Search Results

2SLGBTQ+ Mutual Aid Pod This group was created by Trans, Two spirit and Queer people with support of the SJC in 2020 , to organize mutual aid efforts during Snowmaggedon, and beyond. Our Community Aid Fund can be availed of for help with essentials including but not limited to: food, rent, utilities, gender affirming gear, etc. Our ability to help with a request depends on how much is in the fund, which fluctuates. We will do our best to help, but may not always be able to, even though we wish we could, because no one deserves to go without necessities. To request help from the fund, please email us at: 2slgbtqaidnl@gmail.com The 2SLGBTQ+ or "Queer" pod runs a small Community Aid Fund, hosts events online & in person, and connects community members to each other to build solidarity and facilitate mutual aid. You can help make a difference by donating to the Community Aid Fund: If you'd like to support, you can do so, here: donorbox.org/caf2020 Want to get involved in organizing mutual aid efforts with the 2SLGBTQ+ mutual aid pod? We'd love to have you join us. Reach out via our email: 2slgbtqaidnl@gmail.com for more information about getting involved, or to request a link for our next zoom meeting. All welcome! No experience expected :) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Publicly available community supports including helplines, mental wellness supports, COVID-19 information, and more. Start with 211 Looking for help navigating programs and services? 211 Website 211 is an Information, Assessment, Referral and Follow-Up service that can be the frontline in connecting people in Newfoundland and Labrador with valuable Government and Community-based programs and services, as well as the non-clinical health and social services. 211 can link people to supports for food, income and housing; seniors, people with disabilities, and newcomers; violence and abuse; mental health and addictions, and the list goes on. 211 is now another access point for the Public to find a naloxone distribution site near them! 211 is 24/7, 356 days a year, it can support over 150 languages, it is free and confidential, wait times are minimal, and we do warm transfers to clinical services and programs. All calls are answered by trained and certified professionals who are ready to listen, assess and advocate when needed. The 211 motto is: Help Starts Here. Domestic Violence Helpline If you're in an unsafe home situation or relationship, there is the Domestic Violence Helpline. The province-wide (Newfoundland and Labrador), toll free number is 1-888-709-7090. Call: 1-888-709-7090 Call Domestic Violence Helpline Did you know the Red Cross is offering support to self-isolators? If you don't have a safe place to isolate, or if you are isolating and need help with food or medication, give them a call and they can help you out. Call: 1-800-863-6582 Call Red Cross Domestic Violence Helpline Red Cross Helpline Bridge the gapP Mental Wellness online resources Bridge the gapp is an online resource designed to support mental wellness. You can visit https://bridgethegapp.ca to access age-appropriate programs and services that are available locally, confidential and free. Visit BridgeTheGapp.ca NL Public Health COVID-19 Information Take care of yourselves and one another, while following public health guidelines of course. You can find update guidelines from NL Public Health here: https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19 Visit gov.nl.ca/covid-19 GovNL.ca/Covid-19

