March 15, 2012 is the third national Bottled Water Free Day. In March 2010 Canadians first marked the day though the annual campaign had been in the works since 2005. The day was created to raise awareness about sustainable water, the waste involved in the processing of bottled water and how safe bottled water really is. In 60 campuses and communities across Canada, activists participated in campaigns against the proliferation and privatization of bottled water.

Why bottle-free

Creating a student union is as tough as organizing in any other workplace. It also presents unique challenges. Building solidarity amongst students who come from all walks of life can be difficult. The size of the school can also be intimidating. How do you reach and unite all those people? It is possible.

Unions are more than student adovacy.They create service centres for specific student needs, rally against the adminstration and return power to the studnets. Whereas univerities and colleges have an easy time exploiting or oppressing individuals, students can make a difference if they band together. There are some great resource guides available for getting students organizing together.

Resources

Ryerson Students are being put under more and more turmoil with tuition costs, increasing textbook and rent cost and at the same time finding it harder and harder to find fair-paying part-time employment to support themselves.

With the Student Day of Action upon us, we are planning a campout in front of the Ryerson Student Centre on the eve of the campout.
We are commencing the campout in front of the Student Centre at 6:30pm. We will have some speakers throughout this night of student solidarity. The event will be a Potluck so bring yourselves and your food.

Mobilizing students can be difficult. Throughout university student begin to question their beliefs and understandings of the world. Some may become activists, others might not see themselves as playing a role in a political context.

Just like other forms of public engagement, canvassing students start with crafting a good strong message and having an idea of who you want to attract. Advertise the specific skills needed in your campaign, i.e social media expert, event planner etc.

However the student environment can be tricky to navigate. Residence buildings offer a great opportunity to talk to many students in a short time.

On February 1, the Drop the Fees campaign begins, supported by the Canadian Federation of Students. Marked with large marches, demonstrations and protests, the campaign continues throughout the year.