Awesome Foundation - Проекти

Sarnia (Неактивен) – Outdoor Community Ice Rink

2015-02-07T00:00:00Z

Our students and parents would like to build and maintain an outdoor community ice rink on the school playground! The students have brainstormed where we would get materials, the benefits of an outdoor ice rink, how to maintain it, and even some rules for use. Sarnia has a few indoor rinks, some of which have free skating time, but this outdoor rink would provide an opportunity for neighborhood families to enjoy skating outside for no cost. As many kids are being drawn more and more to sitting in front of screens (especially in the winter), this is also a great way to promote exercise and develop a new hobby for many kids and families! The school has a very large playground area and is in a location accessible to many people. We have planned a spot near the school building that has access to an outdoor water source necessary to flood the rink. We would like to build it with an area of at least 60 ft by 100 ft to ensure a large surface that would welcome many community members. The rink would be built and maintained by parent and student volunteers. Our class has come up with a shoveling schedule with students taking responsibility for taking care of the surface, along with parents who have committed to building, flooding, and shoveling the ice surface. The rink would be available for students to use at recess, along with after school and on weekends for anyone to come and enjoy skating in the great outdoors! We realize that Sarnia's winter climate does not always lend itself to keeping an outdoor rink frozen all winter. This is why we have a plan of putting down asphalt and turning it into a lacrosse rink for the rest of the year, further promoting outdoor community play! We think this is a fantastic way to work together as both a school and city community and promote exercise!

Lusaka (Неактивен) – Kuya Kwile

2015-02-06T00:00:00Z

60.5% of the Zambian population is considered “poor” with widowed women and orphaned children constituting 80% of this group. Often times, these widows become the sole providers for a household overnight are left vulnerable without tangible skills and limited educational experiences to provide for their families effectively. We aim to empower vulnerable women through skilled-based training and entrepreneurial development focused on knitting skills, product development, and sales. We will provide access to mechanical knitters, crochet hooks, and high-quality yarn for women to produce a minimum of 200 knitted/crocheted items per month to be sold through Kuya Kwile, a social enterprise program, which will then reinvest the profits into the training program to empower more women. A pilot program to assess the feasibility of the idea was conducted in 2012 resulting in the online sales of approximately 100 scarves in one week, resulting in a total gross profit of K10,000 (+/-US$2000). Moving forward, referring to the lessons learned from the pilot program, I have formalized the pilot project into a longer-term program, and have placed a new, strengthened admin team to support production and sales. The existing program has already provided the women with a tangible skill. The addition of the social enterprise framework allows for additional skills development in team building and business development thus providing a foundation for future financial sustainability.

Lusaka (Неактивен) – EcoZambia

2015-02-06T00:00:00Z

EcoZambia is a citizen initiative designed to provide the general public with information on how to live greener in Zambia. The initiative was born out of the difficulty faced by Zambian residents to gather reliable information on how to live in an eco-friendly manner within their local context. As such, EcoZambia is meant to become an online platform to assist Zambian residents live in greener way through the compilation, sharing, and exchange of information via the EcoZambia website. The website will include 3 sections: 1. Recycling and waste management: How waste management is organized in Zambia/Lusaka, as well as what, where, and how we can recycle waste in the country 2. Eco-friendly products and services: what eco-friendly products and services are available in the country 3. Eco-tips: tips on eco-friendly and non-toxic house care and body-care We are currently in the process of developing the website and plan on launching it on 8th January 2015. As we consider education to be the key to promoting sustainable green living, we would also like to develop school workshops under the EcoZambia platform. Our members would run these workshops during scheduled classroom visits to discuss various ecological issues. EcoZambia is not a marketing platform, but only an independent information platform. We do not charge a fee to write articles about our partners as we wish to remain independent and to choose whom to partner with. We try all the services and products we talk about and select our partners according to their reliability and quality of services. EcoZambia is a non-profit initiative. However, we do not request for grants from international donors and NGOs as it is important to us to remain as a simple ‘citizen initiative’, demonstrating that a few people can make a change just by working on their own. In this regard, a grant from another citizen initiative such as The Awesome Foundation, would be perfectly in line with our vision.

San Francisco, CA – Land Action Squatter House Prototype

2015-02-06T00:00:00Z

In Oakland, California there are numerous abandoned lots throughout much of the city. Many of these properties have unpaid taxes that exceed the market value of the property. This has created a situation where neither the owner of record not government agencies are able to make productive use of these properties within existing market or governmental structures. Simply put these abandoned lots exist in a permanent state of legal limbo. The city of Oakland does not have the resources to use eminent domain, and because the city does not possess title to these properties previous efforts by community groups to access these properties have likewise been unsuccessful. As these lots lie vacant, the Bay Area is in the midst of a historic housing crisis. However Land Action has been successful establishing projects on these sites using their experience occupying abandoned properties. With Land Action’s knowledge and strategies architects Carl Petersen and Marcus Owens have developed a design for a “tiny-house” with a square footage below the requirements for any permitting from the city. This house is constructed of free and low-cost materials but provides a safe and healthy living space and can be placed on a lot with one or two other structures, including one functioning as a “wet house” featuring a flush toilet, shower, and kitchen. These structures are part of a larger vision of an urban micro-farming network that utilizes untapped and otherwise inaccessible resources while providing housing in a region where low income housing is difficult to access. The Land Action garden at 3700 West Street in Oakland is based on this concept. By providing rent free housing in exchange for stewardship Land Action will seek to collaborate with activists engaged in housing struggles as well as environmental and health concerns.

Liverpool – Flag For Liverpool

2015-02-03T00:00:00Z

Liverpool deserves its own flag! I am running a competition to find a design for a Flag For Liverpool at flagforliverpool.org. At present we have four designs. We are hoping to emulate the success seen in the Black Country. They adopted a flag in 2012, 1000s of copies have been printed and it can regularly been seen flying. It has even been incorporated into the shirt of a local darts player! The plan is to run the competition and get Liverpool City Council to accept the new design. Then the city of Liverpool will have a flag to call its own!

Kitchener-Waterloo – Communal Dining Event: Feds Food Bank

2015-02-03T00:00:00Z

Our Food Bank recognizes the need to address larger issues underlying the function of our service. Currently, we function as an emergency model that provides temporary relief to students. However, we want to bring larger issues such as student poverty, hunger, health and debt to student’s and administration’s attention. We know that providing temporary relief does not solve the problem and we need to consider strategies on campus to provide long-term relief to students who need our assistance. In our long-term plan, the Food Bank would like to expand to provide long-term assistance. We intend to create more community awareness around our cause, uniting students in discussion and purpose. To break the stigma of Food Bank use, we need to normalize these issues. We also feel it is important to expand into providing healthier food for students. Currently, we only offer non-perishable goods. Nutrition is essential to learning and health living. We believe that a Food Bank should offer more dignity to users. By doing so, healthy fresh and frozen foods is a tenet of the Food Bank’s long-term goals. Finally, we believe that food preparation skills are essential for students. We believe it is important to provide skills for students to rely on instead of relying on others for help. We intend to hold an event that unites all of our long-term goals. This would be called our Communal Dining event. We propose to hold this event in a public space (our student centre) for students, free of charge. We want to create a safe space to enjoy fresh, local food. Students will be provided this meal and asked to sit down with fellow students at picnic tables in this space. There, conversation will be facilitated by volunteers about student poverty, debt and the future for our Food Bank. We believe this event is important to initiate conversation about these hard issues to normalizing them among students – making it easier to discuss and eventually, easier to propose solutions.

Atlanta, GA – Travel abroad to make positive change

2015-02-02T00:00:00Z

If you've traveled in developing countries, you know that it can be difficult to confidently step off the plane or bus and connect directly with local people not in the traditional travel guide, and trust that your tourism dollars have a positive impact on the communities you visit. Conversely, local people in these contexts often have a valuable trade, skill, or knowledge base to offer - and are looking for opportunity - but lack ways of marketing themselves to travelers online. Vayando is a tool to change that. Vayando is an Atlanta based social enterprise that connects curious travelers with micro-entrepreneurs in emerging economies around the world. We provide an online marketing platform for micro-entrepreneurs that have interest and motivation in sharing local knowledge, activities, experience, and skills to connect directly with curious travelers visiting their areas. Travelers get a secure and immersive experience while local entrepreneurs gain opportunity to build their own small business. Vayando coordinates with reputable in-country field-partner organizations - such as Peace Corps, Oxfam, and Care International - to identify motivated and reputable entrepreneurs and work with them in creating an online profile. The vast majority of micro-entrepreneurs have never been online, but have a marketable skill and also own a basic cell phone. Travelers browse through profiles in the country they are traveling and book experiences with these individuals, or the cooperatives they are members of. Bookings are easily confirmed and managed through Vayando's integrated online and SMS based platform. Payment is made securely via mobile money. Entrepreneurs only need to be able to receive and send text messages. According to the Deputy Director of micro-finance at the United Nations: "Vayando is an effective approach to help bridge the last mile of tourism, bringing tourism dollars directly to the local level."

