CALENDAR AT-A-GLANCE
![Building Cultures of Care/ SEPTEMBER 26-30, 2022/ DisOrienation Week is an alternative to/ Frosh Week promoting campus-based activism and political action./ Join OPIRG York and our community partners for a series of in-person and online events. A pink background with bold flowers in three of the corners. There is a heading in bold black font that states: Disorientation Week 2022/ with OPIRG York. To the right of that is the text: Building Cultures of Care/ This SEPTEMBER, join OPIRG York and other campus organizations to learn how to build cultures of care!/ DisOrienation Week is an alternative to Frosh Week promoting campus-based activism and political action. In white blocks there are five sections: Monday 26/ 3:30 - 5pm Orienting yourself to Allyship with the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REDI) Location: First Student Centre (room 313; and on Zoom) Monday 26, 5:30 - 7pm Abolition of the Death penalty with Amnesty International at York Location: First Student Centre (room 313; and on Zoom) Tuesday 27, 3:30 - 5pm The Ecology of allyship with the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REDI) Location: First Student Centre (room 313; and on Zoom). Tuesday 27, 5:30 - 7pm Panel Discussion "On the Housing Crisis, Disparieties, and Beyond" with OPIRG York, moderated by John Clarke Location: First Student Centre, Grad Lounge, rm. 430. Wednesday 28, 1 - 2pm Dismantling ableism with the YFS Access Centre Location: First Student Centre, YFS Access Centre, Room 321; Wednesday 28, 7pm - 9:30pm Film screening of Sgaawaay K’uuna [Edge of the Knife] with Nat Taylor Films (Cinema Politica) Location: Nat Taylor Cinema, N102 Ross Building. Thursday 29, 3pm - 4:30pm Accessible Digital Design with Victoria Barnett of the Design Justice Collective Location: First Student Centre (room 307; and on Zoom). Thurs 29/ 6pm - 9:30pm Velcro Hearts Chapbook Launch & Social with the Centre for Women and Trans People (CWTP) and OPIRG York Location: the Ross Building Podium/ Rain plan: First Student Centre, Rm 430) Friday 30 3pm - 5:30pm /Transforming Masculinity & Moving Towards Collective Healing/ (on Zoom)/ with Ikake Rising/ **an online workshop space for men and masculine people; register for Zoom link](https://www.opirgyork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1-3.png "1")
DISORIENTATION WEEK : September 26- 30, 2022
Orienting Yourself to Allyship (part I)
Monday 26/ 3:30 – 5pm
This introductory session on what it means to be an ally offers a series of engaging activities and reflection exercises that challenge participants to:
– Contextualize their social location based on their identity;
– Deepen their understanding of allyship in a personal and institutional setting;
Presented by: the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REDI)and Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD).
Location: First Student Centre (room 313; and on Zoom).
Abolition of the Death Penalty
Monday 26, 5:30 – 7pm
This workshop will discuss Amnesty International’s campaign to abolish the death penalty. We will engage in petitions and learn about the urgent actions of this capaign.
We wish to encourage York students to engage in critical dialogue and take the opportunity to learn, as well as strengthen skills for community building and care. Together we will learn about abolitionist, anti-oppressive and anti-racist movements. Together we can work to abolish the death penalty across the world.
Presented by: Amnesty International at York
Location: First Student Centre (room 313; and on Zoom).
The Ecology of Allyship (part II)
Tuesday 27, 3:30 – 5pm
In this interactive workshop, we deepen our exploration of concepts of allyship and solidarity.
In this follow up to our session Orienting Yourself to Allyship, this workshop explores the multiple roles people can play in building solidarity across lines of difference, examples of solidarity movements, and personal reflections on how to find your own stake in movements.
Please note, this is not an introductory or beginners’ workshop. To join this one, you must have attended an Orienting Yourself to Allyship or have previous organizing experience across lines of shared identities.
Presented by: the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REDI)and Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD).
Location: First Student Centre (room 313; and on Zoom).
![[[Image description: a light blue background with white/ grey clouds. On the bottom is a small village set onto hills. Houses in orange and blue have small triangle flags, and grid windows. There are trees and tidy roadways. The black and blue text reads: In-person and over Zoom!/ JOIN OPIRG YORK FOR A PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE HOUSING CRISIS, DISPARITIES, AND BEYOND/ Moderated by John Clarke/ with panelists from HOUSE, / York South-Weston Tentant Union, and more!/ TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 5:30-7PM/ Keele campus, First Student Centre, room 430 + on Zoom Accessibility notes: *We require everyone to wear masks. Free masks are available. *Free childcare available on-site (registration required). *Transcription available over Zoom”]]](https://www.opirgyork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Housing-Justice-Panel-Instagram-room-430.png "Housing Justice Panel Instagram room 430")
Panel Discussion: “On the Housing Crisis, Disparieties, and Beyond”
Tuesday 27, 5:30 – 7pm
This panel will create a space for voices in campus and community housing justice activism to share their insights, and reflect together. We will hear from panelists from HOUSE, York South-Weston Tentant Union, and more! Moderated by John Clarke, Packer Visitor in Social Justice at York University.
We seek to encourage folks to get involved in housing activism, and this panel will launch a new action group with OPIRG York addressing anti-poverty; this is an opportunity to build collective capacity for working toward tangible justice.
Presented by: OPIRG York.
