Awesome Foundation - Projects

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Urban Folds

2016-03-17T00:00:00Z

How can we transform vacant spaces into vibrant community places via art? Over the course of the next year, two artists, Jillian Wiedenmayer and Matthew Martin, will revamp the Franklin Bridge into a creative community icon by engaging the neighborhoods most active and enthusiastic citizens: its children. The project involves creative workshops at the Jackson Mann K-8 School, a community designed art installation, and will culminate a citywide art festival. We have partnered with the Jackson Mann K-8 and the Boston Center for Youth and families to begin creative workshops with students and local community. The visuals and ideas produced in the creative workshops will be directly translated by the two artists into sculptural forms installed on Franklin Bridge. A citywide art festival will be held in mid June to celebrate the communities creative ideas and the opening of the revitalized Franklin Bridge. We hope that this project empowers and inspires other neighborhoods to transform their abandoned spaces into new creative community places.

Newcastle – NEWCASTLE ART PRIZE

2016-03-17T00:00:00Z

The Society of Artists Newcastle Inc. will use an Awesome Foundation grant to support their Annual Art Prize, the ‘Newcastle Art Prize’ (NAP). We are a ‘not for profit’ community art group and run art classes and workshops at our ‘clubhouse/workshop’ in Lambton Park every day of the week for community members,mostly active retirees. Our Society was formed in 1973 and every year we have staged our major art exhibition, the Newcastle Art Prize. It is one of Newcastle's largest art events with approx. 300 paintings hung over the 4 day period and up to 1000 visitors.We aim to keep our goal of giving up to $6000.00 in prize money to keep the standard of Newcastle's premier Art event happening. We rely on sponsorship to be able to do this and as we are a not for profit organisation over and above expenses we then donate 10% of profits to the Kids Club at John Hunter Hospital. This year in 2016 it will be held on the first weekend in July, at Adamstown Uniting Church Hall on the corner of Brunker and Glebe Roads, Adamstown.

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”

Antigonish, NS (Inactive) – Awesome Pink Envelopes

2016-03-16T00:00:00Z

The Antigonish Chapter of the Awesome Foundation will distribute two hundred pink envelopes with undisclosed amounts of cash around the town of Antigonish on Saturday, March 19th. We hope that folks who want to share with us their use of the money will let us know by sending us an e-mail at antigonish@awesomefoundation.org or posting it on Facebook or Twitter with #AwesomeAntigonish. You can read many of the wonderful stories inspired by this project here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c0AjsxF823mulxFxBAxUYdafjrspbs9yqdqc3-f0208/edit?usp=sharing The following press was generated: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cash-hidden-donation-awesome-foundation-1.3498916 http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1350415-free-money-in-antigonish.-hows-that-for-awesome https://www.facebook.com/1015TheHawk/photos/a.192662870744576.52231.158486354162228/1162884457055741/?type=3&theater http://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/awesome-in-antigonish

Oahu, HI – "Progress Theatre" Workshop with the Creators

2016-03-15T00:00:00Z

Playwright, director, ensemble artist and founder of Progress Theatre Cristal Chanelle Truscott is scheduled to come to Shangri La as an artist in residence. Mid-way through her residency she will be joined by four cast members from her recent production of The Burnin’ which will be performed at Shangri La, Saturday, February 20 and the Doris Duke Theatre on February 27. The company, along with All the World's a Stage Theatre Company (of Oahu) are planning a workshop for students and community members on the company's unique style of creating new theatrical works. With AWS's participation in the Hawaii State Theatre Council, we are able to get the word out on this opportunity to a broad array of theatre artists on Oahu. The workshop will be free of charge and bring a unique new perspective to many artists on the island. We have such a wealth of amazing theatre on the island, and this would give our community a special chance to learn about Progress Theatre's approach to creating new works. Not only will this bring new techniques to our theatre artists, but also enrich our culturally diverse community. "PROGRESS THEATRE (PT) is an international touring ensemble of multi-disciplined performers committed to using art to encourage social consciousness, cross-community dialogue and cultural awareness amongst audiences diverse in race, age and spiritual background." The particular piece they will be performing in Hawaii: "The Burnin’ is a Neo-Spiritual inspired by two major U.S. nightclub tragedies; the Rhythm Night Club Fire of Natchez, MI (1940) and the E2 Club Stampede of Chicago, IL (2003). " A NEW Spiritual! How exciting and something that I do not believe we have seen on Oahu in my 16 years on the island. This will be the basis for the workshop to be presented in late February.

Rockport, MA – Rockport High/Middle School Recording studio

2016-03-15T00:00:00Z

My friend and I came up with the idea to expand and grow our already prevalent music program with a way to record and edit the music our students produce. This would enable the students to share their talents with people who are not able to visit their concerts and will let the students see another side of the music business. This idea would benefit the orchestra, band and chorus departments as well as any student or staff member who would like to share their musical talents or try their hand at being a music producer.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – FEMR in a Box

2016-03-14T00:00:00Z

We volunteered in medical clinics in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, and noticed a lack of continuity between volunteering clinicians, largely because of the lack of recordkeeping. We have since lead development of an electronic medical records system called 'fEMR' (Fast Electronic Medical Records) by implementing the project into undergraduate Computer Science courses. Every term we have a new team of developers from the University of Texas, Florida State University, and Wayne State University who contribute to the software for a grade. The system has now been used by medical schools and nonprofits from across the country traveling to areas in India, Haiti, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. More importantly, however, we are using the system as a catalyst for inter-institutional collaboration in short-term volunteer work. Many of these groups send their teams annually. By coordinating the timing and locations of these clinics, we are improving the quality of care provided to some of the world's poorest populations. We have run on a near-zero-dollar budget since we began as volunteers, but are in the process of scaling up.

Ottawa – Percy Station

2016-03-13T00:00:00Z

March’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Jackpine Labs, led by Liam Mooney and John McClelland, and to Atelier Ruderal, led by Luisa Ji, Lee-Michael Pronko, and Monique St. Pierre, for their project “Percy Station,” a streetside shared community space to be set up this summer on Somerset, near the intersection with Percy. “West Somerset Street is an undervalued urban space,” explains John. “With the recent closure of Raw Sugar and the tragic destruction of The Daily Grind, the area lacks a hub for cultural activity and exploration more than ever. To combat the situation we are planning to build a modular structure that thrives on rotating programming and functions as a shared community space. Percy Station will draw people to a part of the city that is in desperate need of renewed urban cultural programming.” “Programming for Percy Station,” John continues, “will include a rotating coffee house and small-scale cultural events. Local businesses will be invited to take part in serving coffee and drinks during live entertainment. Events will be free, with programming including live music, poetry readings, and theatre sessions. Percy Station will also include a bike pumping station, with tools and bike parking spots on the back side of the structure.” Through the City of Ottawa’s Streetside Spots Program, Percy Station has approval to transform an area of street parking from April 1 to October 1. You can follow progress and learn about planned events through Facebook. Jackpine Labs is an assemblage of architects, illustrators, builders, artists, musicians, curators, designers, thinkers, philosophers, and friends associated with Ottawa creative agency Jackpine. Atelier Ruderal is a local architectural initiative creating new forms of urban experiences, designing better cities, and tackling urban problems.

