Education is Not for Sale
CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF EDUCATION AND WORK: UPDATE 20th MARCH 2013
EVENTS
MARCH ORGANIZING MEETING – LGBITQ/TRANS PEOPLE & ALLIES SEA OF RED OPEN COLLECTIVE
The 519 Church St. Community Centre
Tuesday, March 13
8:00 pm
All welcome!
As an open all-inclusive collective in the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirited, Intersex & Questioning)/Trans or Queer community, our main mission over the next couple of years is to bring to Canada a contingent of LGBTIQ / Trans & Allies Cuban workers as part of a LGBTIQ/Trans & Allies union worker-exchange between Canada and Cuba for the 2014 World Pride Parade’s demonstration on Yonge Street, in Toronto, Ontario, and for their mid-May 2014 Cuban Anti-Homophobic Pride events, all throughout Cuba.
We want to see our LGBTIQ/Trans & Allies Cuban worker friends, proudly united together with our many allies and Queer workers from all over the world, marching with them and encircling them, with a “Sea of Red” flags, and rainbow flags that surround their Cuban flags, in the Toronto’s World Pride Parade of 2014, on Sunday afternoon, June 29, 2014, moving down Yonge Street.
In preparation for World Pride Day, we want to have fun nights of Cuban LGBTIQ/Trans & Allies film showings, up-to-date Cuban dance music, and Cuban-English translated readings and discussions every two to three months in and beyond Toronto’s LGBTIQ/Trans & Allies community.
We hope to gather the funds mainly through the unions of the Ontario Federation of Labour & Canadian Labour Congress, as well as other community organizations and faith supportive groups.
Email contact: S. O’Brien or D. Foreman at seaofredopencollective@gmail.com
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BOOK LAUNCH – UNLIKELY RADICALS: THE STORY OF THE ADAMS MINE DUMP WAR
Thursday, April 11
6:30pm
The Supermarket
268 Augusta Avenue, Toronto
Free. Not wheelchair accessible.
Join author Charlie Angus and friends for a launch and celebration of his new book Unlikely Radicals: The Story of the Adams Mine Dump War. Unlikely Radicals traces the compelling history of the First Nations people and farmers, environmentalists and miners, retirees and volunteers, Anglophones and Francophones who stood side by side to defend their community with mass demonstrations, blockades, and non-violent resistance.
“A Grisham-like political thriller with the feel-good accents of a Frank Capra movie.”
– Quill & Quire
Published by Between the Lines. More info: info@btlbooks.com or http://www.btlbooks.com
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OCAP COMMUNITY ORGANIZING COURSE – CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Dates: 4 consecutive Saturdays – April 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th
Time: 2-5pm, followed by a meal each week
Following the great success of our first Community Organizing Course in October 2012, OCAP is holding a second course to offer people some of the knowledge and skills they will need to mobilize in their communities to resist poverty and austerity. Since the last course, OCAP has been on the front lines of some major fights against social cutbacks and homelessness and the second course will benefit from these experiences.
Course Outline:
– Week 1 (April 6th): A brief introduction to OCAP. How do capitalism and colonialism work? How do they produce poverty? What is the austerity agenda and how is it playing out in our communities?
– Week 2 (April 13th): How does the law and the welfare system regulate the poor? How does OCAP organize actions to defend people under attack by these systems?
– Week 3 (April 20th): How can poor people use disruptive action to defend themselves and win victories? How are effective campaigns and actions organized?
– Week 4 (April 27th): Histories of anti-poverty resistance in Toronto.
Presentations by course participants. What have we learned and how are we going to take that knowledge into our communities?
Childcare and transportation costs will be provided and the location will be wheelchair accessible. An exciting four week children’s program is in the works!
This course is for people who want to fight back. Those who participate will be presented with ideas and methods that OCAP has developed over more than twenty years of organizing in poor communities. We can offer knowledge and skills that they don’t teach in schools and you won’t get from the newspapers. We intend the sessions to be lively, engaging and informative. The opinions and proposals of those who attend will be vital to the success. If you are interested in being part of this course, contact OCAP as soon as possible. We want to stress that all who agree to participate should make a serious commitment to attending all four sessions. Please don’t reserve a spot unless you can make that commitment. Space is limited to allow for maximum engagement with participants.
How to apply:
**Please email or call us with the following information as soon as possible:
– Name:
– Email and/or phone contact:
– What do you hope to get out of the course?
– What area of Toronto will you be coming from?
– Do you need childcare?
– Do you have an accessibility concerns?