Location: First Student Centre, Grad Lounge, rm. 430
Dismantling Ableism
POSTPONED
Join YFS Access for a workshop on breaking down ableism—both on and off campus. Together, we will learn about disability positive and disability justice movements. The facilitator will highlight disability principles and tools that participants can practice in their daily lives.
Presented by: the YFS Access Centre
Location: First Student Centre, YFS Access Centre, Room 321.
![Wednesday 28, 7pm - 9:30pm Film screening of Sgaawaay K’uuna [Edge of the Knife] with Nat Taylor Films (Cinema Politica) Location: Nat Taylor Cinema, N102 Ross Building. Black text on white block with yellow border. To the rights is the movie poster in black for Edge of the Knife.](https://www.opirgyork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Calendar-DisO-2022-1080-×-1080-px.png "Calendar DisO 2022 (1080 × 1080 px)")
Film screening of Sgaawaay K’uuna [Edge of the Knife]
Wednesday 28, 7pm – 9:30pm
**The director will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening.
Come out for a screening of Sgaawaay K’uuna [Edge of the Knife] the first feature film produced entirely in the Haida language. This film represents cultures of care through the powerful example of Indigenous sovereignty.
This screening honours the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, and will encourage discussion for anti-colonial struggles. The film was lauded by TIFF’s “top ten” as one of Canada’s most important films of the last year.
Presented by: Nat Taylor Films (Cinema Politica)
Location: Nat Taylor Cinema, N102 Ross Building.
Accessible Digital Design
Thursday 29, 3pm – 4:30pm
**participants are encouraged to bring a laptop/ device for this workshop, if possible, for some hands-on practice!
COVID has pushed many to consider the nuances of accessibility both in the real world and online. With the onset of COVID the move to an almost exclusively digital existence for gatherings and events became more needed. Disability justice advocates and folks with lived experience have always fought for and designed the caring worlds we need; worlds where people with different access needs are seen, heard, and acknowledged.
This workshop will continue to envision this more just world, and ask us, “How do we ensure our designs can be seen/read and accessed by all?” and “How can we go beyond compliance with normalized ableism?” Through this interactive session, participants will walk away with tricks and tools they can use to make their digital media and designs more accessible, alongside frameworks and resources to continue to expand their learning.
Presented by: Victoria Barnett of the Design Justice Collective
Location: First Student Centre (room 307; and on Zoom).
Velcro Heart Chapbook Launch and Social
Thurs 29, 6pm – 9:30pm
At this gathering we will celebrate our week of building cultures of care by reading, eating, dancing, and having fun! We will listen to a chapbook reading, hear some live music by Victor Xu (vixu), and eat free food together.
In February of 2022 Jamie Quinn Mader self-published a hybrid chapbook of essays and poems called Velcro Heart about their experience of over a decade of healing from trauma. Through this collection they highlight the importance of healing, hope, gratitude, joy and how those things are important to moving forward not just personally but societally too! At this event Jamie will read excerpts from their chapbook and engage in discussions around hope and its place in activism.
Chapbook Synopsis:
Jamie Quinn has been through their share of trauma, but that’s not really what this psuedo memoir is about! It’s actually about healing and hope and unlearning toxic love. Through a series of essays and poetry Jamie walks the reader through memories and a candid approach to healing from trauma. They don’t claim to be an expert in any way, they just hope their words help and resonate with folks. Hopefully these words will help you savour some joy and be more gentle to yourself while healing.
Presented by: with the Centre for Women and Trans People (CWTP) and OPIRG York
Location: the Ross Building Podium/ Rain plan: First Student Centre, Rm 430)
Transforming Masculinity & Moving Towards Collective Healing
Friday 30, 3pm – 5:30pm
This online workshop is a space for men and masculine people. It will explore the roots and character of toxic masculinity as a way toward re-imagining the endless possibilities of masculinity outside of colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism. This workshop is capped at 15 participants, and will be interactive.
Presented by Ikake Rising: Natali Euale Montilla (Rosa Amarilla) (She/Her), and Ben Reid-Howells (Beinn Raoite) (He/Him).
Location: this workshop will run over Zoom.
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ABOUT 'BUILDING CULTURES OF CARE'
DisOrientation Week Building Cultures of Care
This series will work toward creating cultures of care at York by encouraging students and community members to learn the skills that will nurture us all to show-up better together. Drawing on disability justice, feminist, abolitionist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial movements—we invite you into this culture-building process! While we envision a more just world we also need to survive the world that we are in. Some of this series will include skill-building for reducing harm and keeping ourselves and each other safe.
After more than two years of pandemic and economic changes students are experiencing new pressures: the rising cost of living impacting housing and food security, which increases precarity and poverty; a swiftly intensifying climate crisis that broken political systems seem unable to adequately address; and mental health concerns as all of these struggles compound. Societally, from health care to child care to elder care, our systems are straining under the weight of a generation of social service defunding and government negligence.
There is a vital need for dynamic, irresistible movements for social justice made up of dedicated, caring people. Students have often greatly contributed to social movements, but our on-campus communities have been fractured by campus closures and distanced learning. Now how do we come back together to build these movements while taking care of each other?
As we gather again, we have a chance to reflect on the kinds of communities we want to (re)build at York. When our communities are threatened by oppression what does it look like to build a culture of care? How do we create a culture grounded in radical solidarity that fosters wellbeing and creates collective capacity to transform the world?
DisOrientation 2022 invites all who are new or returning to campus to come together to explore these questions and to learn ways to plug into radical, politically engaged communities at York.