APIRG: Alberta Public Interest Research Group

About APIRG

APIRG is a PIRG. PIRG stands for Public Interest Research Group. PIRGs are student organizations based on the premise that students are citizens, and as such, part of their education should include recognizing and engaging in societal problems. PIRGs exist to provide training, support, and opportunities for students to be active citizens in their communities. Through involvement with PIRGs, thousands of Canadian students have learned skills in consensus decision-making, group facilitation, events organizing, media relations, and community-based research. These skills help individuals to act effectively in the public interest.

PIRGs are student-based, student-funded, student-run, student-directed and community-minded. They are democratic, independent, non-partisan, and non-profit to ensure that students are able to work on issues of importance to them without fear of censure.

APIRG supports student research, education and action initiatives by providing funding and support to student working groups. We provide the administrative, informational and technological resources to help students transform social concern into effective action. We also facilitate opportunities for skill development through internships,educational events, public campaigns and partnerships with community organizations.

Download: Services APIRG Provides [108k]

What Do PIRGs Do?

Since PIRGs are student-directed, the specifics of what PIRGs do depend on the interests of the students who are involved. Most PIRG projects are coordinated by student-initiated Working Groups. The PIRG provides resources to organize students and members of the community into Working Groups that work to translate student concern into educated and effective action.

While board members, as student volunteers, may identify projects and programs for the PIRG, their primary role, along with staff members, is to support the interests of students in the working groups.

PIRGs give busy students the opportunity to take effective action to improve their communities by providing resources, training, ideas, and the staff support needed to allow students to devote their time to the issues that they choose. PIRGs also work with students to organize educational events on public interest issues and coordinate research in collaboration with university departments, professors, and the community.

 

 

What we do / About APIRG