ATTENTION: We would welcome your input and help in putting on the Fall 2010 version of Organizing For Justice (see below for more info). Here are two things you can do:

** Please fill in our survey for input on the event:
English link: http://bit.ly/bYkrgM … en Francais: http://bit.ly/dnjKug

** Please attend our planning meeting:
Thurs September 2nd, 7:00pm
Jack Purcell Community Centre, 320 Jack Purcell Lane, near the corner of Elgin and Gilmour

Organizing for Justice is a grassroots collective and collaborative community based effort in the Outaouais aimed at creating an activist community of groups, organizers, activists and revolutionaries.

Our main goal is to unite and create a free space for all to share knowledge, skills, experience, to educate and to learn in the realms of social, economic and environmental justice and healthy, sustainable community building.

Organizing for justice hopes to act as a flashpoint to gather groups and individuals alike to discuss vision and strategy as well as skills and tools for effective organizing. Most importantly, the focus is on relationship building between groups and individuals, networking and ultimately unifying those working towards common goals.

Being a collaborative and justice oriented initiative focused on growing and building solidarity within the activist community; we wish to invite all groups and individuals to help shape, define and participate in this year’s Organizing for Justice conference. Make your voices heard!

We wish to get as much input as possible to make this process a success.

The critical function of Organizing for Justice is to provide a platform with which to educate and organize for what our communities demand. Please fill out this survey and let us know what you would like to see/do/learn, and if you’d like to help out. Your survey answers shape what happens at the conference. >> Link: http://bit.ly/bYkrgM

You can also participate hands-on in the planning. We are holding an open planning meeting coming up on the evening of Thursday Sept 2nd – and you are invited!
>> Thurs Sept 2, 7:00pm at Jack Purcell Community Centre, near corner of Elgin and Gilmour

Remember, this is by and for the community. So get involved!

Solidarity,
on behalf of Organizing For Justice
org4justice@gmail.com / 613-656-5498
http://www.organizingforjustice.ca

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ATTENTION : Nous souhaitons tenir une conférence d’Organisons-nous pour la Justice cet automne et accueillons votre aide et vos suggestions (voir ci-dessous pour plus d’information). Voici deux façons dont vous pouvez nous aider :

** Svp complétez notre sondage pour partager vos suggestions pour l’événement:
en Francais: http://bit.ly/dnjKug … English link: http://bit.ly/bYkrgM

** Joignez-nous à notre réunion de planification qui se tiendra :
Jeudi le  2 septembre à 19heures
au centre communitaire Jack Purcell, 320 Jack Purcell Lane, pres au coin d’Elgin et Gilmour

Organisons-nous pour la Justice est un effort collectif et collaboratif du peuple qui a comme but la création d’une communauté activiste dans la région de l’Outaouais, composé de  divers groupes, organisateurs, activistes et révolutionnaires.

Notre objectif principal est d’unir les gens, ainsi que de créer un espace libre dans lequel nous pouvons partager nos connaissances, nos expériences et nos habiletés. Nous aimerions que cet espace soit utilisé pour que nous tous puissions instruire et apprendre au sujet de la justice sociale, économique et environnementale, ainsi que pour la création d’une communauté saine et soutenable.

Organisons -nous pour la Justice espère rassembler des groupes et des individus pour que nous puissions discuter la vision, la stratégie, ainsi que les divers outils qui nous sommes disponibles et les façons dont nous pouvons améliorer notre efficacité comme mouvement. Nous espérons faciliter l’établissement des relations entre ces groupes et ces individus afin d’unifier ceux qui travaillent vers des objectifs communs.

Étant que nous sommes une initiative orientée vers la justice et la collaboration qui a comme but de promouvoir la solidarité en dedans et en dehors de la communauté activiste, nous souhaitons inviter chaque groupes et individus à nous aider à former, définir et participer à la prochaine conférence d’Organisons-nous pour la Justice. Faites vos voix entendues !

Nous souhaitons obtenir autant de suggestions possibles pour que nous puissions transformer ce processus en réussite!

