The purpose of the IDSSA is to provide students and faculty with opportunities to engage with the International Development Studies (IDS) community at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) as well as with other post-secondary institutions. The main functions IDSSA performs for IDS students are: 1) Advocate for all IDS students on academic matters, bringing issues to the Centre for Critical Development Studies. 2) Organize academic, social, and professional events such as the Critical Hope Lecture, Holiday Sweater Social, IDS Career Panel, and the IDS Case Competition, in order to enrich the IDS student experience and help cultivate a stronger IDS community within UTSC. 3) Act as a liaison between the Centre for Critical Development Studies, IDS Faculty, the Scarborough Campus Students' Union, other IDS related academic departments and IDS students to strengthen communication and collaboration. 4) Connect with other student organizations on campus and out off campus to get involved in the larger IDS community. 5) Offer services to our members such as providing access to volunteer opportunities and various academic resources.