Awesome Foundation - Projects

Sydney – Heart and Soul Story's S.T.E.P

2018-03-29T00:00:00Z

PROB: Mental health epidemics at the opposite ends of life. An epidemic of increasing YOUTH mental health issues, coinciding with an epidemic of increasing loneliness and depression in our Elderly. A National Mental Health Commision reported Kids Helpline counsellors now making more than twice as many emergency calls than two years ago. Health Minister Wyatt lamented in Oct 17 that UP TO 40% OF RESIDENTS IN AGED CARE GET NO VISITORS. Solution: I have been working pro bono to design and implement a program bringing together Teens and Elders in Aged Care in a Story Sharing program, S.T.E.P ( Seniors and Teens Empathy Program). After volunteering with my own children at our local facility and seeing how few volunteers the residents receive, I knew I had to do something about it I approached Kids Giving Back to allow me to utilise their website to recruit the teens; then managed all stakeholder relationships within the Aged Care facility( staff & residents) and parents/ teens leading up to and including during and post the pilot. My website and FB page outline a lot of detail about the incredible community connection a program like STEP is enabling .. an example is a summary below of what some of the Teens and Elders have had to say about the program Some of the Teens have described their experience over the past 6 weeks as "interesting, fun and informative " others as " exciting, interesting and joyful". One went so far as to call it "sublime". Their Elder partners described a "joy and happiness" to have the Teens visit each week. "I'm just happy they are here !" When Teens were surveyed as to how likely they would be to recommend STEP to friends -50% indicated 10/10 - 25% 9/10 - 25% 7/10

Sydney – The Monstrosities

2018-02-17T00:00:00Z

WHAT IS IT? The Monstrosities is a roaming performance created for Art Month, intended to liven up underappreciated, urban spaces in Sydney. Matriark Theatre will design and build a group of giant, colourful, roaming monstrous creatures to hang out in parks, basketball courts, skate-parks and bus stops around the city. Theses monsters are neon-coloured and shaggy. Think of them like a colourful, tripped out manifestation of Where the Wild Things Are and are inspired by prominent graffiti murals from around the South Sydney area. WHY? Waterloo and Green Square are areas with a deep history and a well-established community. They are also areas that have recently seen ginormous, tower blocks built to accommodate a growing population. With many new residents moving in, a clash of old and new is currently taking place. The old community looks at the new tower blocks as monstrosities and the new community regards the old buildings and community spaces with a similar attitude. The Monstrosities are a bridge between the old and the new. An expression of, and a thank you to the vibrant and quirky past of South Sydney, while also welcoming in a new South Sydney which will pioneer its own positive future. HOW WILL AUDIENCES FIND THEM? The first season of The Monstrosities will be promoted by the City of Sydney and Sydney Art Month. Art Month hosts walking tours of art projects in Sydney throughout the month of March. Our audiences will encounter these monsters as they walk around the city. Of course, Monstrosities is a public event, so even those not involved in an Art Month walking tour will encounter these monsters! FUTURE: The Monstrosities will officially be a part of Sydney Art Month and operate initially in the Green Square/Waterloo area, but we hope to bring them to life in other urban centres around Sydney at other times of the year. There will be five monstrosities initially, though we would love to expand the group for future iterations of the project.

Sydney – FLEX

2018-01-12T00:00:00Z

‘FLEX’ is a group exhibition which will be presented at AirSpace Projects, Marrickville in January 2018. With new work by emerging artists Belle Blau, Paula McCambridge and Cameron Stead, and with curatorial assistance contributed by Upasana Papadopoulos (M. Curating, USyd), FLEX aims to explore, challenge and disrupt the underlying power structures of our personal, professional and political lives, through use of various mediums, including painting, installation and digital media. ‘FLEX’ was devised as the result of a number of round table discussions between the artists and curator, to produce a cohesive exhibition with a mutually agreed upon direction and areas of focus. As recent graduates of The National Art School in Darlinghurst, the artists of ‘FLEX’ examine and respond to the conventions of their institutional training – their work both acknowledges tradition and steps outside set parameters to investigate new modes of thinking, seeing and doing. Blau’s body of work, which includes painting, drawing, writing and music, approaches the traditionally male-dominated genres of abstraction and reductionism from a female perspective, while McCambridge and Stead make installations and artworks from unconventional materials such as underfelt, latex and found plastics to encourage new perspectives of self-representation, objects we encounter and places we inhabit. FLEX therefore aims to create a platform for conversations and questions about learned behaviour and ways of thinking about the self and others. AirSpace Projects are opening their gallery doors to a summer audience to present four concurrent exhibitions from 17th to 27th January. Utilising AirSpace’s formidable social media networks, as well as those of the artists, it is anticipated that the gallery will attract more than 500 visitors on opening, with numbers growing throughout the duration of the exhibition.

Sydney – Accessible Abstracts

2017-12-07T00:00:00Z

Accessible Abstracts is a series of abstract art workshops for people with disabilities, by people with disabilities. These workshops offer disability led professional arts and cultural education to people with disabilities to empower artists with these barriers through creative skills, experience, confidence and social inclusion. We aim to inspire interest in pursuing art and creative design as a career path. In Australia, 1 in 5 people have a disability, and over half of those people are unemployed. Through Accessible Abstracts, we will challenge the barriers that people living with disability face accessing conventional education and professional development pathways in the arts. Accessible Abstracts will provide artists with studio space equipped with artistic materials and support staff to teach and assist. It also provides multiple exhibition opportunities throughout the year, linking participants with and introducing them to prestigious art institutions such as the AGNSW and ArtBank. During the workshops participants will go through the process of researching the history of abstract art, experiencing contemporary abstract art, learning different abstract mark making techniques, and creating their own unique abstract artworks in response to what they have learned. This aims to teach participants a pathway to self employment using artistic skills to become a practicing artist. Art For Accessibility Workshops are run by members of the Front Up Emerge 2016 program, at the Front Up Arts Hub in Seven Hills, Sydney Australia. The Emerge program helped us as disabled emerging artists to expand and build our art practices, build on our portfolios of work, and increase our skills. In addition, we were taught how to teach accessible art workshops, putting people first. Now we are moving into becoming part of the Front Up team, heading up our own creative workshops. 4 photos shown below are from an art workshop I helped facilitate.

Sydney – Inner West Tool Library

2017-11-13T00:00:00Z

Did you know that the average drill is used for less than 15 minutes in its lifetime? The concept of a tool library is much like a book lending library, except lending out tools instead of books. Once a member, you can browse the collection either online or at the library, and loan out the tools you need. Why a tool library? Save money and space : once a member, individuals have access to hundreds of tools, allowing them to borrow them rather spending the money on new tools, then needing to store them. Share skills : a space for learning how to use tools, and sharing ideas and tips. Protect the Environment : Sharing reduces the number of new tools made, and the resources needed to produce them. Community building : Meeting place for neighbours, open space for discussing projects and helping each other out. Last year I did a workshop to build outdoor furniture from recycled timber. The day was great, especially learning how easy it is to build basic furniture - as long as you have the tools to do it, or money to buy them. I do not have either. Through my interest in the share economy, I had heard of a tool library in the past, so started to do some serious research. I discovered there are hundreds established in North America and Europe, and decided there should be one in Sydney! So far there are only 2 in Australia (Melbourne and Katoomba), so OZ is pretty new to the game. The plan is to hold workshops as well, empowering the community to learn how to use power tools and be able to do their own home renovations or creative work. It will be a NFP. Since making a Facebook page to gauge interest from the community, I’ve had over 200 people like the page, and continue to receive positive comments, offering support, donations of tools and interest to get involved. I’m holding a meeting on July 20th in hopes to gather some of these like-minded people together and create a core Tool Library team.