Asheville, NC (Inactive) – Welcome Home Project

2016-03-11T00:00:00Z

Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina's Welcome Home Project uses support from community volunteers to provide necessary household items for newly housed clients as they transition from homelessness into housing. Most people moving from homelessness into housing have nothing more than toiletries and clothing upon move-in. With the support of the Welcome Home Project, clients receive essential household items such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, dishes, cookware, utensils, shower curtains, beds, and bedding making their empty apartments inviting homes.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Ubuntu Performance Camp 2K16

2016-03-11T00:00:00Z

Ubuntu Performance Camp is an idea that was sparked from working with teens who are in shelters, foster homes, group homes and generally homeless. We teach them poetry and leadership skills every Tuesday and Thursday at 4-5 pm at the Achieving Independence Center in Philadelphia, PA. Ubuntu Performance Camp is geared towards the teens who excel in performance art. It is an attempt to prepare and teach them the necessary skills they may need to enter art and liberal colleges as dancers, actors and poets. The camp will be taught by established poets, dancers and actors in Philadelphia and across America. It will run for two weeks before the summer sets in. At the end of the summer, the poets will have composed an anthology of their writing from their poetry workshops. The actors and dancers will have a showcase that will be available to the public. Together they will all create and star in their own show about their struggles and aspirations. All proceedings will go towards a small scholarship fund for the best dedicated student among all the teens. We are trying to inspire the seemingly forgotten homeless youth that they can express themselves and dream beyond their circumstances and that with hard work comes great results. It's to give them a strong foundation that will propel them towards a brighter future. The name "Ubuntu" is a South African term loosely translated means compassion towards humanity or "I am who I am because of who we are" We are working in partnership with the Philly Youth Poetry Movement.

San Jose, CA – Spring Festival at O'Donnell Garden Park

2016-03-09T00:00:00Z

In the South University Neighborhood of San Jose we have a small park that serves the residents of our community. But some people were saying that the park wasn't safe to bring their kids to play. Since most of our neighborhood is apartments, having a safe place to play at the park is very important. We have been holding some annual events to try to bring people back to the park. We have had Earth Day festivals for two years and this year moved into to March so we are calling it Spring Festival. It has been a great event, but we need help to make it a good event for teenagers and young adults to think it is an awesome place to hang out with the neighbors and be connected as a community. Our Spring Festival will be on Saturday, March 19th 11 am- 1 pm. We need help to make it better by having live music, food, a video game truck and prizes that will attract people to come and have a great time together.

Port Washington, NY (Inactive) – Our stories connect us as one

2016-03-07T00:00:00Z

I am a cartoonist, writer and costume player based in NYC (Harlem). The rise in bigoted rhetoric in recent months has led to an alarming rise in hate/bias attacks against many who are perceived as the ultimate outsiders. I am a turbaned and bearded American (follower of the Sikh faith) and have been targeted all my life but more intensely since tragedy of 9/11. Through a cartoon illustration I created four years ago of a turbaned and bearded Captain America for the NYC Comic Con which led to a photographer asking me to dress as one my life has never been the same. I have been traveling the US pushing peopled perceptions on what it means to be American dressed as Captain America. http://sikhtoons.com/captain-america-in-new-york-city.html I am planning to do mass print of newspapers sized single page prints with a illustration of turbaned/bearded Captain America ready to defend American values and the back page with my life story through multiple cartoon panels. I plan to distribute these for free in NYC while dressed as Captain America early in 2016. My message is simple. Don;t judge anyone based on their looks. Ask about peoples' life stories and then you will know we have a lot more in common than our eyes lead us to believe. This project is to counter the growing intolerance in America and a reminder this nation is great because of its incredible diversity.

Liverpool – Periwinkle by Vaughan Zappa

2016-03-07T00:00:00Z

About a year ago my mother was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, although it was uncommon for someone of her age. She is fine now and has had an operation to remove the cancer from the oesophagus. I have noticed there has been very little acknowledgement for this particular type of cancer and a boost of awareness would really help the suffers and hopefully encourage potential suffers to go get themselves checked. My mum got herself checked and was able to get treatment in early stages but not everyone is so lucky. I intend to raise awareness with a line of t shirts which will take a more high end and high fashion approach to charity supportive clothing. The problem with charity t shirts is nobody wants to wear them. They are usual branded with a cancer ribbon and are made of cheap quality fruit of the loom t shirts and cost about 5-20 pounds . By taking a more high end approach I think i would be able to make a desirable item that will hopefully change peoples attitudes towards buying charity clothing and raise money for a good and very dear cause at the same time. I have enlisted the help of 20 students in my year as well as the schools Vice Principal. I pitched the idea of running a project to raise awareness of oesophageal cancer. We are a diverse bunch with film makers, animators, games designers and graphic designers. We aim to launch our campaign on 31st March and the money would prove incredibly useful. We would like to sell wrist bands and t-shirts that the team has designed as well as launch the more high end t-shirts to make the project sustainable in the long term.

Port Washington, NY (Inactive) – Long Island Girl Talk

2016-03-07T00:00:00Z

Long Island Girl Talk (LIGT) builds self-esteem, leadership, independence, and career skills in adolescent girls ages 12-18 in the Freeport, Hempstead, Roosevelt, and Uniondale Long Island School Districts by training them to create their own media. Participants learn how to research, write, film, edit, cast, direct and star in their own public access television show on the Cablevision and Verizon networks about issues relevant to women and girls in their communities. By learning to create their own broadcast material, the girls embrace a strategy for independence which allows them to promote positive representations of themselves in the media. In addition, they explore careers in the media field and learn technical skills nontraditional for women.

Tilburg (Inactive) – Laat me je Tilburg zien

2016-03-07T00:00:00Z

Soms worden dingen zoveel mooier als je er met frisse ogen naar kijkt. Sinds begin december 2015 hebben circa 900 vluchtelingen (tijdelijk) opvang gevonden in twee nieuwe asielzoekerscentra in Tilburg. Hier zullen zij de komende jaren wachten op een status, een permanente opvang of terugkeer naar het land van herkomst. In de tussentijd ontstaan er veel initiatieven om deze mensen te bij het integreren in de samenleving. Maar er blijft ook onbegrip bestaan, aangesterkt door verhalen uit de media en door geluiden van protest. We zijn wantrouwig tegenover ‘de ander’ omdat we niet weten wat diegene drijft. De kloof tussen ‘ons’ en ‘de ander’ lijkt ondichtbaar. Maar moeten we wel denken in oppositionele termen? Er is namelijk iets dat ons verbindt: Tilburg. We zijn allemaal hier. Laat me je Tilburg zien heeft als inzet om nieuwe perspectieven op Tilburg te delen in een groeiende (online) fotocollectie. Deze collectie wordt gevormd door foto’s die gemaakt zijn door nieuwe Tilburgers in AZC’s. Om dit te bereiken worden (minimaal) 400 wegwerpcamera’s verspreid in de opvangcentra. Bewoners worden hierin gevraagd om hun perspectief op de stad te laten zien. Hoe zie jij Tilburg? Wat valt je op aan deze stad? Wat vind je bijzonder of verrassend? Mensen moet je nooit onderschatten. Belangrijk aan dit project is dat we het vluchtelingengesprek niet aanpakken door over deze mensen te gaan praten, of om vanuit ons eigen perspectief deze mensen in beeld te brengen. We gaan de mensen zelf aan het woord laten. Dat kunnen ze namelijk beter dan wij. De foto’s worden verzameld op een website www.laatmejetilburgzien.nl, waar ook een kort statement van iedere inzender aan het beeld wordt gekoppeld. Naast de website wordt een selectie van de inzendingen gebruikt als basis voor een reizende tentoonstelling, een samenwerkingsverband tussen de Bibliotheek Midden-Brabant en Stichting Nieuwkomers en Vluchtelingenwerk. Andere mogelijke samenwerkingspartners zijn Quiet 500 en Gemeente Tilburg.

Port Washington, NY (Inactive) – literary awesomeness

2016-03-07T00:00:00Z

hi my name is Taylor Sinett I am a 16 year old sophomore at Schreiber and I am a children's book author and illustrator. My second book just came out called Jack on a Plaque. Jack on a Plaque is the story of a young yak named Jack, who learns to overcome the limitations of his physical disability with a positive attitude. During athletic competitions at school, Jack’s small hoof always slows him down and prevents him from winning. But Jack remains determined, and even though he is never able to be the fastest or the strongest, he is consistently the hardest working. He earns the Leader of the Yak Pack title for his perseverance. I am setting up a day of literary awesomeness at Manorhaven School where I will be reading Jack on a Plaque to the entire kindergarten group approximately 87 students. Both Bonnie Cohen the principal and my own teacher Mrs Meltzer are excited to have me. I am asking for the Awesome committee to donate $1,000 to purchase 100 books, one for each student (the remainder books will be donated to the library as well as some other classes.) I will be able to read this inspiring story to the kids, hopefully motivate them about writing and art as well as show them what is possible. I will also personally sign each and every book to encourage them to follow their dreams like I am. I hope the awesome foundation will allow me do more awesome, please check out my website to learn more about me at taylorsinett.com thank you Taylor Sinett

Port Washington, NY (Inactive) – Project LETS, Inc.

2016-03-07T00:00:00Z

Project LETS, Inc. is a non-profit supporting students/young adults with mental illness through mental health education, reform, advocacy, and suicide prevention. We believe in individual relationships, and that everybody has a right to access help + treatment. We provide real information, by individuals living with mental illness, and aim to close the gap between impersonal, clinical symptoms and lived experience. There is an enormous gap in the system, with less than 1 in 3 adults in the US accessing help. Outside the US, this gap approaches over 90%. We are embarking on a dual-mission of humanizing mental illness + democratizing medical knowledge. Most importantly, we work to show that people living with mental illness live successful, incredible, meaningful lives. This is the foundation for our free Peer Counseling program, who engage in critical functions like: linking people to help, following their treatment, + engaging in strength-based recovery work if treatment isn't an option. We fight for curricular improvement in schools and policy reform relating to training, self-harm + medical leaves (etc.). We proposed a bill to NY State Congress mandating 2+ hours of suicide prevention training for educators of 7th-12th grade students. This training gives staff skills to address mental health issues properly. We are currently working with NY Committee of Mental Health to develop a statewide Peer Support program. At the heart of LETS, we are invested in creating a world in which young adults with mental illness are accounted for, supported, and treated. We envision a different kind of health system, with comprehensive care for all people — focusing on a wellness-based recovery, not an illness-based one. Not only do we want these individuals to function, but flourish. Being immersed in our community has taken struggling, disempowered individuals, and turned them into leaders, who confidently share their voice and story - making true change and impact.

Ann Arbor, MI – Foster care survival packages

2016-03-06T00:00:00Z

In this project, my group and I are donating to a foster care center and giving them survival packages. Survival Packages are like goody bags that include clothes, bracelets, lip balm, fun lip gloss, trendy t-shirts, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, duffle or 31 bags, deodorant, earbuds, and maybe even some more stuff. We feel that they need survival packets because everyone has tough time and they are going through a really tough time in their life transitioning to a family. We think that on there journey that they could use something to have always knowing that someone is there for them. We are also thinking about doing some activities all together on certain days with them if the organization will allow it. We are coming up with really nice things to put in the packages as well.

Sarnia (Inactive) – Year of Local Podcast

2016-03-04T00:00:00Z

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – #RIseUp - Sexual Assault Survivor Rights Act

2016-03-03T00:00:00Z

This Tuesday, the US Senate introduced Rise's bill - a Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act that protects the civil rights of 25 million survivors across the nation. America leads the world in protecting citizens' rights to liberty and equality, yet our country currently lacks baseline procedures for rape survivors depriving millions of Americans basic liberties. Americans urgently need a comprehensive rights that standardizes the best practices drawing on innovation we've seen implemented across the country. The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act draws from legal rights that already exist in patchwork form in different states across the county. It requires steps to ensure that people who have been sexually assaulted have access to a trained sexual assault counselor and comprehensive information about victims’ legal options. For individuals who submit to a rape kit, the bill would give them the right to know the location of the evidence, whether the kit has been tested, and the test results. The bill guarantees these rights whether or not the person reports the crime to law enforcement or agrees to press charges. It also creates a task force to examine how well the changes are implemented, to include representatives from diverse communities and advocacy backgrounds. Learn more about our us, check out this short article here: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/23/sexual-assault-survivors-rape-kits-us-senate-bill-white-house?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

San Francisco, CA – NOTAFLOF Collective

2016-03-02T00:00:00Z

We are a collective of queer and trans* hair stylists, bodyworkers, artists, activists and community members renting a storefront space on San Pablo Avenue in North Oakland in order to provide by donation services to the queer, trans*, QTPOC and allied community of the East Bay. We're called NOTAFLOF, no one turned away for lack of funds, because removing barriers to accessibility and offering affordable services and community events are the most important aspects of our mission. Our co-founders, Dara and Liam, began offering Pay-What-You-Can haircuts and bodywork to the queer and trans* community of the East Bay five months ago. The overwhelming interest and desire for these types of services quickly became apparent, and coincided with finding a suitable space to offer them in North Oakland. Within a week of fundraising and organizing, the group ballooned into a well-defined, diverse community with a clear vision of becoming a sober, queer, child and family-oriented space offering haircuts, healing services, peer counseling, groups, events, workshops, meeting space, a zine library, art and music shows, community meals, gardening, book and clothing swaps, childcare, skill shares and more. Our aim is to provide an alternative to mainstream spaces, where trans and gender non-conforming people have often experienced tremendous hardship related to access and even trauma, by offering a safe space for self-definition. By highlighting the gap between the experiences of trans* people when compared to the rest of the population in terms of their access to stable housing, employment and health care, we hope to educate people who might not otherwise be aware of the needs of trans people in our society. We see hair services as a political intersection of race, class and gender identity. Our work aims to offset the very real and current economic struggles of marginalized communities, to allow for greater autonomy of self expression, well-being and economic freedom. This grant would be used to offset the costs of rent and the overhead of running the space as well as contributing toward paying folks who work in the space a living wage. Since all of the collective's income is sliding scale/NOTAFLOF we want to guarantee that those who provide these much-needed services are compensated for their time as no one who works with us is in the economic position to do this work on a solely volunteer basis.

Alaska (Inactive) – Haines Harvest

2016-03-01T00:00:00Z

Project Haines Harvest is our farm's attempt to increase the quantity and quality of locally grown produce for the communities of Haines and Klukwan. Four Winds Farm is currently the only operating vegetable farm selling fresh produce to the general public in the area. In the past three years we have observed rapidly growing interest in fresh produce and healthy eating in our community. We currently grow 40 different fruit and vegetable crops using organic methods. Four Winds Farm is registered with the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the Women Infants and Children Nutritional Programs in Alaska. Strong local participation in these programs in 2015 led to a surge in demand for our produce at the weekly Haines Farmers Market, outstripping our supply. The farm has sufficient garden space to grow considerably more produce in 2016 but currently lacks cold storage. Without proper cold storage most crops must be harvested the morning of the market to ensure quality. This project will build cold storage on the farm, effectively lengthening the harvest period preceding the market. With the ability to store crops for a longer harvest period (2-3 days) we will eliminate the bottleneck and be able to effectively harvest larger amounts for the market. Without cold storage we can't expand our harvest. The cold storage will be an insulated room of 6' by 8' built onto the north side of the farm's existing produce processing building. The thermal mass of the existing building will block heat gain from the sun. Cooling will be provided by a CoolBot refrigeration system. CoolBots were invented by a farmer as an alternative to conventional walk-in coolerfor small-scale applications. They can be built for less than the cost of purchasing a walk-in cooler and use less energy. The CoolBot consists of a readily available window air conditioner coupled with a custom controller enabling a small room to achieve refrigerator temperatures, 35-40 degrees F.

Atlanta, GA – "Flying Change" Equine Therapy for Youth

2016-03-01T00:00:00Z

Flying Change Equine Therapy is an Atlanta-based program that partners rescued and retired horses in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for youth healing from emotional and behavioral challenges like depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders and trauma from childhood abuse or domestic violence. Our purpose is to help vulnerable youth build confidence, self esteem, develop relationship-building skills, learn how to communicate effectively, experience teamwork/cooperation, gain leadership skills, and develop empathy and respect for themselves and others. Our organization has seen as many as 50 clients and their families a week and has offered hope and healing to everyone who arrives on our doorstep. We have never turned away a client we believed we could help because they could not afford our services.

Paris (Inactive) – KickArt

2016-03-01T00:00:00Z

KickArt est une caravane réaménagée en vitrine d’art nomade qui a vocation à provoquer la rencontre entre des publics “éloignés” et l’art contemporain. C’est un outil de diffusion original permettant d’appréhender la mise en scène de l’art différemment au sein d’une châsse expérimentale. Elle peut se déplacer partout hors des circuits habituels d'exposition: dans l’espace public, dans des écoles, des centres sociaux, des hôpitaux... pour aller à la rencontre de tous les publics et valoriser le travail de jeunes artistes. A cette médiation matérielle s’ajoute celle de l’artiste et de l’équipe mobilisée afin de provoquer la rencontre. KickArt is a trailer that has been remodeled into an art galery to encourage people who have little access to culture to discover contemporary art. It is an original dissemination tool that allows to stage art in a different way. The trailer car travel everywhere, and especially outside of traditional exhibition settings : public spaces, schools, community centers, hospitals… in order to meet all types of audiences and to highligt the work of young artists. The artists and the team also organize workshop to deepen the relationship between the audience and the artworks.

Washington, DC – District Displaced

2016-02-29T00:00:00Z

Founded in November 2014, District Displaced is a photography outreach project that reveals there is more to being homeless than simply not having a home. Through ongoing outreach work, District Displaced focuses on providing resources to individuals dealing with homelessness in Washington, D.C. The outreach goal is to make sure that each engaged individual has the opportunity to receive resources that will tangibly benefit them. District Displaced offers a unique opportunity to individuals currently dealing with homelessness to document and share their experiences through film photography by becoming project contributors. District Displaced contributors use film photography to provide unique perspectives on living without a home. With each roll of film contributors have the opportunity to review each photo after they are developed, and title the photographs that they want to share online and in exhibitions. Despite the obvious hardships relating to homelessness, each photograph offers a first hand account of life on the streets of Washington, D.C. and fosters a sense of resilience and ingenuity. By collaborating with those dealing with homelessness in DC a new voice is assumed by each contributor to self-advocate through art.

Moscow (Inactive) – ВЕЩЕВОРОТ

2016-02-28T00:00:00Z

Вещеворот - это социальный проект, в рамках которого мы устанавливаем в г.Челябинск контейнеры для сбора ненужной одежды от населения, сортируем её, хорошую отдаем на благотворительность, плохую отправляем в переработку. Таким образом сокращая объем текстиля на свалке примерно на 5т в месяц и обеспечивая элементарной одеждой более 200 человек в месяц. Кроме того, проект предусматривает вовлечение граждан в добровольческую деятельность.

Moscow (Inactive) – Ярмарка Подарков ручной работы

2016-02-28T00:00:00Z

Наш проект – это ярмарки товаров ручной работы в подмосковном городе Серпухов. За 2015 год своими силами организовали 6 ярмарок разного масштаба – все с бесплатным участием для мастеров. Мы выбрали несколько торговых центров в городе, договорились о бесплатной аренде места проведения ярмарок, бартерной рекламе в местных СМИ. Своими силами подготавливаем афиши и флаеры. Цели проекта: - проведение ярмарок на бесплатной основе для участников; - развитие ярмарочных традиций; - повышение интереса к ручному труду. Наши ярмарки – это не просто продажа handmade-товаров, а своего рода небольшие арт-фестивали. Почему небольшие? Участие принимает около 40 мастеров и местные художники. Посещаемость ярмарок – до 700 гостей. Одна из главных задач – увеличение масштаба мероприятий, ведь это интересно многим и очень востребовано и у мастеров, и у посетителей. Мы хотим, чтобы такие ярмарки стали семейной традицией для жителей нашего региона. Подробнее о нашей деятельности можно прочитать здесь: http://kultprosvetmag.ru/afisha/1853/ http://oka-info.ru/news/article/24892/ http://smitanka.ru/text/ray_dlya_shopogolikov_reporta.. http://oka-info.ru/news/article/24801/ http://www.glazey.info/components/news/view/Novogodni..

Moscow (Inactive) – Фестиваль молодых экскурсоводов

2016-02-28T00:00:00Z

В апреле 2015 года в Самаре прошёл фестиваль молодых экскурсоводов, где учащиеся старших классов и студенты бесплатно проводили экскурсии для гостей и жителей города. Молодых людей в течение 3 месяцев готовили профессиональные экскурсоводы и руководители турфирм. За это время были подготовлены разнообразные экскурсии: - "Невидимый город" (тактильно-ароматная экскурсия для слепых); - "Крылья Победы" (история Самары в годы ВОВ); - "Самара купеческая" (интерактивная экскурсия с песнями, играми, угощениями); - Экскурсия для детей с особыми потребностями" (иппотерапия, прогулка по парку) и многие другие. Всего было показано 8 экскурсий. Жители и гости города с большим удовольствием посетили их все. Некоторые из слушателей захотели стать экскурсоводами и принять участие в следующем фестивале. В 2016 году также планируется проведение фестиваля молодых экскурсоводов. Тема фестиваля "Быль и небыль о Самаре". В следующем году планируется расширить формат и темы экскурсий. Например: - экскурсия по граффити Самары; - экскурсия для любителей английского; - фотоэкскурсия; - экскурсия-квэст и др. Подобная идея получила своё развитие в Минске, где за 5 лет фестиваль экскурсоводов вырос до 120 экскурсий в день.

Yerevan – «Սասնա ծռեր» կոմիքս

2016-02-27T00:00:00Z

Ձեզ ենք ներկայացնում նախագիծ,որը ստեղծվել է երկու տնտեսագետ ուսանողների կողմից:Նախագծի ստեղծման առավելությունը կայանում է նրանում,որ քննարկման արդյունքում ներառվել են մի շարք հարցեր և խնդիրներ:ԵՎ մենք փորձել ենք առավելագույնս լուծումներ տալ մեզ հուզող հարցերին:Ձեզ ենք ներկայացնում մեր լուծման տարբերակը՝  Որպես տնտեսագետներ առաջին հերթին նախագիծը հետապնդում է շահույթ.  Փորձել ենք ժողովրդականը ներկայացնել արվեստի տեսքով  Համադրել ենք ավանդականը Հայաստանում նորամուծություն հանդիսացող կոմիքսների հետ միասին  Նախագիծը թույլ կտա փոքր և միջին տարիքի անձանց կտրվել համակարգչային խաղերից և ինտերնետային հերոսներից՝հնարավորություն ընձեռելով ոգեշնչվել ոչ թե Marvel-ի հերոսներից այլ մեր Սասունցի Դավթի և այլոց քաջագործություններից  Կրթել փոքր և միջին սերնդին,ձևավորելով նրանց մեջ ազգային ոգի,ազգասիրություն,սեր դեպի արվեստը և գրականությունը  Փորձում ենք գրականությունը ներկայացնել ուրույն,քանի որ համարում ենք, որ ժամանակակից երիտասարդությունը մեղմ ասաց չի սիրում կարդալ,նախապատվությունը տալով ժամանակն անցկացնել ուղեղը բթացնող համակարգչային խաղերով. Ին՞չ է իրենից ներկայացնում նախագիծը. Դա մի խումբ երիտասարդների մտքի ստեղծագործելու ու տաղանդի համադրումն է մեկ ընդհանուր գաղափարի շուրջ:Գաղափարը՝ ներկայացնել <<Սասնա Ծռեր>> կամ <<Սասունցի Դավիթ>> դյութազնավեպը կոմիքսների տեսքով:Կոմիքսներ տեսքով՝քանի որ վերը նշված տարբերակները իրականանալի են կոմիքսներով ներկայացնելու դեպքում: Այս նախագիծը հաջողություն ունենալու դեպքում մեր ստեղծագործական խումբը ունի հեռանկարային ծրագիր և այս նախագծի հաջողման դեպքում մենք կշարունակենք ներկայացնել մեր ժողովրդական հերոսներին: Մենք հստակ գիտակցում ենք որն է մեր սպառման շուկան(Հայաստանում և արտերկրում) և վերահսկում ենք մեր ռիսկերը: Նշենք նաև որ կոմիքսները լինելու են մեր սերնդի համար հասանելի հայերենով,նաև անգլերեն և ռուսերեն տարբերակներով:

Minas Gerais (Inactive) – Tá Pronto!

2016-02-26T00:00:00Z

A Tá Pronto! é um Market Place de comida caseira. Somos um negócio social que busca criar situações de comércio justo (fair trade), aumentando a renda de cozinheiros que produzem em casa ou em pequenas cozinhas, trazendo à mesa das pessoas produtos de qualidade, não industrializados e a preços justos. Através da plataforma, cozinheiros podem se cadastrar e vender seus produtos com ajuda da nossa equipe. A Tá Pronto! atua, de forma secundária, na profissionalização dos seus cozinheiros, apoio no atendimento às demandas da vigilância sanitária e na realização das entregas destes produtos através de sua plataforma. Queremos facilitar o acesso dos cozinheiros a novos mercados e a serviços muitas vezes indisponíveis a pequenos vendedores, como pagamento digital e entregas em casa. Nossas entrevistas com cozinheiros que vendem de casa mostraram que eles compartilham uma dor: a quase totalidade vende apenas no boca a boca, para amigos e parentes, enquanto buscam nas redes sociais uma forma de aumentar o alcance de seus produtos, muitas vezes sem sucesso. De forma secundária, também apontaram para fragilidade dos serviços que ofertam, não conseguindo realizar entregas (ou tendo que realizá-las por conta própria), sem acesso a pagamento digital seguro (o que deixa algumas encomendas "encalhadas", já que o comprador nunca as busca) e sem capacidade de se planejar financeiramente pela falta de know how em business. Desta forma, nossas principais atividades são de Inbound Marketing, em uma atuação similar a iFoods e outros aplicativos similares, buscando aumentar as vendas dos nossos parceiros, enquanto buscamos terceirizar uma gama de serviços como entrega (feito por uma terceirizada, shippify, sem custos ao negócio e integrada na plataforma), pagamento digital e repasse direto aos cozinheiros e suporte em business feito através do nosso blog como estratégia de marketing de conteúdo. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taprontocomidacaseira/?fref=ts

Newcastle – Fluro Friday- OneWave Newcastle

2016-02-26T00:00:00Z

OneWave lets people know they are not alone and encourages them to get in the ocean, surf it out and talk about it. It doesn't matter whether you're riding a wave for the first time or the hundredth time…you never forget the feeling of being on a wave, letting everything go and enjoying the moment. OneWave is all it takes... To free the funk. To give you hope. OneWave holds weekly Fluro Friday sunrise sessions up and down the coast to raise awareness for mental health. Newcastle has recently got on board and it's loca lchapter has been growing since late October 2015. We have weekly events where we dress up in the brightest outfits possible and surf/swim/do yoga. Fluro makes people smile and it gets people asking important questions, which are normally avoided about mental health. Everyone is welcome and it is a free event. Fluro Fridays have been started by everyday people in the community, and we all take on board the responsibility of runnig the session and turning up to be there to support one another. We would LOVE to see the stigma reduced in our local community, and are working hard to create a community where people feel safe, valued and appreciated. A community where the tpoic of mental health is at the fore front and not the elephant in the room. A community which is here to support each other in the best way we know how- saltwater therapy!

Miami, FL – Kids' P.E. Club - Saturdays

2016-02-25T00:00:00Z

We are a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization Our mission is to promote proper nutritional habits and exercise to children by disguising educational and physical activities in a carnival environment. Objectives: To promote physical activity in a fun and safe environment To educate parents on proper exercise and nutrition for their children To promote lifelong activity and a healthy approach to preventing childhood obesity The majority of our participants come from low-income, single-parent homes where the parent is looking for work or working odd jobs to support the family. Participants from these environments typically are not involved in extracurricular activities because of limited finances. Carnival Full of Fitness® believes the Kids’ P.E. Club will not only be a safe haven for children, but will also be an opportunity for residents who are looking for a way to make a difference in the community. Carnival Full of Fitness® prides itself on its ability to think outside of the competitive playing field. We understand that most of the children we serve do not necessarily have the speed, strength, and agility to participate in traditional sports such as football, basketball, and baseball. The premise of our club is to encourage children to turn off their video games, computers, and smartphones and go outside to engage in “good, old-fashioned fun.” The club’s variety of games and activities contributes to positive development by infusing social skills, self-esteem, and cognitive skills. The session cycle will be 6 consecutive Saturdays, and the sessions will last approximately 4 hours. Given this, we are extending an invitation for local businesses to be donors and regular contributors to our project. The funds raised will be used to help register up to 40 deserving participants and employ residents of the Miami Gardens community. These funds will be used as a springboard, and we expect the program to be able to support itself after we gain exposure.

Orlando, FL – Playground City

2016-02-25T00:00:00Z

Did you know we learn a lot when we play? Play is natural, play is educational, play is fun! We all learn in different ways and to keep up in today’s rapidly-changing and connected world, we believe play will help us adapt. One way to do this is to connect students’ passions with real-world experience in order to foster exploration of interests inside and outside of the classroom. We are launching a summer of learning that will utilize existing educational programing across our community partnerships and create linkages that encourage and challenge young people to step outside their comfort zone and explore new activities. So many great learning assets exist in our community such as the Orlando Science Center, Melrose Center at the OCLS Downtown Library, and the maker-studio Factur where you can learn how to sew, stargazing, how to 3D print, woodworking, and flight simulation. An awesome grant will directly finance the kick-off event to promote our summer program to community education stakeholders by demonstrating these ideas of playground learning. On March 23, we will gather 30 education stakeholders and embark on a journey to move through our city, learning how to fly a drone. The event begins at the Melrose Center, where we get hands-on experience flying mini drones. We will then board the Lymmo downtown and arrive at the classroom in Lynx Central station where we will participate in a lecture on the legality of flying drones from an attorney who practices drone law. Next we will SunRail to Mad Cow Theatre to engage in performance activities to investigate the moral and ethical implications of drones in our society today. Finally we will Juice bicycle to the Dr Phillips Center where we will fly full-size drones with assistance of professional pilots and capture high definition video/photo footage to be used in future summer of learning activities. We have a strategic plan and support letters available if Awesome Foundation would like to review them.

Stockholm (Inactive) – Folkparken – the people’s park!