Awesome Without Borders (Неактивен) – PERFORM/oil and duct tape installation

2015-02-02T00:00:00Z

PERFORM is a solo exhibition presented at Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery at Nassau Community College that explores the roles of virtual and actual audiences in the digital age. The exhibition features large-scale oil paintings alongside a site-specific duct tape installation. The work explores a world in which people are increasingly absorbed in virtual communication, and subsumed in the urge to project on social media. The images examine the pressure to constantly record and display the most obscure moments of the day, or to announce the self as a witness to significant moments. The images extend beyond the canvas and into the space itself as I combine oil paintings and use duct tape to ‘paint’ directly on the walls. I use the subtle differences in tone and transparency to mold tape into figures and forms. Beyond its sculptural qualities, the tape also implies something precarious or temporary, speaking to the tension between the craving for connection and the fickleness of virtual communication. The tension between anonymity and individuality, between authenticity and performance that are at the center of the show will also be the focus of two lectures that I will be offering in conjunction with the exhibition. The first, an artist talk, will focus on the creative process itself. The second, as part of the Human Rights Conference at Nassau Community College, will focus on art and social activism. The lectures are designed to engage NCC students and faculty and are open to the public. The immersive nature of the installation is an invitation to slow down, and spend a contemplative moment in this space. In a reality where we are increasingly watching and being watched, ‘PERFORM’ speaks to the necessity of observing anew the audiences and performances that shape our every day.

Ann Arbor, MI – WICIR teen group mural project

2015-02-01T00:00:00Z

The Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR) teen group, formally known as the Teen Empowering Advocacy Movement (TEAM), seeks funding for their spring/summer 2015 mural project. TEAM developed in 2010 in response to needs identified by the WICIR community. It began as a support group for youth from mixed-status families impacted by immigration enforcement. The group consists of youth who are undocumented themselves and/or have experienced the detainment or deportation of a close family member. In 2014, TEAM shifted from a therapeutic support group to an activist group focused on advocacy for fair immigration policy, as chosen by the teens. Through first learning community organizing strategies, legislative processes, public speaking skills, and effective collaboration with elected officials, the youth successfully engaged at the city and county level with immigration policy change. After an active year of organizing and civic engagement, the teens and their adult allies identified that for 2015, TEAM needs to return to its focus as a support group and therapeutic space due to challenges faced by many of the teens. However, the teens do not want to lose momentum in their activism. Thus, to combine these two efforts, the group would like to engage in a mural project as both art activism, team-building, and art therapy. TEAM has partnered with Dos Hermanos market in Ypsilanti as the location for their mural. The twice-a-month teen group meetings for the spring/summer 2015 will be devoted to learning about murals and Latina/o muralists, engaging in self-reflection and diversity activities, creating a collective vision, and the painting of the mural. The teens hope that the final product will be a vivid, thought-provoking representation of their community’s immigrant experience and their personal hopes and reflections.

Moscow (Неактивен) – "Невиданный хэндмейд"

2015-01-31T00:00:00Z

Наш проект имеет цель показать, что люди, у которых нет зрения, умеют осуществлять нужную другим, интересную, креативную деятельность. "Невиданный хэндмейд" предполагает профессиональное обучение незрячих людей косметологическому массажу и их трудоустройство. Этот проект позволит клиентам массажных салонов увидеть то, что не могут увидеть сами незрячие массажисты - потрясающие изменения, созданные чуткими руками специалистов по массажу, способных "видеть" руками. Однако главной целью данного проекта является трудоустройство массажистов, которые получили медицинское образование, но не могут найти применение своим профессиональным навыкам из-за стереотипов, существующих в отношении инвалидов по зрению. Партнер нашей организации по проекту гарантирует трудоустройство не менее двух массажистов при условии, что они пройдут курс обучения у специалистов сертифицированного учебного центра, с которым он сотрудничает. В условиях сложности поиска работы незрячих специалистов и в связи с их профессиональной квалификацией мы намерены сотрудничать с бизнесом, поскольку не все массажисты востребованы на рынке труда. Кроме того, мы решили ориентироваться на трудоустройство незрячих массажистов в салоны красоты, поскольку их квалификация является высокой, но при этом незаслуженно невостребованной. Своими руками незрячие люди творят красоту, работая над коррекцией и оздоровлением своих клиентов. Незрячие массажисты могут вести клиентскую базу и пользоваться компьютером, установив "говорящие программы", озвучивающие содержимое мониторов компьютеров. Они самостоятельно передвигаются при помощи современных технических средств или тактильных тростей. Им не нужна помощь. Им нужно отсутствие стереотипов в отношении того, что они могут делать своими руками потрясающие вещи. Значимым плюсом является то, что незрячие люди не будут иронизировать по поводу недостатков фигуры клиентов и не узнают их в общественном транспорте.

Nairobi (Неактивен) – Fireside tales series

2015-01-31T00:00:00Z

Fireside Tales Series is a special presentations of interactive oral folklore performances to the family audiences within Nairobi City and it's environs. The repertoire of presentations consist largely of re-devised tales collected from within the larger Eastern Africa communities. Often, the performances are built around contemporary topical issues as seen from traditional Knowledge perspectives. This program provides urban folks with creative opportunities to participate in recreating the well-known traditional evening fireside moments of wisdom sharing. Fireside Tales is a story-theater practice whose inspiration in form, method approach is specific to African oral traditions albeit with conscious infusion of contemporary theatrical creative elements. The envisaged content would be informed by our own research and reflection on the current socio-political dynamics and issues specific to contemporary Kenyan situation

Austin, TX – BLXPLTN

2015-01-31T00:00:00Z

BLXPLTN is an afro punk musical group with electronic tendencies! We write songs about writing instead of fighting, love, police brutality and taking a time out when frustrated. We would like to spread our positive message to that any one that would like to listen. We want to show youth of color and queer youth that is ok to be smart and to be different.

New Orleans, LA (Неактивен) – Patois:The N.O International Human Rights FilmFest

2015-01-31T00:00:00Z

Founded by New Orleans artists and activists, Patois: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival is dedicate to nurturing the city’s human rights community, supporting the work of local organizers and organizations involved in these struggles, and providing a forum for artistic expression of local and international issues. Founded in 2004, Patois is back in 2015 after a brief hiatus ready to premiere new powerful social justice oriented films from around the world while highlighting brilliant local filmmakers and the vital local grassroots organization doing work in the city. In addition to the film festival in March, Patois hosts a variety of community screenings, workshops and fundraising/outreach events leading up to the festival. Because Patois has always prioritized community accountability, we come up with our festival in consultation with a range of New Orleans’ grassroots organizations and activists (from veterans of the civil rights movement, to high school students, to advocates, teachers, and organizers. Local organizations we have organized benefits and other events for and consulted with in the past include the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic; INCITE! Women Of Color Against Violence; Critical Resistance; Neighborhood Gallery; and Safe Streets, Strong Communities). Since our beginning, almost every film we have shown has been a local- or regional premiere. In addition, we have presented several world premieres, including powerful new films by both local and international filmmakers. As a community festival, we host screenings around the Greater New Orleans area, from Chalmette to Central City, and Gentilly to the French Quarter. However, we are more than just a New Orleans festival and have hosted satellite screenings in Natchitoches and Shreveport, Louisiana, as well as in Detroit and New York City. With your support, we will continue to amplify local voices, raise important issues, and build community.

Paris (Неактивен) – "Jardiner dans la cité"

2015-01-31T00:00:00Z

L'association "Rosny Potagers" (Rosny sous Bois) a pour objectif l'amélioration de l’environnement urbain par le développement de jardins partagés. Elle assure la formation d’habitants au jardinage biologique dans le cadre de l’Agenda 21, et contribue au renforcement du lien social dans les quartiers prioritaires. Lors d'ateliers hebdomadaires, un expert formateur en jardinage biologique montre et aide le groupe d’habitants à préparer la terre, planter les graines, faire le désherbage et l’entretien des potagers. La récolte est partagée par les participants ; en cas de surplus, ce dernier est offert à la structure sociale associée (où elle est utilisée en atelier cuisine) ou parfois aux passants. Quatre potagers ont vu le jour depuis 2011, et deux nouveaux potagers sont prévus en 2015, dans une cité de logement social et dans une résidence de personnes âgées MAPI. The objective of "Rosny Potager" (based in the parisien subrub of Rosny-sous-Bois) is to improve the urban environment by developing community gardens. The organization teaches the inhabitants the techniques of organic gardening, and contributes to strengthening social ties in priority areas. During weekly sessions, an expert un organic gardening shows the inhabitants how to prepare the ground, plant the seeds, clear the weeds, and maintain the vegetable garden. The harvest is shared between participants. The surplus is either given to a local organization or distributed to passerby. Four vegetable gardens have been created since 2011, and two new ones will be created in 2015 : one in a social housing community, and one in a retirement community.

Stockholm (Неактивен) – The angry bird house

2015-01-30T00:00:00Z

It’s something that we never would have thought of creating ourselves. You can call it an art project describing today's society or simply a wacky invention. We just call it awesome! Here’s how January’s winners describe their project The Angry Bird House: We all get frustrated from time to time. Frozen car doors, slow computers, football teams losing. The world is full of things that annoy us to the degree that we just want to scream out loud. Unfortunately, it’s hard to do without appearing silly and/or scary to the people around us. We believe we have a solution to this problem. We call it the angry bird house. With the help of this machine you can send out a personalised manic scream far away from you own location. Just send an SMS to the angry bird house with your personally composed scream. The angry bird house contains a small computer, loaded with a sound bank and connected to a mobile phone and a loud speaker. Each sound is linked to a letter, so if you send an SMS with the message ”Aaai%&!okyyy”, the computer will play the sounds connected to these letters in the order you have chosen. So for the price of an SMS you can sound just as angry as you like, without running the risk of making innocent people nervous.