La fonction principale d’Organisons-nous pour la Justice est de fournir une plate-forme avec laquelle nous pouvons instruire et organiser selon ce que nos communautés exigent. Veuillez compléter ce sondage et faites-nous savoir a quoi vous voudriez participer, ce que vous aimeriez apprendre et si vous voudriez nous aider. Vos réponses contribueront énormément à ce qui ce passera à la conférence.  >> http://bit.ly/dnjKug

Vous pouvez également participer à la planification de la conférence.
Nous tenons une réunion ouverte jeudi le 2 septembre – et vous êtes invité !
>> Jeudi le  2 septembre à 19heures, au centre communitaire Jack Purcell, 320 Jack Purcell Lane, pres au coin d’Elgin et Gilmour

N’oubliez pas, ceci est par et pour la communauté, alors impliqués-vous!

Solidarité,
Au nom d’Organisons-nous pour la Justice
http://OrganizingForJustice.ca
org4justice@gmail.com – 613-656-5498

at Jack Purcell Community Centre

12:30pm – Opening

1:00pm
- Sex Activism (discussion)
- Silk-screening (workshop) note: best to bring your own shirt to screen onto

2:00pm
- Transforming or Ignoring Municipal Politics? (discussion)
- G8/G20 Huntsville/Toronto meetings and community mobilization of resistance: What are we fighting for, and what are we up against? (workshop)

3:00pm – Just Voices choir

3:30pm
- Building a Local Activist Community (discussion)

~~~~

… link back to MayDay Weekend main page

• May Day Streetfest (noon-9pm, Human Rights Monument on Elgin)
• Jane’s Walk (various walks/locations/times, both Sat and Sun)

The following are events we support and encourage Organizing For Justice partipants to check out on Saturday night…

PROMdemonium

It’s the radical, community-oriented, gender-bending, bike-loving, enviro-humping, queer-diggin, slow dancing, big dress wearing prom that you never had. It is a FUNdraiser for local creative resistance initiatives – including Organizing For Justice.

Featuring:

• The Sexual Overtones www.sexualovertones.ca
• DJ Hobo and DJ Sweet Cheeks, DJ Daisy, DJ Chris International and Mr. Caffrey
• The Infamous Kissing Wheel
• Cash Bar 19+
• and more !

8:30pm-1:00am (last call)

at Saint Brigids Centre for Arts and Humanities, 310 St. Patrick
Sorry, the venue isn’t fully accessible.

Tickets: Lower-income accessible tickets: $5. Rest of tickets: sliding scale $10-$20 (or more — it’s a FUNdraiser). Or want to get in free? Volunteer!
* note it will likely sell out, so make sure to get your tickets early!
Tickets available at Venus Envy (320 Lisgar St) and Octopus Books (116 Third Ave)

www.promdemonium.ca

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ALSO:
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May Day Celebration & Benefit for Vale-Inco Strikers [USW 6500]

7:30pm at the Royal Oak (Upstairs) 221 Echo Dr. (@ Pretoria Bridge on the canal)

Featuring speakers: Leon Portelance [Vale-Inco striker/ USW 6500], Rosemary Warskett
… and singers: May Day Singers, Poetic Speed

Sponsored by the Socialist Project

~~~
AND:
~~~

Capital Slam Semi-FInals

The twelve top poets from the Capital Slam season have been invited to throw down their best spoken word magic to try to advance to the finals!

$10, all ages

Doors open at 6:30pm – expected to sell-out so get there early!
at Alumni Auditorium, Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa

www.capitalslam.com

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AND ALSO:
~~~~~~~

Contra Dancing

Contra is a fun form of community dance where you begin and finish one dance (about 10min) with the same partner, progressing up and down the hall in long lines while you dance with different sets of other couples, repeating a sequence of moves guided by the caller. Essentially it’s lots of fun AND excellent exercise.

