🇵🇸 We are Students for Palestine.
🚨 Take Action Right Now
The genocide in Gaza continues. Here's what you can do in the next 5 minutes:
What is Watermelon Club?
Watermelon Club is a student organizing movement making Palestine solidarity accessible and sustainable. Our mission is to centre Palestinian joy and creative activism! The watermelon (🍉) became a symbol of Palestinian resistance when displaying the Palestinian flag was criminalized. We reclaim it as a symbol of joyful resistance.
Why this still matters: Canada recognized Palestinian statehood on September 21, 2025, and a tentative ceasefire was reached October 10, 2025. This is progress, but recognition without action is hollow, and ceasefires without justice are temporary. The occupation continues. Settlements expand. Apartheid persists. Our work isn’t done until Palestinians have full liberation, right of return, and self-determination.
What you’ll find here: Palestine 101 (history, facts, myth-busting), Campus organizing toolkit (how to start your own Watermelon Club, weekly actions, creative activism), Take action resources (email your MP, donate, BDS campaigns), Support & safety (legal rights, digital security, mental health for organizers).
How to help: Start a Watermelon Club on your campus. Share this site with friends. Contribute resources or corrections to mail@berryhouse.ca. Most importantly: keep organizing.
Who we are: Created by students in Mohkínstsis (Calgary), maintained by Berry House. None of us are Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim—we center and amplify Palestinian voices, follow Palestinian-led movements like BDS, and build solidarity across communities. Jewish students and allies are central to this movement, including Jewish Voice for Peace and Independent Jewish Voices Canada.
Note: Criticism of Israeli government policies is not antisemitism—it is legitimate political speech grounded in human rights and international law. We oppose all forms of racism, including antisemitism.
🚨 Urgent Actions
Contact Your MP: Canada recognized Palestinian statehood September 21, 2025. Demand policy that matches this recognition. Priority: ceasefire demands, arms embargo on Israel, humanitarian aid access, accountability for violations of international law. Pre-Written Email Templates →
Support Humanitarian Relief: Donate to vetted Canadian organizations: Islamic Relief Canada (tax receipts available), UNRWA (UN refugee agency), Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (medical aid for children). All Donation Options →
Amplify Palestinian Voices: Follow and share Palestinian journalists and activists: Eye on Palestine, Quds News Network, Motaz Azaiza. Full list →
🎯 Choose Your Path
I Have 5 Minutes: Send pre-written email to MP, sign active petition, make a donation, share educational content. 5-Minute Actions →
I Have 1 Hour: Join campus organizing group, attend local meeting, take on weekly action (tabling, vigils), participate in BDS campaigns. 1-Hour Commitments →
I Want to Organize: Start divestment campaign, bring speakers to campus, take on leadership role, build coalitions. Organizing Toolkit →
📚 Core Resources
Campus Organizing Toolkit - Weekly Actions (tabling, vigils, film screenings, social media—step-by-step guides). Role Templates (Communications, Outreach, Research, Events, Finance—download templates). Strategic Campaigns (divestment 6-18 month timeline, bringing speakers, media engagement—campaign guides). Recent Canadian Success: Montreal—60 student associations, 46,000+ students mobilized. York & UOttawa faculty divestment motions passed.
Take Action Hub - Email Your MP (pre-written templates for ceasefire, arms embargo, humanitarian aid—templates). Donate (vetted Canadian humanitarian organizations—donation guide). BDS Campaigns (consumer boycotts, divestment targets, academic boycott—BDS resources). Challenge Media Bias (report biased coverage, write letters to editor—media accountability).
Educational Resources - Palestine 101 (what’s happening, key facts, historical moments—start here). Myth-Busting (common misconceptions debunked with sources—myths). Resources by Format: Documentaries (Five Broken Cameras, Al-Nakba), Books (Rashid Khalidi, Ilan Pappé, Noura Erakat), Podcasts (Citations Needed, The Dig, Palestine Deep Dive), Infographics (Visualizing Palestine, CJPME maps). All educational resources →
Support & Safety - Know Your Rights (protest rights in Canada, student free speech rights, what to do if contacted by law enforcement—legal resources). Digital Security (secure communications using Signal, protect your accounts, if you’re doxxed or harassed—security guide). Mental Health (burnout prevention, community care practices, crisis support—wellbeing resources). All support resources →
🌍 Find Groups Near You
National Organizations: Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (25 organizations across 13 major cities, find your local chapter), Canadian BDS Coalition (BDS campaigns across Canada), CJPME (factsheets, advocacy tools, campaigns), Faculty for Palestine Canada (academic network supporting Palestinian liberation).