London, ON (Неактивен) – The Light At the End of the Tunnel

2015-01-28T00:00:00Z

The Light At the End of the Tunnel is a historical documentary that details the lives of 4 individuals- three of whom where escaped slaves from the US - that came to London in the mid 1800's and made (unknowing) contributions to the ideals of Multiculturalism that we know Canada for today. These individuals are largely unknown to the public, and our documentary plans to utilize historical photos, newspaper articles, interviews with local (and non-local) history experts, and modern footage of the areas these individuals lived/worked in to tell the full story and show the impact these individuals had on building a civilized society, almost entirely set in the city of London itself. The individuals' stories we've found are inspiring, heartbreaking, hopeful, and so much more. We hope that when the documentary is complete it will give London a proud place in not only Canadian history, but also Black History as well as being an "untold chapter" of the Underground Railroad.

Portland, OR – No Really, We Want You to Laugh

2015-01-28T00:00:00Z

I have bipolar disorder and have worked with folks with a mental illness the last five years. Oh yeah, and I teach stand up comedy to folks with a mental illness and family members. We then perform in the community. Average audience size per performance is 130. The performances raise the self esteem and self confidence of the underserved comics who perform and help to break the stigma against mental illness. And the shows are flat out funny. Our work is unique, funny and inspiring and I want to bring it into the city of Portland. Every show we have had has been a rousing success. This is the kind of project that continues to make Portland awesome. It is unique and forward thinking. It combines social justice with mental health. With proper marketing we can reach hundreds of people. Once they see the performance they will never look at mental illness in the same light again. In the 13 week classes I teach, we look at our hardest struggles and challenges. We talk about it and explore it. Then we turn things around and start looking at these experience through the lens of finding the humor in them. We convert this humor into stand up comedy. This process is transformative. Class members gain control over experiences that used to control their lives. They get tools for living with a mental illness. We this happens and then we perform, magic happens. Audiences sense that magic and leave knowing that they have seen something special. All our shows are clean and classified as PG. It is a refreshing change from the standard stand up comedy show. Any additional costs above the $1000 level for venue or marketing, (We expect to get some earned media), will be funded by other nonprofits or individual contributions.

Melbourne (Неактивен) – Australian Ichthyosis Meet

2015-01-28T00:00:00Z

I have a rare, severe skin condition called Ichthyosis. I am creating a meet for others affected by this condition - Melbourne, May 2015. When I was a child, I hadn't met anyone else with the rare, severe genetic skin condition Ichthyosis. I thought I was all alone. Ichthyosis can be medically and socially challenging, and in some cases, fatal. What is Ichthyosis? "Ichthyosis is a rare genetic or acquired skin condition affecting an estimated 10-20 individuals per Million. Ichthyosis is characterised by persistently dry, thickened, rough, fish scale skin. There are at least 20 varieties of ichthyosis, including inherited and acquired forms. People with ichthyosis have a normal lifespan. However those with very severe ichthyosis may need to spend several hours each day caring for their skin so they can lead as much of a normal life as possible." (Source ) Since I have been blogging , I've come to meet many, many people with Ichthyosis - many overseas and a few in Australia. And it's been wonderful. We've been able to share advice, lean on each other in times of difficulties, and offer hope and happiness to individuals and families. We also share common interests outside of our Ichthyosis. I've had wonderful experiences meeting these patients and their families. And I wanted to give this same opportunity to Australians (and anyone who wants to travel to Australia). I am hosting the first official Australian Ichthyosis Meet – scheduled in Melbourne for Saturday 9 May 2015, as a part of Ichthyosis Awareness Month. This event will give adults, children and families affected by Ichthyosis the chance to meet others with this rare condition. I hope some strong friendships will form, as well boosting the self confidence of all attendees. And the event will also be showcased on my blog for Ichthyosis Awareness Month. The day will feature three sessions: an informal meet and greet, a tour of the zoo, and a dinner for those who want to socialise.

South Shore – Baby-friendly floors for awesome pajama party

2015-01-28T00:00:00Z

Better Together Family Resource Centre walked away with a $1000 CASH to install baby-friendly floors so they could do awesome events like pajama parties!

Washington, DC – Just Be

2015-01-26T00:00:00Z

ReVision dance company, a resident company of Dance Place, is currently working on a full length concert, Just Be, to be presented at Dance Place February 21-22, 2015. In Just Be, Artistic Director Shannon Quinn leads ReVision dance company in exploring the raw emotions and life experiences of working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The audience joins the company in focusing on the abilities of individuals, instead of the challenges and stereotypes associated with disability. The performance will feature guest performers from the Mamie D. Lee School, a DC Public School serving children with special needs. ReVision dance company is currently teaching 3 days/week at the Mamie D. Lee School engaging students with I/DD in physical fitness, artistic expression, and kinesthetic learning. ReVision believes that dance is an inclusive art form that can help illustrate the shared artistry of people of all backgrounds and abilities. Mamie students will be performing in a featured section of Just Be as part of ReVision's professional performance at Dance Place. The students will be learning the choreography in their classes during the school year. They will experience a dress rehearsal on stage with the company members and will perform in both Saturday and Sunday's shows. ReVision will provide transportation for each of the students to the theater to ensure full participation. Artistic Director Shannon Quinn is working closely with Mamie Principal, Dr. Aimee Pressley to coordinate with parents and teachers to make the Just Be project happen. The goal of engaging the Mamie students is to challenge audience members' preconceptions about individuals with I/DD and demonstrate the positive power that dance has on everyone's lives.

Portland, OR – Dignity Village Computer Lab + Storage Shed

2015-01-26T00:00:00Z

Dignity Village wants to build two new structures on their site: a storage building and a new computer lab. Dignity Village is composed of many individual one-room living structures and several common spaces. Over the years, most structures have been improved significantly, but there is still work to do. The Village has been working with ACE Charter School, an alternative vo-tech high school that teaches architecture, construction, and engineering skills to young Portlanders. From design to construction, building the storage space and the computer lab will be learning opportunities for students. The 11th grade construction class will be donating labor on this project to put their learning into practice. We also hope to spark a conversation with them about homelessness. The computer lab currently on site at Dignity Village is a makeshift structure, repurposed from an off-the-shelf shed. The dark, cramped space doesn’t function well. Members use computers to search for jobs and housing, connect with friends and family, and access other resources. We’d like to have a better lab space so that we can offer on-site workshops to build the skills of Villagers-- which will make them more qualified candidates for jobs. With the help of ACE’s students, we can provide the village with a fully secured, insulated, bright facility. Currently, we have a 3-walled shack where we store donated goods. We use what we need from donations, and organize the rest into our annual yard sale fundraiser. Unfortunately, the condition of some donations suffers because they are exposed to the elements. Enclosing the storage in a new structure would solve this problem. We also need space to store pet food for the dogs and cats that residents keep as companions. When we receive a large pet food donation, uninvited critters infiltrate the stash. Our new storage shed will be protected from the elements, secure, and constructed to keep rodents away, to better manage the food for our animals.

Portland, OR – The Abundance Project

2015-01-26T00:00:00Z

We will give away gold glittered grant money to passersby in $20 bundles. Eleven to twelve bundles will be handed out in each quadrant of the city (NE, NW, SE, SW). The event will take place on Awesome Day to commemorate Portland’s awesomeness. Each bundle will have four five dollar bills. The initial recipients of the bundle will receive instructions to keep five and give away fifteen. They will be asked to invite the recipients of the fifteen to keep five and give away ten. The third recipient will be asked to keep five and give away the final five. Each initial $20 bundle will also come with written instructions and the money portioned out. It will be entirely up to each recipient to do what they please with the money but we forecast a fair amount of people will follow through with giving it away. We will invite recipients to find people to give to whom they don’t know and to have the exchange free of any kind of purchase. We will film the event and present the video on facebook, youtube, and twitter. We will be transparent with recipients of our intention to spread abundance and enhance the awesomeness of Portland and we will ask permission to film the exchange (we will still give them the money if they decline being filmed). We hope some of the participants will be open to us filming the whole chain reaction. Although the photos show handwritten instructions for the money exchange, we plan to type out the instructions with an old-fashioned typewriter. On the opposite side of the instructions we will type: ‘The Awesome Project.’ We aim to contact Kboo, Street Roots, the Willamette Weekly, The Skanner, and broadcasted news channels to see if they would like to report our event. We emphasize the use of cash with this project because it is fading from circulation and its depletion symbolizes the lessening of physical interaction on a grander scale. Reinstating that interaction with free money will connect people with a sense of real abundance.

