Working in Niagara since 1988, OPIRG Brock is a social, economic, and environmental justice organization, based in St. Catharines. OPIRG Brock hosts and supports events, campaigns, initiatives and organizing groups, both on Brock campus and throughout Niagara. Connecting the issues on campus and in the broader community sits as the primary function of OPIRG Brock. This work is always guided by the principles of intersectional anti-oppression that prioritizes the voices and narratives of marginalized communities.

A consensus-run organization, OPIRG Brock is run by a volunteer Board of Directors, one permanent staff, one bookkeeper, and a range of volunteer teams and placement students. OPIRG Brock is one of the 12 chapters working across Ontario, and even more across Canada and the United States.

If you are looking to become an OPIRG Brock membership holder, please fill in the 2022 OPIRG Brock Membership Form. Following the completion of this form, your membership will be sent to our Board of Directors, and you will be contacted to pay the membership fee. By holding an OPIRG Brock membership, you are able to run or apply for the OPIRG Brock Board of Directors and vote in the Annual General Meeting on April. To maintain a membership-in-good-standing, you must agree to and uphold the OPIRG Brock Safer Space Policy, as well as other relevant OPIRG Brock policies.

Upon membership approval and paying this fee will result in a membership to OPIRG Brock until December 31, 2020. There are a range of options for membership fees ($0, $10, or $20). If paying the membership fee creates a financial barrier for you from being a member of OPIRG Brock, please choose the option of a 'Community Support Membership'.

Historically, OPIRG Brock has hosted multiple community spaces throughout the St. Catharines downtown, and co-hosted initiatives like documentary series, bike repair spaces, and community resource infoshops. Similarly, at Brock, OPIRG Brock has acted as a leading partner on social justice initiatives -- such as co-founding the campus garden space and the Brock Student Justice Centre. Connected to a larger network of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) throughout Ontario, OPIRG Brock functions as a consensus run organization, with a volunteer Board of Directors made up of students and community activists, permanently employing one staff, and providing financial support to a wide range of projects and campaigns throughout the region.

In recent years, OPIRG Brock has put greater emphasis in developing as a leader and partner of community initiatives. Some of these projects include two volumes of the DisOrientation Guide to Niagara, which is the first community resource of its kind, focused on showcasing local alternatives to mainstream spots and covering everything from green spaces to community events, to services and places to get involved throughout the Niagara region.

Current Projects (most of which need funding to continue):
- Niagara Free Store
- Anti Oppression Workshop Series
- Titillating Talks Series
- Community Toolbox Series
- Free Naloxone Harm Reduction Trainings
- DisOrientation Guide to Niagara
- Consulting with community activist groups in Niagara
- The Coming Out Monologues
- Two BrockU Community Garden Plots

Future Projects we would love to add:
- OPIRG Brock Publications (support for organizations and individuals about self publishing community resources and/or creative projects)
- Collective run community centre
- Action Group Community Fund

Groups and committees OPIRG Brock currently works with:
- OPIRG Provincial Network
- Positive Living Niagara
- Willow Arts Community
- OutNiagara
- Niagara Social Justice Coalition ('Impacts of Ford in Niagara' Campaign)
- Niagara Reproductive Justice
- Justice for Workers Niagara
- Niagara Tenants Union
- James Street Markets
- BrockU's PACHRED (President's Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity, & Decolonization)