2016-02-24T00:00:00Z

To buy or rent land in Stockholm is very expensive, which makes Stockholm quite inaccessible for groups without strong financial resources. At the same time there’s one type of land that’s valuable and heavily subsidized for those who have a car - parking lots. For just 15kr/hr you can put something as big and expensive as a car in central parts of the city. Cheap rent for something that doesn’t add much to making the city an awesome place. Is that such good idea? Now what if you could transform these parking bays into something amazing, something awesome? Instead of cars we will park trailers on bays, trailers that will have a whole heap of different things on them for people to enjoy. Imagine parks, planter boxes, jacuzzis, outdoor cinemas, you name it. The inspiration will flourish and transform a Stockholm street for an entire week!

Newmarket – Lego Club

2016-02-23T00:00:00Z

Being a teacher and working in the town I love and also a resident in? I have the opportunity to work with many people in the community. Until being exposed to my small school with a big heart I had a new outlook on my job and purpose. Being in a school where there are higher needs in social and emotional and providing a safe environment is extreme,y important. Unfortunately being a school with under 100 students it is hard to create extra curricular programs. Students have approached my in starting more activities at school and hands on learning such as Lego. Being able to incorporate the tools within the classroom it could also provide an opportunity many of the students would not have outside of he school.

London, ON (Inactive) – EVAC Soundproofing

2016-02-23T00:00:00Z

For the past 7 years EVAC has been a hub for art, music, creative ideas, and community support in Old East Village. This past fall we made a move from 757 Dundas to 755 Dundas; a space 4 times the size of our previous home where we will be able to provide more programming, more art, bigger shows, and further develop our dynamic relationship with the East Village Community. Throughout the years we have been home to many artists and activists, and in this new space we hope to expand that family. While at 757 we were able to run as a community, bringing together what we had in order to create what we wanted. Now that we are changing location, we are also going to change our designation, and turn into a Not-for-profit. This status and this larger space we can provide a venue for local musicians to develop their sound and be heard above ground in London, ON; emerging artists will have room to work on their craft and walls to display their work; we will be able to provide seminars and classes in addition to the Anarchist Free School who provides weekly discussions at EVAC; we will further develop our community support initiatives like Safe Space, a drop-in centre for women on Monday and Tuesday’s, or the community meals provided for by Food Not Bombs. We have a lot of fundraising to do in order to get EVAC in a position to be the best possible venue for creativity and community to flourish in the OEV.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Sidewalk Kintsukuroi at MASS MoCA

2016-02-23T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is a new artwork bringing some loving attention to cracks, margins, connections, and repairs! "Sidewalk Kintsukuroi" expands on the traditional Japanese art of Kintsukuroi (meaning “to repair with gold;” traditionally performed on ceramics) taking it, literally, out into the streets. At the heart of the idea of such “golden repair” is that something is made more beautiful for having been broken - a deeply poetic take on healing and celebrating the beauty in our flaws. My aim is to create something beautiful that connects with the nature of change in the natural and human-structured world, and also resonates with personal repair we all undertake on ourselves from time to time. My first site-specific installation of Sidewalk Kintsukuroi will be created at MASS MoCA this spring as part of a new exhibition entitled "The Space Between" (See the exhibition page for more details: http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=1051) I'll be "repairing" the cracks in the outdoor museum courtyard with various resins and gold pigments for the exhibition opening April 16, 2016.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – New Vista Music Studio

2016-02-23T00:00:00Z

The project will consist of teachers and students at New Vista high School on Baseline Rd. in Boulder, working together, to convert the current music room into an audio engineering and recording studio. The New Vista Music Studio. We would like to expand the current music course offerings at the school, which focus mostly on performance. The newly added engineering studio would incorporate both audio sciences and technical aspects of music production for those students that perform as well as for those students that are motivated by music but not performers. The newly constructed New Vista Music Studio will not only be used for audio recording but will be used as a media production inter-space, to correlate with the expanding video production studio at the school. The New Vista Music Studio will be a fully functioning audio engineering studio on par with college level productions. The projected course offerings will be pre-college preparation right into one college level course. The New Vista Music Studio will prepare students for college level Audio Engineering programs. Eventually, the studio could be presented to the community as a student volunteered production company, or on a paid per project basis for school fundraising.

Amsterdam (Inactive) – Flashy Fish

2016-02-21T00:00:00Z

Raleigh, NC (Inactive) – Project Postcard

2016-02-20T00:00:00Z

Project Postcard is a new, inclusive community art program for middle and high school students to participate in a mail art exhibition. The project is closely aligned with Visual Art Exchange’s mission to encourage new ideas, collaboration and experimental mediums and an extension of its innovative educational programs for young artists. In today’s culture we so rarely mail things. This project will encourage students to think about the ways in which we communicate our creative ideas as well as see how artists can work together to create a large scale installation with a variety of styles, voices and messages. To ensure every student can participate, any teacher, student or parent can request a package of postcards through an easy, online form. VAE will then send out a package of postcards and stamps. The students will then use the postcards as a base for their creative ideas, staying within mailing guidelines and mail the postcards back for display in storefront windows of arts venues in Downtown Raleigh during First Friday May 6. A secondary goal of the project is to help students and their families experience the energy of First Friday and downtown Raleigh’s creative scene! It is an inspiring way to see all the people who support the arts and explore the many venues dedicated to exhibiting art in Raleigh. To make sure everyone experiences the big picture of the event, we have designed the project to be exhibited in different venues that are easily walkable, but will direct people to more than one gallery. VAE expects to receive and display at least 700 of those cards and has secured three venues in the Warehouse District. VAE staff will create maps that will allow participants to navigate First Friday, find their artwork, and enjoy multiple venues and additional exhibitions. The postcards will be on view downtown for one weekend and VAE is working on other venues to display the project in the future as a more permanent installation.

Tallahassee, FL (Inactive) – It's Meow or Never for Ferals

2016-02-19T00:00:00Z

With your donation we can spay or neuter AT LEAST 100 feral cats in our community. We have the trappers, the traps and the skill. Our primary trapper has sterilized over 230 in the past 2 years and is constrained only by lack of more funding. The Humane Society has documented statistics showing that ONE unspayed female cat and her offspring can result in 200,000 or more cats in five years. With more funding we are willing and able to put a HUGE dent in these numbers.

Kingston – initially/unconditionally

2016-02-19T00:00:00Z

This year is the first annual Juvenis festival presented by Blue Canoe Productions and I have been selected to direct and choreograph a dance show! The title of the performance, being shown at The Baby Grand Theater in May, is 'INITIALLY/UNCONDITIONALLY'. The work will be exploring relationships between strangers, friends and lovers, with an upbeat prologue indulging in the joy of laughter as medicine. 'INITIALLY/UNCONDITIONALLY' will start its adventure with auditions in the beginning of March with the aim of finding local movement artists to participate in the production. Along with the dancers I have recruited a local composer, musician and a young emerging photographer. This is an original choreography and collaboration filled with Kingstons finest, and although we have many great partners involved they simply cannot give us everything for free. So, I am looking elsewhere to find an awesome contribution to cover all costs, and make this show happen! Since this is the first professional contemporary dance show conceived in Kingston I am very hopeful to see it evolve into an experimental world of dance, voice, visual media, and local accompaniment.

Twin Cities, MN (Inactive) – Blues in the Parks

2016-02-17T00:00:00Z

A live blues music performance with free blues for kids education workshops. This is a free event, open to the public, and outdoors at Merriam Park in St Paul, MN. The harmonicas are donated by a local non profit, The MN Blues Society, The event will promote a dying music genre, which is blues music. It will be a fun, family friendly event, with free music education classes, live music and outdoors at a public park. I am collaborating with the MN Blues Society www.mnbs.org a small, local non profit that offers free harmonicas for blues for kids harmonica classes. I am the volunteer chairman of the blues for kids education committee at the MN Blues Society. The event will be collaborating with the St Paul Parks and Rec Department at Merriam Park with my contact, named Patti Schwartz. This event is free and open to the public. She hired our band to play at their park once in the past during a public event and I offered a similar free blues for kids harmonica class. It was a great success. I would like to create a similar project with more live music and more blues for kids workshops, promoting the blues music genre. This will build awareness to blues music, engage the community, and offer free blues education and harmonicas for kids, 1:00 to 2:30pm Group Music Lessons- Kids and parents can casually walk around to each station and spend time learning blues in four different areas. We will have four separate groups teaching music lessons in the following: Harmonica Lessons- New, free, harmonicas will be donated by the MNBS Guitar Lessons- I will donate 3 guitars that students can try out during lessons Vocal lessons and blues history- Blues/Swing Dance Lessons- 2:30pm to 3:30pm open blues jam- intermediate/advanced musicians of all ages can join the house band and perform 2 songs each with 3:30-5:00pm Professional blues band performance. The crowd can enjoy the music, play their instruments, dance, and now have a better understanding of the blues.

Gloucester, MA – Gloucester Sea Cadets

2016-02-16T00:00:00Z

The Gloucester Sea Cadets of the Ouellet Division is the North Shore's contingent of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC). It is a non-profit youth program for Americans ages 11-18. They train at the U.S. Coast Guard Station based at Harbor Loop. They meet twice a month, on average, with addition Recruit Trainings (like basic training for new recruits) and Advanced Trainings throughout the year for specialized courses in medical, SCUBA, seamanship, aviation, and construction, etc. They are "high achievers" in life and in school; although they have no obligation to enter the military, most of them do indeed plan to either enlist or become an officer. Their experiences and training in the Gloucester Sea Cadets give them an advantage upon entering the military, in both hands on experience and leadership skills. Our website is still in progress, but I included it anyway for you to see, but you can also look up our Facebook page, too. As our program grows we will become more involved in the Gloucester community, reaching out to and supporting area veterans through the local chapters of organizations like the AMVETS, VFW, American Legion and the Gloucester Veterans Services Office. We would also like to become involved in school projects and volunteer on Gloucester sailing ships. All of these plans will feed into the cadets' understanding of Gloucester's heritage and build upon their own sense of community service and leadership skills.

Beaverton & Beyond, OR (Inactive) – Beaverton Sleep Out / Shelter Us Beaverton

2016-02-16T00:00:00Z

The Beaverton Social Justice League and Beaverton School District’s HELP Center are hosting a one night Sleep Out on the streets of Beaverton to bring awareness to the lack of services for Beaverton’s homeless with the focus on families with children. Beaverton School District’s (BSD) HELP Center (Homeless Education Liaison Program) is responsible for providing services to the district’s homeless students. During the '15-'16 school year, as of 01/16/16, the BSD documented and served 980 homeless students, 45 of them are unsheltered, 53 are staying in motels, and 97 are or have been in the county shelter. The rest are either in shared housing, couch surfing or in transitional living programs. Beaverton has no emergency severe weather shelter and there is only one severe weather shelter in all of Washington County who allows families with children. This is not awesome. What is awesome is many community groups are working together to find solutions for these children and this serious challenge in our community. The Beaverton Sleep Out will consist of invited individuals and groups, including Beaverton’s elected officials, civic organizations, community and church leaders. There will be a panel on homelessness with speakers from Beaverton and Washington County to talk to this issue. The Sleep Out will be held in Central Beaverton at Beaverton First United Methodist Church, the Fountain Park and the grass in front of the Library. Participants can choose to either sleep in tents outside or sleep in a simulated warming shelter. Soup dinner will be provided as well as breakfast food and snacks. Saturday morning the Sleep Out will continue an education component by hosting booths of local groups working on homelessness in Beaverton and Washington County. We will talk to Beaverton Farmers Market goers about the need for services. Getting all these leaders in one place to work on this critical issue will be very awesome. We plan on hosting the event April 15th and 16th, 2016. Our plan is to use half of the grant for seed money for an outreach project called, “Shelter Us Beaverton”. We will be printing information about homelessness in Beaverton on umbrellas and giving them to everyone who participates in the Sleep Out. (requesting donations that will be used to purchase more umbrellas) The goal of the project is to help raise awareness for the critical need of a severe weather shelter in our often cold and rainy climate. Everyone who carries one becomes an ambassador of this mission. The other half of the grant would be used for promotional material, renting canopies, supplies, volunteer t-shirts etc. My name is Jolene Guptill and I started the Beaverton Social Justice League in early 2015. I was born and raised in Beaverton. I have volunteered on numerous City of Beaverton committees and advisory boards and a graduate of Leadership Beaverton. I firmly believe that Beaverton is an awesome place and we must always strive to be more awesome, especially for those who are less fortunate. Our hope is that we can bring the leaders together who can truly effect change. We, as a community, need to get our heads together to solve this problem. No child in our community should be sleeping in a tent or a car. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Washington County would commit to ending homelessness for our children? We definitely think it would be awesome! There is nothing more awesome and amazing than people helping people. Several churches and community groups are interested in volunteering with the event; Beaverton United Methodist Church, Family Promise, Kindred Partners (Formally, Love INC of Beaverton) Superintendent Jeff Rose’s student advisory committee with 15 student representatives, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Beaverton Foursquare Church, and Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ. In 2008, I participated in Leadership Beaverton, a program of the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce. One of the training days was centered on Human Rights in Beaverton. That is where I first met Lisa Bell-Mentesana who works at the BSD’s HELP Center. Even though I had lived in Beaverton my whole life, I never knew how many homeless we had in Beaverton. We, as a community, hide them away. They tend to be less visual as they are in Portland. Since then, Lisa, her program and her students have been always on my mind. When Beaverton’s only emergency weather warming shelter closed in the Fall of 2013, I started talking with Lisa about getting another one opened. She and I met numerous times, talking about shelter needs and she told me that even if Beaverton opened a traditional warming shelter, children most likely would not be accepted because of liability concerns. Lisa and I have been talking to many residents, leaders and community groups. We are ready to take outreach to a new level. The Sleep Out has two specific goals; attendance and future community commitment. Want to Help? The Beaverton Social Justice League’s is looking for community members to volunteer by joining the planning committee or for the event itself. Leading up to the event they are looking for some art/graphic design and logo help. A videographer to record the speaker panel and parts of the event, including editing, to be used for future education and promotion, would be awesome. In kind donations of tents, canopies, tables and chairs. Contact: Jolene and Lisa at shelterusbeaverton(at)gmail(dot)com. Website: www.facebook.com/shelterusbeaverton and https://twitter.com/shelter_us and 971-808-2755

Ottawa – Forever Young Roller Disco

2016-02-16T00:00:00Z

February’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Simone Healey and Zara Ansar, to support a 1970s roller disco event next month at Landsdowne Park. “On March 12th,” explains Simone, “we are planning to transform the Horticulture Building into a 1970’s roller disco — neon lights, vintage roller skates, disco balls, and everyone dressed in attire from the era. The goal,” she continues, “is to allow people to try something different, have fun, and create memories — those who remember the fun nights of roller discoing in the ‘70s and ‘80s and those who have dreamed of experiencing it.” “Partial proceeds,” Simone explains, “will benefit the Canadian Cancer Society Wheels of Hope program, a shared-ride program that not only provides patients with transportation to and from treatments but also offers a friendly, supportive environment along the way. This program is very dear to me, and what better way to contribute to the Wheels of Hope program than by wheeling around on roller skates!” Tickets are available online, as well as at Vincent (444 Preston Street), The Record Centre (1099 Wellington St. West), and Neon Skates (285 St Patrick Street). There is also a Facebook event page, with more than 2000 roller disco fans already interested. Born and raised in Ottawa, Zara is a videographer by day and a creative ninja by night. She loves riding her bike all over town. Simone moved to Ottawa as a young teenager from St. John’s, Newfoundland. She is a public servant working in intergovernmental relations who enjoys event planning on the side.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Family Garden