Send to: the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty at: ocap@tao.ca / 416-925-6939
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE – LABOUR RIGHTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON DEMOCRACY, ECONOMIC EQUALITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
March 26 – 28
Downtown Hilton Hotel, Toronto
The conference is designed to provide a forum to advance social science research which affirms the critical role labour rights play in advancing democracy within nations, creating greater economic equality and promoting the social well-being of all citizens.
It will examine how to communicate this research using key message frames that connect labour rights to the core values that Canadians share as citizens. The conference will also consider strategies to help labour and civil society build a broad-based progressive coalition in support of shared values of Canadians and the labour movement.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Richard Wilkinson, one of the world’s most preeminent researchers on social inequalities. He is best known for his 2010 book with Kate Pickett, The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. The headline-generating UK bestseller showed that societies with more equal distribution of incomes have better health, fewer social problems such as violence, drug abuse, teenage births, mental illness, obesity, and others, and are more cohesive than ones in which the gap between the rich and poor is greater. Wilkinson will speak at the opening of the conference on Tuesday evening, March 26, 2013.
Hosted by The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR).
Participation at the conference will be limited and by invitation only.
Further information on the conference can be obtained by e-mailing conference2013@labourrights.ca
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Melt the Freeze! Raise the Minimum Wage!
Noon
Thursday March 21
Ministry of Labour office, 400 University Ave.
Toronto
Ontario’s minimum wage has been frozen for 3 years, while the cost of living continues to rise. Join us as we call for an immediate increase! The minimum wage should bring workers and their families above the poverty line. That means Ontario’s minimum wage should be $14 in 2013. A minimum wage increase is an investment in healthy communities and good jobs for workers in Ontario. On March 21st, the first day of spring and the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, communities around Ontario will be coming together for a decent minimum wage. Get involved! Endorse the campaign. Organize an action in your city. Sign up for a delegation visit to your MPP
Contact us at raisetheminimumwage@gmail.com or (416) 531-2411, ext. 246.
The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage is coordinated by ACORN, Freedom 90, Mennonite New Life Centre, OCAP, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Put Food in the Budget, Social Planning Toronto, Toronto and York Region Labour Council and Workers’ Action Centre.
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NEWS & VIEWS
JUST PUBLISHED! ADULT LEARNING TRENDS IN CANADA: BASIC FINDINGS OF THE WALL 1998, 2004 AND 2010 SURVEYS
Authors: D.W. Livingstone and Milosh Raykov
The Centre for the Study of Education and Work (CSEW) Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL) research network, mainly funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), conducted national surveys on work and lifelong learning in Canada in 1998, 2004 and 2010. These surveys provide profiles of paid employment and unpaid household work and community volunteer work as well as the array of adult learning activities.
The relations between work and learning are summarized in a number of reports available on the http://www.wallnetwork.ca website and several published books (see the Related WALL Reports section). The purpose of this report is to provide a brief summary of the basic findings on trends in adult participation in further education courses and informal learning activities. This information may be of general global interest because, in spite of widespread concern about the importance of lifelong learning, there are no other available national-level estimates of trends in the array of adults’ formal and informal learning activities during this period.
Publisher: Centre for the Study of Education and Work, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
ISBN: 0-7727-2639-6, ISBN: 978-0-7727-2639-1
To download the study: http://www.wallnetwork.ca/Adult-Learning-Trends-in-Canada-2013.pdf
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HAVE GUITAR, WILL TRAVEL: PROTEST TRAVEL WRITING BY DAVID ROVICS
Ebook! My ebook of stories from the road is available on Amazon, Kobo and other ebook platforms. At $2.99 each, I’m hoping I’m pricing it to sell…!
Please be encouraged to a) buy the ebook, b) write a review, and c) tell all your friends to do the same.
A crowd-sourced bestseller is the aim!
Read more: http://songwritersnotebook.blogspot.ca/2013/02/have-guitar-will-travel-protest-travel.html
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IT’S MORE THAN POVERTY: EMPLOYMENT PRECARITY AND HOUSEHOLD WELL-BEING
United Way Toronto’s newest report, It’s More than Poverty: Employment Precarity and Household Well-being examines dramatic changes in precarious employment over the last few decades, revealing that only sixty percent of all workers in our region have stable, secure jobs. In addition to looking at the impact of precarious employment on individuals, the report also looked at its harmful effect on families and communities.
