Here are the Candidate Profiles for the three nominees for the OPIRG Guelph Board of Directors.
The election will happen at our Annual General Meeting, on March 27th, 6:30pm (online). Register for the AGM here: https://tinyurl.com/AGM2024-Registration
In order to be able to vote you must be a member in good standing of OPIRG Guelph. If you are a graduate student or a full-time undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, and have not received a levy refund this academic year, you are a member. If you’re not sure if you’re a member in good standing, please reach out to mandy at organizational@opirgguelph.org.
Lilli Porter
Are you running as a student or community member?
I graduated my undergraduate degree in Arts and Sciences last December in 2023. Therefore, I will be running as a community member.
What kind of skills and experience (volunteer, work, life) would you bring to the OPIRG Board?
I am a recent graduate of the University of Guelph and have experience working in various fields including event planning, office administration for a non-profit, research, and customer service. With a strong background in organization and administration, I can effectively manage tasks, deadlines, and resources to ensure smooth operations within the board. I am also experienced in event planning and managing social media which is directly applicable to the work being conducted by OPIRG Guelph.
I have been an active participant in social and environmental justice movements throughout my life and feel that I have a good perspective and approach to these issues that aligns with OPIRG Guelph’s mandate. I also had the privilege of focusing a lot of my degree on studying subjects like colonialism, capitalism, and environmental issues. However, I know that I still have a lot to learn, especially in terms of community organizing, movement building, and learning from the real experiences of marginalized people.
Furthermore, I am willing and prepared to take on a leadership role if I were to be elected to the board, whether it involves spearheading a campaign, coordinating events, or helping with administrative tasks I am committed to stepping up and providing effective leadership in these tasks.
Why are you interested in becoming a Board member?
I am interested in becoming a board member of OPIRG Guelph because I feel extremely aligned to the mandate of OPIRG Guelph and their commitment to environmental and social justice. OPIRG Guelph’s historical role in the local and global movements has been so influential in this community and I would love to be a part of this legacy. This position would allow me to have a more active role in community-based work and be able to work for a cause that I care deeply about.
I also had the privilege of working closely with the staff and board members of OPIRG Guelph for the last few months as the External Coordinator of the Rebel Knowledge Symposium 2024. As part of this experience, I was able to get to know the staff and board members and get a sense of how the Board of Directors operates. I would love the opportunity to join this amazing group of people and bring a fresh perspective that I think could help propel OPIRG Guelph forward and help them realize their goals.
List three goals that you would like to see accomplished by the OPIRG Board.
- Student Awareness Campaign: There is a lot of potential to increase awareness of OPIRG Guelph through an informational campaign targeted at University of Guelph students. By developing targeted messaging and utilizing various communication channels such as social media, campus posters, and events, we can effectively convey the diverse range of initiatives and projects that OPIRG Guelph undertakes to promote social and environmental justice. Ideally, this campaign would encourage students to get involved with OPIRG Guelph and contribute to meaningful causes, like creating action groups that align with the organization’s mission.
- Website Update: It is imperative to have a functional and up-to-date website to effectively disseminate information and increase awareness of OPIRG Guelph. The current website is hard to reach for the average person browsing the web because of broken links and the lack of a security certificate in the URL. By updating the website, fixing the access issues, and streamlining the upkeep process, OPIRG Guelph could increase their online presence and thereby increase awareness and the dissemination of important information.
- Workshops: I would love to see more workshops and teach-ins that are targeted at helping students and community members learn more about community organizing, protesting, and other advocacy work. This would bolster the organizing capabilities in Guelph and help to build more sustainable movements around important social and environmental justice issues.
OPIRG is continuing to work on issues of anti-oppression, which include, but are not limited to, racism, heterosexism, classism, sexism, ableism, and ageism.
What are some of the ways that you think oppression can affect our work on social and environmental justice?
Oppressive systems of power are deeply entrenched within our societal structures and therefore influence social and environmental justice work. Oppressive systems like colonialism, capitalism, and the patriarchy are interconnected and often reinforce each other in ways that harm people, especially those who are the most marginalized in our society. It is extremely important to approach social and environmental justice work through the lens of anti-oppression so that we as a collective are better equipped to address the injustices and inequalities that arise as a result of these oppressive systems.