Campus Groups: Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights - SPHR (Canadian campus network, established Montreal 1999, check if your campus has a chapter), Students for Justice in Palestine - SJP (350+ chapters across US/Canada, find or start a chapter).
| Calgary: Justice for Palestine Calgary (protests, events, community organizing—Facebook | Instagram), Watermelon Club 🍉 (student solidarity organizing, email mail@berryhouse.ca, website watermelonclub.org, a Berry House project, Instagram coming soon), Calgary Palestinian Council (cultural events, advocacy, community support), Jerusalem Council of Canada (advocacy, events, education). |
Support Local Palestinian Businesses: Jerusalem Shawarma (locally-owned Palestinian restaurant, authentic Middle Eastern cuisine), Run for Palestine - Calgary (annual fundraising and awareness event).
📊 Why This Matters
The Situation: West Bank under Israeli military occupation since 1967. Gaza under blockade since 2007 (described as “open-air prison”). Multiple human rights orgs (HRW, Amnesty, B’Tselem) document apartheid. This is genocide—the UN has recognized it. 5+ million Palestinians in West Bank/Gaza. 5+ million Palestinian refugees worldwide. Severe restrictions on movement, water, electricity. Ongoing violence and displacement.
International Law: Occupation is illegal. Settlements violate Geneva Conventions. Palestinians have right to self-determination.
Canadian Context: Canada recognized State of Palestine (Sept 21, 2025). Canadian companies and pension funds invested in complicit corporations. Student movements demanding divestment across Canada.
🎓 Why Student Organizing Matters
Recent Student Power: Montreal Student Strike (2025)—60 student associations, 46,000+ students demanding divestment from defense contractors, sustained multi-day strikes. Faculty Movements—York University Faculty Association divestment motion passed, University of Ottawa professors called for divestment, growing academic support for Palestinian rights.
Historical Context: Student movements historically drive social change. Anti-apartheid divestment in 1980s started on campuses. Students pressured institutions on fossil fuel divestment. Palestine solidarity is latest front in justice movements.
Your Power: Universities respond to organized student pressure. Coalition building amplifies impact. Skills you build transfer to lifelong organizing. You are part of global movement.
🔥 Featured Resources
Download Toolkits: Event planning checklist (6-week timeline), role descriptions and templates, divestment research guide, social media content calendar, press release templates. Access all toolkits →
Watch & Share - Essential Documentaries: “Five Broken Cameras” (Oscar-nominated, nonviolent resistance), “Al-Nakba” (4-part series on 1948), “1948: Creation & Catastrophe” (historical context). Film screening toolkit →
Stay Informed - Reliable News Sources: Middle East Eye, +972 Magazine, Mondoweiss, Electronic Intifada, CJPME (Canadian policy). Media literacy guide →
💪 Take Your First Step
Never organized before? Read Palestine 101, then pick one 5-minute action.
Have some knowledge? Join or start a campus group, attend a local meeting.
Ready to lead? Launch a divestment campaign or take on a coordinator role.
🤝 Connect With Us
Watermelon Club 🍉 - Email mail@berryhouse.ca, Website Berry House, Instagram coming soon.
Submit Resources: Have resources to add? Found broken links? Want to share your campus organizing success? Email mail@berryhouse.ca.
📢 About This Site
Who We Are: Created by student organizers in Mohkínstsis (Calgary), now maintained by Berry House. None of us are Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim—we center and amplify Palestinian voices.
Our Commitment: Center Palestinian voices and leadership. Provide actionable, practical resources. Focus on Canadian context. Regular updates and maintenance. Accessibility for all learners.
Our Principles: We oppose all forms of bigotry, including antisemitism. We make a clear distinction: Antisemitism is hatred or discrimination against Jewish people (OPPOSE). Anti-Zionism is political opposition to Zionism and Israeli policies (SUPPORT). Criticism of Israeli government policy is not antisemitism. Many Jewish students and allies are part of the Palestinian solidarity movement. Human rights are universal and non-negotiable.
Site Updates: Last Major Update: October 2025. Recent Additions: Campus organizing toolkit with role templates, email templates for MPs (updated for 2025-26 context), divestment campaign guide, digital security resources, mental health and burnout prevention. Next Updates: Province-specific organizing guides, video tutorials for key actions, multilingual resources (French), archive of successful campus campaigns.
🌟 Get Started
Choose your entry point: Learn (start with Palestine 101), Act (take action today), Organize (build power on campus), Stay Safe (know your rights and protect yourself).
Or jump straight to: Email your MP, find groups near you, download organizing toolkits, join campus group.
Share This Site: Share on social media: watermelonclub.org. Post in your campus groups. Email to friends interested in organizing. Add to resource lists.
Together, we build the movement for Palestinian liberation and justice for all.
🇵🇸 From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. 🇵🇸
Site maintained by student volunteers. Questions, corrections, contributions: mail@berryhouse.ca