Read more: http://www.unitedwaytoronto.com/whatWeDo/reports/PEPSO.php
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PORTER AIRLINES: THE LITTLE STRIKE THAT COULD
By Sean Smith, The Bullet
On Saturday, 26 January 2013 tens of thousands of teachers and supporters rallied outside the Liberal leadership convention at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in opposition to their Bill 115 which stripped Ontario teachers’ collective bargaining rights. Every corporate media outlet covered this story. By all accounts the rally was a huge, peaceful success.
Although the perceived ‘progressive,’ Kathleen Wynne, won the leadership, it is a hollow victory as there is no commitment to undo this repugnant Bill’s purpose. Nor is there any new impetus to change, since some union leaders have once again demonstrated a willingness to bankroll neoliberal politicians no matter what they do to their members.
Meanwhile a few kilometres away from this piece of political theatre, a direct challenge to the neoliberal agenda was occurring. With no media cameras rolling, dozens of police moved with force to suppress the actions of an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Flying Squad who were there in solidarity with 22 striking ‘fuelers’ of Porter Airlines at Toronto Island Airport represented by COPE Local 343.
Read more: http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/780.php
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RANK AND FILE.CA IS LOOKING FOR WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
Calling all writers and trade unionists!
Rank and File.ca is looking for writers, contributors, and people willing to help promote our website.
Rank and File.ca is a new Canadian labour media project launched by union activists in early 2012. We publish original, researched news reports and analysis of major labour issues. Some recent examples include the battle against Bill 115, the CP Rail strike, back-to-work legislation at Air Canada, and developments in provincial and federal labour and employment standards legislation.
Rank and File.ca also publishes statements by union members who seek to promote alternative viewpoints regarding ratification votes, union strategy, and union elections. We publish such documents in the interest of fostering democratic debate within unions.
Read more: http://rankandfile.ca/?p=714
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CCPA’S ALTERNATIVE FEDERAL BUDGET 2013: DOING BETTER TOGETHER
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has just released its 2013 Alternative Federal Budget: Doing Better Together.
This year’s AFB shows how growth-killing austerity can be replaced by a plan that strengthens the economy, leads to a better quality of life for all Canadians, and eliminates the deficit by 2016. This plan invests in programs that are good for growth and good for the people of Canada—and still balances the books. Instead of making things worse and leaving Canadians to fend for themselves, the Alternative Federal Budget shows we can do better, together.
The complete budget document and a handy Budget in Brief are available on our website in both English at http://www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2013 and French at http://www.policyalternatives.ca/abgf2013
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AN OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER HARPER
By Rick Arnold, Common Frontiers
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
It is with a profound sense of indignation that I read about your letter sent in the wake of the death of Venezuela´s President, Hugo Chavez.
Canadians would expect their Prime Minister to take the high road in responding to another nation´s grief following the death of their leader. Instead the letter you sent took the low road in not sending condolences to the Chavez family and for calling into question the deceased leader’s dedication to democratic principles following more than a decade of clean elections, unrivalled in the Americas.
Any sitting Canadian prime minister who met an early end could only dream of such massive outpouring of grief that has seen millions of Venezuelans line up for 35 kilometers to get a brief view of Chavez´s body lying in state.
Read more: http://www.commonfrontiers.ca/
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ABOUT CSEW (CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF EDUCATION & WORK, OISE/UT):
Head: Peter Sawchuk
Co-ordinator: D’Arcy Martin
The Centre for the Study of Education and Work (CSEW) brings together educators from university, union, and community settings to understand and enrich the often-undervalued informal and formal learning of working people. We develop research and teaching programs at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (UofT) that strengthen feminist, anti-racist, labour movement, and working-class perspectives on learning and work.
Our major project is APCOL: Anti-Poverty Community Organizing and Learning. This five-year project (2009-2013), funded by SSHRC-CURA, brings academics and activists together in a collaborative effort to evaluate how organizations approach issues and campaigns and use popular education. For more information about this project, visit http://www.apcol.ca
For more information about CSEW, visit: http://www.csew.ca
**END**
Cold Hands & Quarter Moon, ‘Stagnant’ at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLjxeHvvhJQ (live, at the Belle View pub, Bangor, north Wales); and at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkP_Mi5ideo (new remix, and new video, 2012)
‘Cheerful Sin’ – a song by Victor Rikowski: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIbX5aKUjO8
Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
Rikowski Point: http://rikowskipoint.blogspot.com
Volumizer: http://glennrikowski.blogspot.com
Glenn Rikowski on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/glenn.rikowski
Online Publications at: http://www.flowideas.co.uk/?page=pub&sub=Online%20Publications%20Glenn%20Rikowski
All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski 