Action Groups

What is an Action Group?

Action Groups consist of volunteers who come together to organize around a particular human rights or environmental justice issue. Each Action Group receives financial and organizational support from SFPIRG. They get a budget, skills training like "facilitating meeting" and "organizing events" workshops, a mailbox and locker and access to SFPIRG's resources (computers, copier, meeting room etc)

Being part of an Action Group can give you the opportunity to explore issues that you are interested in and promote change on campus and in the community. Action Groups usually meet once a week for about an hour unless there is a project to work on. You can join an existing one or start your own!  To joint a current group, send an email to the Action Group or stop by the SFPIRG office. To start your own Action Group, download and fill out this Action Group Application Form


CURRENT ACTION GROUPS (Fall  2010)

New!Openmedia.ca
Openmedia.ca is dedicated to promoting an open and democratic communication system in Canada. Their primary goal is to increase student and public awareness and informed participation in Canadian media, cultural, information, and telecommunication policy formation. The SFU OpenMedia.ca is working on variety of initiatives such as holding campus events, educational workshops, high school and university presentations about national media issues and publishing a monthly newsletter. Check out their latest newsletter. sfuopenmedia.wordpress.comWant more info or to get involved? Email them at sfu (at) openmedia.ca.

The Dzaleka Project
The Dzaleka Project is working to raise awareness about the situation of refugees imprisoned in the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi. www.dzalekaproject.org.  They organized a Refugee Awareness Day and are looking for passionate and committed invididual to get involved! Interested?dzalekaproject(at)sfpirg.ca

Society Advocating for Marine Animals
The Society Advocating for Marine Animals (SAMA) is a new Action Group created to preserve our ocean and marine wildlife through public awareness and direct conservational action. The hydrosphere covers 70% of our planet and provides over 50% of the oxygen we breathe, but the perfect balance is close to being destroyed and it is our duty to ensure that doesn't happen. The Ocean is not your fishbowl!sama(at)sfpirg.ca

Ancient Forests Committee
Engages in public outreach in order to promote the importance be BC's old-growth forests. Specifically, we aim to end the logging of ancient forests both on Vancouver Island and in Southern BC, where this can be done without compromising jobs. By raising public awareness as well as going out to see the forests themselves, we hope to foster an appreciation for this unique ecosystem. ancientforests(at)sfpirg.ca

Climate Change Action Group
Working on education and action on issues of climate change. Check out online links for more info and what you can do about this pressing issue.climatechange (at)sfpirg.ca

Letters For the Inside
Letters for the Inside is a project of SFPIRG which aims to increase inmates' access to the information they require for a better quality of life on the inside. Volunteers respond to letters from prisoners requesting specific information. Usual requests vary from song lyrics to education opportunities. SFU students have amazing access to information through the internet and library services - put them to use by becoming a research assistant to someone on the inside. More info.  letters(at)sfpirg.ca

Voice For Animals
Dedicated to educating students about the inhumane treatment of farm animals and promoting a reduction in the consumption of meat and animal products. We hope to encourage people to think about what they eat and the harm to animals their choices can make. For more info or to get involved, email voiceforanimals(at)sfpirg.ca

Previous action groups have included:

No Bottled Water Action Group
Working to make SFU bottled water free and working against the privatization of water.nobottledwater(at)sfpirg.ca

Food Not Bombs: Provides free vegetarian meals in the Downtown EastSide. Every Saturday! Meet at noon, serve food at 4pm. For more info or to get involved, email foodnotbombs(at)sfpirg.caFair Vote SFU: Raising awareness of BC electoral reform and advocating for single transferable voting system (STV) in the upcoming provincial election (May 12). fairvote(at)sfu.ca

SFU Student River Alliance: Students advocating against the privatization and sell off of BC rivers and hydro. email:rivers(at)sfpirg.ca. More info on the issue: www.ourrivers.ca

Shadows of 2010: Raising awareness of the many effects of the coming Olympic Games as well as connecting to similar organizing on campus and in the community. 2010shadows(at)sfpirg.ca

Rhythm Collective
We are a percussion-based collective, accessible to any student in SFU -- regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age or religious affiliation.  We use rhythm as an avenue to self-exploration and to tackle issues surrounding social justice and the environment.  It is also a great way to get to know your fellow students at SFU and interact in a fun and recreational way. rhythm(at)sfpirg.ca

Antithesis Magazine Collective
This long-standing action group puts together SFPIRG's Antithesis magazine that comes out twice a year. Members do a call out for submissions, act as an editorial collective, organize the layout of the magazine, and distribute it! The collective operates throughout the semester to share skills on desktop publishing  layout and design. antithesis (at) sfpirg.ca

RadioPIRG
RadioPIRG hosts a spoken word radio show that airs the 2nd Wed of each month from 4pm - 5pm on CJSF 90.1 FM - SFU's campus and community radio station. We broadcast current local and international social justice and environmental issues, we'll keep you updated with what's up at SFPIRG and around town. A great way to get involved with radio. No experience necessary, we provide all training.radio(at)sfpirg.ca

The Good Tree Action Group
Organizes the funding and tracks the progress of education for underprivileged female children in Ghana. 
thegoodtree(at)sfpirg.ca

Technology Action Group
Recycling computers and more!  tech(at)sfpirg.ca  

Other Previous Groups:
Anti-war Group
Anti-Capitalist Propaganda Machine
Chat SFU
Environmental Action Group
Organic Garden Group
Latin American Issues Discussion Group
People of Colour Collective
Queer Ally Project 
Radical Cheerleaders
Respect Refugees
Scarlet Tide Brigade
StopWar
Students Against Sweatshops
Students For a Free Tibet
 Student Transit Action Group
Women of Colour
SFPIRG's office and our events are wheelchair accessible. Childcare and other subsidies are available for events.
For more information, call 778-782-4360 or email sfpirg (at) sfu (dot) ca.