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Monday,
September 15, 2008
10.00
– 10.30 Meet and Greet
Meet
us at the GSA Conference Room (Rm.430, Student
Centre) where we will give a run down of the day’s events and serving
refreshments. We will be distributing information and if you have any
questions, this will be a good time for you to meet the organizers
behind
DisOrientation week and student/community groups that may spark your
interest.
10:30
– 12:30 Anti-Oppression
Training 101: Learning How to Live A Responsible and
Accountable Life
Location:
Rm 307, Student Centre
Facilitator:
May Lui
This
anti-oppression training will be an interactive,
accessible, challenging and foundational workshop that will allow
participants
to engage with political, social, personal and intellectual themes that
address
but are not limited to privilege, oppression, intersectionality, race,
class, gender,
ability, and sexuality.
About
the Facilitator: May Lui
worked at TWB for nine
years and has been a book lover all of her life. She is a freelance
consultant
doing feminist anti-racist anti-oppression education and training, as
well as
strategic planning and other work with non-profits. May is mixed-race,
a writer
and blogger and her favourite authors include Dionne Brand, Wayson
Choy, and
Ruth Ozeki. In her spare time May enjoys Sudoku puzzles, baking and
anti-racist
theory.
This workshop is FREE and open to all York University students and community members. It is open to a maximum of 20 participants and registration is required. Email ywc@riseup.net with any inquiries and/or to reserve a spot.
12:30
– 1:30 Lunch Break
(Food Provided at
GSA Conference Room 430 – Student Centre)
1:30
– 2:45 Student
Code of Conduct Town
Hall
Location:
Vari Hall
This
townhall rally presents an opportunity for York
students to find out about the York Student Code of Conduct that
governs
student behavior on and off campus and an opportunity to share
concerns. There
will be a brief presentation that will examine how the code has been
used to
suppress political dissent on York campus and other Universities along
with a
look at the problems with the York code. Subsequently we will have an
open
discussion on how to reclaim our campus from the administration’s code
of
conduct.
Organized
by Stop the Code
Coalition
3:00
– 4:30 Radical
Walking Tour
Location:
Meet Outside Vari Hall
Tour
Guides: Kelly Fritsch
and Aaron Gordon
This
political history tour attempts to get you on your
way to uncovering and developing a historical knowledge of York.
York
has,
is and always will be a contestable space, and is a space that will
always need
to be fought over. As members of York'’s community we are responsible
for the
actions of the University and holding the University accountable for
its
actions. Building resistance to inequalities and inequities produced by
and
through the university cannot spring from no where. The history of
successful
resistance at York goes back before the first buildings were built or
the York
University Act was introduced in 1959. Contemporary campaigns, actions,
coalitions, and solidarities can be built on this tradition– or
historical
memory – of resistance and political organization.
As we walk around the campus on September 15, the tour guides will
provide you
with a brief history of political actions on campus to help you better
understand the politics of education at York University and better
strengthen
historical memory. The tour will take about one-and-a-half hours. The
tour is
accessible.
4:45
– 6:15 Myth
and illusion: debunking
Canada and York's image of peace
and equality (A Panel on Canada and Imperialism)
Location:
HNES Rm. 036 ((Health Nursing and
Environmental
Studies Bld)
Panelists: Andrew Mindszenthy, Housing Not War Outreach Coordinator with the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
More Speakers to be announced
The
fallacy of Canada as 'peacekeeper' is one that
continues to endure despite a long historical record that only proves
the
contrary. From Canada's silent intervention in Haiti, its participation
in the
invasion of Afghanistan, to its complicity in the so-called “War on
Terror”,
Canada has continuously demonstrated that its involvement in military
ventures
abroad is more a means of control and domination than of peace and
justice.
This panel will also display why York University is not exempt from
these
allegations. Like many corporations that profit from war, York's
investments
and its donors directly benefit from the perpetuation of the war
industry. Join
the discussion that will expose Canada as well as York University's
ties to
imperialist powers throughout the world.
6:30
– 8:00 Occupation
101 (Film
Screening: 90 Minutes)
Location:
Nat Taylor Cinema (Ross Building, N102)
A
thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and
historical
root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film
ever
produced on the conflict -- 'Occupation 101' presents a comprehensive
analysis
of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy
and
dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.
The
film also
details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States
in the
conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting
and viable
peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand
on-the-ground
experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists,
journalists,
religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often
been
suppressed in American media outlets.
The
film
covers a wide range of topics -- which include -- the first wave of
Jewish
immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war,
the
1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process,
Settlement
expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second
Intifada of
2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as
well as
many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.
