About working groups
VIPIRG working groups are a way for people who share interests in a particular issue to work as a collective to sustain action over time. The members of each working group share responsibility for campaign planning, decision-making, and action. All working groups have access to VIPIRG campaign resources and are supported by a VIPIRG staff member. If you are interested in joining one of the working groups you may contact the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at outreach@vipirg.ca or by calling 250-472-510.
In the words of Waterloo PIRG: “Today power is concentrated in the hands of well-organized individuals and corporations who have extraordinary power to make decisions that affect all of our lives. The best way to begin to undermine that power and privilege (and encourage democratic and just communities) is for each of us to learn how to work on creating a culture based on equality and cooperation -- beginning with our own action/working group.”
Current VIPIRG working groups
VIPIRG's working groups are organized by students engaged with grassroots community initiatives.
Spring Ridge - Fernwood Community Housing Land Trust (SRFCHLT)
The goal of the Trust is to secure sustainable, community-oriented and affordable housing in Victoria through its constitutional and charitable mandate. The goal is to remove properties from the housing market, where skyrocketing property values have contributed to Victoria's lack of affordable housing crisis. With charitable status in hand, the Trust is now seeking donations to help secure the current and future properties to permanently increase the amount of affordable housing available in the city of Victoria.
For more information and to find out how to get invovled email: communityhousing.fernwood@gmail.com
Temporary Autonomous Shelter Collective (TASC)
The Temporary Autonomous Shelter Collective (TASC) is facilitating a
process of creating a user-run community of temporary autonomous
shelters, often called "tent cities". We are a group of homeless and housed individuals who are determined to take collective action on
homelessness by ensuring that ALL residents on Coast Salish territories can live with dignity, autonomy and respect.
Ready to be part of the action?
Come to our meetings, share your ideas and get involved! We are
looking for people to contribute to our community surveying and
interviewing, fundraising, media work, outreach, legal research, and
art working groups. Even a few hours a month can make an enormous
difference.
For more info email victentcity@gmail.com
250-472-4386, http://tentcity.wikidot.com/
Harm Reduction
VIPIRG has a working group type partnership with Harm Reduction Victoria. To get invovled contact research@vipirg.ca or visit Harm Reduction Victoria online:
http://harmreductionvictoria.ca
Mission statement:
Harm Reduction Victoria (HRV) seeks to ensure that the highest quality health care is made accessible to all those who require harm reduction services. We are a collection of Victoria area residents who will work with people who depend upon harm reduction health services to obtain and realize justice and dignity for all drug users and in particular those who suffer from homelessness, discrimination and violence as a result of their status as a person who uses drugs.
Vision:
HRV is committed to on-going and broad community dialogue regarding the needs and deprivations of those who require harm reduction health services. HRV will use a diversity of means to ensure that the Capital Regional District adheres to the highest standards of Health Care for those who use currently illegal drugs, especially those who suffer from homelessness specifically.
* HRV chooses to use the phrase “currently illegal drugs” as we hope someday to see a removal of the prohibitions that cause much of the harms associated with drug use.
NO 2010 Victoria
VIPIRG has a working group in partnership with No 2010 Victoria. No 2010 operates as an umbrella group for Victoria’s activist community to network in opposition to the Olympics. We consider ourselves a parallel group to the No 2010 Committee in Vancouver and strive to collaborate with our allies on the mainland.
It is our goal to create an open organizing hub for Anti-Olympic outreach projects and to educate the general public about issues surrounding the 2010 Olympics. More than a single rallying point of contention, we view the 2010 Olympics as the prism through which we can address ongoing systemic issues in Victoria, including poverty, ecocide, industrial capitalism, etc. We value community building and security culture within our group.
We acknowledge the traditional lands of the indigenous peoples who lived here before us. For more information email research@vipirg.ca or visit No 2010 Victoria online:
http://www.no2010victoria.net/
TransAction
TransAction is a local organization that advocates for the rights of and strives to create community for Trans and Gender Variant people through consciousness raising activities and the on going project of creating safer spaces. In the fall of 2008 the group organized workshops, events, and around Trans Day of Remembrance.
For more information contact transactionvictoria@gmail.com.
Urban Agriculture Working Group update
The Urban Agricultural working group is currently creating a community garden at the detox center. Thank you to everyone who has helped out thus far!
Urban Agriculture has also updated their listserve. This listserve is used to connect people that are involved in urban agriculture in greater
Victoria and elsewhere.
If you're involved with a group that's doing urban agriculture, or know
of some research that is being or has been conducted or is planned, or
anything else connected with urban agriculture, and would like to share
that information with others, please post a note to the group at
vipirg-urban-ag@googlegroups.com.
For more information contact Matthew Kemshaw by leaving a message on the outreach phone 250.472.5170 or emailing For more information contact Matthew at agriculture@vipirg.ca
Previous Working Groups
Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Working Group
The Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Working Group (IPSWG) aims to create opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members to participate in education, mobilization and action against colonization and in support of Indigenous peoples' inherent right to self-determination and self-governance of Indigenous territory.
No-One Is Illegal
No-One Is Illegal (NOII) advocates, educates, and raises funds to address immgration and refugee issues in Canada. We act in solidarity with groups across the country who provide hands-on support to people unfairly impacted by Canada’s immigration and security legislation. Some of our efforts include lobbying for fair trials and status for all, letter writing, fundraising events (such as spoken word, film nights, panel discussions), non violent direct action (i.e. street theatre and popular education), and networking with individuals and groups across Canada.
Radio Accessibility Working Group
99% of Canadians own a radio, with an average listening time of 3 hours per day and 80% of Canadian adults listening to the radio on every weekday. Radios are a very accessible form of media - there are no subscription fees, units are inexpensive and portable, and the radio is often the first media service with breaking news and the most reliable for emergency situations. However, 1 in 10 Canadians has hearing loss that can make listening to the radio difficult or impossible. The Radio Accessibility Working Group (RAWG) is working to make radio accessible!
Start a new working group
Got an idea for a new working group? The VIPIRG coordinating collective considers proposals at any time of year. You can complete the form by one of the means below, call 721-8629 to do it by phone, or drop by SUB 122 if you want a staff person to help with it.
Want to start something, but not sure what to focus on? Look through the archives of VIPIRG's past working groups, or check out the working groups at other PIRGs for inspiration.
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