"International Student Movement"

Montreal (Canada)
North American Regional Meeting

Several groups at Concordia University in Montreal (Canada), including Free Education Montreal and the People's Campus Coalition, would like to invite you or members of your group to a conference in Montreal this March 4-6.

The purpose of this conference would be to strengthen ties among student activists fighting for free, accessible and emancipatory education in North America, and to discuss coordination and strategy around the Spring of Resistance (http://www.emancipating-education-for-all.org/SoR_2011).
Proposed activities include a training session from one of the province-wide Quebec student unions, skillshares and workshops, a bike/walking tour, and of course a couple nights on the town.

We will try to keep costs as low as possible at all times - billets are available, although we don't have enough information yet to guarantee billets for everyone, and we can organize low-cost group meals. Transport and other personal costs must be paid by participants.
There is however, no fee.

Given time constraints, please RSVP to this address () by February 21st so that we have time to find you a billet if possible. Please also send us a short bio including the group you're involved with, or if you aren't yet involved with a group or trying to start one up, your goals for the Spring of Resistance. And if you would like to propose a skillshare/workshop let us know as soon as possible. We'll inform everyone if they have a billet by February 25th, hopefully along with a finalized itinerary.

Activities would start in the evening on Friday March 4th and end in the evening on Sunday March 6th - billets would be available for three nights, until Monday morning.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions or concerns - we've never done this before but are really looking forward to it!

Holly
Free Education Montreal
http://freeeducationmontreal.org

event page on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202890869720918

---------------------------------------

:::Tentative Schedule:::

-- Friday, March 4th
...
5:00pm - Early dinner and introductions
6:00pm - Updates from each group, what are they planning for Spring of Resistance etc.
8:00pm - Drinks around Concordia – Brutopia?


-- Saturday, March 5th

10:00am Training with ASSE, 2 hours plus discussion*
1:00pm - Lunch
2:00pm - Radical walking tour of Concordia area, possibly Little Burgundy and the South-West
4:00pm - History of Neoliberalism and the context of ‘austerity’ budgets*
6:00pm - History of the Student Movement in Quebec (esp. how they have achieved tuition freezes)
7:30pm - Dinner
8:30pm - Going out on St-Laurent/Plateau (Bily Kun?)/Mile-End (Helm?)?


-- Sunday, March 6th

10:00am - Workshop on Sit-ins, Occupations and Office Take-Overs: The Basics*/Planning a demonstration
12:00pm - Open discussion on organizing groups and mobilizing: tips, successes, failures*
2:00pm - Lunch
3:00pm - Media training* / Basic graphic design
4:30pm - Facilitation training/ other?
6:00pm - Dinner
8:00pm - Last night ideas?

* Items marked with a star have a confirmed facilitator. The others we have someone in mind, except we could use help with graphic design and with an idea for the last workshop. On the second day we will have 2 at a time. Please give your suggestions!