Awesome Foundation - Projects

Alaska (Inactive) – Tracing Roots: A Weaver's Journey Film Outreach

2015-10-30T00:00:00Z

How many people get to not only make a film with and about an inspiring 85 year old elder, but also get to travel with her to share it? Our journey started in 2010 when I was asked to document Delores Churchill on a traveling Northwest Art class. We had an idea of making a film about her. The instigator disappeared, but I was hooked. The documentary slowly evolved into something Delores didn't expect and a narrative that asks questions and manages not to end. "Tracing Roots: A Weaver’s Journey "is a portrait of an elder in motion and a piece about the meaning of connection, and ownership. It is about making objects and art and a bit of a mystery, following Delores quest to understand a spruce root hat found in a retreating glacier. We've had great events with the film from Haida Gwaii to Fairbanks, but we want to ask for support to inspire people outside the region. When we share the work. Delores charms and gets wonderfully unpredictable. I’m sidekick and support. Starting on October 20th, Delores and I are going on a screening/event tour to museums and college campuses in places including Indianapolis, Boston and DC. Pulling together the funds is not as easy as one would hope to cover the expenses we’ll be racking up. Despite some grants for making the project, we’re experiencing a net drain that has continued into the outreach stage. Is outreach and engagement awesome? You know the saying, “if a tree falls in the forest…” This is the delivery. It is a time to encourage non-native audiences, as Delores says, to realize how that native art making is alive and well and for native students in the colleges we visit to be inspired by an elder amidst campuses that don’t always facilitate that role modeling. This is also the finale of the journey: We've decided after this trip, to the Smithsonian, the Harvard Peabody and the Eiteljorg and our other stops, it is time to wrap up the “live” events…

Seattle, WA – Popup Arcade

2015-10-29T00:00:00Z

Popup Arcade is an opportunity to learn about your city and fellow residents through collaborative, place-based arcade games. Imagine a cooperative puzzle game that invites citizens across the city to play and connect with each other. The game would consist of puzzles that require multi-player involvement to solve. The goal is to improve community engagement across a city, and encourage citizens to work together toward a common goal. We're building arcade machines that we'll put in distant neighborhoods in Seattle so people can play silly games with folks they might not otherwise meet. Someone in Lake City solving a puzzle with someone in White Center. A player in the International District exploring a virtual world with a player in Ballard. We recently made our first prototypes of the arcade machines and demoed them at the Seattle Mini Maker Faire. The arcade machines have cameras, so kids at the faire sent animated gif selfies making funny faces back and forth. Let's encourage that kind of playful interaction, build relationships between neighborhoods, & contribute to public, civic engagement through games.

Stockholm (Inactive) – Petri Dish

2015-10-29T00:00:00Z

Imagine the world’s 20 top tier technologists “locked into” a house in in the outskirts of Stockholm for a week. Their task is to come up with new innovative concepts and prototypes for the benefit of the world. Awesome right? That’s exactly what the project “Petri Dish” is about. In April 2016 the retreat will take place with participants like a Professor of Neuroscience, a facial recognition software expert and a CEO of a Machine learning company. The goals of the project are: 1. Test the concept: Can a diverse group of top minds with free reins come up with truly innovative ideas and create functioning prototypes or elaborate plans? 2. Present new ideas for improvement to the world from top minds. 3. Strengthen Stockholm's position in the tech world as an innovation ecosystem.

Tallahassee, FL (Inactive) – Students Proving They Can (SPTC)

2015-10-28T00:00:00Z
We selected Carter Parramore Academy (CPA) as our Students Proving They Can (SPTC) project site. CPA is an alternative school serving grades four through twelve. It is a Title I school, meaning there are a high percentage of low-income students. At CPA 77% of students are eligible for free lunch. The enrollment by race/ethnicity is 90% black; 7% Hispanic; 2% white; and 1% mixed. Interventions are needed to keep the students on track and engaged in their education. Despite failing grades, these students have ambition, hope, and big dreams. Our vision is to provide the platform for them to fulfill their passions. In partnership with CPA, we created a mentoring program dedicated to acting upon the belief that every student deserves a bright future. Our SPTC program consists of mentorship through tutoring and establishing after-school, extracurricular programs. We want to become a model of success, so we plan to evaluate our project, employing research and analytical methods. During the prior school year, each of us tutored two students once per week during a class period. Some of us stayed after school for tutoring. This fall we plan to add more mentors. SPTC provides more than academic support. We include after-school activities utilizing many disciplines. With strengths in a wide variety of areas, we bring a multi-faceted, skill-based dynamic to volunteering at CPA. Finally, last spring we organized a College Shadowing Day and brought students to FSU. We hope to do the same and more this school year. For example, we have been asked to come alongside Student Government and help them plan traditional school activities such as homecoming and prom. And this year we should begin seeing a measurable effect in academic performance. We’ve come to learn that WE are Students Proving They Can transform an under-resourced school WORKING WITH Students Proving They Can improve their own academic and life experience. It’s going to be awesome.

Antigonish, NS (Inactive) – Antigonish Challenger Baseball

2015-10-28T00:00:00Z
Antigonish Challenger Baseball is a free program that provides an opportunity for children with cognitive and/or physical special needs to enjoy the full benefits of participating in baseball at a level structured to their abilities. Games are played in a fun and safe environment where no score is kept and there are no balls, strikes or outs. Each child is partnered with a buddy who helps them with all aspects of the game. While the buddies help the children participate, they are encouraged to let the children do as much as they can on their own. The game is adapted around each individual child. Adapted equipment includes wheelchair accessible bases, various sized and colored balls, bats of varying sizes and material as well as various forms of batting tees. This year, our group was made up of eighteen children, both male and females, aged four to sixteen. Our group also consisted of thirty buddies ranging in age from twelve to seventy. Like all other minor baseball players, each child received a uniform and played weekly games at the local high school field. The aim of the program is to help the children develop physical and social skills, build self-esteem, meet other children and families in the community and become part of a team. The overall goal is to provide an opportunity for the children to participate in sports no matter their ability or circumstances. Recently, Antigonish Challenger Baseball was acknowledged and invited by the Toronto Blue Jays to participate in the 2016 National Challenger Baseball Jamboree. This event will take place next June at the Rogers Centre. Forty-six children, buddies and family members will travel to Toronto to stay at the Rogers Centre hotel, watch a Blue Jays game and to participate in a game on the field at the Rogers Centre. While it is an honour to be invited to the Jamboree, in order to make this once in a lifetime dream a reality, our group requires significant financial and community support.

London, ON (Inactive) – One World: One Art, Drawing class

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
One Art is long term project to facilitate innovative collaborative art projects and high quality art programming to low-income children in the London community. One Art blossoms from a series of art projects I have led in Calgary and Bangalore, India with various nonprofit agencies including the Boys and Girls Club and Samarthanam Trust. In London, I would like to lead an 8 month class for 8-12 low income students between the ages of 5-11 beginning their artistic journey. Every class, I would like to teach some colour theory, drawing technique, and art history and then lead students to implement what they learn to create a collaborative portfolio-ready art piece. The results of structured and enriching art education where our young people are treated as serious artists and given the practical tools to grow are breathtaking. Indeed, art encourages powerful habits such as creativity, habits, joy, peace, and focus among young artists. Apart from the obvious benefits of art education and the therapeutic value of art to each individual child, the collaborative nature of One Art’s projects serves a broader cause: respect and teamwork. Through thought-provoking themes for art projects such as “What does the world mean to you?”, we are moved by children's meditation on community and diversity. In the past, student groups I have worked with have created amazing paintings and other forms of collaborative art that have sold for high value, returning back funds to the non-profits and communities they are members of. These pieces have also been incredible works of social political commentary- children telling us adults what they would like their world to look like!

Twin Cities, MN (Inactive) – S.H.E (She who hold everything)

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
We are Iman and Khadijah Siferllah-Griffin and we are 17 year old identical twin sisters who are Hip Hop dancers from the twin-cities. At 14 years old we became the youngest recipients of the Minnesota Sage Cowell dance award for best dance ensemble. In our short career as dances we have traveled to the east and west cost to perform and have shared the stage with some awesome artist. Because we started dancing at a young age we have performed with a wide range of individuals with most of them being adults. We found it difficult to find spaces that were youth and female centered as Hip Hop as a culture is very male dominate, so out of that we created S.H.E She Who Holds Everything is an all female Hip Hop dance collective that empowers woman and girls though Hip Hop dance. S.H.E will perform, teach dance classes, and hold female centered events in the Twin-Cities. In 2016 we have planned some awesome event for S.H.E such as our first showcase performance scheduled for February 12th and 13th. Our all girls prom scheduled for May 21st, 2016, and our biggest event which will be our major production at the Southern Theatre in December of 2016.

Washington, DC – Rebuilding Re-entry Hackathon - DC

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
In an effort to decarcerate America, there are national campaigns to shed women and men from prisons and jails. As these campaigns gain traction we are seeing shifts in policy as well as public opinion. The anticipated release of Americans - thousands at a time, nationwide – will no doubt flood re-entry service providers and government agencies. In DC we anticipate a spike of returning citizens. To this end, Mission: Launch is committed to building, testing and reworking re-entry solutions until they are ready for successful integration into larger systems. We host friendly citywide events to collaborate, share common areas for improvement, engage with unlikely allies, and invite the community to problem solve – together. At the end of every event we have a 4-step call to action: connect; donate; join (a prototype team); and share (the message). The events and extension programming are scalable and offer easy-to-engage opportunities for the general public as well as key stakeholders. Our hackathons are community problem solving gatherings to discuss, understand and prototype solutions for local re-entry issues. We “hack” away at presented barriers with the aim of incubating and demonstrating tech-based tools within 8 months. The accomplishments from our first hackathon in 2014 have presented a unique case study for success. To that end, we are eager to bring the city together for a 2nd year. High-level executives, state and local politicians as well as service providers and coders as well as returning citizens themselves and the public-at-large will gather on Oct. 31st & Nov. 1st. Open-source tech built and stewarded by our community will help to close gaps in service delivery as well as policy implementation. Within the Washington, DC - region there is a strong push for re-entry efforts.

Melbourne (Inactive) – Be. Bangles - Inspirational bangles for women

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
I can say, hands down, that 2014 was the toughest year of my life. I thought I'd hit rock bottom before, but honestly, 2014 smacked me down. In short, my 3 year relationship ended. I moved into a house on my own. My co-founder decided to exit my current business (on fairly icky terms), the new house I moved into was making both me and my dog incredibly sick (mould and damp problems) and on top of that I hated my body. My self-esteem plummeted. By the end of 2014, I was in a dark place and I needed SOMETHING to pull me out. I stumbled across this quote that said "She Believed She Could So She Did"- and it became my rally cry. I figured if I could just start believing that I was worth something, my life would turn around. I wanted to tattoo the saying on my body, but it felt a little too permanent, so I decided to create a bangle that I could wear instead. Why? Did you know we're exposed to more than 5,000 advertisements every day? Most of them implying that there is something wrong with us. We're not skinny or pretty enough. We need to eat less and buy more. Rates of depression among women & girls have doubled in the last 10 years, and the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 - 19 is now suicide. Women & girls hating who they are, because of the messages they are surrounded by. We are here to change all that. Be. Bangles are simple and beautifully designed stainless steel bangles, engraved with inspirational sayings like ‘She Believed She Could So She Did’. They inspire women across the world to stop doubting and start believing in themselves. We're here to remind women of their greatness, especially in those moments they've forgotten how extraordinary they are. Each bangle sold not only empowers the woman wearing it, but it funds a day of education for a girl in Africa as well. We're creating a movement of empowered women committed to shifting the beliefs they have about their bodies, their careers and their so called flaws.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Team McAuley

2015-10-26T00:00:00Z

Amsterdam (Inactive) – Candid Amsterdam

2015-10-26T00:00:00Z
What happens when you place disposable cameras all around Amsterdam? The cameras would be hung up on a string around a pole with a message asking people to take a picture with it. When the cameras are full I would collect them back, develop them and post them on a Facebookpage and a website for people to see and interact with.

Oklahoma City, OK (Inactive) – Geary Food Pantry & Education Center

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z
The Geary Food Pantry About seven years ago I noticed that the children I worked with in a volunteer capacity were hungry. I found out through research that one in four children in Oklahoma go to bed hungry. I have held the hand of elderly women who were crying because they were so relieved that they could get food at the pantry and still get medication with the money they would have used for food. We serve a free meal one night a week and the food pantry is open twice a month, once in the day time and once in the evening. We feed seventy five to one hundred families a month in our small community of 1258 people through our Pantry. We also serve hot meals and play games with approximately thirty children every Wednesday evening. We have families from other rural communities come for help on a regular basis as well. We would like to provide classes on cooking nutritious meals, canning and meal planning as well as helping with encouragement for re-entering the work force and other educational activities for our community. The building we have rented for the past several years is scheduled for demolition in a couple of months and we are in the process of building. We are in dire need of finances to make this transition. Please help me fill empty stomachs and enrich minds.

Oklahoma City, OK (Inactive) – GearHeads of Oklahoma, Inc

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z
We are a recent start up non profit here in OKC. We take our passion for motorsports and create an environment were families can get plugged in to local events and activities, but were they can also take joy in giving back to those in need. We operate as a 501(c)(3) non profit to provide automotive repair & maintenance grants to families in need. You can find out all the details about how this works on our website. Originally several of us would get together to attend car shows and other events as a group. We were asked to help a young family in need of some automotive repair. Afterwards we thought why not do it for more? and why not invite more people and families to join us? After doing some research we realized that not many organizations are prepared to help their program recipients with automotive related issues, but everyone has the need, especially in OKC. Our goal is to come along side and support other charitable and non profit groups and their recipients. In addition we fell motivated to help kids that have a passion for motorsports, but due to life circumstances don't have many opportunities to embrace this passion. We aim to create programs within the local community that can help point kids in the right direction and make learning a cool experience.

Ottawa – Ottawa Zine Fair

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z
October’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Lee Pepper to support a zine fair in the city. “Ottawa has an amazing community around zines—self-published books,” explains Lee, “that reflect views, stories, and resources that are outside of the mainstream, and give representation to underrepresented voices. What we don't have is a zine fair: a place for us to get together, sell what we make, and get a chance to all hang out together and celebrate the cool stuff we make.” “I plan to organize a one-day event,” says Lee, “at which people can set up tables to sell their zines, and where interested folks can come see what talented writers and artists we have here in Ottawa.” It will take place in spring 2016. Lee is a self-described writer, editor, curator, and non-profit professional, and runs the zine racks at Pressed, Gabba Hey, and Café Alt.

Plano, TX (Inactive) – Trumpets4kids

2015-10-24T00:00:00Z
We interview and donate Trumpets to middle and high school students ..We would like to extent what we to to Plano.We sponsor performance of Trumpets4kids players to perform for other Kids in hospitals at, Xmas toy drives and other similar events..We take students to concerts who they might not get go to the Symphony, or Jazz concerts.Many times professional musician who come to this area take time to visit with younger players not just Trumpet.In some cases we sponsor clinics of professional players who might inspire students such as Arturo Sandoval or Nicholas Payton ..We have taken as Many as 75 students from four different cites in the Metroplex to see David Sanborne and to DSO.. In most case we help with ideas for further studies and help with indiviual music studies and going to summer camps where and if needed..On the first Saturday or March each we host The Trumpets4kids Trumpet War at Texas Weslyan University and groups of kids compete to win the musical war of music between Middle to High school student..In 2015 we have 7 cities represented by students. Most of the leaders of each group had received instruments from Trumpets4kids..

Plano, TX (Inactive) – Chess for Humanity

2015-10-24T00:00:00Z
Elementary school children are at a critical age for the formation of essential skills and behaviors. According to numerous studies, activities of high stimulation promote not only the activity and development of the frontal lobe, the region responsible for higher-level thinking, through the rapid increase in the amount of neural connections, but also allow for their emotional and psychological maturation. The complex game of chess is known to foment the growth and development of indispensable abilities, including patience, diligence, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making in young minds. Moreover, these benefits are regarded as a gateway to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Chess for Humanity runs the Rook ‘n’ Roll Chess Program in various schools in the DFW area in collaboration with volunteers from St. Mark’s School of Texas and other Dallas institutions. We work with young minds in a safe, happy, and comfortable social environment to accelerate the progression of their psychological, emotional, and mental capabilities, improving their abilities to concentrate, follow directions, plan ahead, and succeed in school and in life. A typical chess club program meets once a week after school for about an hour, devoting half the time to instruction, including lectures and practice positions, and the other half to friendly play against other club members. We always work to include life skills development segments into our programs. In the coming school year, we are expanding our initiative to many more institutions and require funds to purchase chess sets and other necessary equipment to serve the students and the community. Since Rook 'n' Roll is Chess for Humanity's biggest program, it has the most volunteers and requires the most benefactors to run successfully. We hope to be able to serve the DFW children as well as possible, and we would really appreciate contributions toward this effort.