Sydney – Good to Go

2017-10-11T00:00:00Z

Myself and three friends got inspired after watching the War on Waste series to try to experiment with an intervention that would reduce single-use plastic waste; specifically, single-use takeaway containers. Our project is the implementation of a reusable food container system, similar to the systems that currently operate in Portland and San Francisco in the United States (by the organisation GoBox), and at colleges all around US (e.g. Harvard, Berkeley), but in an Australian context. The way the scheme practically operates is that a participating restaurant serves takeaway food in one of our reusable containers, the customer eats it there, or takes it up to their office, and when they're done eating they drop the box in a designated drop box (placed next to ordinary bins). The boxes are collecting by a third party, returned to the restaurants who wash the containers, and then reuse them. They can be used up to 500 times. Once they break, they can be placed in the regular recycling - closing the loop of materials. We've done extensive research and the existing overseas schemes have been shown to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and overall greenhouse gas emissions, compared to any single-use alternative, including compostable containers. We're currently in the process of running a Life Cycle Analysis to analyse the environmental footprint of using the boxes in Australia, but based on our preliminary research we expect them to still be radically more environmentally friendly than any single-use alternative! We have been speaking to a number of local restaurants to partner and a run a pilot, including Cornersmith, Sumo Salad, Rose Bay Farmers Markets, Will & Co, Tokyo Tina (in Melbourne) and more. We have found that prospective partners are very keen to participate, but initial costs are a concern (since the model is yet to have been used in Australia).

Sydney – Woolloomooloo Workshop Cafe

2017-06-23T00:00:00Z

Weave Community Hub in Woolloomooloo is going to renovate a disused garage space and turn it into a workshop cafe and we would love your help! The goal is to turn a previously wasted space into an awesome hang out space where local people can come and work on their own projects, use shared tools, fix their bicycles and engage in skill based workshops. The space will double as a cafe and lounge hub for people to hang out and spend time together; Woolloomooloo is an interesting inner city community that has lots of public housing but is undergoing a process of gentrification with young professionals and families moving into the area. A workshop cafe community hub designed and hand made by local people will build a stronger sense of community in an often marginalised and isolated inner city community. When finished this space will become the venue for our monthly community barbecues and special events.

Sydney – Musical Pool Noodle

2017-05-23T00:00:00Z

I work as a music therapist and come from a sound design background. In consultation with an OT we have designed a musical pool noodle however it is currently in its production stage. The noodles will be implemented into a movement to music activities across a variety of nursing homes in greater western Sydney to promote increased range of motion in elderly residents. It is also hoped that the noodle can be used in clinic situations for rehabilitation of movement for individuals with disabilities.

Sydney – Playgroups in The Park

2017-04-23T00:00:00Z

Playgroups in The Park is the only free family fun day available for children under school age (0-5years old) in City of Sydney LGA particularly in Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington, Eveleigh and Alexandria area. It runs from 10:00AM to 1:30PM three times a year. It has been running for 17 years with various support from local services to fund it as we never secure a continuous support from any government or non-government funders. The purpose of this event is to provide a safe, community focus event for parents with young children for free on regular basis. The aim is to facilitate a space for local service providers (child care centres, early childhood health services, women and children services, local schools and community/neighbourhood centres) to meet with the local community members, particularly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities who reside in this area. We provide wide range of entertainments for children such as jumping castle, animal farm, puppet show, pony rides, music and movement activity, face painting and many others. The parents/carers will have the opportunity to enquire to the information stalls regarding their children or their needs. We provide light morning tea which includes fresh fruits, cheese buns, water and juices.

Sydney – Pocket Sized Precincts

2017-03-23T00:00:00Z

Pocket-Sized Precincts is a free itty-bitty city art quest in Sydney. 2017 will be our second iteration and this year we want to grow to include other artists and new suburbs! Here is a little snapshot of our project: Explore amazing parks, uncover local businesses and tap into your own imagination. Hidden within five City of Sydney parks are pocket-sized artworks. To find the secret locations of the parks visit the businesses on the quest map and collect the clues. Once you or a member of your team have visited all the locations on the map, it’s time to put your own creative skills into action to enter the competition. There’s no limit when it comes to your own artwork, so whether it’s a sketch, a photo, a poem, a song, you - inspired by your city - can decide! Winners will have their artworks displayed in the front window of 107 Projects - a gallery in Redfern - and can also choose one of the artworks from the quest.

Sydney – Comedy Of Art

2017-02-20T00:00:00Z

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.” Alders Huxley Our vision is to help adults to get in touch with their inner child. To do this we employ techniques from Commedia dell'arte or Comedy Of Art a traditional Italian Improvisational theatre, whilst at the same time, we are giggling due to the fact that we've put fart into a domain name. Comedy Of Art has creating spectacle, joy and exuberance as a theatre troupe at festivals attended by over 50000 people, going undercover as Insecurity Officers, travelling across space and time as Future Scientists and playing Adult Charades to name a few...and now, we feel like it's time to share it with even more, namely Sydney Fringe Festival, where we want to set a World Record For The Number of Spinning High Fives. Why and how do we do it? It's s all to do with a well of joy bubbling in our minds. That we want to share.

Sydney – TechFugees Australia #Hack4Refugees

2016-12-01T00:00:00Z

TechFugees Australia is the Tech Community's response to the current global refugee crisis. We bring together Hackers, Hipsters, Hustlers and Humanitarians over a weekend to design tech solutions to the problems that people face when settling into Australia. It is completely non-political. It is all about creating community harmony. The secret sauce in our Hackathon is that we partner with NGOs and "co-design" with refugees and new settlers themselves. They present their challenges to Hackers around common themes and then work together to develop creative tech solutions. The majority of participants are not tech people and we mentor across the weekend to teach Lean Startup principles. We've been stunned by the generosity of our tech community in providing their time to do this. We have run two Hackathons in Sydney and Melbourne. In September we are planning to run a Hackathon for Young People in Parramatta. Some of the hacks developed in Sydney included an app that help refugees find the closest Doctor who speaks their language; "Refugee Intern" which connects people to companies and indivduals in their profession; and a "Settlement" portal connecting refugess to all the services they need when they arrive. Hackathons are the entry-level drug to the startup world and the alchemy of the weekend is all about connecting people and creating relationships that survive the weekend. We'll be especially thrilled if this happens with this Hackathon focused on Young People. Story about first Hackathon http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hackathon-to-develop-ideas-to-help-refugees-20151128-glac8a.html Disclosure: Nicole Williamson is an Awesome Foundation Sydney Ambassador

Sydney – Back to School with a Smile

2016-11-06T00:00:00Z

South-West Sydney has a high percentage of children living in poverty, with Claymore being one of Australia's poorest suburbs. Intergenerational disadvantage, homelessness, single parent families, unemployment and a high percentage of residents under the age of 15 all adds up to a huge number of children living with social deprivation. Unfortunately, OECD research shows that coming from an environment of disadvantage predisposes students to poor educational results, and this then predisposes them to employment inequality. So, at the most basic level, if a child starts kindergarten without all necessary school supplies to start formal learning, this may put them on the path to continued disadvantage from the beginning. Second Life Stationery is a not-for-profit organisation that takes donations of gently-used stationery & school supplies from individuals and businesses. This group of volunteers then cleans & re-packs the donated items into backpacks, and passes them on to organisations who provide assistance to disadvantaged people. The main purpose of the group is to assist learners who are disadvantaged, in the form of the most basic school supplies like pencils, erasers, rulers & exercise books. We also ensure that each backpack has a reading book at an appropriate level for the age group. Literacy is the key to academic achievement, and sadly, children from low socio-economic backgrounds are at risk of reading difficulties due to a lack of exposure to books. Therefore, even one book in each of these backpacks could assist in improving literacy for these children.

Sydney – Uprock Urban Arts Festival

2016-09-20T00:00:00Z

The Uprock Park Jam will be an urban arts festival for the community of Canterbury / Bankstown incorporating a national breakdancing championship and a legal aerosol art display. The project aims to use hip hop as a medium of positive social change in a fun, safe and supportive environment. A breakdancing competition will be open to junior (under 18 year old) and senior competitors. The junior competition will give young people an opportunity to perform in public for the first time and build their skills, confidence and networks. Junior winners will receive a cash prize. The senior competitors (18-25 year olds) will compete for an opportunity to represent Australia at a World Breakdancing Championships in Taiwan in December. We anticipate that dancers will travel from across Australia to compete in the event. This means that local community members will have the opportunity to see some of the nation's best dancers in action at a local venue. International adjudicators (Lego Sam from Malaysia and Bboy Enoch from China) will facilitate the day's proceedings. A legal aerosol art display will also take place over several hours during the main proceedings. This will be a way of bringing art out of the gallery and back to the street. The medium is one that many people interested in hip hop can relate to and enjoy. Leading artists will be engaged to facilitate the live art display.

