GET FUNDED! Collectives Grant Deadline March 1, 2010

VIPIRG Grants Program is designed to support Grassroots Community Initiatives and Publications. The goal of the grants program is to create positive change in the community through direct student and community engagement in events, research and campaigns around social justices issues.

Grants of up to $1000 are awarded to individual students or collectives (including students and/or non-students). Current applications are being accepted for collectives for March 1, 2010 deadline.

Projects could include a research paper, event, workshop, publication, multi-media presentation or performance. All projects should increase knowledge, awareness, and dialogue on a given topic, with a particular emphasis on poverty.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

Grants for collectives:
November 30, 2009 and March 1, 2010

Grants for Individuals:
Fall 2010

Please note: VIPIRG will only award grants to collectives in our application process for March.

For more information please contact outreach@vipirg.ca or by phone 250.472.5170 and an application will be sent to you.

VIPIRG is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education, advocacy and other action in the public interest.

Welfare, Healthcare, and Housing:
The Essentials of a Just Society

Please Join the Victoria Anti-Poverty Coalition, the Island Solidarity Centre, Harm Reduction Victoria, VIPIRG, the Van ISL I.W.W,and Harmless at...

"Welfare, Healthcare, and Housing:The Essentials of a Just Society."
Forum: January 20th 7-9pm
Welfare Speaker: Seth Klein, Director, Canadian Centre or Policy Alternatives, BC Office.
Healthcare Speaker: Marilynn Rust, Member of the Hospital Employee Union Barginning Committee, and Master Activist.
Housing Speaker: Lisa Helps, Executive Director, Community Micro Lending Society, and Homelessness Activist.
Moderator: Tamara Herman, Research Director, Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group, member of NO 2010 Victoria, and Community Organizer.

The event takes place in the David Strong Building, room c118, at the University of Victoria. Entry by donation; all proceeds go to the Victoria Anti-Poverty Coalition.

If you can, please help out the event by printing off some event posters and getting them out!


VIPIRG Annual Report

Over the past year, VIPIRG has been busy internally with staff transitions and a strategic visioning process. The 2008-2009 year saw VIPIRG’s activities re-emerge, renewing the organization’s presence both on campus and among local communities. VIPIRG’s current main focus is working with students and community organizations to research, educate, advocate and take action around local poverty issues. During the 2008-2009 year, VIPIRG was active with many research projects and campaigns, which are detailed in our Annual Report.


Recent Series on Problems Faced by Canadian Media
Available on bchannelnews.tv

Nick Fillmore, a long-time Canadian journalist and a founder of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), has written a five-part series that looks at the problems faced by traditional news organizations in the country and explores the possible development of independent non-profit media that would better serve the public.

The series is now available through a great local alternative media source, B Channel News. Find Nick's articles here over the coming weeks.

Article Summaries

# 1 – This first article explores why the collapse of Canwest Global raises questions about the commitment of Big Media to Canadian journalism; assesses the decline in quality of traditional mainstream media; and looks at the dilemma facing traditional media because of the apparent lack of sustainable funding. For week of December 7.09

This article is available now at B Channel News

# 2 – This one looks into how traditional media restricts free expression by filtering out or censoring stories that might offend advertisers and by restricting the use of stories that conflict with pro-business ideas favored by corporate media. Week of December 14.09

# 3 – The unfortunate shortage of independent news media in Canada is examined. The article also looks at how independent media could provide important coverage of a number of topics that are taboo in the traditional media. The last part of the article describes why many traditional European newspapers are doing much better than their counterparts in Canada. Week of January 4, 2010

# 4 – This article describes how independent groups of citizens in cities, towns, or regions who are dissatisfied with their traditional media could go about setting up any one of a half-dozen small to medium size news organizations. These range from all the way from an inexpensive “mini-paper” newspaper to a web-based news delivery system. Week of January 11

# 5 – The many different ways a citizens’ group could obtain funding for an independent media project are laid out. It’s explained how income should come from a number of different sources, such as various kinds of citizen contributions, to a limited amount of advertising, to distribution fees. The final part of the article explains how extensively European governments support media there, and urges groups here to begin lobbying the Canadian government to set up arms-length support programs for our media organizations. Week of January 18