Today is Ashley Fortier’s last day as Administration Coordinator at QPIRG Concordia, after 3 years in that important role (as well as playing other roles as a Board member and an active working group member and volunteer).
Thank you Ashley for your amazing contributions to QPIRG, to the Concordia community, and to social justice organizing in Montreal.
You’ve mentored and supported so many students and community members.
You’ve rooted QPIRG in solid processes, policies and practices.
You’ve made essential and insightful contributions to projects like Study In Action, the Alternative Library, Convergence, School Schmool and other initiatives, all of which are important reference points for linking community organizing, research, knowledge, and resistance.
You’ve helped promote the anti-oppression grassroots organizing framework in tangible and accessible ways.
You’ve trained and assisted volunteers in how to manage a non-profit with transparency and accountability.
You shared skills, from web design to consensus workshops, from copy-editing to how to be an effective organizer.
You think you’re not a public speaker, but you rocked that task several times over the past few years.
T’as respectée et encouragée la participation de nos membres dans la langue de leur choix et t’as beaucoup aidée à rendre notre espace ouvert à la communauté montréalaise et québecoise. T’as soutenue plusieurs.
You took the time to learn when you needed to, and helped others to take the time to learn as well.
You respected, learned and built from contributions from your predecessors here, notably Nat & Tasha, and the many Board members and volunteers that are too many to name.
You have a fine-tuned sense of how to help an organization grow in a sustainable and healthy way, and QPIRG is better for it.
You listen. But you know how to get your elbows up in the corners too, on-the-ice and off.
You wear amazing earrings. And you make plaid shirts look cool.
Never doubt the fact Ash (despite understandable self-doubts, and your inherent modesty) that you’re someone greatly respected for your down-to-earth knowledge, poise, organization, intelligence and sass.
Your leaving is bittersweet. We’re sad to see you go. But your imprint is on QPIRG in so many ways. And we know you’re going to give time to other great challenges and projects, things you’ve put aside somewhat as you’ve contributed your energies into the QPIRG community for the past several years. Whoever and whatever gets your energy and attention are very very fortunate.
From everyone here at QPIRG C – your fellow staffers, incoming staffer, former-staffers, board members, former board members, working group members, campus members, community members, PIRG allies and all the folks that just hang out here cuz they like it when you’re around – much love SMASH!
– the “CUTE PIRG”
(ps: resist the temptation to copy-edit this note!)
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