Sydney – HSCHero

2016-07-01T00:00:00Z

You know how Year 12 students often crumble from stress due to the HSC? HSC Hero is a website that provides free online video tutorials for HSC 2016 students especially those who are financially and geographically disadvantaged students. We're a team of 3 under 21, living in South Western Sydney and our vision is to encourage and empower others to learn. As recent graduates from high school, we felt as though it was really unfair that some of us could not afford extra help and tuition simply because our parents didn't have enough money. So after high school we wanted to make learning easier for everyone especially those who need extra help. We used our graphic design experience and worked with HSC tutors, teachers and students to create short video tutorials based on each of the dot points required in the syllabus. This way learning can be interesting, easy and affordable. We love to learn and it makes us saddens us when students hate learning. Most of the times, it was because they didn't understand the material being taught and this had an extremely negative impact on their lives and even their mental health. We not only want to help students access awesome resources but to motivate them and show them that there are many great opportunities in life! We are currently funding HSCHero ourselves. I created a graphic design business to ensure that HSCHero stays afloat, especially in the beginning. We had a soft launch last month and are currently talking to over 5 disadvantaged schools in the West and have around 80 sign ups growing more everyday. Our aim is to help over 2,000 HSC students and 20 high schools before the HSC Exams and finish more subjects. We are currently working on Chemistry and Physics and should have them ready in the next few months. We're extremely passionate about empowering others to learn and we believe that humanity's problems can be solved through education, learning and awareness.

Sydney – NEWTOWN NETFLIX NIGHTS

2016-06-11T00:00:00Z

MAKING MOVIE WATCHING SOCIAL AGAIN. We all know that movie watching has become increasingly isolated. Now all it involves is watching a flick on Netflix in bed. Alone. Or with a cat. So we want to make it social (and fun) again by opening up our mother of a living room for a free monthly movie night cinema for people in the inner west. We live in an epic and very unique share house 30 seconds off King Street, above a church hall. It has a huge carpark and an outrageously enormous living room (that even has its own entrance off our terrace, making it perfect for an event like this). With such a huge space and massive blank wall, it would be a huge waste not to use it for epic movie watching on a projector. We could set up a community Facebook page to pre-decide the movies, or get everyone in on the night and choose together on Netlix. It's gonna be great. And a hit. Back when YouTube used to be the new 'big thing', a pub in Surry Hills would host a weekly YouTube night where people would come and watch their favourite YouTube clips together. Simple and fun, right? Keen for this to come to life - we couldn't be more excited.

Sydney – FoodFaith PlantingSeeds interfaith/cultural garden

2016-05-11T00:00:00Z

FoodFaith was set up last year as a not-for-profit organisation with the support of leading faith and sustainability organisations. The major aims of FoodFaith are to foster social cohesion and engage people with food sustainability. FoodFaith's cornerstone initiative is the Planting Seeds community garden which has been set up with the support of Lane Cove Council which provided some land in their new Hughes Park in Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove. A volunteer horticulturist designed our fabulous community garden in the shape of a flower with each "petal" planter box dedicated to food plants that have significance to different groups. For example, we have plants that have special spiritual and cultural meanings to Indigenous Australians, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Everyone comes together at least monthly to tend, water and harvest together and each group takes it in turn to lead a workshop and/or discussion on their knowledge and practices. The garden also provides local community beds and allotments. The idea is to plant seeds for fertile common ground. We had our working bees on the weekend and attracted over 40 people with locals from neighbouring buildings, and representatives from many different faith groups and other groups such as the Lane Cove Sustainability Action Group. Lane Cove Council has assisted us with just over $1,000 which is helpful but we are still needing funding for functional compost bins. Please see below. We think the project is awesome but are keen to make it even more so! Thanks for your consideration.

Sydney – The Super Pollinators - Aussie Native Bees

2016-04-04T00:00:00Z

There are more than 200 species of native bees in Sydney area, vital for pollination of crops and biodiversity function. I am an environmental educator offering incursions into primary schools to spread the buzz about Aussie Bees. In the 1.5 hour workshop, kids learn about the bee species that live in their area, each build a bee hotel for solitary native bee species (to take home), get to view a collection of preserved local insects (including bees) under a magnifying light and receive (where available) a free native plants to grow near their bee hotel. They will learn about the importance of pollination and the role of the introduced honeybee. I also discuss the threats to the honeybee worldwide which amplifies the need to better provide for our Aussie Native Bees. My delivery of the workshop is via an awesome presentation in which I have sourced the most mind blowing bee images that have kids captivated. As a former art director (magazines, tv adverstising) I make sure it rocks. The presentation also covers the different quirks of the native bees which combined is essential for maximum pollination success. The beauty of this workshop is that kids feel empowered - they are able to take their beautiful bee hotel home, sharing their new knowledge with family and friends - the result being that kids are educating the community and will make better environmental decisions as adults. The workshop also meets the NSW school curriculum outcomes - detailed in the flyer. I am launching Kids Connecting Nature this year commencing with the Super Pollinators workshop and aim to roll out other biodiversity workshops as I grow. My second workshop will be "A Hollow Is A Home' - teaching kids about the 303 hollow dependent species in Australia and having the children build nesting boxes for microbats. I have big plans for Kids Connecting Nature and I hope 'The Super Pollinators' is the beginning of an exciting (and greener) future.

Sydney – Weekly Friday Lunch for Marginalised (at risk) You

2016-03-17T00:00:00Z

Phoenix House understands the personal barriers for many young people due to disadvantage and family breakdown and the impact this can have on adolescent development and subsequent decline in feelings of hope for the future. Our aim is to transform those to be that they feel confident, purposeful in participating in our communities and that they belong. The Program emphasis is primarily engaging with these young people to attend and through activities that are challenging and fun build their feelings of hope, engagement and well-being. Friday Lunches have become a vital program at Phoenix House that are a ‘must not miss’ event on many young peoples’ calendars. The main aim of this program is to promote healthy eating and cooking skills to young people, promote nutrition and to promote connectedness and belonging. Up to 20 young people meet each week to sit at the table with youth workers and share a meal. The benefits of this program include: • reducing experiences of isolation and marginalisation for disadvantaged young people • providing a safe, drug free social options for recreation and relaxation • promoting positive and effective was to cope with stress • create positive peer relationships and relationships with the community youth development workers for wrap around support The program is designed to work with 20 young people in total within the age groups of 15 -24 (including alumni). The key measurement criteria include: • the number and percentage of the young people showing interest in continuing engagement with Phoenix House and the youth workers • the number young people seeking to and participating in in other programs run by Phoenix House – Transit program, Independent Living Skills Program, Feel Good Night, counseling services etc. • the number and proportion of young people showing interest in engaging with their youth worker to “develop a life plan”

Sydney – Femme Fatale

2015-12-09T00:00:00Z

"Femme Fatale" is a playful, magical and ever-so-slightly sinister theatre production created by an all-female company that seeks to challenge our perceptions of women. The production has been programmed as part of Sydney's Old 505 Freshworks Season this January, and provides a strong opportunity to reach significant audiences based on the Old 505's large following. We believe this work is extremely important (and rather unique) in presenting a story created wholly by and about women. The under-representation of women in theatre and media is extremely topical, as exemplified by the recent formation of the Women in Theatre and Screen initiative in Sydney. leftofcentre theatre co. believes that in order to challenge the status quo, female voices (both the voices of creative artists and those of female characters) must be given opportunities to be heard and seen, and thus, normalised. We seek to create social change through entertaining, engaging, thought-provoking theatrical experiences. Praise for previous work includes, “A brilliant piece of social activism… This type of theatre must be supported in order for it to thrive. And when it’s this enjoyable to watch, I can't see why you wouldn't...I returned from The Genius Project with renewed hope and unshakeable faith in the future of our society’s artists." (Upstaged Reviews, "The Genius Project" 2015). This is what we seek to achieve with "Femme Fatale." The production is stylistically arresting, showcasing a magical, mythological landscape, yet its story and voices are thoroughly contemporary. "Femme Fatale" gives the female figures of genesis mythology (Eve, Pandora and Lilith) the chance to re-tell their own stories, drawing contemporary parallels to the way women are viewed today and thus challenging common perceptions of women. The play pulls apart notions of 'the crazy woman,' 'the devil woman,' 'the good girl,' and of course, 'the femme fatale,' to reveal the complex human figures behind them.