2016-02-15T00:00:00Z

My project is the pilot "The Family Farm." Working with the Union Project in the East End, The Family Farm will be established on the property surrounding their community space on North Negley Avenue. We are in the process of permaculturally designing the space, now. The farm will host 4-5 parent-child teams made up of parents returning from incarceration and the child(ren) left behind. Over the course of a growing season, the teams will work together to learn, grow produce, cook, eat, and heal together. The Union Project additionally provides a space for programming. Outside of lots designated for the participants own growing choices, the Farm will grow high value items which an local juice company has committed to purchasing. Additionally, mushrooms and artisan hot peppers will be grown for farmers market entrepreneurial experience. The farm is one component of a larger mindfulness/urban agriculture/prison re-entry/workforce development project which is developing between community corrections, local service organizations, communities, and employers. Successful community membership and enriching gainful employment are end project goals. "The Family Farm" Union Project location is a pilot for a larger, similar venture in Garfield. Partners include: Maria Garziani, the founder/owner of Healcrest; Renewal Inc, western PA's largest community correctional facility; Dr. Matt Keener, mindfulness-focused integrative psychiatrist and director of emotional health for the #1 iTunes healthcare app on the planet, Doctors on Demand; and others. The intent is to convert Healcrest Farm, an organic herb farm in Garfield, into a workforce development/training space for those exiting the prison-industrial complex machine while growing pre-contracted, organic, high value items for an organic juice company, custom tea blends, local chefs, value-added processing, farmer's market sales, and other pathways to sustainability. If it is up to me, we will make really hot hot sauce.

Austin, TX – Ravaan Persian Dance Company

2016-02-13T00:00:00Z

Ravaan Persian Dance Company is the only Persian (Iranian) dance company in the state of Texas, and one of approximately 50 Persian dance companies worldwide. Ravaan is proud to offer Persian dance in Austin, especially considering that dance has been outlawed in the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979 because it is deemed "un-Islamic." For the past four years, Ravaan has performed at Central Market's Annual Nowruz event (Nowruz is the Persian New Year, which celebrates the coming of Spring), which draws over 1,000 people, making it one of Central Market's most popular events. The crowd is a mix of Iranians and non-Iranians, all coming together to celebrate Nowruz. The Austin Awesome Foundation's grant will go towards making costumes for this year's Persian New Year performance at Central Market. Persian dance costumes are non existent in the US, and it is extremely difficult to get costumes from overseas, in part because the majority of the costumes are not produced in Iran anymore. Costumes are an integral part of creating an identity for Persian dance.

Orlando, FL – Paint Orlando Blue for Child Abuse Prevention

2016-02-12T00:00:00Z

Approximately sixty at risk children from multiple locations in Orlando and Orange County will create original works of art, with narratives to be exhibited for Paint Orlando Blue in April 2016. Paint Orlando Blue is a month long initiative, led by The Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families for the prevention of child abuse. Children from Great Oaks Village, Edgewood Children's Ranch, The Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families, West Orange Boys and Girls Club, Smith Neighborhood Center, and others will create the art. Different art projects will be planned for each location using a variety of mediums and techniques. Some projects will address the issue of child abuse and prevention. Others will celebrate the joy of a happy childhood. All projects wil give unheard children a voice, the chance to tell the stories of a thousand untold stories. All art will be completed under the guidance of Renée Schneider. Art will be created January - March 2016. The art will be displayed for 2-6 weeks at 4 or more public locations and 2 or more events. Venues selected for exhibits are Orlando City Hall, Orange County Administration Building, SoBo Gallery and St. Luke's United Methodist Church. Some of the art will also be displayed at Spring Swirl and Hear the Story fundraising events for The Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families. Based on past years' figures it is estimated that 2,000-2,500 people will view these exhibits. "We art enthusiasts like to talk about the power of art to enlighten, inspire and heal. It’s something else to see it happen. They see it happen at the Howard Phillips Center and other agencies that continue to welcome Renee’s participation in therapy programs, and when the children’s original writing opens minds to new insights and expands awareness of an unseen community crisis. It’s the reason why advocates and volunteers increasingly use the beautiful designs to tell stories that spark compassion and support." -Sara Segal

Chicago, IL – Seat buttons

2016-02-11T00:00:00Z

Sitting on the train this morning I felt the usual hesitation when someone got up, leaving a seat close to me. The man in front of it didn't demonstrate any interest, so I looked around for an older person or pregnant woman, and then took the seat. Problem is, between winter wear and overweight Americans, it's hard to tell who needs a seat and who doesn't. I'm proposing a button to be distributed at OB-GYN offices, senior centers, baby stores and elsewhere that simply says: Yes, I'd love to sit down. Thank you! No blame, no shame, no conflicts - if someone wants or needs a seat, they're likelier to get it.

Lusaka (Inactive) – THE ROYAL PARLOUR; TREAT YOUR HAIR WITH ROYALTY.

2016-02-11T00:00:00Z

The Royals Parlour, is a Salon that will specialise in hair plaiting, Styling, selling hair products, pedicure, manicure, and make-up. Our business will be unique because we will employ the hearing impaired women. I've noticed there's is inadequate support and a gap to employ women who have a hearing impairment. Therefore we intend to train the women in beauty and cosmetics and empower them in entrepreneurship. After training them for a period of about two years, I believe they would have gained enough experience to start their own business and we will help them through. After which, we intend to get a different group of women who have a hearing impertinent and truism them. Our Value Proposition to the customers is elegance, Beauty, Self-esteem, Time efficient, and convince( they can decide to have their hair done at the convince of their home, and it will accommodate for the kids and the males, they don't have go to different salons to do their hair.) Our customer relationship strategy is free beauty tips, Member discounts, Membership cards which will enable our customers to have promotional discounts (for example; do five hair plaits and get one few hair do, or invite three customers and get one free), and also have a call agent that will call our current customers if they need any hair do or treatment. Our Customer segments is ladies aged 13-45 years of age, kids of 5-12 years and lastly Males(no age restriction).

Ann Arbor, MI – YCHS Band BOSTON TOUR!

2016-02-10T00:00:00Z

The Ypsilanti Community Band Association is a parent run organization that supports the Ypsilanti Community Schools Band Program through monetary assistance and volunteer hours to make the activities of the band program happen on a yearly basis. Ypsilanti Community Schools, serving K through 12th grade students, is located in southeast Michigan in the city of Ypsilanti, 35 miles southwest of Detroit. In the 2015-2016 school year, 4,145 students enrolled with 77 percent of the students being minorities and 67 percent being African American or mixed race.The families that comprise the district have a low enough individual family incomes that the entire district has been determined to be a “free lunch” district as defined by the federal poverty guidelines that determine the district’s free lunch status. Seventy three percent of the families in the district meet 100% - 133% of the federal poverty limit. To give that real numbers, it means that a family of four makes approximately $32,000 a year or less. Our goal this year is to offer our students an educational and exciting opportunity. The project we are hoping to fund is Wind Symphony Tour . The total cost of sending 58 musicians and 8 chaperones is $42,900. The cost breaks out to $650 per person. We want to take the students who participate in the YCHS Wind Symphony Band to Boston, MA, for a three-day tour. Included in the trip will be educational tours at the John F Kennedy Library, Harvard University and the Freedom Trail Tour. Most exciting for our students however will the a master class with a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and an opportunity to see the Boston Symphony perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. We are hoping to fund this project at least partially with grant funds.