Dance 8:00pm-11:00pm with free beginner lesson at 7:30pm where basic moves are taught.

at Churchill Rec Centre in Westboro, 345 Richmond Road – side door

$12 general ; $10 members & students (with ID); free for youth 16 and under.
First-time contra dancers receive a card to attend their second dance free*

Note: this is a regular event, the first and third Saturday of every month Sept-June.

www.ottawacontra.ca

~~~~

BACK to Organizing For Justice MayDay Weekend

at Jack Purcell Community Centre

12:30pm – Opening

1:00pm
- Labour and Work-place Organizing (discussion)
- Community- and Guerrilla-Gardening (workshop)

2:30pm – Singing4Justice with Maura Volante

3:00pm
- Collective Environmental Action (discussion)
- Indigenous Solidarity (workshop)

4:00pm
- Tenants’ Rights and Housing Alternatives (discussion)
- Spoken Word Poetry (workshop)

5:00pm – Spoken Word Performance

5:20pm – Community Dinner

… link to evening activities

~~~~

… link back to MayDay Weekend main page

MAYDAY WEEKEND 2010
>> May 1st and 2nd

In Canada and the U.S., ‘Labour Day’ is celebrated in September as part of a cover-up of the real history of the labour movement.

This year, we are celebrating the real labour day by holding a two-day gathering with opportunities to discuss labour activism and a whole lot more.

Saturday May 1, 12:30-6:00pm
Sunday May 2, 12:30-5:00pm

at Jack Purcell Community Centre
(near corner of Elgin and Gilmour)

Free / by donation. No registration required.

Themed around social justice, economic justice, environmental justice and healthy communities.

There will be discussions, workshops/skill-shares, cultural activities, information tables featuring local groups and organizations, snacks and refreshments, and a Saturday community dinner.

www.OrganizingForJustice.ca ~~ 613-656-5498 ~~ org4justice@gmail.com

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SCHEDULE | TABLING | ACCESSIBILITY | VOLUNTEERS | PROMOTION | GET CONNECTED

****

SCHEDULE

Saturday May 1:
12:30pm – Opening
1:00pm
- Labour and Work-place Organizing (discussion)
- Community- and Guerrilla-Gardening (workshop)
2:30pm – Cultural Activity
3:00pm
- Collective Environmental Action (discussion)
- Indigenous Solidarity (workshop)
4:00pm
- Tentants’ Rights and Housing Alternatives (discussion)
- Spoken Word Poetry (workshop)
5:00pm – Spoken Word Performance
5:20pm – Community Dinner

Sunday May 2:
12:30pm – Opening
1:00pm
- Sex Activism (discussion)
- *TBC: Silk-screening (workshop)
2:00pm
- Transforming or Ignoring Municipal Politics? (discussion)
- *TBC: Organizing Protests & Legal Issues: Focus on G8/G20 (workshop)
3:00pm – Cultural Activity
3:30pm
- Building a Local Activist Community (discussion)

Note: *TBC on the Sunday means “To Be Confirmed”

****

TABLING

If your group or organization would like to table at the event (on Sat and/or Sun), please contact us ASAP. We have 15 tables each day and it is first come, first served: org4justice@gmail.com, 613-656-5498

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ACCESSIBILITY

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

We are working on providing childcare and ASL translation; please contact us if you would require either of these: org4justice@gmail.com, 613-656-5498 … if anyone can help us arrange sign language translation, please contact us!

There is limited reserved parking for patrons of the community centre. You will need to ask at the front desk for a parking pass for these spots.

****

PROMOTION / POSTERING

Please help us spread the word:

- Send out this callout to your friends or any listservs you are on

- Join and invite your friends to our Facebook page and event:
Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Organizing-For-Justice/112481105432506
Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104454686258267

- Print out these 1/4-pg flyers and pass them around:
http://organizingforjustice.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/org4justice-2010-flyer.pdf
(Note: colour version also prints well in B&W)

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VOLUNTEERS

We would really love people’s assistance in putting this event on. Contact us if you can help: org4justice@gmail.com, 613-656-5498

In advance:
- Promotions and postering (see above)
- Join the planning committee (for this event and for the future)
- Helping us find ways to offer sign language interpretation