Yerevan – Չաո ՍՍՀՄ

2015-01-25T00:00:00Z

Հայաստանում և, մասնավորապես, Երևանում վերջին 20 տարվա ընթացքում շատ արագ քանդվեցին և ոչնչացվեցին շատ պատմամշակութային արժեք հանդիսացող շենքեր: Ականատես լինելով այդ ամենին և գիտակցելով կորստի անդառնալիությունը, ցանկացա որևէ կերպ պահպանել այդ շենքերի հիշողությունը և լուսանկարեցի շենքերի քանդման գործընթացը: Միաժամանակ, գիտակցելով, որ միայն լուսանկարելով չի պահպանվի պատմությունը, սկսեցի նաև հավաքել տարբեր տեսակի արխիվային նյութեր, կենցաղային իրեր, որոնք այսօր կարող են պատմել մեր քաղաքի խորհրդային պատմության մասին: Այդ պատնությունը ամփոփվել է «Չաո ՍՍՀՄ» նախագծում, որը նկարահանվում է արդեն 7 տարի շարունակ, և հանդիսանում է իմ անձնական հավաքածուի միայն փոքր մաս: «Չաո ՍՍՀՄ» ցուցահանդես-նախագիծը պատմում է Խորհրդային Հայաստանի մասին, որը ՍՍՀՄ փլուզումից հետո դարձավ հիշողություն: Այն փորձ է պահպանել հիշողությունը լուսանկարների և իրերի միջոցով, որոնք գտնվել են լքված և ժամանակին շատ հայտնի շենքերում, կինոթատրոններում և գործարաններում: Հավաքածուի յուրաքանչյուր առարկա իր մեջ պարունակում է մի ամբողջ սերնդի հիշողություն: Բացի լուսանկարներից, որտեղ ներկայացված կլինեն պատմություն դարձած գործերի և շենքերի խրոնիկան, կներկայացվեն նաև այն իրերը, որոնք ես գտել եմ հին կրկեսից, Դվին հյուրանոցից, Արագիլ ռեստորանից, Զվարթնոց կինոթատրոնից, Երիտասարդականի գետնանցումից և Փակ շուկայից: Լուսանկարների և ցուցադրված իրերի, ինչպես նաև ձայնային սարքավորումների օգնությամբ փորձ կարվի մարդկանց վերադարցնել իրենցից խլված հիշողությունը, որը կարծում եմ իրավունք ունի պահպանվելու ոչ միայն արխիվային նյութերի և լուսանկարների մեջ, այլ նաև իրական կյանքում: Իսկ ավելի երիտասարդ սերնդի համար, ցուցահանդեսը կհանդիսանա աննախադեպ հնարավորություն ծանոթանալու Խորհրդային Հայաստանին ոչ միայն ծնողների պատմություններով, այլ նաև տեսնելով այդ ժամանակի մշակույթն ու առօրյան:

Connecticut – Raspberry Pi in an Urban MIddle School

2015-01-25T00:00:00Z

I want to take my STEM club to the next level by moving from Scratch computer programming to Raspberry Pi mother board programming. This would be an authentic hands-on STEM experience for my talented and diverse group of 8th graders that are ready for a new challenge. There is no finding for this innovative program at SPS but you can help! I believe that this opportunity might turn some of my kids into future scientists and engineers.

Oahu, HI – YMCA Camp Erdman Nature Room

2015-01-23T00:00:00Z

Our camp is located in Ke'ana Point State Park on the North Shore of Oahu and a Nature Room would share the immense value of parks with kids. Parks, like camps are safe places for kids to go, are some of the best places for discovery and play, provide places for families to connect and a sense of adventure, and are close-to-home nature places. A Nature Room would allow us to show the importance of this specific area of the island with our guests. We would like to turn an unused indoor space into an interactive nature center to use with all of the clients we serve at camp. The most important thing we teach during our environmental education classes for school programs is the connection between people and the islands. We have classes about native plants and animals, the albatross, beach ecology, the mountains, zoology, and even a nature art class. The Nature Room would provide an easy way for kids to visualize, connect, and interpret the environment. It is a perfect sensory experience for all learners. The biggest appeal for our school programs students is that we provide outdoor education which is a welcome alternative to the classroom experience they get on a daily basis. Having the nature center would allow us to further the depth of some of our classes by having concrete specimens to show the kids following their outdoor experience. Many of the classes we teach involve us instructing about the plants, animals, and creatures of Hawaii but we are not always fortunate enough to have anything more visual to show than a picture. Our nature center would have taxidermy animal specimens, hands-on and interactive activities, coral, shells, an albatross station for bolus dissection, sea turtle shells, and native/endangered plants. During Summer Camp, we get many children that are not from the islands. A culturally significant nature center would allow those campers to learn about Hawaiian environment.

Oahu, HI – Restoration of the Historic Shiroma Saimin Stand

2015-01-23T00:00:00Z

On our grounds is a recreation of the Shiroma Saimin Stand, a historically accurate food stand of a bygone era. The Shiroma Saimin Stand is part of our school-age educational tours and is a launching point from which our docents discuss how early immigrant families earned monies and created businesses in Hawaii's plantation era. It is the only Saimin Stand that has been preserved on Oahu, and includes donations from the Shiroma familiy such as historic photos, noodle maker, and other cooking implements actually used by the family. Originally built under the guidance of the original Shiroma family whose stand was located in Waipahu's Japanese camp, the Saimin Stand has fallen victim to the elements and termites. Awesome Foundation monies would be used to restore the structural elements of the shrine as well as restore and recreate the signage that adorned the original structure. Our hope is to be able to restore the Stand to be used again as a Saimin serving structure that can be used during our ethnic festivals: New Year's Festival in Spring, Obon dance in summer, Korean Celebration, and/or Keiki Festival. Food is a touchstone of cultural remembrance and preservation in many Island families, and the Shiroma Saimin Stand is a part of our preservation efforts. We would like to be able to allow the public and school groups that visit us daily to return to visiting the Saimin Stand and allowing them to view the interior and the historic objects inside, rather than viewing the stand from a distance.

Connecticut – Norwalk Mentor Program

2015-01-23T00:00:00Z

The Norwalk Mentor Program is one of the longest running and most acclaimed mentoring programs in the country. This school-based program matches a student in the Norwalk Public Schools (grades K-12) with an adult volunteer who can meet for one hour each week at school, during the school day. The program has more than 200 mentor/mentee matches in our 19 public schools! The mission of the Norwalk Mentor Program is to encourage the social, academic and mental growth of Norwalk’s youth through a one-on-one mentoring relationship, where a caring adult serves as a role model to a student as he or she goes through a difficult period or faces new challenges. Twice a year we organize events for the mentors and mentees to get together outside of the school setting. At the end of January, the Norwalk Mentor Program will invite all of its mentors and mentees to an evening of fun to celebrate National Mentoring Month. All mentors, mentees and mentees’ families are invited to attend as well as supporters, funders, local and state officials. This event is an opportunity for mentors and mentees to see each other outside of school, and for parents to meet the mentors. Over 400 people will be invited to celebrate and enjoy each other's company at a local children's museum.

Kingston – Froid'art - Art on Ice - An outdoor ice exhibit.

2015-01-22T00:00:00Z

"Froid'art - Art on Ice" - An public outdoor ice exhibit. That's my idea. It's new and has not been done here before. Think of a clear paperweight. Embedded in it is a piece of art on a sheet of Mylar. Now imagine that paperweight as a block of ice, 20" x 40" weighing 300 pounds, sitting outside on a platform, illuminated by tube LED lights. Now picture several of these blocks of ice - each featuring art by a different local artist. In future these blocks of ice could be located in Confederation Park, in the market square, on the un-ploughed boulevard portions of the sidewalks in front of downtown bars and restaurants. But this year my goal is to have them in front of the old homes close to the downtown. Froid'art - Art on Ice outdoor art gallery is not just a concept. It can be done. I had one of these blocks made with my art and it is on display now on my front lawn on King Street at Sir John A. I posted pictures and information on my Facebook page and the reaction has been amazing. "Wow" is the general reaction, especially to the night pictures. Take a look! This is a special kind of project. To get a large, solid block of crystal-clear ice and have my art suspended in it I had to go to a company that specializes in this kind of thing. That company is called IceCulture and they are located in Hensall Ontario. They are experts at this. It takes special equipment and a precise and slow process to make crystal-clear ice. They are the folks who provided the ice and expertise for many special projects including the Chill nightclub in downtown Toronto, the Canadian Tire Ice Truck, and the special ice bullets for NASA to test the shield on the Space Shuttle. A block of ice costs $80. To suspend the Mylar in it is an additional $80. Delivery of the block was $125. The total cost would drop to approximately $250 per block for ten of these blocks. Of course, all who help, especially the Awesome Foundation, will be given due credit and thanks!

London (Неактивен) – CommuniKate

2015-01-21T00:00:00Z

My little brother Richard has never been able to speak. Until he was 19, my family managed to communicate with him on fewer than 100 signs. At 19 he received a Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA) like the one used by Stephen Hawking. Richard's VOCA has a simple set of folders and icons. If you press the folder for animal, and then press the picture of the dog, the VOCA will say "dog". Now Richard can use hundreds of words and it's not just me, mum and dad who can understand: it's everybody. The VOCA changed his life. But he's not alone. Approximately 32,000 people in the UK require VOCA but only 8,900 (28%) can access one (http://goo.gl/8OQuTr). This leaves 21,000 people without a voice. The main barrier is that VOCA cost an average of £2000 (http://goo.gl/3KlLcP), which is unaffordable for families already stretched by more immediate disability needs. I believe that 21,000 people in the UK alone who can't explain illness to a doctor, choose dinner, or tell their family they love them is 21,000 too many. In 2014, Occupational Therapist Kate McCallum and I developed CommuniKate, the first completely free, web accessible VOCA. This allows anyone with an internet-ready device to communicate by providing a free alternative to expensive VOCA. CommuniKate is released under a GNU General Public License, the pagesets are released under Creative Commons and we only use free icon sets. These licenses encourage others to remix, tweak and build upon the work and make communication a reality for everyone worldwide. CommuniKate was launched in November 2014 and has been accessed by users from 20 countries to date. Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Currently volunteer teams are translating it into Spanish, French, Swedish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Urdu. In 2015, I will continue to develop CommuniKate through volunteer contributions, organise training sessions for speech therapists and VOCA users, and improve the quality of the speech output.

