The latest episode of The Divest Podcast features Julia DaSilva from the Leap Manifesto chapter at U of T, the second of three groups to organize divestment campaigns, after the Toronto350.org / UofT350.org campaign and before / concurrently with the faculty/union Divestment & Beyond campaign.
[5:25] Julia DaSilva: “The group fractured after that ultimate loss, and that fall there wasn’t really an active climate justice group on campus, except for a few college-specific ones.”
[18:59] Julia DaSilva: “They rely really heavily on student turnover. It was really important for Leap, when the institutional channels of going through the divestment policy were closed, to really focus on the everyday one-on-one student interactions, like doing a lot of canvassing and talking to people and building a student culture.”
[19:45] Julia DaSilva: “Taking the time to really build an organization that will last over the years is important always and generally, but critically in that context.”