statement < Back Statement in Solidarity with Palestine Jan 26, 2024 Free Palestine Action Team The Social Justice Co-op of Newfoundland and Labrador (SJCNL) Free Palestine Action Team recognizes that Canada and Israel are both settler colonial states built on stolen land. The struggle for social justice is not bounded by national borders; as we fight to dismantle colonialism in so-called Canada, we must also stand against colonialism abroad. In alignment with our principles of revolutionary care, we are committed to uplifting the voices of those most marginalized and we recognize that there is no justice or liberation without collective liberation. We organize in solidarity with the Palestinian people, whose struggle under a settler colonial system of domination has been ignored for too long. The Palestinian Territories—the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip—have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel imposes different legal, economic and security regimes on the people under its control based on their ethnicity, religion and place of residence. This system can only be described as Apartheid. Palestinians are denied many basic rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of movement and the right to vote. The ‘Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ is not a conflict between two equal nation-states. Only one side has an army, an air force, and a nuclear arsenal. Only one side has self-determination, sovereignty, and international recognition. Only one side has the unconditional support of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. To remain neutral in light of this asymmetry would be to uphold an unjust and unequal status quo. The Gaza Strip is a walled off piece of land smaller than the City of St. John’s but with more than 20 times the population. The majority of the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza are UN-registered refugees, the descendants of people who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel when that country was founded in 1948. Since 2005, Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade, destroying the territory’s economy. People and goods cannot enter or leave Gaza without specific permission from Israel. The unemployment rate is over 40%, and the majority of residents rely on humanitarian aid. As our members have called out in the past , Gaza is essentially an open-air prison. Israeli attacks on Gaza killed more than 5,000 Palestinians between 2005 and 2022; over the same period, Palestinian militants from Gaza killed some 180 Israelis. On October 7 th 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israeli communities and military bases near the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping over 200. In response, Israel’s bombing campaign has since killed over 25,000 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have indiscriminately struck homes, apartment buildings, mosques, churches, hospitals, schools, and bakeries. Israel has also imposed a severe blockade, preventing most food, water, and medicine from entering Gaza. The humanitarian situation inside the Gaza Strip is growing more desperate by the day as people run out of the basic necessities of life. One atrocity cannot be made right by committing another; Israel’s "war" on Gaza will only perpetuate a cycle of violence whose root causes remain unaddressed. True peace can only be achieved when there is justice, equality, dignity, and freedom for all people living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, regardless of ethnicity or religion. The longer the bombing, siege and occupation of Gaza continue, the farther away this prospect becomes. The current Israeli government is the most extreme in the country’s history. Israeli political leaders and military commanders have made repeated statements advocating for the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. These statements along with the indiscriminate violence unleashed on Gaza form the basis of the South African case against Israel, under the Genocide Convention, that is currently before the International Court of Justice. We welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s belated call for a “sustainable ceasefire”, but that is not sufficient. In spite of everything that has happened over the past 110 days, Canada remains a staunch ally of Israel, making all of us complicit in Israeli actions. The Government of Canada must end this complicity once and for all. We call on the Members of Parliament for Newfoundland and Labrador to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a lifting of the blockade on Gaza, a two-way arms embargo on Israel, and an end to the occupation and colonization of Palestinian land: Ken McDonald (Avalon), Churence Rogers (Bonavista-Burin-Trinity), Clifford Small (Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame), Yvonne Jones (Labrador), Gudie Hutchings (Long Range Mountains), Joanne Thompson (St. John’s East), and Seamus O’Regan (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl). The world is watching, and failure to act now will not be forgotten. Free Palestine Action Team Social Justice Co-op of Newfoundland and Labrador In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, we wish to acknowledge that our website is hosted by Wix.com Ltd., a company we have since learned is headquartered in Israel. In solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, we are currently pursuing alternative webhosting options. Previous Next

In Solidarity with the Sovereign Wet'suwet'en Nation Feb 27, 2020 The Social Justice Cooperative declares our complete and unconditional solidarity with the people of the sovereign Wet’suwet’en nation in their ongoing resistance to Canadian colonialism, as well as with all those who have taken action in support of the Wet’suwet’en nation following invasion by the RCMP. We demand an end to violence against Wet’suwet’en people and their allies in Wet’suwet’en territory and the immediate evacuation of Coastal GasLink. We demand that the RCMP leave Wet'suwet'en territories. We demand that all Wet’suwet’en land defenders, supporters and journalists who have been arrested in the past week be immediately released and all charges dropped. From all perspectives, the actions of the RCMP and Coastal Gas Link, supported by the BC and Canadian government, are illegitimate, immoral and unacceptable. Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink/TC Energy to do work on Wet’suwet’en lands. In addition to violent and blatant ignorance of the law and consent of Wet’suwet’en, the actions of the RCMP and Coastal Gas Link represent a clear rejection of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People and a clear violation of the spirit of past commitments to Truth and Reconciliation. It is unconscionable that the governments of BC and Canada are taking this action. Over the past decade, the Wet'suwet'en people have been providing people across Turtle Island with leadership in the fight against climate change and proper stewardship of lands and waters. Meanwhile, colonial governments across Turtle Island have consistently acted in the interest of the oil and gas industry, which will result in nothing but climate disaster of unimaginable devastation. We wish to express deep gratitude to the Wet’suwet’en people for the formidable vision and strength with which they have defended their people and territories from pipeline development. It is clear that your strength and commitment is unwavering and we support you completely . We also encourage people across Turtle Island to actively support the Wet’suwet’en people at this time of attack from colonial governments. We call on everyone to take any actions of solidarity you can, as often as you can, until the demands of the Wet’suwet’en people are met. Donate to Wet'suswet'en Unistoten Camp: https://unistoten.camp/support-us/donate/ Unistoten Camp Solidarity Toolkit: https://unistoten.camp/supportertoolkit2020/ Unistoten Needs List: https://unistoten.camp/support-us/wishlist-needslist/ P.S. Check out this coverage of the "pipeline building" demonstration that the SJC participated in at Minister O'Regan's office in February of 2020: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/supporters-protest-pipeline-1.5477873 Previous Next