New York City, NY – The Rockaway Dye Garden

2015-01-20T00:00:00Z

The Rockaway Dye Garden hopes to grow flowers for natural dyeing and textile arts. Isabella Scott, an artist and fashion designer who has foraged around Rockaway Beach for wild plants for her work, dreams of a garden where she can grow beautiful flowers for natural dyes while sparking conversations on textile production, water and soil quality, and natural pigments. Edgemere Farm has just donated her a plot to make this dream a reality, and our January grant will support her efforts to cultivate this land. How will this be different from any other garden? Imagine a space bursting with all blends of color, with different foliage putting out dizzying arrays of shades throughout the seasons. But that's not all. From each and every one of those plants, you can extract a color from its root or its flower, and then repurpose them for other uses like medicinal benefits. The garden will be continuously growing, flowering, and dyeing throughout the spring, summer, and fall. At the same time, it will also run community workshops on foraging and extracting dye, as well as sewing and crocheting. We're excited that our January grant will help turn over a new leaf: the garden is an empty plot of land now, and our funding will go towards lumber to construct grow boxes, as well as seeds and plant starters. There are so many possibilities for how spaces in New York can be reimagined, and we're thrilled to support artists that are daring to dream about them. The current plan is as follows:

Isabella will be collecting dirt from Syracuse in mid-February
By mid-march, everything should be in the ground as long as there is no frost
In June/July, we'll start to extract dyes!

We can't wait!

Gloucester, MA – Raising Our Voices

2015-01-20T00:00:00Z

The Gloucester Writers Center is working to help the people of Gloucester find their voices and tell their stories. Through a series of classes, workshops and readings the GWC is working to encourage those members of our community who otherwise may not be heard. We offer a free weekly writers group for women with limited resources and another for poets. Our Veterans Writers Group, co-sponsored by the Gloucester Office of Veterans Services, helps writers tell the important and sometimes difficult stories of their service. JoeAnn Hart coordinates volunteers to help GHS seniors with their college essays. This fall we are starting a writing group in collaboration with Maritime Gloucester to try to catch stories of our working waterfront. Aside from offering classes and workshops, we encourage people to share their writing by hosting free public readings. Our monthly open mic draws a variety of writers from poets to novelists to memoirs of growing up in Gloucester. Fish Tales, the GWC version of the Moth, lets people tell stories in front of an audience. We also hold open mics and readings for kids. What about the voices from the past? In our Diggers series local researchers present the slightly underground histories of Gloucester. So far we have heard about the disappearance of native people from our history, Gloucester’s role in slavery and the hiring and dismissal of a black teacher in 1956. This fall we will hear about Gloucester women accused of witchcraft in 1692 and have a discussion about the effort to stop the plague of gun violence in America. Through all of these programs and events our mission has been to find the hidden voices of Gloucester. We are beginning to work with Pathways and the Cape Ann Museum to get even more people writing and telling their stories, as well as an oral history project with Maritime Gloucester. Funding from Awesome Gloucester would let us continue our project of helping the stories of Gloucester get written and heard.

Ottawa – Ottawa Sports Officials

2015-01-20T00:00:00Z

January’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Wendy Liang and Tanveer Mostafa, to support the training of soccer referees from Ottawa’s homeless population. Working with Enactus uOttawa and Ottawa Street Soccer (OSS), a non-profit that offers an opportunity for homeless people in the city to play soccer recreationally, Wendy and Tanveer will help participants obtain certification and work as referees. They also mean to deliver an associated financial literacy workshop. “The Ottawa Sports Officials project will help participants funnel their passion and turn their lives around,” says Wendy, “and the program will be an incentive to recover from drug and alcohol abuse. After the participants obtain their referee certifications, we will help them find refereeing job opportunities, giving them a source of income and valuable work experience. In the upcoming spring season,” she says, “we plan to have two waves of the project — and will strive to expand the project every year thereafter.” Wendy and Tanveer are students at the University of Ottawa.

Pittsburgh, PA – Design by Veterans, for Veterans

2015-01-19T00:00:00Z

Operation Valor Arts is a new veterans’ nonprofit in Pittsburgh. We give teams of veterans the tools they need to design and build public art pieces that honor those who served. There are two awesome things about this: first, the projects are done by veterans, for veterans. In the history of American monuments, only professional designers have had the privilege of interpreting the experience of the American soldier. We put that power in the hands of the people who’ve lived it, by giving veteran volunteers access to education and guidance from people experienced in design, fabrication, documentation, etc. And that’s the second awesome thing: OVArts helps veterans transition to meaningful civilian careers. Veterans who participate get hands-on experience in a lot of potential new career fields; they make connections with professionals in Pittsburgh; they get a “built work” to add to their résumés; AND we pay them a stipend for the hours spent in training. More than anything, I am dedicated to OVArts because it highlights the incredible skill and strength of our nation’s veterans. There is no monument to OEF/OIF veterans. As the yellow ribbons come down, and the negative press about veterans’ issues abounds, I want to have big, fat public art pieces all over Pittsburgh, and eventually nationally, that say, “Look at what our veterans are capable of!” I want a positive reminder of their service, a denial that all veterans are broken or in need of handouts, and a strong message to employers that veterans have a singular ability to accomplish new or difficult assignments. There’s no handout, no pity; we ask veterans to accomplish a mission and continue to serve their country.

Newmarket – Say my name Canada

2015-01-19T00:00:00Z

My project is a multi-level campaign, designed to be an effective counter-action to the growing problem of bullying. Much attention has been brought to this problem in the media and through campaigns and programs, however our program features young people acting in a music video for a song I wrote called, "Say My Name", that illustrates the damage done by bullying and how uniting together can help and it is focused on engaging youth in positive acts of giving across Canada in a 30 day challenge that they can do and post on social media, that will create positive change. I feel strongly that we need to lead with action based programs that engage our young people in the power and beauty of positive change, rather than lecturing them on the negative aspects of bullying. Our campaign will be fun, engaging and effectively offer positive, immediate solutions to help prevent social isolation and bullying. I am working on putting together a team of like-minded individuals to help support this campaign in addition to my partner in Positive Classrooms, Lynnette Rumble. Positive Classrooms presents “Say my name Canada-30 days of Change” Join us on Jan.25th for 30 days of giving. Keep track of how many acts of giving you, your company, school, business, family can do and send your totals to us at www.positiveclassrooms.ca We are asking every single person in Canada to collect acts of giving leading up to Pink Shirt Day on Feb.25/2015. At exactly 12:00 P.M. Feb.25/2015 the International release of the video for the song “Say my Name” by the Glenn Marais Band will stream around the world. This video will bring awareness and help to anyone who has been hurt by the scourge of bullying. When one person is bullied we all become victims The time for change is now Send us your total acts of giving and we will announce to the world, “How Kind Canada can be on Pink Shirt Day”. On Wed.Feb.25th/2015 “Let’s show the world how kind Canada can be!”

Awesome Without Borders (Неактивен) – Atlanta FREE Store

2015-01-19T00:00:00Z

Imagine you are a recent college graduate who has just landed his first job. Student loans are due and you are paying them on time every month but you don't have enough money for food or clothing. The Atlanta FREE Store is for YOU. Imagine you are a divorced dad who faithfully pays child support, but you eat Ramen Noodles everyday for lunch. The Atlanta FREE Store is for YOU. Sometimes people with jobs need help too. The Atlanta FREE Store is for EVERYONE. Although the Atlanta FREE Store will help homeless and low income people. we realize that the homeless and working poor are not the only ones who need help. Sometimes people above the poverty line need help too. We share food, clothing, toiletries and household items with anyone who needs them.

Seattle, WA – The HIstory Bomb

2015-01-18T00:00:00Z

I want to History Bomb the streets. But not with real bombs; with images and words. What average Joe knows that 70 years ago a bunch of bomber boys risked life, limb, and dinner to end World War II in Europe? Who knows that Operation Bingo shut down the rail line between northern Italy and Austria? But most of all, do people know why? Not many. That’s why the guardians of the KBL Family Collection of World War II images and ephemera have granted permission to let us bomb the streets with visual media to create a Strategic Top Secret History Bomb extravaganza. The project uses digitized images from the collection to create a series of slide shows that commemorate the 70th anniversary of the war’s end. But these aren’t just any slide shows. Geared to particular dates and locations around Seattle-Tacoma, the slide shows would appear mysteriously from January to May, cast against building walls as darkness falls. Images and words will combine to connect locations to events during World War II and their international implications. We’ll use a mini-projector with a long-range throw that is strapped to the roof rack of my car. It can be controlled remotely so that there need not be any lurking nearby to make it work. One of the locations we plan to bomb (shhh please, this a Top Secret mission) is the bricked-up site of a ski rental shop in Puyallup once operated by a boy who served in the Air Corps. Other locations in high-foot-traffic areas will be determined as the project progresses. Flexibility and spontaneity is key to success. These history bombings will focus on the war’s end and invite people to contemplate what life at war was like and what peace is. They will combine images, quotations, and period poetry to invite passersby into the story. And as quickly and silently as they appeared, the history bombings will disappear, leaving no trace except the impact on the hearts and minds of those they touched.