The day(s) of:
- Facilitating discussions
- Note-taking
- Set-up / Set-down
- Childcare

****

GET CONNECTED

We are bringing socialism to social media!

http://twitter.com/org4jus

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Organizing-For-Justice/112481105432506

Organizing For Justice is not only the gatherings we organize (this is our third edition!), but also about promoting various other local initiatives and events that are aligned with our values of social justice, economic justice, economic justice, and healthy communities. Join us on Twitter or Facebook to receive updates about various things going on in the local community.

http://www.OrganizingForJustice.ca

We’re currently working on next steps for this initiative – feel free to sign up to our email announcement listserv, at https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/org4j-announce or just email us and we’ll add you.

We had a debrief meeting after the conference, here are the minutes (note: we are planning a next meeting for mid-to-late-January, to work on what comes next):

FEEDBACK ON 2009 CONFERENCE

- comment on process of selecting speakers/facilitators: maybe need more of a ‘vetting’ process?
- also need to focus discussions/speakers more, integrating with purpose/goals of conference and what we’re trying to accomplish
- could survey people coming more: looking at where they’re coming from, what involved in, what looking to get out of it
- housing and anti-poverty panel: good, b/c had people who are organizing on the ground, look at facilitating conversations about how they can work together
- also need for looking at bigger picture: at systems, processes that are creating problems, looking at root causes
- problem of using non-disposable dishes (lots of work for some people, not necessarily same people who really wanted no garbage): look into compostable plates etc plus garbage bags
- negative of dividing languages: do we really need to segregate? are we acknowledging that some people are bilingual? maybe can bi-locate conference to cover both ottawa and gatineau and make both bilingual events? but still people can travel across the bridge anyways
- experiences from other similar events: opening ceremony acknowleding indigenous land, having drumming; integrating performers into intermissions instead of seperate event; closing ceremony circle dance gets everyone involved in closing

NOTES FOR FUTURE

- blend of experience, perspectives, involvement
- dialogue between academicia and activism?
- paying attention to what is being talked about, and who is doing talking
- facilitating involvement, providing tools
- political mapping (something like a directoy of activist groups/organizations for people to use, either find one or make one)
- help to get people/groups being able to work together:
.. activist/political groups
.. people interested but not involved
.. academics doing analysis
- measure success by:
.. participants learned something?
.. having some practical/useful/tangible result?
.. continuing space to stay in contact (individ. participants stay in contact)
- aspects:
.. relations
.. information
.. involvement
- dialogue: what comes out of conference?
.. session notes? unresolved questions? promoting community (events etc)?
- issue based vs organizing based (what’s being done / how / what needs doing / what could be done)

• Thurs evening Panel discussion (English)
• Fri evening Music, Theatre and Spoken Word performances and Social event (English)
• Sat all-day Book-/Info-fair and multiple sessions of Workshops, followed by a Community Dinner
• Sat evening Table Ronde (panel discussion, in French)
• Sun all-day Ateliers (multiple workshops, in French) along with some info-tabling

Note: we are inviting local groups and/or vendors to table as part of the Book/Info-fair on Sat Oct 17. Please fill out and return the tabling registration form!

If you’d like to help, please email org4justice@gmail.com or visit our ‘Get Involved‘ page. We look forward to seeing you in October! (or earlier if you want to help organize PS feel free to sign up on our Facebook group if you FB. Note: il n’y a pas de versions Francais de toutes les pages pour la moment, mais nous travaillons sur correcter cette probleme.

