DISORIENTATION 2015: A different side of student life! 12 events over 5 days!

* 1pm – WORKSHOP: “Solidarity Not Charity!” Activism in Montréal – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
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* 3pm — WORKSHOP: Community-driven social justice research – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204

fb: www.facebook.com/events/437029319831965/

* 7pm – Cinema Politica FILM SCREENING: The Hand That Feeds – at H-110 Auditorium, 1455 de Maisonneuve West

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TUESDAY, September 22, 2015
* 11am-4pm – BLOCK PARTY & TABLING FAIR – outdoors on de Maisonneuve West, between Mackay and Guy

fb: www.facebook.com/events/1521964114761628/

* 6pm — QUEER GAMES NIGHT – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
WEDNESDAY, September 23, 2015
* 1pm – WORKSHOP: A Safer Concordia Consent workshop: Sexual Assault Awareness: It’s Never Your Fault – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204

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* 3pm – WORKSHOP: Re-appropriating Indigenous Identity (with Clifton Nicholas) – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
fb: www.facebook.com/events/834549366643864/
THURSDAY, September 24, 2015
* 1pm – RADICAL HISTORY TOUR of Concordia – meet at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204

fb: www.facebook.com/events/1628547227417632/

* 3pm — WORKSHOP: Visualizing resistance: Feminist art and collective organizing – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
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* 6pm — Community-based social justice OPEN HOUSE / Launch of CONVERGENCE community research journal – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
fb: www.facebook.com/events/175713296095803/
FRIDAY, September 25, 2015
* 1pm – Anti-Gentrification Community Bike Tour – meet at the corner of Guy & De Maisonneuve near the statue of Norman Bethune
fb: www.facebook.com/events/1653825504859371/
[Accessibility: All our events are free and open to new and returning Concordia students and community members. With the exception of parts of the Community Bike Tour, all our events are wheelchair accessible. Many of our events are taking place in the QPIRG Concordia space. Our building has a ramp but it is steep. The doors to enter the building do not open automatically. There is one accessible washroom on our floor. Please let us know if you would like assistance entering our space. We encourage anyone wishing to attend DISORIENTATION to get in touch with any accessibility needs and we will do our best to meet them. If you require childcare or English to French whisper translation during any events, please contact us at 514-848-7585 or info@qpirgconcordia.org.]
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FULL DETAILS
MONDAY, September 21, 2015
– (12pm-6pm) QPIRG Concordia Open House – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
Come by the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) at Concordia to learn more about the projects, publications, initiatives and working groups of your campus-community link for social change.
QPIRG’s core projects include: Study In Action (undergraduate/community/artist research conference), the Community-University Research Exchange (CURE), and an Alternative Library. QPIRG’s publications include School Schmool (activist day planner and radical guide) and Convergence (a journal of undergraduate and community research). QPIRG’s 30 working groups organize on a wide variety of issues ranging from anti-war organizing to prison justice, from art skillsharing to immigrant rights, from international solidarity to independent media. The QPIRG space is wheelchair accessible, with public computer terminals, wireless internet, as well as a lounge and meeting space. Come by our Open House — which will include snacks and drinks! — and learn more about social and environmental justice on campus and in the community. Feel free to pass by any time between 12pm-6pm.
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– (1pm) WORKSHOP: “Solidarity Not Charity”: Activism in Montréal – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204