Antigonish, NS (Неактивен) – J2J: Stories, Actions, and Learning Together

2015-01-17T00:00:00Z

Antigonish is a community rich in innovative development projects and dedicated social justice organizers. The 4th annual Youth Activism Conference (YAC), (March 6th-8th, 2015), honors these assets, while engaging youth in the community. This years theme, ‘Journeys to Justice: Stories, Actions, and Learning Together,’ connects local community youth and activists with Nova Scotian initiatives to build the momentum of social justice organizing in Antigonish town and county. Particularly, we hope to engage local high school students who are often uninvited to these important discussions, to open their eyes to the plethora of opportunities for youth engagement at the community level. The YAC is a weekend long event connecting our local communities to global issues of social justice. It seeks to foster a new generation of activists in Antigonish. Through inspiring keynotes, local activists, and panel and plenary discussions, we hope to connect community youth to the wide range of social justice organizations and youth-led efforts in Antigonish. Participating in the YAC is an educational experience like no other. By stretching the boundaries of experiential education, we open the eyes, hearts and minds of local youth by engaging them in how they can participate in global issues in their own communities. The opportunity acts as a catalyst for social change in this community, inspiring a new generation of socially engaged youth to pave the way for Antigonish town and county. Also, this provides a space for relationship building with more seasoned activists and initiate mentorship opportunities. After establishing relationships between StFX students, community youth and organizations, we will create a virtual platform to stay connected on events and opportunities for community engagement. This will stretch the impact of the YAC beyond the weekend itself by continuing to provide opportunities for youth engagement in Antigonish.

Detroit, MI (Неактивен) – Caprice Connects With...Detroit!

2015-01-15T00:00:00Z

Caprice Connects With… film is a documentary about community, collaboration and connectivity. The goal of the documentary is showcase the power of collective work of community organizers, artists, entrepreneurs, and innovative thinkers creating transformation through building community, thus assisting with city revitalization Caprice Connects With… takes a closer look at the revitalization of neighborhoods that have narratives of “broken” communities within Detroit and 10 additional cities; Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, and Oakland. Understanding that broken narratives do not reflect the heartbeat of these cities; We plan use our film to showcase the resilience, creativity and uplifting stories of hope and courage often overlooked by other media. Recently I interviewed Audra Carson of De-tread, a company who works in communities in Detroit to remove illegally dumped tires. De-tread's goal is to remove tires for neighborhoods, provide eco friendly solutions for recycling tires and employ residents within the sites of illegal dumping to engage them in green technology . Audra Carson collaborated with Ben Falker of Repair the World for their 2nd clean up day at the B'nai David Cemetery on the east side of Detroit in the beginning of November. We removed over 400 tires from the cemetery and filled two dumpsters of trash & debris. I was utterly amazed how small of a crew we had to clear the 2 city block site. Detroiters are displaying how different communities across the city are creating avenues of opportunity by using modest means. Showcase these narratives has the power to motivate other communities to pursue creative avenues in serving their own community members’ needs through collaborating across the nation.

Philadelphia, PA – My graduation project!! (An Awesome Dinosaur)

2015-01-15T00:00:00Z

I'm graduating this year and i love my school, so i was thinking to myself how can i leave my mark on my school? Why not a giant T-Rex right in the middle of the lobby?? So i went to my engineering teachers to see what he thought and he told me its a great idea but ill never get it approved by the principle. The following week i set up an appointment with my principle and got it approved!! I got the spot in the lobby picked out, and all the files ready to go! And the more i think about this dinosaur the more i want to finish it, then my principle came up with the idea to put the class of 2015 names on it and I'm extremely excited to get my awesome project on the road!

Philadelphia, PA – Philly #popscope: Public Astronomy Education

2015-01-15T00:00:00Z

Philly #popscope is the newest incarnation of #popscope, a public astronomy movement launched in Canada’s national capital, Ottawa, last year with support from the Awesome Ottawa Foundation. #Popscope aims to bring astronomy to urban residents and bring communities together by hosting free, “pop-up” astronomy sessions. Having achieved success in Ottawa last year by hosting dozen events that engaged diverse populations across the city, we hope to expand this movement to Philadelphia. Philadelphia #popscope would build on the Ottawa model, but with a stronger emphasis on science education for Philadelphia public high school students. Severe funding cuts have hurt enrichment and extra-curricular programs at Philadelphia public schools. Low-income students in the United States also receive limited science education compared to their more affluent peers. Four monthly #popscope events are planned for 2015, beginning beginning in March. Through Twitter and Facebook, we will announce the location and date of each public #popscope session. The majority of pop-up astronomy events will be held during the night; however, to permit families and children to participate, we will also host day-time events using a solar filter. Our monthly #popscope events be held in a variety of locations across the city so that that all Philadelphians are given an opportunity to come together and learn about astronomy. The second, complementary part of Philly #popscope is an astronomy education partnership between faculty and students of Penn Astronomy department and Sayre High School in West Philadelphia. We will organize visits from astronomy faculty and students to meet with teachers and their students. The visits may inspire students to engage in amateur astronomy and consider academic and career options in STEM fields. Around these visits, #popscope will donate astronomy education materials, and, as weather permits, will organize an after school day-time solar observation session.

San Antonio, TX – AME Collaborative Pop Up Art Space

2015-01-15T00:00:00Z

The AME Collaborative was established by Michele Jacob, who worked with the OPEN initiative to activate downtown and raise awareness of the vacant properties available during the month of December. Alongside 8 other artists, we were able to attract downtown residents, visitors to San Antonio and those that work downtown will have an exciting opportunity to support local artists and help authenticate downtown as a vibrant urban space for art in public spaces while eliminating the emptiness of these vacant buildings. AME Collaborative wishes to establish themselves at 115. E. Travis in the Milam Buildings until the space is rented out. The pop-up space will be open at set hours and offer receptions and programming throughout the duration of the exhibitions, offering amenities and experiences in spaces which would otherwise be left vacant during this time. AME will act as a working collaborative studio and art space featuring local artists with art to sell as well. A time-lapse of the work produced in the space will be on view at the storefront window for bystanders to view, engaging them at all times. This space will be activated with free programming, public events: artists talks, zine parties, music, and more. The partnership is between the landlords, the participants and exhibiting artists. There will be media coverage and we would love to share the Awesome SA message and support through all of our outlets and in our space as this initiative is truly awesome for activating downtown and addressing the issues of Vacancy in our most significant parts of our downtown core. Travis Park will be steps away, as well as the river walk. With this grant we will be able to activate vacant downtown storefronts and underutilized spaces by introducing visually dynamic art installations and happenings to attract the public downtown to experience art. We would love to be a stop for Contemporary Art month happening in March 2015 offering programming the entire month!!

Boulder, CO (Неактивен) – The Untitled Book

2015-01-13T00:00:00Z

Wonderbound is delighted to be engaging in a new partnership with the Highland City Club to offer Boulder residents a new artistic experience. Wonderbound and the Highland City Club will present an innovative, audience-participatory work titled "The Untitled Book" in the Highland City Club’s foyer. Inspired by the art of Edward Gorey, the work is choreographed by Wonderbound Artistic Director Garrett Ammon and features music by The Tiger Lilies and Kronos Quartet.

Boulder, CO (Неактивен) – Queen Christina of Sweden Concert

2015-01-13T00:00:00Z

Seicento presents the story of Queen Christina of Sweden through narration and music. Declared a boy at birth, relabeled as a girl the following day, then raised to be “king” of Sweden during the mid-1600s, flamboyant Christina left a trail of ambiguous controversy that persisted throughout her life: dressing, talking and comporting herself as a man; spawning rampant rumors of trysts with both female subjects and robed clergymen; appropriating her nation’s riches for her own use; and betraying the religion for which her father and countless countrymen died. But the music, art and scholarship Christina inspired and commissioned remains a pure testament to her multi-faceted life and journey from austere, frigid Lutheran Sweden to lush, warm Catholic Rome. In this project, we weave contemporary conjecture with historical fact in an original script by Boulder’s Becca Tice. The story will be accompanied by gorgeous musical works by composers Christina knew and loved: Scarlatti, Corelli, Gesualdo, Albrici. This fascinating queen ended the 30 Years War, but was called the "naughty daughter" and remembered for controversies-- her abdication, sexual preferences, attempts to become queen of Naples and Poland, and her sexual identity (her body was exhumed in 1965 and tested for signs of intersexuality with inconclusive results). The story is narrated by Jean Hodges, retired drama teacher for Boulder H.S. and the National President of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians & Gays). Alto Marjorie Bunday will be the voice of Christina; Soprano Abbi Chapman is "Belle" Sparre, Christina’s lady-in-waiting and lover; and internationally known tenor, Steven Soph, a Boulder resident, plays Christina’s confidant, advisor and male lover, Cardinal Azozlino. A pre-concert talk will consider the implications of a LGBTQ life in the 1600s, contrasted with the experience today. We will also offer academic insights o the music of the period and Christina's place in history.

