoric: Politics
of Nuclear Weapons in India and Pakistan". His
other publication is "Limits of Dissent A
Comparative Study of Dissident Voices in the
nuclear Discourse of India and Pakistan"
Contemporary South Asia, 7.3 Autumn 1998. He also
contributes to Pakistan's leading English
newspapers on national security and political
issues.
Sunera Thobani is a professor with the Centre for
Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations
at UBC. She is past president of the National
Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC),
Canada's largest feminist organization. Dr.
Thobani's tenure at the NAC was characterized by
a commitment to making the politics of
anti-racism central to the women's movement. Her
research focuses on globalization, citizenship,
migration, race, and gender relations. Her
current projects include "Gender, Globalization,
and International Conflict: Representation of
Women in the Print Media" and "Television
Representations of Women and the War on
Terrorism."
For more information:
email: pakact at gmail.com
phone: 604-613-0735
___________________________________________________________________________
Fundraiser for Zofia Cisowski, mother of
Taser victim Robert Dziekanski
May 30
From: "Tom Sandborn" <tos at infinet.net>
ZOFIA VICTIM TRUST FUNDRAISING DINNER
Please join us
For Zofia Cisowski, mother of late Robert Dziekanski,
Fundraising Dinner
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pacific Inn, 1160 King George Hwy, Surrey
Doors & Cocktail Bar opens: 6.00 PM
Dinner: 7.00 PM
Ticket: $75 per person
Honorary guests:
Zofia Cisowski, Paul Pritchard (to be confirmed), Sima Ashrafinia,
Consul General of Poland Krzysztof Czapla,
Walter Kosteckyj, Don Rosenbloom and Bill Sundhu.
For further information and tickets distribution please contact
Zygmunt Riddle
zriddle at shaw.ca Tel. (604) 868-7070
At least 50% of $75 will go to ZOFIA VICTIMS
TRUST. Thanks to generosity Of ordinary Canadians
$30,000 was credited to this account. Most Of the
money was spent already on Zosia legal, medical
and living expenses With a current balance about
$8,000. In case of compensation money paid To
Zosia as a result of future settlement with
provincial Government, the Balance of this
account will be used to help other victims and
their families Who died in police custody in
Canada.
___________________________________________________________________________
Picket the Jewish National Fund May 31, Vancouver, Canada
From: "Mike Krebs" <mikekrebs at gmail.com>
Please post and forward widely
Picket the Jewish National Fund Dinner
Sunday, May 31, 5 pm
Four Seasons Hotel, W. Georgia & Howe, Vancouver
Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver
(www.cpavancouver.org ) is calling for a picket
against the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Negev
Dinner on May 31/09 at the Four Seasons Hotel in
Vancouver, Canada.
The Picket will protest against the continued
theft of Palestinian land by the JNF and
discrimination by the JNF against Palestinians,
even those who are citizens of the state of
Israel. With the theme of the Jewish National
Fund equals 61 years of Palestinian
dispossession, the picket will also commemorate
the 61st anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.
The JNF and its tax-deductible status are of
particular concern to all people in Canada
concerned with genuine justice because of the
infamy called "Canada Park", built by the JNF on
three destroyed Palestinian villages.
Endorsed by: Solidarity for Palestinian Human
Rights-UBC, Jews for a Just Peace, CanPalnet,
Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign.
___________________________________________________________________________
Author Yves Engler to speak in Vancouver
BOOK LAUNCH:
"The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy "
With author Yves Engler
TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 7 pm
Harbour Center, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver
Where does Canada fit in on the world stage? As
peacemaker or accomplice to war and empire? Just
published, The Black Book of Canadian Foreign
Policy sheds light on many dark corners of
Canadian foreign policy--from troops that joined
the British colonial war in Sudan in 1885 to
neo-colonial war and occupations in Haiti, Iraq
and Afghanistan today.
"We bear responsibility for what governments do
in the world, primarily our own, but secondarily
those we can influence, our allies in
particular.Yves Engler's penetrating inquiry
yields a rich trove of valuable evidence about
Canada's role in the world and poses a challenge
for citizens who are willing to take their
fundamental responsibilities seriously."- -Noam
Chomsky
Organized by STOPWAR.ca
Endorsers: Dominion paper; Haiti Solidarity BC;
People's Co-Op Bookstore; Vancouver Socialist
Forum; (others to follow).
To read more on the book: http://blackbook. foreignpolicy. ca/
___________________________________________________________________________
Left Film Night - Saturday, May 23
From: "Kimball Cariou" <pvoice at telus.net>
LEFT FILM NIGHT presents a double feature:
Hidden in Plain Sight
Dir. John Smihula, 90 minutes, 2003, Spanish subtitles, starts 7 pm
This documentary reveals how pro-US Latin
American governments have long sent soldiers for
training at the School of Americas in Fort
Bennington, where they learn the art of torture
and killing. Includes interviews with Eduardo
Galeano, Noam Chomsky and Michael Parenti.
Il Postino
Dir. Michael Radford, 108 minutes, 1994, English subtitles, starts 9 pm
Living in exile on a small island in Italy, the
famous Chilean Communist poet Pablo Neruda helps
the local postman win the heart of Beatrice, a
waitress in the village inn, by showing him the
beauty and power of poetry.
Saturday, May 23, 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.
___________________________________________________________________________
Solidarity Notes Choir Spring Concert
distributed by the Vancouver & District Labour Council
Solidarity Notes Labour Choir
& Friends Spring Concert
with special guest Bud Osborn
hosted by CBC Broadcaster Erica Johnson
Friday, May 29
7:30 pm
Japanese Language School
497 Alexander Street
Benefit for Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House
Tickets $15 (nobody turned away)
Available People's Coop Bookstore & VDLC
___________________________________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------
Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG)
~For a just, sustainable, and meaningful world~
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.sfpirg.ca (778) 782-4360
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