WAIT...WHAT IS NSPIRG?
IN A NUTSHELL... NSPIRG (Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group) is a non-profit, non-partisan and non-governmental organization. Our mandate is to link research with action for social and environmental justice within an anti-oppression framework. We do so in a three-pronged approach:
Research → Education → Action Research: We initiate original research around environmental and social issues.
Education: We translate our research into education for all through independent publications and public events.
Action: Guided by our research, we develop and support campaigns that address social or environmental injustices.
Our daily operations and projects are coordinated and executed through
Committees which meet to coordinate NSPIRG's many activities;
Campaigns which partner with local community groups to tackle specific issues; and
Working Groups where students independently organize projects of their own.
Anti-Oppression
Power and privilege can play out in group dynamics in destructive ways. Working within an anti-oppression framework means challenging discriminatory practices which marginalize, exploit, exclude or de-humanize others. NSPIRG is committed to being inclusive and accessible to all.
Download our NSPIRG Guide
Download a guide to Consensus Decision Making from SFPIRG
MORE... WHAT IS A PIRG?:The PIRG tradition was formed in the 1970s by political activist Ralph Nader as a resource and platform for students passionate about social justice in their community. A PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) is a membership-based group, usually centred on the local campus, whose student and community volunteers work to expose and confront systemic injustices that have been overlooked or ignored by governing bodies. Because PIRGs are student-run, aside from the focus on social justice, each one is unique. Talk to someone at NSPIRG today about your vision for our community and let us know how we can help you.
NSPIRG MEMBERSHIP:NSPIRG is entirely funded and directed by the students at Dalhousie University in collaboration and consultation with members of the broader HRM and NS communities. NSPIRG-Dal was created by a Dalhousie Student Union referendum in 1990 and since then receives funding via a $2 per term student levy for each full time student collected by the DSU. This fee is the membership fee for NSPIRG, however anyone has the option to 'opt-out' from membership and have their fees reimbursed.
Membership gives you the right to run for the NSPIRG Board of Directors, apply for Working Group funding, and vote at General Meetings; the control of this organization is in the hands of Dal students. At present, NSPIRG and NSPIRG-Dal are largely synonymous as the rights mentioned are exclusive to Dalhousie student members. However, NSPIRG-Dal closely collaborates with students from the University of King's College and NSCAD, and with a burgeoning NSPIRG-SMU chapter at Saint-Mary's University. All together, we come to form the NSPIRG community.
RESEARCH & RESOURCES:We initiate original research around environmental and social issues and independently publish our findings into a range of media. Already, NSPIRG has produced educational films, audio-documentaries, zines, books, dossiers, informative websites and more. Also, be sure to check out some of the publications and audio-visual media and the many tools and titles available for loan in our library. We also provide resources meant to initiate and support members interested in research, education, and action for social and environmental justice. We can book rooms for public education events, loan out audio-visual equipment and printed resources, and accept funding applications by student(s) and community groups engaged in activities which fall within our mandate.
EDUCATION: NSPIRG translates its research into education through a range of different means. We organize a yearly Radical Frosh (Alt 101) on campuses to familiarize students with grassroots projects; we host film screenings of thought-provoking and critical documentaries; we also hold capacity-building events for our members like our Tools of Dissent workshop series which have, in the past, covered such do-it-yourself topics as 'poster and pamphlet-making', 'screen-printing', 'dealing with the media', and 'knowing your rights in political actions'. All this is, of course, a free resource to our members and the general public.
ACTION: What's education without action? - we develop and support campaigns that address social or environmental injustices. The affiliate campaigns of NSPIRG aim to connect students with broader community struggles. We also help initiate the development of new collectives committed to addressing social or environmental injustices. In doing so, we are an umbrella for 'working groups' of NSPIRG which represent a diverse array of interests and priorities within the organization. The working groups of NSPIRG are involved in many campus-based projects. If you are interested in starting your own working group - we are available to help with resources and contacts. Many of our working group projects or affiliate campaigns involve public events in collaboration with community groups working on common struggles. These include workshops, general meetings, teach-ins, protests, pickets, seminar courses, demonstration projects, concerts, and much more. Find out about our current events by subscribing to our newsletter. Contact us for more information.
HOW WE WORK: NSPIRG continually strives to operate within an anti-oppression framework. Power and privilege can play out in group dynamics in destructive ways. Working within an anti-oppression framework means challenging discriminatory practices which marginalize, exploit, exclude or de-humanize others. Privilege, like power can be used for positive purposes but should be used with awareness and care. We can only identify how power and privilege play out when we are conscious and committed to understanding how systems of oppression affect each one of us. NSPIRG is committed to being inclusive and accessible to all; we recognize the links between various forms of oppression and are actively opposed to discrimination on the basis of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, dis/ability, health, size, citizenship status, language and spiritual beliefs.
Our methods include involving staff, board members, working groups, and volunteers in anti-oppressive training; ensuring our policies extend from this fundamental commitment to anti-oppression; and putting participatory democracy into action through consensus-based decision-making.
As an organization committed to peace, justice, and equality, NSPIRG strives for transparency, accountability, and effectiveness. As a reflection of these values, NSPIRG is the only DSU society (we're both a provincial organization and a student society) that has a board elected by the student body as well as allowing for student-levy 'opt-outs'. Feedback and concerns are taken seriously by our board and we are happy to meet or correspond with concerned members.
Finally, NSPIRG believes that effective social change can only happen through direct participation, and we encourage all members to get involved and actively assist in creating a socially/environmentally sustainable campus and community.
For more information on NSPIRG, browse through our WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO and RESOURCES menus at the top of the page.
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