Awesome Without Borders (Неактивен) – Art Barter Mexico

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

Art Barter is based in London but along the years we have created projects and exhibitions in various locations such as NY, Berlin, London, Istanbul and Madrid. We now would like to take our concept to Mexico to discover its vibrant art scene and talents. The Art Barter project evolves around the concept of bartering for art. The artists, ranging from emerging to established, are all presented as equals with one piece of art each exhibited anonymously.The public are then invited to offer anything for the artworks except for money. In London in 2009, Tracey Emin exchanged 30 hours of French lessons for her monoprint and other creative, romantic or practical exchanges have taken place, from a week-long retreat in South of France; a hand made remote control toy made by a 5 year old; and an undeveloped roll of film. Please do check our website to see all the barters and exchanges made in previous shows. www.artbarter.co.uk. At the end of the exhibition you can find out whose artwork belongs to which artist and all participating artists become part of our worldwide network permanently. The project's aim is to promote younger artists, giving them the opportunity to exhibit their work alongside established names of the contemporary art scene as well as giving the viewers the chance to think about what they have that is unique to offer. Each city that we have taken our concept to has reacted in different ways to the challenge. We have been invited by local artists Laureana Toledo to organise an Art Barter show in Mexico City in February to coincide with the art fair there and we are looking for funding to make this happen. It is important to us to carry on with the Art Barter project and to take it to new destination as it allows us to discover the local art scene, young and established and to widen the community of artists related to the project.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Неактивен) – מרכז צעירים רחובות (שם זמני)

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

הדבר הראשון והמרכזי ביותר כדי להגביר את האחריות של האנשים על סביבתם היא חיזוק תחושת השייכות. הקמת מעגלי שייכות מתרחבים שבסופם יחברו את בן האדם לקהילה הגדולה. אם בעבר הקשר בין היחיד למשפחה ובין המשפחה לקהילה היה מאוד ברור, כיום ברור לנו שהקשר הזה נחלש עד נעלם. כראיה לכך, איש או אישה צעירים (25-35) ברחובות, יכולים להעביר שבועות שלמים בין הלימודים לעבודה לבית לבית הקפה\פאב. יוצא מכך, ששום דבר לא מאמת אותם או מפגיש אותם עם מעגל שייכות אמיתי (שהוא יותר רחב מהבית שלהם). השאלה שעולה היא מהו התוכן של אותו מעגל שייכות. אנחנו מאמינים שבן אדם צריך להיפגש עם אנשים מהקהילה שלו סביב האחריות המשותפת על הקהילה, סביב תוכן הומני, סביבתי, חברתי. להתמודד עם שאלות של אי צדק. החלטנו להקים מרכז צעירים במרכזה של רחובות. שכרנו חנות במדרחוב קטן אך מאוד מאוד מרכזי ובימים הקרובים נתחיל לשפץ אותה. מטרת המרכז היא להוות לצעירים מקום מפגש וחיזוק השייכות והאחריות שלהם על הקהילה. הדרך לעשות זאת היא מתן מענה לצורך הבסיסי להיפגש, לצאת מהבית, לשמוע מוזיקה או הופעה אקוטסית טובה, לשתות קפה, להחליף רעיונות, להחליף ספרים, לחפש קצת שקט, לקנות בגדים יד שניה פעם בכמה זמן וכו'. אנחנו ניתן את המקום, את התנאים, את הליווי האנושי ולא נחפש רווח. אנחנו מניחים שהיתרון של לא לחפש רווח, יאפשר לנו לתת מענה אמיתי לצורכי הקהילה. מרכז הצעירים יהיה פתוח רוב השבוע (עוד לא ברור כמה ימים) יהיו בו תנאים לעבודה וללימודים. במקום יתקיימו מפגשים מסודרים של קבוצות לפי נושאים. תתקיימנה הרצאות, הופעות קטנות ומפגשים גדולים בימי שישי בצהריים.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Неактивен) – Gan Levinsky & Escuelita Girls Group

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

ספרייתגןלוינסקיוהאסקוליטה הם שני ארגונים אשר הפכו עם השנים למרכזים חברתיים משמעותיים לשתי קבוצות של נערות אשר חיות בדרום בת"א. לספרייה מגיעות נערות פליטות ומהגרות ממדיניות אפריקה, ולאסקוליטה נערות להורים מהגרים מאמריקה הלטינית. הנערות פוקדות את כל אחד מהארגונים בקביעות, מספר פעמיים בשבוע וניתן לומר שהוא משמש להם כמסגרת בטוחה, מכילה ומקבלת לאחר שעות הלימודים. ביולי 2013 פנתה אלינו האמנית לוסיאנה קפלון והציעה לעשות פרויקט משותף לשני הארגונים עם הנערות שמגיעות לכל ארגון. הגשנו יחד איתה בקשה למלגת "אמן בהקהילה" ולשמחתנו הבקשה התקבלה. מנובמבר החלה לוסיאנה לעבוד עם הנערות. מטרתו של הפרויקט היא לתת מקום לכל אחת מהנערות לבוא לידי ביטוי עצמי דרך כלים אמנותיים, תוך כדי גיבושן של הבנות סביב מטרה קבוצתית משותפת. הקבוצה מעניקה למשתתפות חוויה תומכת ומחזקת, ובמהלך המפגשים מתאפשר לנערות לבחון נושאים ומושגים שונים כמו פרטיות, מגדר, פמיניזם, קהילה, זהות (זהות היברידית אפריקאית/לטינית-ישראלית), המרחב הסובב אותי, הגוף והריקוד כביטוי תרבותי-פוליטי ועוד. דרך הכלים האמנותיים מצליחה לוסיאנה ליצור קבוצה שפועל יחד כ"צוות הפקה", כשהמטרה הסופית שלהן היא לצלם ולהפיק ווידיאו קליפ אשר משקף את תחומי העניין של הבנות. עבודת הווידיאו שלהן תוצג בתערוכה במרכז לאמנות עכשווית בת"א בחודשי הקיץ. במהלך הפרויקט כל משתתפת בקבוצה מתמקדת בתחום אחר בהפקה: צילום, תאורה, תפאורה, סטיילינג, ריקוד, ארט וכו', זאת על מנת לעודד את הביטוי העצמי של כל אחת מן הנערות בקבוצה ומתן מענה לתחומים שמעניינים ומסקרנים אותה. בחודשים הראשונים של הפעילות התמקדה הקבוצה ביצירת אמון וסולידריות קבוצתית בין הבנות. בנוסף, נערכו מספר מפגשים וסדנאות עם אמנים מתחומים שונים: גלעד רטמן (סדנת תאורה), יוחאי מטוס (סדנת אמנות רחוב וגרפיטי), הגר אופיר (סדנת סטייליניג ועיצוב תלבושות) ועלמה יצחקי (ציירת, סדנת רישום). בנוסף, ביקרו הבנות במרכז לאמנות עכשווית וצפו ב"דקה דאנס" של להקת המחול בת שבע. המפגשים מתקיימים פעמיים בשבוע ובמהלכן הבנות לומדות ומתרגלות טכניקות בצילום ווידאו/סטילס, ריקוד, כריאוגרפיה, עיצוב תלבושות, רישום ועוד. במהלך המפגשים נחשפות הבנות למגוון רחב של פרקטיקות, במטרה להרחיב ולחשוף אותם לאפשרויות חדשות ודרכים נוספות להבעה עצמית.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Неактивен) – 'כנפיים של קרמבו' – טיול סניף אופקים

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

עפ"י הדירוג החברתי-כלכלי של הלמ"ס שפורסם בשנת 2013, משתייכת אופקים לאשכול השלישי (מתוך עשרה). העיר סובלת מתת שירותים חברתיים וחינוכיים, במיוחד כאלו שמותאמים לילדים עם צרכים מיוחדים. המצוקות הכלכליות והחברתיות שקיימות ממילא בקרב האוכלוסייה באזור, מועצמות בגין צרכיו של הילד המיוחד והיעדר השירותים עבורו. המשפחות והילדים משוועים למסגרת חברתית כלשהי, בה יוכלו לחוות זמן של כיף וליהנות מחברת בני גילם, עם ובלי צרכים מיוחדים. זהו צורך הכרחי למען התפתחותם הרגשית התקינה של הילדים ולמען ההורים והמשפחות שכורעים תחת הנטל הכלכלי, הפיזי והרגשי. סניף 'כנפיים של קרמבו' באופקים פועל כבר שלוש שנים. פועלים בו 22 חניכים עם מגוון נכויות (CP, אוטיזם, פיגור ותסמונות שונות), ו-55 בני נוער וצעירים מהעיר ומסביבותיה שממלאים תפקידי חונכים וצוות מוביל. חברי הסניף מתכנסים לפעילות מדי יום שני אחה"צ במתנ"ס רבין שבעיר (תרומה של הרשות המקומית) ומקיימים בה פעילות במודל קבוצתי משולב בחונכות אישית. רכזי ההדרכה מתכננים ומעבירים את הפעילות לקבוצה כולה, והחונכים מתווכים את הפעילות לחניכים (לכל חניך שני חונכים קבועים). הפעילויות הן בעלות אופי חברתי, חווייתי וחינוכי, כבכל תנועות הנוער. החניכים מגיעים לפעילות ומוחזרים ממנה באמצעות מערכת היסעים מותאמת ומונגשת במימון התנועה. כל הפעילים, חונכים וחניכים, נדרשים לדמי השתתפות שנתיים סמליים של 200 ₪. התנועה מסבסדת את הפעילים שאין ביכולתם לשלם. בני הנוער אשר פועלים בסניף כחונכים וכחברי צוות מוביל, בחלקם הינם צעירים אשר נשרו ממערכת החינוך ועובדים במהלך שעות הבוקר, אחרים מוגדרים ע"י הרשויות כ"נוער בסיכון". דרך החיבור שלהם לתנועה, הפעילות בסניף, הקשר עם החניכים ובינם לבין עצמם, מתחברים הצעירים הללו חזרה לקהילה בתוכה הם חיים, חווים נתינה מעצמם והעצמה אישית, לומדים מנהיגות ועשייה חברתית וסופגים ערכים של סובלנות, מעורבות קהילתית ושיוויון. הפעילות שלהם כחונכים, משנה את חייהם ומעשירה אותם במידה שאינה פחותה מזו בה היא משפיעה ותורמת לילדים עם הצרכים המיוחדים. תקציב הפעילות השנתי של הסניף הוא 172,811 ₪. הוא נשען בעיקר על תרומות ממקורות שונים (גופים עסקיים, תורמים פרטיים וקרנות) הסניף פועל ללא גוף שתומך בו באופן רציף.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Неактивен) – הקניון החברתי הראשון