2023 in Review

Our Team: Meet the Team BOARD OF DIRECTORS Daniel Miller - Co-Chair Brenda Walsh - Co-Chair Kerri Claire Neil - Treasurer Anne Malone - Director at Large Renee Dumaresque - Director at Large Laurel Huget - Director of Communications STAFF Our Team: Team Members Lea Mary Movelle They/them Volunteer Coordinator Lea grew up in a rural NL fishing family & has an educational background in political science & sociology from Memorial University. They've been the VC at the SJC since mid 2020. They are passionate about the power of community, friendship, mutual aid, & radical care to undermine the agonizing individualism of capitalism. Working for the SJC brings so much magic into their life & they couldn't be more grateful to the monthly donors who make their employment in the Revolution of Care possible! Lea recently moved back to their hometown on the Burin Peninsula, where they treasure a slower pace of life & time with family, including 4 precious nephews that bring so much joy & fun into their routine. Lea loves to read with the Anti-Capitalist x Activist Book club, grow veggies & flowers in the garden, play the ukulele, paint for the therapy of it, take wandering walks away from the bustle of traffic, sing out loud while washing the dishes, snuggle up with their 20 pound pur-monster, & dance to live music with loved ones.

Statement in Solidarity with Palestine Jan 25, 2024 Written by the Free Palestine Action Team The Social Justice Co-op of Newfoundland and Labrador (SJCNL) Free Palestine Action Team recognizes that Canada and Israel are both settler colonial states built on stolen land. The struggle for social justice is not bounded by national borders; as we fight to dismantle colonialism in so-called Canada, we must also stand against colonialism abroad. In alignment with our principles of revolutionary care, we are committed to uplifting the voices of those most marginalized and we recognize that there is no justice or liberation without collective liberation. We organize in solidarity with the Palestinian people, whose struggle under a settler colonial system of domination has been ignored for too long. The Palestinian Territories—the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip—have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel imposes different legal, economic and security regimes on the people under its control based on their ethnicity, religion and place of residence. This system can only be described as Apartheid. Palestinians are denied many basic rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of movement and the right to vote. The ‘Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ is not a conflict between two equal nation-states. Only one side has an army, an air force, and a nuclear arsenal. Only one side has self-determination, sovereignty, and international recognition. Only one side has the unconditional support of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. To remain neutral in light of this asymmetry would be to uphold an unjust and unequal status quo. The Gaza Strip is a walled off piece of land smaller than the City of St. John’s but with more than 20 times the population. The majority of the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza are UN-registered refugees, the descendants of people who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel when that country was founded in 1948. Since 2005, Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade, destroying the territory’s economy. People and goods cannot enter or leave Gaza without specific permission from Israel. The unemployment rate is over 40%, and the majority of residents rely on humanitarian aid. As our members have called out in the past , Gaza is essentially an open-air prison. Israeli attacks on Gaza killed more than 5,000 Palestinians between 2005 and 2022; over the same period, Palestinian militants from Gaza killed some 180 Israelis. On October 7th 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israeli communities and military bases near the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping over 200. In response, Israel’s bombing campaign has since killed over 25,000 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have indiscriminately struck homes, apartment buildings, mosques, churches, hospitals, schools, and bakeries. Israel has also imposed a severe blockade, preventing most food, water, and medicine from entering Gaza. The humanitarian situation inside the Gaza Strip is growing more desperate by the day as people run out of the basic necessities of life. One atrocity cannot be made right by committing another; Israel’s "war" on Gaza will only perpetuate a cycle of violence whose root causes remain unaddressed. True peace can only be achieved when there is justice, equality, dignity, and freedom for all people living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, regardless of ethnicity or religion. The longer the bombing, siege and occupation of Gaza continue, the farther away this prospect becomes. The current Israeli government is the most extreme in the country’s history. Israeli political leaders and military commanders have made repeated statements advocating for the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. These statements along with the indiscriminate violence unleashed on Gaza form the basis of the South African case against Israel, under the Genocide Convention, that is currently before the International Court of Justice. We welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s belated call for a “sustainable ceasefire”, but that is not sufficient. In spite of everything that has happened over the past 110 days, Canada remains a staunch ally of Israel, making all of us complicit in Israeli actions. The Government of Canada must end this complicity once and for all. We call on the Members of Parliament for Newfoundland and Labrador to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a lifting of the blockade on Gaza, a two-way arms embargo on Israel, and an end to the occupation and colonization of Palestinian land: Ken McDonald (Avalon), Churence Rogers (Bonavista-Burin-Trinity), Clifford Small (Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame), Yvonne Jones (Labrador), Gudie Hutchings (Long Range Mountains), Joanne Thompson (St. John’s East), and Seamus O’Regan (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl). The world is watching, and failure to act now will not be forgotten. Free Palestine Action Team Social Justice Co-op of Newfoundland and Labrador In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, we wish to acknowledge that our website is hosted by Wix.com Ltd., a company we have since learned is headquartered in Israel. In solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, we are currently pursuing alternative webhosting options. Previous Next