Fundamentally, I believe that it is through community that we can harness the power of the collective people to fight back against the unjust and oppressive powers at play and fight for social and environmental justice. By engaging in our communities, we can build connections, find common ground, and learn from one another in a way that promotes collective action to better our community as a whole.
Do you have any experience(s) or ideas that you can contribute to our work on anti oppression?
I want to acknowledge that I am a cisgendered white woman. Although I have been subjected to certain types of oppression as a queer woman, I know that my whiteness has allotted me privileges that others have not received. I recognize that I will never be able to fully understand the ways in which oppression impacts people of the marginalized communities that I am not a part of. I also recognize that my whiteness has given me an unearned power that I need to use to uplift the voices of marginalized communities. I wish to be an ally to marginalized communities by educating myself, listening and valuing the words of marginalized people, and showing up for these communities by actively working to dismantle the systems of power that lead to oppression. I am committed to learning more about anti-oppressive practices and how I can help to incorporate them into my life and the work that I will do as part of the OPIRG Guelph’s Board of Directors.
Ash Ames
Are you running as a student or community member?
Student member
What kind of skills and experience (volunteer, work, life) would you bring to the OPIRG Board?
I have experience with the activism OPIRG engages in, having frequently participated in many of the events they put on, such as sign making, Radical Reads, and Radical Reels and volunteering at the 2024 Rebel Knowledge Symposium. My background working as a medical office secretary from 2020-2023 also provides valuable organisational skills, including managing appointments and documents, which can contribute to efficient board meeting management. . In addition, the confidentiality standards I had to uphold in my role and the empathy and compassion I had to have when approaching patients was integral to my role. These skills equipped me with a solid foundation for handling sensitive information and maintaining trust within the organisation while understanding and addressing the needs of marginalised communities through OPIRG initiatives.
Why are you interested in becoming a Board member?
As a neurodivergent individual, I am deeply passionate about advocating for inclusivity and empowerment within our society. Joining the OPIRG board presents an exciting opportunity for me to contribute my unique perspective and experiences to the organisation’s efforts in promoting social justice and positive change. I am passionate about the initiatives OPIRG puts on and I would enjoy this chance to get my voice heard and help promote social justice and equality in my community. I hope to collaborate with individuals from a variety of backgrounds to implement initiatives that promote diversity, accessibility and intersectionality, and use our work to fight against the injustices faced by marginalised communities.
List three goals that you would like to see accomplished by the OPIRG Board.
- An expansion into hosting more discussions on other types of radical art beyond Radical Reels and Radical Reads such as the environmentalist paintings of Frida Kahlo or mobile roadside fruit-stand Speaking Fruit’s local work in the ongoing movement for migrant farmworker rights.
- A continuation of support for and expansion of workshops dedicated to promoting equity and inclusion, providing accessible learning opportunities for individuals within marginalised communities and allies seeking to deepen their understanding of systemic injustice, privilege, and allyship.
- A more widespread use of online discussion platforms such as Slack, Zoom, or Discord, in order to complement in-person events and meetings. In order to recognize the diverse needs and commitments of our community members, including those who may face barriers to attending events in person.
OPIRG is continuing to work on issues of anti-oppression, which include, but are not limited to, racism, heterosexism, classism, sexism, ableism, and ageism.
What are some of the ways that you think oppression can affect our work on social and environmental justice?
Oppression significantly hinders our work on social and environmental justice by creating barriers to participation, perpetuating inequalities, and undermining effectiveness. For instance, racism exposes marginalised communities to disproportionate environmental harm, like pollution and limited access to clean air and water and intersectional barriers like classism and ableism further marginalise individuals with disabilities and from low-income backgrounds, impeding access to resources and opportunities for engagement. It’s crucial to address these forms of oppression to develop inclusive, equitable, and effective strategies for social and environmental justice.
Do you have any experience(s) or ideas that you can contribute to our work on anti-oppression?
In contributing to our work on anti-oppression, I actively reflect on and seek to understand my privileges and biases, challenging oppressive structures in both personal and professional contexts. I have faced people who have hindered and helped me with getting the resources I needed to understand myself and what I needed to thrive. By practising humility and respecting diverse experiences, I believe we can cultivate inclusive and equitable spaces within OPIRG where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully. The help OPIRG’s resources have given me has reinforced my commitment to fostering empathy and respect within the organisation, and I’m dedicated to ensuring that OPIRG amplifies the voices of those impacted by oppression, making our efforts towards social and environmental justice truly inclusive and transformative.