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

הקניון החברתי הראשון הוא פלטפורמה שמסייעת לעסקים חברתיים ועמותות שיש להם מוצרים ושירותיים סופר איכותיים, להיחשף ו"לקבל הזדמנות" בחברות עסקיות גדולות. החברות הללו מחפשות את האפשרות לרכוש מתנות וציוד מארגונים שיש להם ערך מוסף - אבל שני הצדדים מדברים בשפה שונה, נמצאים בפורומים שונים ומתקשים לתקשר. הקניון החברתי הראשון מציע לעסקים חברתיים ועמותות חשיפה, שיווק וכל המעטפת שנדרשת כך שכל מה שהם צריכים לעשות זה לספק את הסחורה לאחר סגירת העסקה. הדבר חוסך מהם עלויות משמעותיות ומגדיל מאוד את פוטנציאל ההכנסות שלהם. עבור הארגונים העסקיים הקניון מהווה one stop shop למגוון עצום של מוצרים ושירותים, והכל תוך ניהול הקשר עם אדם אחד בלבד ולא עם ארגונים רבים ושונים. הקניון החברתי הראשון מאפשר גם לאנשים פרטיים לבצע קניה חברתית ולרכוש מוצרים איכותיים שיש להם ערך מוסף. בעיננו - הקניון הוא פלטפורמה לשינוי תודעתי רחב ועמוק בחברה הישראלית ולשינוי כלכלי משמעותי בעולם החברתי - עולם המתנות ותווי השי שרוכשים ארגונים עסקיים עבור עובדיהם מגלגל 2.2 מיליארד ש"ח בשנה. אם נצליח להסיט אפילו חלק קטן מכך לעולם החברתי - האימפקט לכך יהיה עצום - ויאפשר לארגונים שמספקים תעסוקה לאוכלוסיות מודרות, לארגונים המקדמים מטרות של סחר הוגן, העצמת נשים, סיוע לבני נוער בסיכון, קידום נושאים סביבתיים ועוד, לממש בצורה טובה הרבה יותר את מטרותיהם. הקניון החברתי הראשון הוקם על ידי, בשיתוף עם מינגה - הזירה לעסקים חברתיים, והושק בספטמבר האחרון. למרות שזהו מיזם בתחילת דרכו ורבות מההנחות שלנו התבררו כלא מדויקות, הצלחנו לייצר עשייה משמעותית בטווח של 10 חודשים. במקביל אנו פועלים במרץ להבין טוב יותר את רצונות השוק, ואנו מרגישים כי כעת אנחנו מוכנים לקפיצת מדרגה - לאחר שהבנו טוב יותר מה מתאים ונדרש - בפרט בפניה לארגונים העסקיים, שרוצים לקבל מענה תפור אישית ומקסימום איכות במינימום מחיר. הדבר דורש מאיתנו הרבה התאמות - ובשל כך אנו פונים אליכם :)

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Неактивен) – חינוך עם חיוך

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

"חוק חינוך חובה" מקנה זכות לחינוך לכל ילדי ישראל, אך הקריטריונים שנקבעו לחינוך חינם – אינם תואמים לצרכי הילדים. ילדים הסובלים מד"מ מפסידים ימי לימודים רבים ושוהים לא מעט ב"אישפוז ביתי " כפוי ,רוב ימי ההחלמה התקף דיסאוטונומי וההתאששות ממנו יכולים להגיע לשישים יום רצוף . הבידוד מהב"ס , מהחברים , מהסביבה הלימודית המוכרת יוצר פערים גדולים בין התלמיד החולה לשאר הכתה . לבידוד זה השפעה רבה הן מבחינה לימודית והן מבחינה פסיכולוגית חברתית (פגיעה בביטחון העצמי, במודעות העצמית , בהתמודדות הפרט מול החברה ) . פרויקט "חינוך עם חיוך" נותן מענה לימודי, חינוכי וחברתי המתאים לצרכי הילדים בהתחשב בפיזור הארצי ובמצבם הרפואי המשתנה מיום ליום.פרויקט זה כולל מימון תגבור השיעורים הפרטים ( מעבר למה שמסבסדת המדינה), הצמדת מורה פרטי במגוון נושאים לימודיים – ולא במקצוע בודד, מימון שרות פסיכולוגי או טיפולם פרה רפואיים בהתאם להתקדמות וצרכי הילד ועוד מטרות מרכזיות: 1. הקניית ידע וכלים בתחום לימודי לצמצום פערים הנוצרים במסגרת לימודית. 2. חיזוק וטיפוח דימוי עצמי, בטחון אישי והעצמה אישית. 3. הקניית כלים להתמודדות במצבי לחץ ומשבר. 4. פיתוח כישורי חיים ומיומנויות חברתיו

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Неактивен) – Tsevet Lohamim

2015-01-12T00:00:00Z

Tsevet Lohamim is an organization designed to prepare immigrants & potential lone soldiers physically and mentally to join combat units in the IDF. We provide several things: hardcore combat fitness training and a supporting network and community of former lone soldiers and current ones to help new immigrants and provide guidance and personal example to become the best soldiers they can be in the IDF. Today Tsevet Lohamim is an official non for profit organization runned by 13 volunteers who are all former lone soldiers, dedicating their free time every week to provide professional training and a supporting community for drafting lone soldiers in Israel. We train between 40 -60 lone soldiers every year. Our activities take place mostly in Tel Aviv, (ramat aviv beach area). Our members have a very high rate of joining Israels most elite combat units, and they also enjoy being part of a community of friends that stays with them through their service and beyond!

Orlando, FL – Artists for Autism Mural project

2015-01-09T00:00:00Z

Why is creating or connecting art and autism so important? The children have a difficult time expressing what's happening inside of them as a result causes them to become frustrated, throwing their hands, screaming, or hitting. At times, the response from others is confusion and misunderstanding, as to why the child is behaving this way, often causing others to feel as if the child is misbehaving. But through art, the children have an opportunity, a chance to use art as an outlet for proper expression of their feelings. 1. Its a form of therapy, it can provide healing. Art can also play a huge role in the development of language, expression, confidence, motor planning, and fine motor skills. 2.Expression of imagination. For children who have difficulty learning, art can open up a new way to access the curriculum. The creative process can trigger a sense of achievement and an increase in self-esteem. For children with autism or other learning disabilities, art can provide a nonverbal outlet for feelings and emotions. The idea is hand painted murals. They are safer and could last more than pictures. The images and colors can be selected together with the children, designing the mural with their favorite theme. Allow hands-on interaction with the staff and children to take part in the process of each mural. Allow us to make something special for these children to enjoy every day they go to school. These children come from low income living situations and their families can't always afford education luxuries, such as private schools, expensive learning tools, and tutors, each of these elements help them gain Independence and growth. Something simple as a mural will increase the visual sensory and allow them to feel at home and instead of an institute, let us relieve some of the tensions theses children are dealing with inside. "Lets make the outside beautiful and comfortable, so they can work on the inside" - Ashlie Lawson

San Francisco, CA – Oakland students make the future!

2015-01-08T00:00:00Z

Oakland middle school students build wild projects to develop skills, discover their own potential, and explore the possibilities of the wider world. It's hard for many people to imagine how limiting the life of a low-income Oakland kid can be. While teenagers everywhere complain about not having control over their lives, many students at our school experience an entirely different kind of confinement. They have been born into a system that leaves them without safe places to play, without chances to learn what matters to them, without access to clean air and nature, and without even basic nutrition. This sucks. But here's what sucks even more- sooner or later, many of these kids start thinking that there is nothing they can do to change their circumstances and the world they live in. We are teachers at Bret Harte Middle school in Oakland. After school, we volunteer to run a new club we call the Radical Constructivists. The idea is simple: kids build things that matter to them. They work in small or large groups, on teeny or long-term projects, but they all work, and they all use their hands as much as they use their brains. Every student's first challenge is to build a rocket that can fly higher than our school building. Their next project is largely up to them. Our job is to point them toward the right tools and get out of their way. We believe strongly that by making things - by turning ideas and dreams into real, concrete objects - our students are changing the way they see the world and their role in it. Slated projects include compost tumblers, catapults, solar powered water purifiers, land sailors (wind powered buggies), a skin-on-frame canoe, and just maybe an aquaponic herb garden. In so far as possible, we build everything out of scrap, discards, and salvaged material. Turning “trash” into beautiful creations is as powerful an experience as anything we can offer our kids. However, sometimes our student’s dreams exceed the materials we can find in a dumpster. Before receiving this grant, we had no funding for any extra expenses. Here's how we will use the money: First: we want to respond to wildly creative student ideas with “yes”, even when a proposed project requires purchases. We will reserve $600 of the award as a fund for materials. This money should fund 6-12 good sized projects, each involving 3-5 students. Then: we need to acquire more comfortable safety equipment. All we’ve got are horrible 70’s era lab goggles. We will buy 100 comfortable safety glasses at $2.20 each. Finally: we will spend $180 on a locking tool chest to protect donated tools. James Kealey teaches science to 152 seventh graders. He is passionate about designing great curriculum and getting kids as many hands-on experiences as possible. Before teaching, he worked as a carpenter, scientific SCUBA diver, and researcher. Nicholas Gilpinwright teaches special education classes in math and science. He teaches his students by appealing to every sense and learning style. Nick is a maker superstar. If it exists, he can fix it. If it doesn’t exist, he can build it.