Santa Fe, NM (Inactive) – Santa Fe Prom Closet

2015-10-23T00:00:00Z
We believe that one more way of encouraging students to remain in school is to help them attend their prom by reducing their costs of getting prom clothes. We get donations of used clothes, as well as raise money to purchase clothes to give to seniors, and rent to underclassmen for a cleaning fee of $25. We have just finished our sixth year helping students primarily from Santa Fe schools, but also students from other schools in northern New Mexico. We are completely dependent upon donations up to and including the use of a space to locate our six-week long "boutique" for students to come and get clothes. Because of the generosity of La Unica cleaners, who have cleaned prom dresses for us the last six years, we have been able to offer a wide range of dresses and sizes for the girls. This year was our third year offering suits and tuxes for boys. Because of our shoe-string existence, we spend any monies raised on clothes and or shoes for our clients. We have served over 400 students in the past six years, most from Santa Fe. Our only requirement is that they are currently a high school student. We need to purchase 25-50 tuxedo jackets and slacks in the smaller size ranges as we don't have enough to meet the demand in Santa Fe, and had to turn away about 20 boys this year when our supply was exhausted. Besides the boys, we have had at least 5 girls get tuxes over the last 3 years as well, and they generally need a smaller size. Your grant will allow us to double our stock of tuxedos!

Miami, FL – C.R.E.A.M. - Art Basel Ice Cream Social

2015-10-23T00:00:00Z
Hi! Thank you for considering this project for next month's grant. C.R.E.A.M. (Creativity Rules Everything Around Miami) is an ice cream social that will take place during Art Basel. The event was originally planned for the summer, however, there is a major lack of family-friendly events during Basel and we plan to fulfill this need. Also, the youth are full of creative energy, yet there seem to be hardly an events during Basel that feature young artists. // This year, we plan to change that and spark a trend that will carry on for years to come and inspire generations. C.R.E.A.M. is a unique event that combines something that mostly everyone can enjoy (ice cream -- and yes there will be vegan & lactose-free options!) with an inspirational message to teens to explore their dreams and discover & express their highest creative potential. // The event will take place on Saturday, December 5th from 12pm - 7pm. It is presented by WAKEUPSTAR*, a Wynwood-based media collective; T.E.E.S. (Teens Exercising Extraordinary success); XLACED, a creative collective run by recent HS grads; and Mikey Likes It ice cream. // Each group comes together for the sole purpose of providing platforms and channels that foster creative, spiritual and economic growth within young, urban communities. // The event will be planned & produced with direct involvement from people under the age of 25/ There will be art installations by youth aged 13-19, and live performances from musicians aged 15-25. The artists & musicians will also speak on a panel during the event, sharing their experiences living out their dreams & pursuing their passion in arts & entertainment. // In addition to live music, interactive art and youth panels, we will also have games, giveaways, sketch artists and vendor/info booths.. // The event is curated to honor youth & diversity in Miami's creative scene, and will take place in historic Overtown. We've already received over 70 submissions & have a venue.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – Young Detroit Thinkers - Detroit City Chess

2015-10-23T00:00:00Z
We are highly accomplished, nationally and internationally awarded, metro Detroit chess team that prides itself on not only teaching young minds the game of chess, but instilling key life skills and high ethic character and values. The Detroit City Chess Club has been active for more than a decade with an increasing number of members. Coach Kevin Fite started the program at Duffield Middle School and has now expanded and taught at over ten schools. This very active program travels to at least eight cities nationally to compete in chess tournaments. The value of giving young minds the opportunity to travel outside of the city, compete with players from all over the world, is incredible....and costly. Over the years our highly decorated team has won 1st place national titles in various levels within the United States Chess Federation (USCF) elementary, Jr. High and high school tournaments as a group and individual players. Most recently, this past weekend two of our players won first place titles, in the two top divisions, in a Canadian tournament with very stiff competition. It was great to hear a young Detroiter say, " Beating the Canadians made me feel like Bobby Fisher must have felt beating the Russians against Spasky in the 1970s." Comments like these represent the goal of our program. Although chess is a one on one game, they play as a team, think critically and represent a greater good. Awesome! Our program, gratuitously has been hosted at the DIA for more than 10 years. While the numbers of players and the travel for tournaments have grown, unfortunately the sponsorship, has not. This year, we are proud to be hosting Michigan's very first International Chess tournament, sponsored by the USCF. Our goal is to host tournaments in the metro Detroit area (instead of always travelling to other cities.) This is a big win for Detroit, Michigan, US, and especially the area's young minds. This grant would help us with the cost of the venue.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – The Birwood Wall Project