Prisoner Justice Projects The SJC believes in prison abolition and the fight to bring about a world beyond prisons and policing. We believe communities can work together to address harm and hold one another accountable through Restorative and Transformative approaches to justice. Below are some projects we are involved in to connect with, advocate for, and support incarcerated community members. Prison Pen Pal Project We are a group of volunteers building friend ships through letter writing with community members experiencing incarceration in provincial penitentiaries in NL. Learn More about Prison Pen Pal Project Running Down The Walls Join us on October 15th 2023 at 2-5pm for the first ever St John’s Running Down the Walls fun 5k run/jog/walk/strut/roll. Bring $10 to participate or fundraise a minimum of $10. We’ll have water and snacks for all participants! Event starts at 2pm NT at the Corrections Wellness Garden, 89 Forest Road. Social to follow at 5pm NT at the Benevolent Irish Society, 30 Harvey Road. Learn More about Running Down The Walls

Local Elementary Students Need a School Bus Right now in our community 29 children, most of them New Canadians, have no reliable transportation to their school, St. Andrew’s Elementary. Their neighbourhood, in the Crosbie Road area, is 1.6km from the school, which falls within the family responsibility zone . Only a few families have vehicles. Read more and learn how you can help below. Parents have no choice but to walk their children to school through heavy traffic. Students are missing school because they cannot get there safely. The route is not safe. During the winter, students, their parents, and preschool siblings are often forced to walk in the road. This is a commercial area with very high traffic volumes and busy intersections. Children are missing time from school because they cannot get there due to transportation barriers. We believe children in this area are being discriminated against because of their race, immigration status, and economic status. Their right to an education is being impeded by a school district that is refusing to work toward an equitable solution. The solution is simple, either add a bus route or make a second trip with one of the existing buses. We are calling upon the NLESD to provide transportation to and from school for children in this area. This is not unprecedented; there are 3 schools in the area, located within similar high-traffic commercial areas, that have bus stops well within the 1.6km limit. MEDIA COVERAGE CBC recently interviewed two St. Andrew's school councilors who are fighting to get a bus for students who cannot get to school safely. You can check out the article by clicking the button below: Read CBC coverage VIDEO TOUR Valleyview apartments on Crosbie Road to St. Andrew's Elementary on University Avenue JOIN THE CONVERSATION To connect with school councilors, parents, and teachers who are fighting for this bus for their children and students you can join the facebook group by clicking the button below: Go to facebook group