Tuesday,
September 16, 2008
10.00
– 10.30 Meet and Greet
Meet
us at the GSA Conference Room (Rm.430, Student
Centre) where we will give a run down of the days events and serving
refreshments. We will be distributing information and if you have any
questions, this will be a good time for you to meet the organizers
behind
DisOrientation week and groups that may spark your interest.
10:30
– 12:00 Introducing and
Interrogating
Activism: What Is It and Who Counts? (Forum)
Location:
GSA Conference Room (Rm. 430, Student Centre)
Speakers:
Ahmed
Habib, former
VP equity of the York Federation of Students (YFS)
Noman
Ali. graduate
student at York University and member of Fight Fees 14 (UofT)
Simon
Dougherty, Film
graduate of York University and documented the protest against the
School of
the Americas with the Student Christian Movement of Canada.
The
history of student-based activism is a long and
eventful one. From the war in Vietnam in the 1960's to the war in Iraq
today,
history has shown us through countless examples that mobilization
against
social injustice – whether at home or abroad – students have often been
on the
front of campaigning. On the other hand, there is an equally long
tradition of
the suppression of student activism and policing of dissent on campus.
York
University is no exception; in fact, the notoriously hostile response
from this
administration to peaceful protest and organizing on campus has only
grown in
recent years. This forum will aim to provide a space for individuals
and
campus-based groups who are the victims of such administrative and
police
repression to speak out and for us as students of conscious to exchange
experiences, ideas, and tactics as to how to finally overcome it.
12:00
– 1:00 Lunch Break
(Food Provided at
GSA Conference Room 430 – Student Centre)
1:00
– 3:00 Queercrips:
We Do Exist, We
Do have Sex, and We Can Be Really Hot
Location:
GSA Conference Room (Rm. 430, Student Centre)
Facilitator: Loree Erickson, Graduate Student - York University
This presentation will be an opportunity for folxs with disabilities and our allies to explore together the seldom talked about topic of disability and sexuality from a queercrip perspective. While this facilitated
discussion will focus on the experiences of queer people with disabilities, the insights and interrogations that will be produced will be useful to many different experiences of bodies and people who are marginalized.
We will begin by looking at the heteronormative and ableist myths and constructions of sex/uality and sexiness that contribute to the desexualization or overt sexualizing of people with disabilities. We will also
address barriers to inclusion of queercrips in queer communities. And finally, we will use visual images and video to discuss sexual self-representation as a pathway to resistance.
3:15
– 4:45 Energy,
Environment, and YU
(Panel)
Location:
ACE Rm. 004 (Accolade Building East)
Speakers:
To Be Announced
The
panel will discuss the importance and future of
renewable energy, and its implications on the environment. It will also
talk
about action, particularly individual action, as the Environmental
Outreach
Team will launch their Environmental Leadership Program.
5:00
– 7:00 Beautiful We: A Social Forum for
Women of the African Continent and Diaspora
to Safely Discuss Issues Relevant
to their Community within a Safe Space.
Location:
Centre for Women and Trans
People (Rm 322, Student Centre)
Beautiful
We: Share. Commune. Inspire. Renew.
This first session of the 2008-2009 academic year will feature an
introduction
to the principles, dynamics and facilitators of Beautiful We, as well
as a meet
and greet for returning and new Beautiful We participants.
Facilitated by York University Black Students'
Alliance & the Centre for Women and Trans
People at York U.
Call (416)736-2100 ext 33484 or ywc@riseup.net
for inquiries or more
information.
7:00
– 8:30 The
Aggressives (Film
Screening: 75 Minutes)
Location:
Nat Taylor Cinema (Ross Building, N102)
This
striking and illuminating documentary explores and
exposes the secret subculture of New York lesbians living as
"aggressives." Often mistaken for men these women range from pretty
tomboys to the blatantly butch boldly creating their own identities
outside of
society's established sexual categories. Stripped of pretense they lead
us to
fashion shoots and prison cells to reveal their work lives love lives
and
social lives including the underground "ball" scene where lesbians
compete for lead "AG" status. The resulting documentary is the
culmination of five years spent uncovering the "no apologies"
lifestyle of six self-defined aggressives as they define their dreams
share
their most intimate secrets and reveal their deepest fears. The female
counterpart to Paris is Burning this heartfelt all-access film exposes
the AG
community in all its unabashed rough-edged glory and explores its
impact on
gender identity in the modern world.
Wednesday,
September 17, 2008
10.00
– 10.30 Meet and Greet
Meet
us at the GSA Conference Room (Rm.430, Student
Centre) where we will give a run down of the days events and serving
refreshments.
