Join us for the People’s Assembly on May 12th, 2012 at S. Walter Stewart library

The Next People’s Assembly shall be on Saturday, May 12th from 10am to 4pm at the S. Walter Stewart library (170 Memorial Park Ave.–a short busride on the #70 bus from Coxwell station).

All are welcome to discuss the future of the Climate Justice movement, figure out how folks in cities can better connect with affected communities, and most importantly, learn from each other. The plan is to have a group discussion in the morning, followed by break-outs for the afternoon that will be focused on creative ways to reach out beyond Toronto (street theatre, flash mobs etc.) 

Lunch will be provided by Food Not Bombs and it is a PWYC event. 

Hope to see everyone there! Attached is our poster, please bring it to your favourite May Day events this week and show it to all those you meet!

Background:

Since 2010′s G20 Summit, the Toronto People’s Assembly has formed four times as a space where the climate and social justice community converges. In our first Assembly,  we identified several key components of how climate and environmental justice related to our city. For the second Assembly, we created several People’s Councils to tackle the issue of how to build a stronger movement for climate justice in Toronto. With our Third Assembly, we gathered to share stories about what inspires us as people involved in the movement for climate justice. At the Fourth Assembly last summer we celebrated our diverse and growing local climate justice movement as well as engaging with the strong community at Dufferin Grove Park.

Join us for the People’s Assembly Fair on August 27th, 2011 at Dufferin Grove Park

Since the G20, the Toronto People’s Assembly has formed three times as a space where the climate and social justice community converges. In our first Assembly,  we identified several key components of how climate and environmental justice related to our city. For the second Assembly, we created several People’s Councils to tackle the issue of how to build a stronger movement for climate justice in Toronto. Then, most recently, with our Third Assembly, we gathered to share stories about what inspires us as people involved in the movement for climate justice.

Now as we move into summer, the People’s Assembly will come together once again, but in a different form! Building on the proposal from the Action Discussion at the last Assembly, the General Council has been meeting and laying the groundwork for a People’s Assembly Fair.

The Fair will take place on Saturday August 27^th from12-5pm atDufferinGrovePark, and is intended to be a fun and family-friendly event to revitalize ourselves as a community and engage the public with interactive and creative activities. By allowing a safe space to demonstrate alternative means for education, entertainment, and sustainability the aim of the Fair is to become its own image of a movement we would all like to see.

Unlike other summer attractions, The People’s Assembly Fair will be a participant driven event, meaning there are no mere “attendees,” but rather active participants in every sense of the word.  You will create the Stalls, the interaction, the art, the performance and ultimately the “experience.”

Therefore, we are inviting community groups and individuals to come and set up a Stall. If you do not belong to a group, form an ad-hoc one with some friends!  What you do is only limited by your imagination, but here are some ideas to get you started:

• Interactive or hands-on workshops
• Educational games or role plays
• Skill-shares
• Discussion-based seminars
• Art or banner making
• Skits or other performances.

As a General Organizing Council we will organize a central information tent, a stage with live music, and we have already confirmed that Food Not Bombs will serve a free meal for everyone. The rest is up to you!

Please RSVP to let us know what you would like to do for the Fair and we will reserve a space for your Stall!

Further action:

To join our organizing Google Group, please send an email to toronto-peoples-assembly+subscribe@googlegroups.com
To find out about meeting dates and times please email : peoplesassembly.toronto@gmail.com

Workshops

Here is a full list of the workshops which will be available to choose from in the afternoon at the April 23rd People’s Assembly:

1) Connecting Spirituality and Climate Justice

To mark the significance of Earth Day coinciding with Easter, this workshop is a multi-faith effort to look at the intersection between spirituality and the principles of climate justice.

2) Plan a Collective Action

One of the most consistent feedbacks we have been receiving from members, is that they want the Assembly to be action-oriented. This workshop is a chance to meet with like-minded people and chart a course toward a large collective action for Climate Justice!

3) Rethinking Energy Systems: Nuclear vs Sustainable Solutions

In the wake of the nuclear disaster in Japan, it is clear that the Climate Justice movement must articulate clear alternative solutions. Join panelists Justin Podur of York University, Cory Morningstar of Canadians for Action on Climate Change, and Martina Rowley of Transition Toronto to discuss how to reduce emissions and move into a clean energy future that respects the principles of Climate Justice.

4) Climate Justice Popular Consultation

5) Climate Justice Manifesto (hosted by Council of Canadians Toronto Chapter)

6) Build Your Own Bike Cart (hosted by Food Not Bombs Toronto)

Step-by-step demo of how to build your own bike cart from scavenged materials. Participants who bring their own materials can then build their own cart during the workshop! Email peoplesassembly.toronto(at)gmail.com for list of materials.

7) How To Recycle Old T-shirts

Practical hands on workshop with lots of creative ways to modify and reuse old T-shirts!

 

Share stories of resistance, struggle and victory at the Third Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice on Saturday April 23, 2011!

Share stories of resistance, struggle and victory at the Third Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice on Saturday April 23, 2011!
What: Third Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice
When: Saturday April 23rd, 2011
Where: Ryerson Student Centre, 55 Gould St, Toronto
Time: 10am-5pm
Cost: PWYC (breakfast and lunch provided)
***ASL translation and free child care available***

To mark the 41st annual celebration of International Earth Day, the People’s Assembly on Climate Justice will assemble for its Third Toronto Assembly on Saturday April 23rd, 2011 from 10am-5pm at the Ryerson Student Centre.

To commemorate Earth Day, we will:

• Come together with our fellow community members and share local stories of resistance, struggle, and victory that reflect our ongoing movement to protect Mother Earth and achieve Justice for all people and beings who inhabit Her.
• Plan a large-scale collective action
• Explore the intersection between spirituality and climate justice.
• Participate in hands-on workshops and create art.
• Contribute to the creation of a Climate Justice Popular Consultation.

Across our city and around the world, the power of people’s assemblies are leading us towards a new grassroots paradigm that transcends government and corporate inertia. Waves of people-powered uprisings are sweeping across the Middle East. Austerity measures are being met with mass mobilizations in Europe. And hundreds of thousands are resisting the corporate takeover through marches and occupations in the U.S.

Join the People’s Assembly on April 23rd, 2011, and continue the realization of an inclusive, united, and empowered Climate Justice Movement in Toronto.

More info:
http://torontopeoplesassembly.wordpress.com/
peoplesassembly.toronto@gmail.com
647-869-6496

About the Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice:

On June 23rd, 2010, the People’s Assembly on Climate Justice came to life in Toronto as part of the community resistance to the G20. On December 4th, 2010, a second instalment solidified the Assembly as a permanent space for ongoing, community-based, collective dialogue to confront the climate crisis.

Our goal is not just to demand action, it is also to manifest a new form of organizational paradigm to generate positive, radical, participatory solutions within our urban context. Together we can reinvent cycles that positively participate in the health and ecology of the planet, while overcoming our dependence on the industrial system.

2nd Toronto People’s Assembly Videos

Below are the Second Toronto People’s Assembly Videos

Notes from Report Backs Now Online!

First Breakout Report Backs

People’s Council Report Backs

Images of recorded notes from the Breakouts and People’s Council are also available here!

PHOTOS: 2nd People’s Assembly on Climate Justice Toronto, Dec. 4, 2010

 

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1ST People’s Assembly on Climate Justice Toronto: Videos