Sydney – Young Aboriginal Mother’s and Children Mural

2015-11-01T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project is to have 8 small murals designed and painted at the Gunawirra house by our Young Aboriginal Mothers Program (YAMP) groups. Many Aboriginal women come from families that have struggled with generations of poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and family dislocation. They have few resources to call on in helping them with the challenging and difficult work of raising children. This early intervention service for Aboriginal women from pregnancy through to their child starting school. It was formed in response to the need for mothers and their babies to be supported in building stronger, safer and healthier relationships. We have 3 weekly groups. YAMP engages with, supports and holds the mothers through the 1st 5 years of their child’s life. We provide a therapeutic space where Aboriginal women, may of whom are teenagers and some of whom are still in school uniform will have the opportunity to talk about and understand what has happened in their lives, to be understood and to begin to develop pride and confidence in themselves as women and as mothers. By focusing on and actively supporting the vital healthy links between mother and child, we aim to reduce the impact of intergenerational trauma in Aboriginal families. The main purpose for the painted murals is for these Aboriginal women and their children to bond together to create an artwork that symbolises their love and connection to each other. The murals would also symbolise their identity as Aboriginal women and helps connect their children to their culture. Connecting to culture is so important and for the children to be creating and learning who they are is also very important in understanding their Aboriginality. Aboriginal artist Graham has been teaching the mothers and their children about Aboriginal symbols and art techniques. This allows them to tell their own stories and discover more about their own culture.

Sydney – YAMMP - Young Aborigianl Mothers Mural Project

2015-10-01T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project is to have murals designed and painted at the Gunawirra house by our Young Aboriginal Mothers Program (YAMP) groups. The Young Aboriginal Mothers Program is an early intervention service for Aboriginal women from pregnancy through to their child starting school. It was formed in response to the need for mothers and their babies to be supported in building stronger, safer and healthier relationships. We have three Mothers Groups that each meet weekly. Many Aboriginal women come from families that have struggled with generations of poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and family dislocation. They have few resources to call on in helping them with the challenging and difficult work of raising children. YAMP engages with, supports and holds the mothers through the first five years of their child’s life. We provide a therapeutic space where Aboriginal women and teenagers have the opportunity to talk about and understand what has happened in their lives, to be understood and to begin to develop pride and confidence in themselves as women and as mothers. By focusing on and actively supporting the vital healthy links between mother and child, we aim to reduce the impact of intergenerational trauma in Aboriginal families. The main purpose for the painted murals is for these Aboriginal women and their children to bond together to create an artwork that symbolises there love and connection to each other. The murals would also symbolise their identity as Aboriginal women and helps connect their children to their culture. Connecting to culture is so important and for the children to be creating and learning who they are is also very important in understanding their Aboriginality. Gunawirra’s Aboriginal artist, Graham Toomey has been teaching the mothers and their children about Aboriginal symbols and art . This allows them to tell their own stories and discover more about their own culture and creates bonds with mother and child.

Sydney – On The Floor

2015-09-14T00:00:00Z

House of Riot is an extended art project fuelled by political frustration. It began at Australian Fashion Week 2014 when founder Ollie Henderson hand painted 100 t-shirts with positive messages, and has grown from a creative project to a not-for-profit social enterprise. It’s our mission to bring about social change through creative expression and to encourage young people to take action on the issues that they care about. On The Floor is our inaugural event series launching in October. Running bimonthly in the lead up to the federal election, each OTF event will bring together 5 panelists to debate an issue young Australians care about. OTF will run in the same format as ABC’s Q&A, with a focus on engaging youth audiences across the political spectrum. We want to provide a much-needed platform to engage youth audiences by creating a physical + digital space where young people can get informed, voice their opinions - and be heard. Questions will be collected from the audience and curated by the team to be discussed by the panel. By encouraging youth to actively participate in our program, we hope to foster an environment in which youth opinions are not only valued but seen as an integral part of the solution. The pilot event “The Future of Sydney’s Nightlife” will be held on the 22nd of September. This event will explore what the newly imposed lock-out laws, smoking and live music restrictions mean for Sydney’s cultural landscape. The mediator for our first event is Tom Tilley (triple J Hack) and confirmed panellists Jess Scully (Barangaroo Cultural Development Board), Tyson Koh (Keep Sydney Open), Jenny Leong (Newtown Greens MP), Scott Weber (Last Drinks) and Troy Grant (Minister for Justice and Police). In the pursuit of making change not noise, at the end of the event we will be creating a submission from the panellists and audience comments to be published online and shared with relevant ministers and organisations.

Sydney – The Seaside Scavenge

2015-08-11T00:00:00Z

The Seaside Scavenge is more than just a beach and street cleanup. It's about putting a value on litter and focusing on the experience while doing it. In the lead-up, we ask people to clear out their wardrobes and donate their belongings. At the Seaside Scavenge location, we set up a market with all the fantastic things people have ‘thrown’ our way. Then for every ten pieces of litter people pickup on the Seaside Scavenge, they trade it for one bottle cap that has been painted to distinguish it from other rubbish. All litter items are equal in value because every single piece makes a difference. Each item in the market is priced at the value of 1, 2 or 3 bottle caps and this is their trash currency to be traded for some funky goods. Later we separate and quantify the rubbish into categories: straws, coffee cups, plastic cutlery and cigarette-butts etc and pass the data onto Tangaroa Blue that keeps a nation-wide database of beach litter items collected. We also focus on the experience. We don’t just want people picking up litter, we want them to come back and do it again with their friends because, let’s face it, picking up other people’s litter even on a beautiful beach, isn’t many people’s favorite past time. So what do we do? We throw some live music into the mix! This definitely attracts a crowd. We have already held one successful event at Coogee Beach, Sydney where we had over 100 people attend. What we would like to do for the next event is to engage more musicians, and we also would like to invite artists to run workshops on creating art and objects from the litter. This will demonstrate to everyone that even single-use items can be used again and again. This is how we plant a seed for change, for awareness and for the future!

Sydney – Disability Beyond Boundaries

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

Disability Beyond Boundaries is being established for and by people with disability with the aim of raising awareness of the unique needs of customers with disability within our local community's fashion and self-care businesses and service providers. We have focussed on such businesses and service providers because of the vital link between personal presentation and self-esteem. We aim to empower people with disability to confidently request assistance from local fashion and self-care businesses and service providers. As such, an important facet of our project will involve the distribution of educational materials and the running of information workshops to foster understanding and communication between the businesses and service providers and their customers with disability. Ultimately, we want to create an online directory of fashion and self-care businesses and services that people with disability can confidently contact for assistance, knowing that their unique needs will be understood, and that they will enjoy a friendly and accessible experience.