“I don’t believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person. I have a lot to learn from other people.” – Eduardo Galeano
Are your curious or interested in social justice organizing? If so, QPIRG Concordia presents monthly sessions about activism and community involvement for students. “Activism for Students 101” includes an overview of collectives, groups, organizations, campaigns and projects that people can join or volunteer, as well as answer any questions participants might have about social justice organizing in the Montreal context. We will also discuss QPIRG’s anti-oppression, grassroots organizing framework. This workshop is facilitated by Adrienne & Noah, co-coordinators at QPIRG Concordia. All sessions begin at 1pm and take place at 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204 (beside the Guy-Concordia metro). Welcome to all, students (including Cegep students) and non-students, community members and people curious about activism. Workshops take place in both English & French. No need to register. Just show up! The workshop session will last approximately 90 minutes. Space is wheelchair accessible. Info: www.qpirgconcordia.org
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– (3pm) WORKSHOP: Community-driven social justice research – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
« Knowledge itself doesn’t make change for the better, it’s people with knowledge that do.”
QPIRG Concordia, in collaboration with the Community-University Research Exchange (CURE Concordia), presents a session where we discuss and explore the idea of community-driven social justice research. We will present a model of “social justice research” rooted in principles of accessibility, popular education as well as rigor, while at the same time critiquing prevailing ideas of what constitutes “knowledge work”. We will also share many examples of community-based social justice research projects and methods. This space is an opportunity to learn more about ongoing projects related to social justice-based research, including the Community-University Research Exchange (CURE) and Study In Action: Undergraduate and Community Research conference. This workshops are intended both for students aiming to link their learning beyond the classroom, as well as for community members who want to continue to develop their own research methods and visions as part of their organizing work. Info: www.qpirgconcordia.org / www.curemontreal.org
– (7pm) CINEMA POLITICA FILM SCREENING: The Hand That Feeds – at H-110 Auditorium, 1455 de Maisonneuve West
Cinema Politica is kicking off its fall semester with a screening of THE HAND THAT FEEDS (Rachel Lears & Robin Blotnick / United States / 2014 / 84 ‘ / Spanish – English / S.T. English) which will be followed by a discussion with organizers and members of the Immigrant Workers Centre – Montreal. This screening is part of DisOrientation 2015 and is co-presented with Solidarity Across Borders (a QPIRG Concordia working group) Concordia Food Coalition, and part of DisOrientation. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
About the film: At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012, he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back. Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one roller-coaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two-month lockout. Lawyers will battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his coworkers will never be exploited again.
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TUESDAY, September 22, 2015
– (11am-4pm) BLOCK PARTY &  TABLING FAIR – at Bethune Square, on De Maisonneuve West, between Mackay and Guy
Join QPIRG Concordia and its campus and community allies for a block party and tabling fair, which will include the participation of campus groups and diverse social justice organizationsfrom around Montreal. There will also be a food serving at 12:30pm. Free and welcome to all. Get in touch about any accessibility needs. In case of rain, we will be on the 7th floor of the Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve West, #204).
– (6pm) QUEER GAMES NIGHT – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
More info coming! Visit www.qpirgconcordia.org for details.
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WEDNESDAY, September 23, 2015
– (1pm) WORKSHOP: A Safer Concordia Consent workshop: Sexual Assault Awareness: It’s Never Your Fault – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
This workshop is designed to provide a basic understanding of sexual assault, including consent and personal boundaries. We will explore the right to define our own experiences. We will delve into why consent can be complicated, the importance of communicating comfort levels, and what resources are available within Montreal for survivors of sexual assault. Presented by members of the Center for Gender Advocacy at Concordia. Part of QPIRG Concordia’s DisOrientation.
– (3pm) WORKSHOP: Re-appropriating Indigenous Identity (with Clifton Nicholas) – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
This presentation looks critically at the uses and misuses of Indigenous imagery, from contact to today. Using a slideshow combined with an oral presentation, topics include negative stereotyping of native people, government and media propaganda against natives, the anti-Indigenous lobby, land rights, and the commodification of Indigenous identity. This workshop debunks past and present cultural appropriation of Indigenous culture and people. Presented by Clifton Nicholas, a member of the Kanehsatake Kanien’kehá:ka Community.
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THURSDAY, September 24, 2015
– (1pm) – RADICAL HISTORY TOUR of Concordia – meet at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
Come learn more about social justice struggles at Concordia University and beyond. Topics include: The 1969 Sir George Williams Computer Center Riot; The 1970 Santhanam Affair; The 1987 Day of Action Against Tuition Hikes; The 2002 Netanyahu Riot/Uprising on Campus; The 2012 Student Strike; and more. As well, learn about food politics, feminism, gender liberation, corporatization and campus space, environmental justice and sustainability and labour politics. The tour will last approximately 90 minutes.
– (3pm) — WORKSHOP: (Photoshop 101) Visualizing resistance: Feminist art and collective organizing – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
The theme for the workshop is anti-police brutality. This Photoshop 101 will cover: Creating a printable document in photoshop; Image and document prep for print vs. Web, primarily focusing on print; Use of tools in order to create a collage/piece in photoshop; How photoshop as a skill can be used for activist projects; An online and printed guide to similar resources and a re-cap of the workshop. This workshop has limited space and limited computer access, so you will need to sign-up through e-mail at this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1m8H8byU5lmWJw1-zdI9wUMOH9GA9VBjcoLRXySn0Gm8/viewform?usp=send_form Workshop Facilitators: Chachi and Stéphanie. This workshop is part of DisOrientation – Visualizing resistance: Feminist art and collective organizing, an event of group activities and discussion on art and movement building.
– (6pm) — Community-based social justice OPEN HOUSE / Launch of CONVERGENCE community research journal – at QPIRG Concordia, 1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
Join us for the Concordia University launch of the new edition of CONVERGENCE #6, a undergraduate & community research journal, highlighting contributions to social justice research and art.
This evening will also be an open house to learn about two QPIRG Concordia core projects linked to community-based social justice research: the Community-University Research Exchange  (CURE Concordia) & the Study In Action conference (including Art In Action). There’ll be food and drinks, and an opportunity to hear from contributors and organizers behind Convergence, CURE Concordia and Study In Action.
About CONVERGENCE: Convergence is a community and undergraduate reserach journal, highlighting contributions to social justice research and art. Convergence features research from the Community-University Research Exchange, the Study In Action conference, as well as Art In Action. This year marks the publication of the sixth annual volume of Convergence. Info:www.convergencejournal.ca
About CURE Concordia: The Community-University Research Exchange (CURE) at Cocnordia facilitates research collaborations between grassroots community groups and university students. There are over 75 community group projects listed in the CURE database. Info: www.curemontreal.org
About STUDY IN ACTION: Study in Action is an undergraduate conference designed to link students and community activism. The conference is a space for undergraduate students to present research, develop greater knowledge of social and environmental issues and build ties with community organizations. Info: www.qpirgconcordia.org/studyinaction
About ART IN ACTION: ART IN ACTION highlights creative student and community contributions related to social and environmental justice issues through diverse mediums including: drawing, painting, photography, performance, film & video, installation, music, spoken word, zine, collage, water colour, poster, and print.
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FRIDAY, September 25, 2015
– Anti-Gentrification Community BIKE TOUR meet @ the corner of Guy & De Maisonneuve near the statue of Norman Bethune (1pm)
An interactive tour of the neighborhoods near Concordia, including Little Burgundy, Shaughnessy Village, St-Henri, Griffintown and Point-St-Charles (and possibly Verdun!). Come learn more about popular, queer, and working class struggles in our community, as well as current campaigns against gentrification, poverty and dispossession. We’ll discuss historical struggles for social and environmental justice in Montreal, as well as contemporary campaigns related to accessible public spaces. This tour will last approximately 3 hours. This event is free. If you can, please reserve in advance at: info@qpirgconcordia.org
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