Activists Call on NL Gov to End No Fault Evictions, in wake of city's cruel treatment of Shirley Cox Join the Call First Name Last Name Email Write a message Submit Thanks! We'll add your name :) The City of St. John's issued a misleading statement regarding Shirley's eviction. Click the button below to read our response (and the city's original statement)... Read SJC Response In Oct 2022, we wrote an open letter to the City of St. John's urging them to reconsider evicting Shirley into homelessness. Click the button below to read it... Read Open Letter TikTok - @sjcnl709 Did the city of St. John's avail of its legal right to evict without cause because evicting Shirley for smoking outside the entrance of the building would have revealed their duty to ensure the smoking area for the building was wheelchair accessible? 🧐 #EndNoCauseEvictionsNL "It's reprehensible on the part of the city (of St. John's)" - MHA Jim Dinn on the eviction of Shirley Cox. In this interview Dinn also wonders if the city evicted Shirley without cause to avoid having to make the designated smoking area at her building wheelchair accessible. We think he's onto something there! 🧐 This is a punch in the gut to disability justice activists, who saw many current St John's city councillors co-opt the language of disability justice in their 2021 platforms, only to fail to speak up when it matters most. Shame on the City of St. John's. NL is 1 of only 2 provinces in Canada where this type of eviction is legal! Join the call to #EndNoCauseEvictionsNL #YYT #NLpoli despite calls to #KeepShirleyHome the City of St John's proceeded with her eviction yesterday as scheduled. Shirley is now in the shelter system. This is a time of great stress and fear for her. join us in calling for an END to no cause evictions in government run housing! NL is one of only 2 provinces in the country where an eviction like this is legal. let's change that so an unconscionable eviction like this can never happen in our province again! please share Shirley's story and join the call to end no cause evictions in gov run housing by using the hashtag #EndNoCauseEvictionsNL if you share the hashtag we will follow up when the petition is ready 💖📣 join us in our call to PUT AN END to NO CAUSE EVICTIONS in Non Profit Housing. email council@stjohns.ca to join us in asking for an END TO NO CAUSE EVICTIONS and cc Lea@SJCNL.org so we can see that you support this effort. ❤️ #KeepShirleyHome Don't be a Slumlord, City of St John's Non-Profit Housing. Stop the eviction of Shirley Cox! please share #KeepShirleyHome #YYT STOP 🛑 the EVICTION of Shirley Cox by her landlord...the city of St John's Non-Profit Housing! Please RT your support for Shirley with #KeepShirleyHome or email council@stjohns.ca to say STOP 🛑 the eviction of Ms Cox! Human chain anyone? Comment if you'd join a human chain around Shirley tomorrow Jan 31st! ⛓️🏡💖 We'll keep you posted! STOP 🛑 the EVICTION of Shirley Cox by her landlord...the city of St John's Non-Profit Housing! She hasn't been given a reason for her eviction. City housing is availing of a law that allows landlords to evict without cause. She is the ONLY person in at least the last 4 years (we found out thru an ATIP) to be evicted by City of St John's Non-Profit Housing with NO CAUSE! They're forcing a senior woman who uses a wheelchair into the shelter system during a housing crisis in the winter. This is MORALLY BANKRUPT. If you agree share this! Shirley is being evicted tomorrow. Help #KeepShirleyHome Who wants to make a human chain? Comment if you'd join a human chain around Shirley!

Get Involved! Join The Movement Get Involved: Welcome Come Say Hi! We are happy to provide a variety of ways to start getting involved, from our Monthly General Meeting to a personalized chat with our Welcoming Committee. We also have numerous monthly meetings and public events that anyone is welcome to come to! Lunch 'n Learn with Lea Join our staff, Lea, for lunch every week on Wednesdays for 2pm to say hi or discuss projects further. Email Us Monthly General Meeting Find out what we're up to! We meet online on the 2nd Thursday at 7:00pm NT every month Email Us Welcoming Committee Looking for the best place to volunteer your skills? Book a session with our Welcoming Committee! Email Us Get Involved: Programs Not sure where to start? We're here to help :) Volunteer Form Help us get to know you better by completing our volunteer form & our Volunteer C oordinator will reach out to you. Community Calendar Subscribe To Our Calendar Become A Member The SJCNL is a not-for-profit, member-owned co-operative. Become a member and vote at our upcoming AGM! Join Get Involved: Welcome Join our Anti-Capitalist x Activist Book Club! Join our book club to read about capitalist oppression and what we can do to resist. We read about 50 pages/week and meet once a week at 7:30pm (exact date changes week to week depending on our schedules). Email for more information Donate You can help us keep momentum going by sponsoring our work. Independent donors allow us an uncompromising political voice! Over the coming decade, we will need to educate, advocate, and organize with as much courage, conviction, and independent funding as we can muster! Donate Here

Land Back Fest Community gathered with the Indigenous Activist Collective in Bannerman Park on July 1 to celebrate Land Back Movements and Indigenous Peoples. Thank you to everyone who joined! Why celebrate colonial genocide when we can come together to celebrate and demand the return of Indigenous lands to Indigenous hands!? Have a look at these beautiful people and learn what inspired them to show up. <3 Just click on the photos to enlarge them. read captions, and image descriptions.

Activist Film Collective to host Online Screening of Three Promises Apr 10, 2024 The Activist Film Collective would like to thank all those who helped us meet our fundraising goal to cover licensing and platform fees for an online provincial movie night screening of Three Promises by Yousef Srouji. Film Synopsis: "While the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank in the early 2000s, a mother films her family's daily life, punctuated by time spent shielding her family from harm in the basement. Now, her son revisits this past, delivering a heart-breaking portrait of the anguish of parents who are forced to choose between their children’s physical safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home." The organizing team is still in the process of deciding on a date. We welcome more volunteers to join us! Please email activistfilmcollective@gmail.com if you'd like to join the organizing team or for more info on volunteering. To register to receive an invitation to the event once a date as been decided, please submit the following form: To stay in touch with the Activist Film Collective you can follow us on instagram and facebook @activistfilmcollective Previous Next