Sydney – Off The Wall Gallery

2015-06-23T00:00:00Z

Off The Wall Gallery is to be an alternative outdoor popup art space in Inner West Sydney using projections to create light graffiti or “art-vertising” on a publicly viewable wall. Located beside St Peters station, 1000's of viewers pass daily, giving an opportunity to promote marginalised artists work to a large audience without the physical demands of installation. Digitally exhibiting provides an alternative exhibition modality for those with physical or mental disabilities, or local & international artists who need only provide digital imagery to display their work. The title Off The Wall refers both to the physical reality of the concept – art exhibited on the wall, yet not physically “on” it – & the supposedly “unconventional” nature of disabilities. Exhibiting on a public brick wall is reminiscent both of traditional billboard advertising, & the graffiti that so often goes hand in hand. Off The Wall Gallery hopes to subvert the paradigm by exhibiting art-vertising – site specific works influenced by the medium & modality, transforming a medium traditionally used to degrade & disempower the marginalised into a powerful & public voice to question the status quo. Off The Wall Gallery aims to deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public by innovating a fresh take on the traditional art gallery; encouraging site specific artworks that respond to the medium & the environment; enabling impaired or disabled artists to exhibit without the physical & mental extertion of traditional installation; advocating marginalised & under-represented artists; supporting the development of a vibrant local arts community; promoting a creative & cultural city; exhibiting to audiences that may not usually attend traditional art galleries; supporting local & early career artists; beautifying a local urban environment usually dominated by advertisements or tags; & engaging the hearts & minds of local commuters & community in an innovative & unexpected way.

Sydney – Biri Biri (Aboriginal Cafe)

2015-05-13T00:00:00Z

I have partnered with an awesome chef and an aboriginal elder to create an aboriginal cafe in Redfern (Sydney). We plan to create affordable meals for the aboriginal and wider community with indigenous flavours, whilst employing aboriginal staff from the local aboriginal hospitality training college. The aim of the project is to provide a warm and welcoming space for aboriginal people to call their own, to enjoy an affordable meal and to help promote and celebrate aboriginal culture by adoring the walls with artwork and sculptures that patrons can buy to help support aboriginal artists, The cafe is going to be run as a social enterprise with 50% of any profits being donated to a foundation set up to help aboriginal health and education casues

Sydney – Care to Converse

2015-04-17T00:00:00Z

Solemn stares, seldom smiles, this is what I see most days as I commute around Sydney city. My project involves creating a visual representation worn by those who are happy and willing to have a casual conversation. This will take shape in a badge or band which says “Care to Converse?”. The idea would be for everyday commuters to start having casual conversations with the awkwardness taken out. By wearing of a band/badge people will feel free to approach those that are up for the chat. We live in close accessible communities and yet we do not know the people who travel in the same space as us. I see this project as a way to continue the conversation, something similar to RU Ok day, but thought about every day. There is a phenomenon I call “Familiar Strangers” these are the people you see quite frequently on the commute or in your area, and they are familiar to you but you've never spoken. Who knows what you might find out, or what connections you might make from giving casual conversations a chance? Research has shown that there are benefits in conversing with strangers, including increased happiness. The Care to Converse project is a way to create support for friendliness and connection in the community. And if you don’t feel like it, you can always take off the band or badge or even pass it on to someone who does. Wearing the band/badge will make a big difference! Simply by seeing someone else who "Cares to Converse" you already have a sense of connection even without conversation. Like a visual community kinship. Furthermore it could bust discrimination as simply by wearing the band/badge you will have an instant talking point to start a conversation with someone you ordinarily wouldn't! The idea itself is a simple one, the concept easy to understand. All I need is people to participate, a motivated crew to help head the project to success and the bands/badges to spread the conversational love (which is where your awesomeness comes in)!

Sydney – Every Little Bit Helps

2015-03-16T00:00:00Z

Every Little Bit Helps is a charity that stated in Sydney just over 6 month ago. We specifically receive unwanted hotel toiletries, airline amenity kits, cosmetic and make-up samples as well as sanitary items, that are then made into care packages and donated directly back to these in need. Since establishing we have donated over 33,000 items directly back to Homeless shelters, Women’s Shelters and Youth Centre throughout Sydney. This equates to approximate 2,500 care packages!

Sydney – A Sense of Place: Sydney's Inner West

2014-11-27T00:00:00Z

"A Sense of Place: Sydney's Inner West" is a participatory photography project run in collaboration with the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre (NNC) and the Boarding House Outreach Service. In February 2015 local photographer and facilitator Lisa Cross will run photography and storytelling workshops with eight residents of general boarding houses in Sydney’s Inner West. Over three two hour sessions this diverse group will learn photography, editing and story telling fundamentals, share their ideas in a creative way while identifying issues that are important to them and produce a photographic story from their point of view. Disposable cameras will be used to ensure the project is accessible and the need for technology is reduced. It will also force participants to explore their sense of place through the frame of a viewfinder instead of a screen. Boarding house residents are commonly at risk of homelessness and often experience social isolation. Taking part in “A Sense of Place” will give participants the opportunity to connect with their community, empower them to tell their story and raise awareness in the wider community of issues such as homelessness, the effects of gentrification and life in a boarding house. In order to create the final artwork for the Newtown Art Seat the five prints produced by each participant and a handwritten description of the series will be arranged on and attached to white card. This will then be re-photographed in the studio with a high-resolution digital camera to produce a single digital image of the whole series. The final eight series will then be combined in a layout for the Newtown Art Seat. To coincide with the finished work being displayed on the Newtown Art Seat, an opening celebration will be held at the NNC for the participants, organisers and their friends and family. Each participant will be given a certificate of participation and the artworks will also be displayed inside the NNC.

Sydney – Pizza in the Druitt

2014-10-01T00:00:00Z

The school community of Hebersham Public School is a multicultural community in a low-socio economic area. The school believes it is vital that our students develop an understanding and tolerance of cultural differences and awareness of nutrition through the cooking and sharing of food together. The proposed ‘Pizza in the Druitt’ project will improve educational and social outcomes for our school community through: increasing student engagement; creating a facility that can be used for community purposes; parent gardening and cooking groups to build community partnerships; developing cooperation, negotiation and team work skills; increasing self-esteem and confidence and allowing self-directed learning through engaging in cooking and garden activities. Every nation has a version of a pizza. This Pizza oven will bring us all together sharing a pizza from around the world. More importantly having the Pizza oven will be fun!

Sydney – Mayors and MP's Morning Ride

2014-09-01T00:00:00Z

We are super excited to bring this initiative to Sydney, based on its success in Perth and the USA. The event is part of the City of Sydney Rides Festival and will take place on the morning of Friday 24 October 2014. We are taking political decision makers on a bike ride in early morning city traffic. We will give them a first hand experience of what it's like to commute in inner Sydney, so that they can make more informed decisions when it comes to cycling policy and infrastructure planning. The event will be closed to the public, with approximately 20 Mayors, Members of Parliament and key decision makers invited to attend. The route will highlight excellent examples of infrastructure, as well as areas for improvement. It will finish at Hyde Park with a light breakfast and a keynote speaker to facilitate discussion around the participants' experiences. We are excited about this event because rather than targeting cyclists themselves, we want to make it safer and easier to cycle in Sydney for everyone, and this event has the amazing capacity to do just that! We have had excellent feedback from all levels of the cycling community and government who we have spoken to so far, and believe that this is a simple and effective way to make lasting change. We want to see everyone cycling safely in Sydney!

Sydney – Primary Schoolers Programming with Bee-Bots

2014-08-18T00:00:00Z

Steve Jobs is quoted as saying “Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer... It teaches you how to think”. We want to get our students started in programming! And that is where the Bee-Bot robot comes in. (Yes, it looks like a tiny adorable Bee. On wheels. Because, robots.) The Bee-Bot's simple and child friendly layout is a perfect starting point for teaching control, directional language and programming to young students. It is a hands-on and interesting way to get our students to understand how robots and computers are programmed at a basic level. The Bee-Bots are small robots with directional input buttons on the top of them. A student must press the buttons for the directions first, hit go and watch as the Bee-Bot buzzes off on its journey based on what has been pressed. This input mirrors the basic programming language used in programs such as Scratch, which the older students at the school are introduced to. Having the Bee-Bots in our school would enable students in Kindergarten, Year 1 & 2 to think critically and use problem solving techniques whilst interacting with robotics. Computer programming and coding develops students’ computational and critical thinking skills and shows them how to create rather than simply use new technologies. This fundamental knowledge is needed to prepare students for the 21st century, regardless of their ultimate field of study or occupation. The use of these robots also fulfils educational outcomes across the curriculum such as direction and using coordinates in maths, experimenting and problem solving in science and exploring language use for a range of purposes in literacy. If we start these little minds ticking over about the possibilities coding and programming can have... we may be a few steps closer to the ultimate app, computer program or robotic space exploring cyborgs.