Britt Lee
Are you running as a student or community member?
Community member
What kind of skills and experience (volunteer, work, life) would you bring to the OPIRG Board?
I am a perceptive and analytical person. I have volunteered on the OPIRG Guelph Board for the last 2 years and have really enjoyed and valued this time. In my time on the board I have joined the finance, and bargaining committees and am OPIRG Guelph’s Board rep on the Provincial Board. I have experience facilitating meetings, and minute taking. I have worked and volunteered in decision making and direction taking positions, and love collaborating and connecting with others. I have a lot of personal interest in, and have been engaging in finance, consensus, open communication, facilitating, and conflict resolution trainings. I am task oriented and believe in equitable divisions of labour.
Why are you interested in becoming a Board member?
I continue to love the work and energy that OPIRG Guelph puts into the community. Getting the opportunity to experience and join this energy first hand has been so rewarding and motivating. I have continued to appreciate working in the nexus of social and environmental justice. I’ve been a board member for the past 2 years and participated for many years before that as a student, and I would love to keep contributing to OPIRGs offerings in a new and continued way. I want to keep exchanging knowledge, experiences, and care with many folks whose lives look different than mine.
List three goals that you would like to see accomplished by the OPIRG Board.
- I would love the Board to host regular monthly community potlucks or outside gatherings while the weather is getting warmer.
- It would be great to see OPIRG Guelph co-host an event with another PIRG.
- And it would be great for the Board to host more onboarding or start a Board buddy system where existing / more experienced Board members are paired with new members and can act as a support or guide.
OPIRG is continuing to work on issues of anti-oppression, which include, but are not limited to, racism, heterosexism, classism, sexism, ableism, and ageism.
What are some of the ways that you think oppression can affect our work on social and environmental justice?
There are numerous ways that oppression impacts, affects, and shows up in our work. In who has access / time / energy to participate, who feels welcomed or accepted, who even knows about OPIRG and the work that’s being done. Then there are barriers that exist once folks are in the door – who is praised, who’s ideas or critiques are given space or value. Every single oppression can come into play at any and all times, and what we continually see is that folks who are multiply oppressed have the hardest and least safe experiences in this world.
There is so much space for community partnership and support that OPIRG offers, but knowing that these supports exist and how to access them is a huge barrier.
An example that is commonly critiqued or flagged is that issues and problem most often get addressed when they are being championed by middle class, higher education, white folks. And not when the folks in that community or who are most impacted by that issue are advocating for themselves. I think it is so important to continually ask ourselves and those around us, who do we believe? Who are we paying attention to? Who or where are we giving our money to? Who do we feel compelled to mobilize for? If our answers are consistently reflecting that it’s only people who look like us or whose images uphold cultures of white supremacy, then that is a sign that we have a lot more unpacking and unlearning to do.
Do you have any experience(s) or ideas that you can contribute to our work on anti-oppression?
I get to occupy both places of privilege and marginalization, visibly and invisibly. And some things that continually stick out to me are how we need better models and examples of engaging in conflict and being with discomfort. We need discernment, to move from intention and not urgency, more internal and external emotional awareness, and to simultaneously broaden our ability to hold generous assumptions about people, and to interrupt when harm is happening or about to happen.
An outcome of living in cultures that uphold white supremacy is that we are taught to prioritize being “nice” over being honest and kind. We shy away from hurting one person’s feelings, and in doing so allow multiple other people to be hurt instead by their words or actions. And, while these learnings run deep, we can teach ourselves and those around us that another way is possible.
Some ways that I see this unlearning happening are by practising active listening, where we reflect what we heard when someone was sharing and what it meant to us or what we made it mean, and then asking what feels true to them.
Andrienne Marie Brown was speaking to situations where transphobia or other phobias show up in your space. She mentioned that if that’s happening we have to re-evaluate
the containers we’re existing in and trying to hold for one another, and also examine the invitation to the space that was extended. She said, “It can’t be, oh you can come belong but then I’ll have to not belong. We can all belong, and grow together. But it means that we’re going to have to let go of some old ideas that were created to keep us apart”. The ideas in this quote really resonate with me. Working from and living anti-oppressive values means that we are all going to have to let go of some old ideas. That creating safer spaces for folks who’ve been marginalized requires all of us to be with the discomfort that can arise when we re-centering power.