People for Public Ed – Pop-Up Picnics (2023)

People for Public Ed is a non-partisan group of educators, academics, parents, guardians, and members of the general public committed to promoting public education in Manitoba. They believe that public education should: be equitable, justice-oriented, and accessible to all; be proudly, consistently, and robustly publicly-funded; provide equal opportunities for students; represent public decision-making, in public; and serve the public interest.

In September of 2022, People for Public Ed, hosted their first Picnic for Public Ed where they provided space to have meaningful dialogue about the threats to public education in their province.

On Sunday, September 17, 2023, People for Public Ed are encouraging people across Canada to host their own Pop-Up Picnic for Public Ed event in their local parks. These picnics will  demonstrate a national commitment to the broader project of public education.

Across Canada, there are well coordinated efforts to undermine public education through increased privatization and marketization. The reformers are centrally organized, but the resistance is not. The purpose of this event is to demonstrate some of the parallel tactics and impacts between provinces, and to signal a united response.

Looking to Host a Pop-Up Picnic:

• Sign Up HERE to indicate your plans to host a picnic on Sunday, September 17, 2023. The sign-up list will be used to share materials with hosts and also to create a map that outlines the locations of all the picnics across Canada.
• Choose a comfortable place to host your picnic. Public spaces such as local parks are strongly encouraged.
• Invite friends, family, neighbours and community members to attend.
• Share your experiences on social media using the hashtag:
  #PicnicForPublicEd2023.
• Contact your local media outlet to let them know that you are participating in Pop-Up Picnics for Public Ed.

People for Public Ed will send a Pop-Up Picnic Toolkit to each person that registers. This will include themes for discussion, a logo, some suggested picnic activities, and a sample media release that can be shared with local media outlets explaining the idea behind the pop-up picnics.