Past Action Groups

While these Action Groups are not classified as currently active, sometimes it just takes a couple of people to study up on what they accomplished and where they left off to get them going again!

Click a past action group for a brief description of it.

Canadian-Cuba Friendship Association

The K-W Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association undertook and promoted activity and continuous growth of friendship and co-operation between the Canadian and Cuban peoples. Their activities were directed toward the development of mutual exchanges in the area of information, culture and education. They worked in co-operation with other societies in Canada having similar aims and interests.

Ecological Housing

This action group promoted the benefits of ecological student housing on-campus. The goal was to create a proposal for an Ecological Learning Centre that would act as a living laboratory to push the barriers of sustainable living in Canada. It was a timely project given the local housing shortage and concerns of increasing energy costs.

Economic Globalization

Over 200 people travelled to Quebec City April 19th-22nd, 2001 to demonstrate their concerns with the Free Trade Area of the Americas being negotiated by the 34 member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Free Tibet

The Free Tibet action group worked to actively create awareness of the oppression, irreversible ecological damage, and severe human rights violations our brothers and sisters living under Chinese occupation within Tibet must endure. In the past, the group organized a local Tibetan Freedom Concert to raise money for the Canadian Tibet Committee which works to achieve Autonomy for Tibet, raise global awareness on the situation, and works politically to resist Chinese rule and oppression of Tibetan peoples.

Friends of the Spot

The Spot is a youth-run drop-in centre in downtown Kitchener. This group supported the work of the Spot. Possible activities included: fundraising, community outreach, coordinating transportation, advocating for people in the welfare system, dealing with landlord tenatn disputes and organizing events and activities for street youth.

Kitchen AG

Kitchen AG had a bioregional food focus -- growing and preserving food.

KW Food Action

KW Food Action focused on issues of food security, GMOs and health.

Media Watch

This group discussed media issues and took action to promote the public interest. Issues included: concentration of ownership, marginalization of dissenting voices, racist stereotypes, commercialization, news bias, public access to the airwaves, glorification of violence and commodification of culture.

Noam Chomsky Fan Club

Fan club for Noam Chomsky.

OXFAM AG

OXGAM AG was affiliated with the national organization and was focusing on fair trade.

Students for Palestinian Rights AG

Description unavailible.

UW Socially Responsible Investing

This Action Group was in collaboration with the Social Investment Organization of Canada. They researched options for investing consistent with social and environmental values and pursued the application of this research towards FEDS investment money, Endowment Fund, and UW Pension Fund for faculty and staff. This work was the first of its kind in Canada!

Whitewash

The main focus of this group was researching women's health issues and finding alternative products to mainstream women's health products. Health issues they investigated included the whitewashing of feminine pads and tampons; contraceptives such as the birth control pill, spermicides, and natural family planning; and foods that have effects on a woman's cycle.

Women of Colour Collective

This discussion group was a space for women of colour to share, rant and rave about living in a predominately white culture. Possible activities included: movie nights, a book club, and attending The Fire This Time: A Women of Colour Gathering in Montreal.