Sydney – TRAP'D - The Rhythmic Arts Project Downunder

2014-07-24T00:00:00Z

In March 2013, I travelled to the USA on a disability arts grant, to attend a train the trainer seminar for The Rhythmic Arts Project (TRAP) in Santa Barbara, California. TRAP is an educational program for people with various disabilities teaching participants to read, spell, count and use basic life skills using hand drums and percussion instruments. Although this isn't my idea. It is something new I am trying to get off the ground here in Australia, and will be working it under the name of TRAP'D (The Rhythmic Arts Project Downunder).

Sydney – Arena Calcetto at The Rocks

2014-05-25T00:00:00Z

Arena Calcetto is a unique and live installation of six timber towers housing bespoke fussball tables. Originally created for the Australian Pavilion exhibition ‘Formations: New Practices in Australian Architecture’ (Venice Biennale 2012), the installation is touring in Sydney city from 2013-2014. Arena Calcetto creates a temporary and site specific arena where the public can enjoy a competitive game of fussball. The work presents the extraordinary collaboration of hundreds of individuals, showcasing custom made fussball teams by architects, jewelers, industrial designers, graphic designers and football aficionados. Each table acts as an outdoor gallery for these individual pieces, by displaying two unique fussball teams. Arena Calcetto has been exhibited at Paddington Reservoir Gardens (collateral event for Art & About 2013), Pirrama Park Pyrmont (featured on the point during NYE 2014 celebrations), and will land in its third and final site in the historic district of The Rocks from June - August 2014. This upcoming exhibition is planned to coincide with the 2014 World Cup, so audiences can play fussball in parallel with live broadcastings of the World Cup matches. Arena Calcetto will instigate a collaboration between participants, local businesses and visitors to The Rocks, with collateral events such as pop-up fussball tournaments, artist talks and a walking tour to visit the towers in four sites including First Fleet Park, George Street, The Rocks Square and Playfair Street. This installation will create a unique and site-specific intervention within the historic harbourside area, combining football, art and interactive public installation during its two month display. Archrival has over 25 fussball team designs, and showcases new combinations of the teams at each venue. As outdoor public artworks, we need financial support to keep these teams maintained to exhibition quality, and to allow for the creation of new teams by our collaborating artists.

Sydney – OpenLingo

2014-04-16T00:00:00Z

OpenLingo is an awesome project that aims to create Global Good through the creation of an opensource mobile application and cloud platform to ensure the protect and maintenance of endangered languages globally. OpenLingo is being built as an opensource platform that uses crowdcoding to create the platform and will also provide for crowdsourcing of languages. To date a lot of systems have been built globally but these projects have all worked in individually in silos. What we aim to do through OpenLingo is create a platform that delivers a system that will ensure the protect of languages globally and the creation of a platform that provide a global space where this most important data is stored and protected, and accessible. OpenLingo also aims to alleviate tech issues that groups may have with protecting their languages and allow them to concentrate the knowledge transfer of these languages. The most important part of protecting endangered languages. We are currently underway with stage one of the project which is to engage socially with people across the globe in preparation for the release of OpenLingo on crowdfunding platform kickstarter.

Sydney – Rooftop Garden for refugee's and asylum seekers

2014-02-20T00:00:00Z

Well, above our soup kitchen is a refugee and asylum seeker support service. (jrs.org.au). Above them is a rooftop that is screaming out to be transformed into a rooftop garden. There is an accommodation centre next door that houses about 14 asylum seekers. It takes about 5 years for their application to be processed. In this time they cannot work or study and often fall into depression. Our project is a garden of opportunities, a place of meaningful and familiar activities. A place to allow the asylum seekers to grow food and feed back into our soup kitchen.

Sydney – The Equal Hearts Project

2014-02-05T00:00:00Z

The Equal Hearts Project is an artistic work raising awareness for marriage equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and interest community. The project is a collaboration between myself, the gay community and the general public. The project consists of thousands of handmade paper origami hearts, using the six colours associated with gay pride. The hearts are individually numbered, each one is assigned to one individual who writes a message of support on their heart. I then photograph each of the participants with their hearts, and encourage them to join the project's Facebook page, Twitter and Blog. I upload the scanned images of the hearts containing the message plus the photographs of the participants to Facebook, Twitter & the website so they can see their contribution and the contributions of the other participants. I do this to maintain the connection and interaction between the participants, myself & the project in order to keep the issue alive, and to raise awareness and discussion about marriage equality in the hope that change might be instigated. I then string the hearts onto fishing lines, 18 hearts on each line, which I then attached to a pink rotary washing line in order to create the installation. I choose to use a rotary washing line because it is one of the most recognised icons associated with Australia & 'married domestic bliss'. The strings of rainbow hearts and the hot pink colour of the washing line are associated with the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and interest community. My aim was to artistically marry the two iconic themes together plus allow the community to comment, have a voice and contribute not only to The Equal Hearts Project but the the marriage equality cause in an original and creative way. The project is currently ongoing, there is still approximately 1000 hearts to be signed & added to the installation. I hope to finish the project & exhibited during Sydney G&L Mardi Gras 2014.

Sydney – #wildsydney

2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

I am now collaborating with a cluster of programmers and media strategist to create a free mapping service for the wide community of interested foragers. We are creating a user content generated map of the wild food and wild medicine living around us. The idea is simple: by integrating hashtags calls from social media sites we are able to 'harvest' images and geolocate them onto a map. The return for the users is that the wild plants will then be identified for them and informations on how to use, how to harvest, when to harvest will be presented as much as links and references. Because of what I do I get sent images all the times from people willing to know better what is growing around them. 'Can I eat this?' is a common sight on my wall. I now ask that they upload the image, tag and geolocate it so that it would automatically be placed on the #wildsydney map for all to benefit. We already secured the support from other free maps, like Scrumpers Delight, now offline, but will be resuscitated through our project>>http://www.imagoforest.com.au/rs_ev.html << and will also integrate data from the Australian Virtual Herbarium >>avh.ala.org.au<< and the Environmental Protection Agency (to map polluted areas) >>http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/<< The scope is much bigger than that, we want eventually to map clean sites, best harvesting seasons, no-go areas, wildfood-nerds-forums and more. Step one will be launched as part of an exhibition on Radical Cartography at Tin Shed Gallery on August 1. Can you imagine? a map that will tell you the location and seasonal availability for dandelions? nettle? mulberries? pine mushrooms? bamboo shoots? Wouldn't that be awesome? Yes of course by mapping it all we would create competition, but also a platform for sharing information, an amplification of our knowledge of available resources and an amplification of our care for those resources. There is no such a thing as waste, only under-utilised resource :)

Sydney – Meet the Maker

2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

In 2014 we’ll launch Meet the Maker, a creative collaboration between YFM, the Old Growler and guest food producers that deepens the connection between consumers and producers. Each quarter, Meet the Maker will put food producers in touch with a crowd of city folk who want to hear the stories behind their produce. Held in a lively bar atmosphere - Woolloomooloo’s the Old Growler - 120 guests will purchase an affordably priced ticket ($25, which includes food). Guests will mingle with fellow city dwelling sustainable food supporters and local producers from the city’s fringe over delicious, local food and drink. The producers will speak to the crowd about their sustainable farming practices, their lifestyle, motivations and experiences as well as the produce they grow whilst guests try dishes using the producers’ ingredients. The producers' goods will also be available to buy on the night in a mini-farmer’s market set-up, where guests can talk more with producers about the food. Bringing consumers and producers together is at the heart of the Youth Food Movement’s theory of change. When people who eat (that’s everyone!) understand where their food comes from, who made it and how the act of food production impacts environments, animals and the communities, they can better navigate our confusing food system and when consumers constantly ask to know more, producers and retailers whose practices are not sustainable will need to step up to the mark in order to stay competitive. Meet the Maker is the perfect way for guests to make the vital association between what they eat and who grew it that will change buying behaviour and empower them to ask more. Each event will initiate lasting connections between producers and conscious consumers and between guests and YFM to continue their journey in support of a fairer, more sustainable food future for Sydney and Australia – all while enjoying delicious food and intellectual conversation in an urban alehouse setting.

