QPIRG-McGill is always seeking students who are interested in doing action-oriented, social justice research, either as part of their studies or independently. We facilitate this research through the Community University Research Exchange (CURE). CURE facilitates research collaborations between university students and grassroots community groups. The program was formed as a response to concrete research needs voiced by community groups lacking resources. Through CURE, we wish to channel the resources and privilege of the University towards groups working for social change, and to provide resources for students to perform relevant, action-oriented academic work.

Through the administrative infrastructures already in place at McGill, Concordia and UQAM, students may complete a CURE research project as an independent study course, internship, or thesis advised by a departmental professor, or as a term project for an upper-level class. By connecting students to non-profit community groups with limited resources, we hope to encourage and support academic research that is socially relevant.

CURE operates on the principle that the University is an institution which maintains systems of privilege and oppression around race, class, and neocolonialism. By redirecting resources to groups and individuals in need of theory, information, and the energy to supply them, CURE encourages students to acknowledge their institutional advantage, and convert it into a useful tool for political action.

To learn more or find out how you can get involved with the program, please contact our CURE coordinator.