OPIRG is represented on important campus and community partnerships that strengthen our impact and allow mutually rewarding contributions from OPIRG and our partner organizations

CURRENT PARTNERSHIPS

McMaster Community Poverty Initiative

The McMaster Community Poverty Initiative (MCPI) was formed in 2007 by concerned faculty, staff, and students who were interested in expanding McMaster’s role in addressing local conditions of poverty.

President's Advisory Committee on Building and Inclusive Community

Identify and anticipate issues affecting equity-seeking communities both within the University and relevant to those seeking access to the University, and advise the President on such issues.

Anti-Violence Network

The Anti-Violence Network is a group of students, staff and faculty who, since March 1997, have met to share concerns, offer support and coordinate efforts against violence on campus.

Our Future Hamilton

Our Future Hamilton is a collaborative place where people work together and make a positive impact on the community.

Featured Partnership

Visit Disable the Difference

Disable the Difference

Disable the Difference is a student group dedicated to helping disabled youth through programming, research, policy advocacy, and friendship

We are committed to providing accessible and free virtual programming for youth with disabilities to combat loneliness, foster friendship, and facilitate academic growth during the pandemic. We are currently running two programs, a buddy program and a tutoring program, and we are so grateful to have a community of over 200 disabled youth and volunteers involved.

We also aim to promote the meaningful and equitable education of individuals with disabilities as well as advocate for individuals and families whose voices are not being heard. Through special education research and policy advocacy, we aim to improve special education locally and provincially.

Lastly, we are passionate about raising awareness about disabilities through blog posts and podcast discussions with youth, parents, academics, educators, and policymakers. We hope to educate folks about how to be better advocates and active supporters of the disabled community.

To engage with our work, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram @disablethedifference!

Visit Disable the Difference

PREVIOUS PARTNERSHIPS

Go to the Street Tree Project Blog

Hamilton Street Tree Project

A partnership with the City of Hamilton Forestry Department

A pilot project in 2013, the Street Tree Project developed into a five-year partnership with the city of Hamilton’s street tree programme so the project could target communities with higher than average poor air quality in a door to door campaign to sign people up for a free street tree.

OPIRG hired a student to coordinate the door to door campaign each year. Thanks to the work of McMaster students Jonathon Valencia (2013), Krista Kruja (2014), Harshal Patel (2015), Hannah Walters-Vida (2016) and Chelsea Lowes (2017) we garnered 278 Street Tree requests from residents in the lower city with a four year average of 82% of the requests planted!

Beyond the partnership with the City of Hamilton Forestry department, the Street Tree Project also created valuable connections with:

- - - - Environment Hamilton where we joined the Air and Tree Taskforce made up of community groups like the Hamilton Naturalist Club as well as City of Hamilton staff from Forestry and Climate Change departments et al
        
        McMaster’s Research Shop conducted research for us on best-practices with door-to-door campaigning
        
        City Councillors in wards three and four (Councillors Bernie Morelli, Matthew Green and Sam Merulla)
        
        Neighbourhood hubs in Keith and Crown Point, et al
        
        And the volunteers and people in the neighbourhoods who helped create a greener and cleaner airshed