Sydney – Re:make

2013-09-12T00:00:00Z

Re:make has a mission: to rescue unloved and discarded art projects and give them a new life, with the help of a group of Sydney artists. The transformed artworks will be exhibited and offered for sale, with the proceeds going towards establishing an art workshop program at East Sydney High School. Every day artworks people have spent hours of work on are discarded, tossed out on the street with rusted woks and broken clothes racks, destined to become landfill. The Re:make team have been collecting unloved landscapes, discarded portraits and rejected still life compositions from the streets of Sydney. From our collection we're picking 12 artworks and approaching emerging and established artists working in a variety of mediums, from painting, sculpture, millinery and photography, to remake them however they wish. Leading up to the exhibition, the Re:make blog will reveal the process of transforming the original pieces at all stages: from the original rescued artwork, to the artist's process working with it, to the finished piece. The works will be exhibited in early 2014 - we have approached the Rocks Pop Up for a potential venue, and aim to exhibit the works in a gallery or pop up space around the Sydney CBD. All profits from the sale of the artworks will fund an art workshop program for East Sydney High School. This school provides education and support for young people who aren't able to access mainstream schooling. The workshop program will involve Sydney artists conducting workshops for the students. Their website is: http://eshigh.com/ We're aiming for this project to be fun and fresh take on the concept of reuse, highlighting its creative potential. We love the element of chance involved in finding these artworks on Sydney streets, and look forward to seeing them transformed by artists in ways we couldn't have imagined.

Sydney – Laneway Learning Sydney

2013-08-14T00:00:00Z

Laneway Learning hosts cheap, fun classes in anything and everything. We started in Sydney 2 weeks ago at Cowbell 808, a cafe on Bourke Street in Surry Hills. Last Wednesday our classes were "Pottery: Meditate on a Pinch Cup", and "A Bad Dancers' Guide to the Dance Floor". Below I'll tell you why this is an awesome project, but first take a look at our Melbourne chapter to see the aspirations I have for Sydney (www.lanewaylearning.com). We'll host classes in different venues across Sydney's community hubs (next place to open will be in Bondi, then Marrickville) that care about their community's culture, not just their business. A bigger dream: check out the 'Spectacular' tab. Imagine something like that, partnered with other great community organisations and the City of Sydney, at a place like The Grounds of Alexandria... THAT would be amazing! So, (only some) reasons this is awesome: - The current options for learning new stuff are limited. Either you make a huge life change and go back to uni, or you brave night school -- week in week out, classrooms with harsh lighting and cold plastic, other tired, hungry people you never really talk to. Ugh. Our 'classrooms' are places you like spending time in anyway -- cafes and bars. They're near your work or local community. I like to think of it this way: deciding to learn something new should be as simple and spontaneous as deciding to go see a movie. You commit just one night, and take on a longer course if it sparks your interest. (Rather than sign up for 6 weeks before even trying it, and spending 300 bucks). - We intentionally don't have a devoted space. A good thing, because: it lets me keep our costs as lean and flexible as possible (so classes usually only cost students $12); we become part of a community’s existing culture and community; we can reach more students more quickly; and using otherwise unused space is environmentally responsible and has a great impact on street life and ‘vibe’.

Sydney – Clovelly Road Better Block

2013-07-10T00:00:00Z

WHAT We're holding a demonstration event where the community change their street for the day to make it greener, safer and more liveable. We're adding trees, plants, tables, chairs, art, music, bike & pedestrian infrastructure, and slowing traffic - creating our own little urban innovation zone. (Known also as 'urban acupuncture'.) Some visuals here - http://pinterest.com/clovellyrd/better-blocks This video explains more - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC5EFcD5aCM WHERE We'll be blitzing the Clovelly Road block between Arden & Beach Streets. (Though one of the goals is to inspire changes more widely in Sydney.) WHEN It's 27 October 2013. People are starting to sign up to the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/475788085832193 WHY The Better Block idea started in the US a few years back. There's now been 40 Better Blocks in the US. This is the first in Sydney. The aims of the Better Block are to: - bring the community together - encourage people to re-imagine their street - invite them to add their ideas - turn those ideas into something that people can see, touch and feel - show Council and politicians people are keen for change - create momenum for improvements to be made permanently - inspire others to push for change where they live (their street.) Better Blocks have worked because they're quick, light and cheap. The Better Block US site has more of the thinking behind it - http://betterblock.org There's big changes happening to streets worldwide. You can see the innovations that Sydney is missing out in these videos and pics: - http://www.youtube.com/user/ClovellyRoadTV/videos - http://vimeo.com/clovellyroad/albums - http://pinterest.com/clovellyrd WHO I'm co-ordinating the project, but we're rallying people living around here and the local businesses to get involved. We have UNSW Planning, Landscape and Media students on board to help. And the support of a range of other local groups.

Sydney – BYOB - Bring your own Beamer

2013-05-08T00:00:00Z

We want to run a Bring Your Own Beamer (BYOB) night. BYOB is really simple: It's a space that's open for a night, where people can come together and show projections that they've made. It's free, fun and inclusive. People can bring their own projectors and there are projectors for people who don't have one. We'll even have some software setup for people to do their own live mixing. BYOB is a worldwide phenomenon and Sydney is one of the only major cities to not host a night. As VJs we wanted to share the fun of doing what we do, and this is the most democratic and direct way to do it. It's BYOB time, Sydney!

Sydney – The Newsagency

2013-04-10T00:00:00Z

About 18 months ago, I was ready to release my first EP. I was concerned there wasn't really a venue quite suitable for an up & coming singer/songwriter such as myself. The venues I had discovered since moving to Sydney all seemed to range in capacity from 150-10,000 seats. I didn't feel confident that I could fill these sorts of spaces let alone feel comfortable presenting my music in them with the pressure of having to bring so many people. I had recently taken over the lease of an old newsagent to convert into my teaching studio. As I was renovating it I thought it would be the perfect size for an intimate and exclusive venue where artist & audience members could connect on a completely different level to somewhere like The Enmore, The Vanguard or The Metro. I built a stage out of the old shelves in the shopfront, put in a few chairs, lamps, set up my PA and suddenly I had a pretty special place to launch my first recording. A lot of people ended up coming to the launch including artists who were very keen to perform at "The Newsagency". It now runs roughly 3 times a week hosting very intimate shows of only 50 audience members in total. It has presented Sydney artists such as Lanie Lane, Ngaiire, Elana Stone, Brendan Maclean, and Tim Hart (Boy & Bear). I think the space is attractive to up & coming singer/songwriters because it offers a supportive listening environment. Anyone who performs there feels valued and included in a community. The Newsagency now defines a lot of who I am as a singer/songwriter and how I fit in to the Sydney music scene. It is the perfect way for me to combine my two passions in life, community and music. It's a rewarding feeling to contribute and give back to the Sydney music scene who are simultaneously giving me what I need to live out my passion to be a singer/songwriter.

