Working Groups are groups of volunteers who choose to focus on a particular issue or set of issues. The membership and specific goals of the working groups can vary with time in order to reflect the interests of the members and to remain topical. It is also possible for volunteers to form new working groups in order to address new issues.
Working groups are essentially collectives -groups of people who voluntarily agree to work together on a common issue towards a common goal while sharing responsibilities and decisions equally. OPIRG uses the “working group” model in order to achieve:
More Impact:
The power of a lot of people working together is enough to make changes where one person can do very little.
More Ideas, Energy, and Hope:
It's easier to keep working on issues against seemingly insurmountable odds when you're doing it with others who want things to change too
More Issues:
Rather than the board of directors or staff deciding what issues and projects should be undertaken, participants choose. Everyone becomes involved in social change because a particular issue has touched their life.
What does OPIRG offer Working Groups?
Training:
Working Groups can request workshops from OPIRG including: anti-oppression, consensus-based decision making, how to use the media to your advantage, leadership training, grant writing, and zine-making.
Financial Sponsorship:
Approved working groups receive (modest) base of funding from OPIRG.
Meeting Space and Resources:
Working Groups may use the OPIRG office or the Alternative Resources Library for meetings. OPIRG has a photocopier, a button-maker, and many more resources that working groups can use either free or at cost.
Events Promotion:
OPIRG helps working groups in promoting their actions by posting events/news on the OPIRG website and sending working group information out with the OPIRG e-newsletter (membership 1000).
The Working Group Application can be found in the documents section, as well as a sample to provide a guideline when forming a proposal. Click "Next" below for more information on the responsiblities of working groups and the support offered by OPIRG.
About Working Groups 
What is an OPIRG Working Group?