What you can do:

* print off and pass out flyers – we have 1/4 page flyers, two different versions, each in two lanuages … print off a page (or print them doublesided, english on one side and french on the other), in black and white or colour, cut them in four, and pass them out to people and/or leave a few at your friendly neighbourhood business or other suitable location:

• 1/4 page ‘fish logo’ version (maybe the better one to print if in black&white)
• 1/4 page ‘fists logo’ version

* print off a poster(s) and stick it up somewhere

• 8.5″x11″ english edition
• 8.5″x11″ edition francais
• 11″x17″ bilingual colour edition

* send out an email announcement

• download this .rtf file, put in an email, and send to your contacts / listservs

* RSVP to our Facebook events so you can invite your friends

• Thurs Oct 15, 6:30pm – Keynote Panel (in English)
• Fri Oct 16, 7:00pm – Artistic Performances & Social (in English)
• Sat Oct 17, 10am-8pm – Book/Info-fair, Workshops, and Community Dinner (in English)
• Sam le 17 Oct, 19h00 – Table Ronde (en Francais) [FB page coming soon]
• Dim le 18 Oct, 10h30-16h30 – Ateliers/Présentations (en Francais)

Thanks for your help!

—–
SAMEDI 17 octobre, 19h, au Dépanneur Sylvestre, 9 rue Fortier, Gatineau (Directions)

Table Ronde sur le thème: Réponses communautaires aux crises économiques et environnementales.

Présentations par:
Celeste Côté (Club Sierra du Canada)
Christian Lageais (Parti Marxiste-Léniniste du Canada)
Bill Clennett (Québec Solidaire)

———
DIMANCHE 18 octobre, au Pavillon Lucien-Brault, UQO, 101 rue St-Jean Bosco, Gatineau (secteur Hull) (Directions)

*10h30 — C’EST QUOI AUJOURD’HUI LA SOLIDARITÉ (Atelier de réflexion), par le CEDISOL

*12h00 — Diner (fourni)

*13h00 — HONDURAS: RÉSISTANCE POPULAIRE FACE AU COUP D’ÉTAT MILITAIRE, par François Guindon (Rights Action)

\\QUOI?// Depuis le 28 juin dernier, le Honduras est devenu le théâtre d’un coup d’État militaire ; répression et violations des droits humains se vivent au quotidien. L’oligarchie, la Cour suprême, le congrès, les puissantes transnationales et les militaires honduriens continuent de faire la sourde oreille à la résistance populaire et à la condamnation diplomatique internationale unanime.

\\QUI?// François Guindon vit au Guatemala depuis 2007. Il collabore avec Rights Action (www.rightsaction.org) depuis 2008 et accompagne les communautés et organisations qui, malgré la persécution et la criminalisation de leur lutte, résistent aux exploitations minières dévastatrices de Goldcorp au Guatemala et au Honduras.

*15h00 — UN AUTRE MONDE EST POSSIBLE: LES FORUMS SOCIAUX MONDIAUX

\\Quoi?// Des étudiants de l’université d’Ottawa ont présenté au dernier forum social mondial de Belém au Brésil un atelier sur l’éthique des compagnies minières canadiennes au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde. Comment les forums sociaux mondiaux sont une proposition d’alternatives et un laboratoire de changements sociaux.

Si vous avez des questions contactez-nous au organisons.justice@gmail.com

Location: 440 Albert St (the old Ottawa Technical High School, between Albert & Slater just east of Bronson)

Featuring:

• Book-fair/info-fair, 10am-6pm – with vendors and local community groups and organizations
• Workshops / sessions – four time-slots of jam-packed ‘edutainment’ (see schedule below)
• Community dinner and social – beginning at 6:00pm

Workshops/Sessions schedule:

10:30am-12:00pm – click for details of sessions

• Movement- and Coalition-Building
• Diversity, Equity and Anti-Oppression
• Measuring Sustainability – Is there room in the middle?

12:30pm-2:00pm - click for details of sessions

• Queer Struggles and the Economic Crisis
• Healthy Activism / Preventing Burnout
• Housing and Anti-Poverty Organizing
• Resistance to the Coup in Honduras

2:30pm-4:00pm – click for details of sessions

• Labour Solidarity and Resistance
• Indigenous Peoples and the Law
• Building an Anarchist Organization
• Successful Online Campaigns and Internet Communication

4:30pm-6:00pm - click for details of sessions

• Cooperatives: A Different Way of Doing Business
• Know Your Rights (when dealing with the cops)
• Environmental Organizing