Sydney – The Backyard Bus

2013-03-12T00:00:00Z

A unique artist in residence program set in a restored vintage bus in a backyard in inner city Newcastle. Artists of any discipline with a passion for creating work with a strong social, health or community focus (often referred to as arts health field) will be offered a 3 week residency in The Backyard Bus. The residency includes free accommodation in a semi-self contained restored vintage bus (almost complete!), access to the main house for kitchen and bathroom facilities, free wifi, 24 hour access to a studio space 1.2 km away (in Peppertown Cafe Artist Studios in Mayfield) and use of a lovely bike to access the studio and the cultural and industrial inspirational delights of inner-city Newcastle. Artists will be required to contribute something 'back' to the community during the residency such as a workshop, lecture etc.(partnerships are currently being established with key stakeholders in the area (uni, galleries etc) to facilitate this). 3 residencies will be offered in 2013. The selection panel for applicants includes: Myself (details above), Dr Nasir Warfa (mental health professor at London Uni - in process of setting up world's first Masters program in Mental Health and Creative Arts), Ms Justine Potter (arts administrator with 20+ years of experience and local guru) and Ms Amy Vee (award winning folk artist who is an advocate for the role music and creativity plays in mental health and wellbeing). The nexus between creativity and social and emotional wellbeing at the individual and collective level is my greatest passion - I am self funding this initiative because I have been blessed with a unique space and want to see it used to further work in this arena. The link between the artists and the community is a vital component of the residency and will ensure many more benefit from an investment by Awesome. No other residency in Australia focuses on the arts health field and many residencies have a fee attached for artists. This will be free of charge.

Sydney – Truth or Dare Sydney

2013-02-13T00:00:00Z

Inspired by Chelsea Davison's giant of Truth or Dare in New York - this exciting game comes to Sydney. The game brings people (who would normally ignore each other) together to have fun. After a successful launch game at Jurassic Lounge in 2012 - we want to bring more people together in 2013. How to play: 1. Come along to one our TRUTH or DARE locations. 2. Find a TRUTH or DARE card 3. Decide if you are game enough to reveal a TRUTH or perform a challenging DARE -- then go for it! *Truths are tweeted to @truthordaresyd

Sydney – Craft Bike

2013-01-08T00:00:00Z

Craft Bike is a new concept I have developed and is the product of combining my two great loves - craft and cycling. It is the ultimate creative workshop on wheels! Here's how it works: clients can book me and my little pink bike for their special event and I'll come rolling up with everything they could ever need to get their craft on, all stored on and taught from the colourful box on the back of my bike. I have hosted two craft workshops so far, one for the bicycle street fair during Sydney Rides Festival last month, and the other at Object Gallery for their Make. Play. Workshops this month. Clients can choose from a "menu" of craft projects, or we can work together to customise one for their event. All the projects are created with a sustainable vision in mind - that is - I try to source all my materials from op shops, second hand stores etc, or they are made from eco-friendly products. It is important to me that the projects have a lifespan outside of the Craft Bike workshop and are not going to be a waste of materials or tossed into a handbag somewhere and forgotten. My first workshop challenged people to make hand-sewn decorative rosettes with practical reflector strips for bike handlebars and helmets. My second workshop focussed on making macrame plant hangers from recycled twine, that could then be used for decoration or given as gifts this festive season. I am passionate about fostering a strong local creative community. Teaching workshops and skill-sharing is my way of contributing to that community. With Craft Bike I am aiming to connect with museums, educational institutions, local markets, Council initiatives, community festivals, and art galleries. It is my hope that through my workshops I can help people to engage in educational activities that will spark their creativity and help to grow our already amazing creative community. While doing so they'll also be supporting local cycling initiatives and having heaps of fun too!!!

Sydney – Sydney Small Bar Documentary

2012-11-15T00:00:00Z

Three friends and I want to make a documentary on Sydney's small bar scene. People often talk about their favourite bars and cocktails, but it's time to bring the conversation to a broader level. We want to explore the history behind these bars, what the owners' inspiration was and ask people about what they love about their favourite venues and we want to document the whole thing with fresh film techniques. For example, we might write our group's logo on a dudes chest and film it as the opening credits. We might search a place on Foursquare explore, film this and then on the spot visit the bar and document the whole process of asking the staff/people at the bar for an interview. We mentioned the idea to one of the small bar business development managers at City of Sydney and he thinks the idea is a great one. We also tried contacting Vice magazine to get involved but they turned down the idea because it was too similar to some other film projects they are doing...TheyProbablyJustStoleOurIdea..*cough*

Sydney – Hoopy Happenings

2012-10-10T00:00:00Z

The idea for Hoopy Happenings started when I was at Circus Fest 2009 in Tasmania and wanted more than just 2 hoop workshops during the training time. A few of us tried to pick a place & a date but everyone had different ideas & we all lived in different parts of Oz. I decided if it was going to happen we just needed to set a date & go for it. I decided on Sydney, chose a weekend, advertised it and searched for teachers. It kicked off in 2010 & after many hours of work I managed to cover costs, we had 29 participants. The next year, 2011, I learnt a lot from 2010 & made the changes to make it a success again & we had 39 participants. Every year though right up until the very last week I'd be stressing out and wondering if I'd sell enough tickets to cover the costs. Every year my sister Lisa who helps me & Bunny would tell me to breath and the hoopiverse will come through for me. Hundreds of hours spent to get this hoop community event up & running each year and its really beautiful when it comes to fruition and all the bills get paid and there may be a little left over for me too. I try to get a good mix of workshops together that covers top to toe hooping... this year we have workshops in contortion. foot hooping. salsa, belly-dancing, isolations, native american-indian inspired hooping, acrobalance, fire hooping, World Hoop Day Dance choreography, twin hooping plus I've added master classes where hoopers can develop their teaching skills & performance development. It's totally full of awesomeness! Plus this year I have a cameraman on board to do a DVD for us so that it is professionally done. Hoopy Happenings is a community happening. It accommodates for the circus styled hoopers and the hoop dancers. These 2 different styles of hooping don't always see eye to eye, the teaching & training styles are very different and there are still some who are just one or the other. I like to see HH as the bridge & inspiration for hooping creativity. Next step to grow.

Sydney – Pop up Ping Pong at Green Square

2012-09-12T00:00:00Z

Community is the most important element for cities. Our project builds upon this premise and will provide the Green Square community with 2 pop up ping pong tables. The outdoor ping pong tables are relatively cheap, light weight and will be moved around Green Square activating previously dead spaces. The project is simple - foster community spirit through the best game ever invented- ping pong! This activation reflects the communities need for visibility and self expression. It will also help bridge language barriers between existing residents, some of whom may be from other backgrounds, and new residents, 30% of which are from China. To ensure longevitiy I'll be engaging with local businesses to 'look after' the tables and where possible bring in at night for safety and weather protection. Community Benefits: - knowing your neighbours - healthy living and sport - excitement and interest - improved liveability It would be great to have the Awesome Foundation support this project and help foster great community connection at Green Square. Thanks for the opportunity to submit this application. John

Sydney – Guerilla Dinner - know your food, know your farmer

2012-08-09T00:00:00Z

We’ve had some really great success with our past events such as pulping 300kg of tomatoes for Passatta Day (http://www.youthfoodmovement.org.au/events/passata-day/) and nailing the sold out inaugural Reel Food Nights (http://www.youthfoodmovement.org.au/reel-food-nights-highlights-reel-released/). But perhaps our most enduring and proudest project to date is the sell-out annual Ride On Lunch (http://www.youthfoodmovement.org.au/events/ride-on-lunch/). The project: On August the 26th the Youth Food Movement will host its inaugural Guerilla Dinner. The dinner will bring food issues to table by gathering friends and strangers with curious minds together in a secret space. With the National Food Plan just released by the Australian Government, we hope to get a range of views and opinions on what this means for Australia’s and Sydney’s food system – while being in a space where the only spin going around the table is that of the lazy susan! Guests will be treated to an artfully crafted degustation menu AND a specially-designed conversation menu, as well as a musical-chair-esque seating plan that will let them dip in and out of stimulating conversation and delightful sensory experiences. One thing you can be sure of: this is no exclusive ‘foodie’ event and there will no Masterchef-style ‘plating up’. This is a down and dirty, all-consuming food experience, cooked by people not chefs, the kind mama used to make. Rest assured it will be REAL FOOD at it’s best. True to YFM’s style and values, at the Guerilla Dinner you will get to know your food, know your farmer and we’ll put on an amazing spread of both food and food for thought. By documenting the night on paper and on film we will be able to give a collective voice to this influential group, while feeding this knowledge back to our local community to make them more aware active citizens. And we see the Awesome Foundation as a crucial part of this – creating a more socially aware society, empowered to act to create tangible and enduring change.