Alberta Public Interest Research Group
Encyclopedia
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| Alberta Public Interest Research Group | |
| Location | Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... , Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces... |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Field | Social, Political, Economical and Environmental Activism Activism Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing... |
| Website | www.apirg.org |
| Library Catalog | edmonton.freelibrary.ca/users/APIRG |
| YouTube Channel | apirguofa |
| @apirg | |
Alberta Public Interest Research Group (APIRG) is a student funded and run non-profit and nonpartisan organization based in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, AB
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Their offices are located in HUB Mall at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
(U of A). Funding is provided from a small fee included in student union fees but is subject to opting out at the discretion of the student.
History
In 2001 student activists on the University of Alberta campus, with the support of the Parkland Institute, obtained the necessary 2,500 signatures needed to include a referendum in the student elections, asking for the creation of a Public Interest Research Group that was funded directly from student fees and was independent from Student Council. After winning the referendum with a majority of 67% and a protracted negotiating period with the U of A Student Council, Alberta Public Interest Research Group (APIRG) were able to hire staff, open a office in the HUB Mall on campus and get their funding.APIRG set up in the first year an office, a library with online searching and a listserv with a weekly newsletter advising of events on campus. It funded 20 new working groups, hosted several workshops and training sessions, and formed connections and partnerships with other organizations, including the Parkland Institute, the Environmental Research and Studies Centre, the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC) and the Office of the Dean of Students.
Organization
APIRG is managed by an elected governing body (Board of Directors) and staff members (Office Coordinator, Outreach Coordinator, Working Groups Coordinator) and operates on a consensus decision making model. A set of bylaws and polices regulates how the organization works and this can be ratified or changed every year at an Annual General MeetingAnnual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
. Interested people from the community (i.e. non-students) can obtain a Community Membership.
Working Groups
Through applications accepted twice a year, APIRG funds working groups.Current working groups:
- Centre for Organizing Popular Education (COPE) 2010
- Cardiovascular Health Advocates and Researchers for Tomorrow (CHARIOT)
- Edmonton Organic Grower's Guild 2011
- Friends of the Lubicon Alberta (FOLA) 2007
- Greenpeace on Campus 2009
- Palestine Solidarity Network (PSN)
- Stand with Fort Chipewyan 2011
- Student Worker Action Group (SWAG) 2002
- The Olive 2001
- U of A Council of Canadians Chapter (UoA CoC) 2009
- U of A Women's Center Collective (WCC) 2002
- Voices for Choices 2011
Most active past working groups:
- Alternatives to Canadian Banking & Economic System (ACBES) 2004-2007
- Biofreedom 2002-2007
- Campus Community Garden 2003-2007
- Campus Sustainability Coalition (CSC) 2007-2010
- Friends of the Lubicon Alberta (FOLA) 2007-2010
- Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) 2006-2010
- Legal Activists Collective 2007-2010
- Student Worker Action Group (SWAG) 2002&3, 2007-2010
- The Olive 2001-2011
- U of A Women's Center Collective (WCC) 2002-2011
Projects and Events
Internal and external projects and events can be monetarily funded. Support can also be given in the form of in-kind services.See also
- Ontario Public Interest Research GroupOntario Public Interest Research GroupOntario Public Interest Research Group is a campus-based student activist non-profit organization based in Ontario, Canada.OPIRG is broken into eleven distinct chapters, and serves as a hub organization, allowing the organizing committees of the local chapters to exchange ideas, better educate...
- Nova Scotia Public Interest Research GroupNSPIRGNSPIRG is a student activist organization with a focus on environmental and social justice issues. It is funded by students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and functions as a referendum-mandated society of the Dalhousie Student Union...
- Public Interest Research Group