We will be distributing information and if you have any questions, this
will be
a good time for you to meet the organizers behind DisOrientation week
and
groups that may spark your interest.
10:30
– 12:00 Our Bodies, Ourselves:
Conversations About Sex, Pleasure, Health and Socioeconomics
Location:
HNE Rm. 001 (Health Nursing and Environmental Studies Bld)
Panelists: Soma
Chatterjee, Women’s Health in Women’s
Hands
Cindy Weeds, Planned
Parenthood
Toronto
Jonah Scheim & Guest, The
Stop
Community Food Centre
Regardless
of the ways in which we identify or don’t
identify all of us deal with the fragile and antagonistic realities of
our
bodies. Whether it is body weight, gender identity, sexuality, safe
sex,
respectful health care, sufficient and healthy meals, being active,
etc, we all
negotiate the intersections and imperfections of our health care
system. This
panel will discuss different aspects that influence the overall health
of an
individual and/or community and provide stories that exemplify issues
of sex,
pleasure, health and socioeconomics.
12:00
– 1:00 Lunch Break
(Food Provided at
GSA Conference Room 430 – Student Centre)
1:00
– 5:00 Grad
Activist Workshop
Location:
GSA Conference Room (Rm. 430, Student Centre)
The
workshop is aimed at creating a base of activists
among graduate students at York University through the presentation of
some of
the campaigns the GSA is currently involved in. Among other issues, the
workshop will focus on the need to fight against the corporatization of
our
campus and, more in general, public education in Canada; the need for a
continuous anti-oppression work among members; and the battle of
graduate
students at York and all around the country to reinstate post-residency
fees.
4:00
– 5:30 Colonize
this! A beginner’s guide
to shedding the grimy
layers of colonial structures from our lives (A Panel on Settler and
Colonialism)
Location:
HNES Rm. 001 (Health Nursing and
Environmental
Studies Bld)
Panelists:
Koli Kilibarda, Phd student at York University
in Political Science and member of the Coalition Against Israeli
Apartheid
(CAIA)
Mohammad
Ali Aumeer, organizer with Students in
Solidarity with Haiti
Maito
Sayo, organizer with No One Is Illegal -
York
In
an age of global apartheid and displacement, support
for imperial wars and occupations in the Global South and on indigenous
communities in the North have had huge repercussions on people
worldwide. In
particular, Palestine, Haiti, Iraq, Burma and indigenous communities on
Turtle
Island bear the brunt of the attacks in recent times. No One Is Illegal
- York
and Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA York) present a panel
discussion
on the nature of settler colonial societies to better understand the
implications of colonial structures and their impact on peoples lives.
Recognizing the colonial constructs which dispossess and create
millions of
refugees, damage the livelihoods of aboriginal people globally and
maintain
gross wealth disparities is an integral part of delegitimizing
hegemonic discourses
of power.
6:00
– 8:30 Kanehsatake:
270 Years of
Resistance (Film Screening: 119 Minutes)
Location:
Nat Taylor Cinema (Ross Building, N102)
A
feature-length, multi-award winning documentary by
Native American filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin set in the thick of the
armed
confrontation between Native American Mohawks and Canadian government
forces
during the 1990 standoff in the Mohawk village of Kanehsatake near the
village
of Oka in Quebec. The two-and-a-half month ordeal received brief
national attention
when the Mohawk warriors of Kahnawake, in support of their brothers
from nearby
Kanehsatake, temporarily held the busy Mercier Bridge leading to
Montreal, in
an effort to bring world attention to the situation.
Thursday,
September 18, 2008
10.00
– 10.30 Meet and Greet
Meet
us at the GSA Conference Room (Rm.430, Student
Centre) where we will give a run down of the days events and serving
refreshments. We will be distributing information and if you have any
questions, this will be a good time for you to meet the organizers
behind
DisOrientation week and groups that may spark your interest.
10:30
– 12:30 Boxing 101: Come and
Learn to
Skip, Punch, Stop a Punch and Stand Your Ground
Location:
Rm. 307, Student Centre
Recreational boxing: Learn the basics in 2 hours With Savoy Howe, Head Coach of Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club.
This workshop is FREE and open to women and trans people. Registration is required. Email ywc@riseup.net with any inquiries and/or to reserve a spot.
MISSION: The mission of the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club is to provide a safe and positive space for women to explore the sport of boxing. The women’s program is tailored to members. Individuals come into the
program with their own goals, it may be to get into better shape with no desire to get into the ring or it may be to become the next Laila Ali. We work with members to help them achieve their goals. For all members,
the program offers a cardiovascular workout with technique in all areas of boxing- grounding, offense, defense, footwork and strategy. Check out: www.torontonewsgirls.com
12:30
– 1:30 Lunch Break
(Food Provided
Outside at Location of DisO Olympics)
12:00
– 3:00 Dis/Orientation
Olympics
Location:
To Be Announced
The
DisOrientation Olympics will display the creative and
fun element of activism. We invite students to participate in events
such as
the wheelchair race, the fair trade soccer competition, the war
criminals dunk
tank, the popsicle-eating contest and more! It will bring forth issues
of
social injustice that affect us at York University and on a global
scale, while
also introducing students to organizations that will provide them the
opportunity to combat the injustices. Join us in the Olympic spirit of
mutual
understanding through friendship, solidarity, and fair play.
2:00
– 4:00 Off
the Grid Performance
Location:
To Be Announced
3:15
– 4:45 What’s
In A Name?
LGBTTI2SAQQ…XYZ Activism, Identity and (In)Visibility
Location:
HNES Rm. 104 (Health Nursing and
Environmental Studies Bld)
This
event will be an opportunity for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, intersexed, two-spirited,
asexual, queer
and questioning folks on York University campus to connect and discuss
issues
relevant to themselves and the on-campus and off-campus communities.
Not only
will individuals have an opportunity to socialize with returning and
new
LGBTTI2SAQQ folks, but also gain information about events, programs and
volunteer opportunities on and off campus.
Furthermore,
if you’re looking for a space to practice
and perform your art in a queer and transgendered positive atmosphere
then this
is it!!!! Impromptu performances of spoken word, poetry reading, music,
and
story-telling are encouraged.
Facilitated
by The Centre
for Women and Trans People at York University and OPIRG York
5:00
– 7:00 DIY
Outreach Workshop:
Flyers, Posters Etc
Location:
To Be Announced
A
drop-in workshop focusing on the DIY (do-it-yourself)
skills useful to organizations and individuals in promoting events,
disseminating information and performing outreach. Skills will include
poster
and leaflet design with or without digital graphic design,
cut-and-paste
artwork, photocopying and layout techniques, etc. Attendees will be
able to
produce their own graphics and/or materials and work with all
techniques
described.
Screenprinting
and Stenciling Workshop
A
drop-in workshop offering an overview of the
screenprinting process, which can be used to print a variety of
materials
ranging from fabric to posters and banners. Basics of the technical
process
will be addressed in detail, ways to reduce costs and do it yourself on
a
budget, as well as print technique. Attendees will have the opportunity
to make
their own prints using silkscreens and/or stencils. It is recommended
that
individuals bring blank media to print on i.e. blank t-shirts or fabric.
Facilitated
by OPIRG-York
Friday,
September 19, 2008
8:00pm
– 1:00am Feminism is My
Girlfriend in More
Ways than
One! Celebrating A History of Resistance, Memory, Survival, Community,
Sexiness
and Hope.
Concord
Café, 937 Bloor Street West – Just a block and a half west of
Ossington
Station. Wheelchair Accessible.
Come
out and celebrate feminism and art, as well as
contribute to a fantastic agency Food 4
Thought all in one night!!!! Feminism
is My Girlfriend in More Ways than One! is for folks who want to be
entertained, dance, have fun and socialize with community members in a
down-to-earth, easy-going and friendly atmosphere.
Admission:
$6 - $15 sliding scale.
All
proceeds will go to Food 4 Thought the only, on-campus
Food Bank at York University,
(located in Room 447 Student Centre), and a member agency of the North
York
Harvest Food Bank. The primary goal of Food
4 Thought is to have food and basic needs items available at all
times, to
members of the York University Student Community who are in a position
where
they can no longer afford to purchase these items for themselves. The
secondary
goal of Food 4 Thought is to provide
healthy, balances food choices, and to ensure that the food provided
can, to
whatever extent possible, fit the diverse cultural and dietary needs of
the
community. To find out more about Food 4
Thought visit: www.yorku.ca/food
Program:
8pm-9pm
- Short films by Diann Chea, Krys McGuire,
Suzanne Carson and many more!!
9pm-10:30pm
– Performance Art featuring Drag King Laura
‘Chase’ Tam, Toronto Musician Amenta, Spoken Word and Slam Poetry
Artist Truth
Is…, and many more!!
10:30-1:30am
– Music being spun by Djs vashti and
Kalmplex for those of you who want to dance!!
Co-Sponsors:
The Centre for Women and Trans People at
York University, OPIRG York, Sexuality Studies at York University, York
Federation of Students, GSA at York University, Women and Trans People
Safety
Committee of York University, CUPE 1281 and CUPE 3903.
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