2015-10-23T00:00:00Z
The Birwood Wall Project Is an upcoming mini-documentary that tells the story about the legacy of the 6 foot wall that was built by the federal government in 1941 to separate homes planned for middle-class whites from blacks that had already built small homes,

Newmarket – Birthday Angels Non Profit Organization

2015-10-22T00:00:00Z
Birthday Angels is a non-profit organization founded in Toronto in 2014. The organization expanded into York Region later that same year. Our mission is to provide the joy of birthday celebrations to children living in homeless shelters. We throw 1 birthday party each month at each of our partner shelters, inviting all shelter residents. We provide themed birthday party supplies: decorations, crafts & activities, cupcakes, snacks, party favours and a birthday cake. A special birthday gift is given to each child celebrating a birthday that month and loot bags are given to all of the other children currently at the shelter. In York Region, we are currently partnered with Blue Door Shelters. Our goal is to bring the simple childhood joy of birthday celebrations to families in need, by providing a birthday party each month at Leeder Place Family Shelter, part of the Blue Door group of shelters, inviting all shelter residents each month. Families who live at the shelter come from all areas of the York Region community and stay only a few short weeks before they must move on to allow space for other families in need. It is our wish to expand our program in the future, to reach as many shelters as funding will allow.

Minas Gerais (Inactive) – Radio Sandri

2015-10-21T00:00:00Z
O projeto Radio Sandri surgiu da necessidade de os artistas mineiros terem um espaço para divulgarem seus trabalhos para além das grandes mídias. A Radio Sandri tem o objetivo de possibilitar cada vez mais espaço para os artistas se apresentarem virtualmente. Seja através de programas, de playlists, dicas de programação musical, dicas de agenda cultural. dentre outros. Inicialmente, a Radio Sandri foi criada no facebook. Diariamente, Sandra Leão posta músicas e dicas de eventos para o pessoal. O site costuma ter em média 3.000 visualizações semanais, sendo que cada postagem costuma variar entre 150 e 500 visualizações. A ideia é desenvolver a Radio Sandri para que um dia ela consiga sair da esfera da internet e vá para as ondas FM. O projeto ainda não conta com nenhum patrocinador, portanto é totalmente independente. Com patrocínio, a idealizadora, Sandra Leão, pretende desenvolver programas como programas de culinária harmonizado com músicas, rádio novela, jornalismo local, programas sobre esportes para além do futebol e programas diversos sobre músicas.

Bend, OR (Inactive) – Little Free Libraries

2015-10-21T00:00:00Z
Little Free Library is an organization that strives to promote literacy throughout different communities around the world. To achieve this, mini libraries are posted in different neighborhoods and works as a book exchange. Completely cost-free, people are welcome to come to these libraries and either take or put a book inside. Little Free Library builds a sense of community, as skills, creativity, and wisdom are shared across generations. This organization brings curbside literacy to the community, making books accessible to all those who want to indulge into good literature. This is something that would make Bend even more awesome than it already is.

Beaverton & Beyond, OR (Inactive) – SMART (Science Mentoring And Research Tutoring)

2015-10-20T00:00:00Z
I propose that a science mentoring program be started at Meadow Park Middle School. The program will provide active guidance from an experienced mentors (unpaid volunteers) at all stages of the science research - Help with selecting challenging research topics other than standard science fair fodder - Teaching students how to do academic research - Experimental design - Creating boards - Presentation skills Additionally, the program will provide support in terms of materials and services needed to conduct science research and participate in science fairs. I expect around 25 students to participate in the first year of a total target population of 500 students in Meadow Park Middle School. Doing science projects is a fantastic way for middle-school children to develop a strong interest in science. What makes a science fair project such a great learning experience is that it involves so much more than science. For middle school students, the research report will most likely be the longest paper the student has ever written. Writing these reports is a great way to improve computer research skills. Most projects also involve a good deal of math, and all students get an opportunity to enhance their presentation skills when they prepare their display boards and discuss their projects with the judges. A science fair project has a longer duration than most other assignments. In contrast to the typical school homework due the next day or perhaps a week hence, a science fair project requires a student to learn to plan over two or three months, a skill of immense importance. Most students do their projects for a school science fair, but in many cases, students can enter that same project in fairs at the city or county level. Besides, in the long-term, it will encourage students to pursue science and engineering based careers, a much needed skill in the country. The money will be used to provide the Meadow Park students with: Science research materials and equipment, Materials for creating presentation (Boards, poster paper, glue etc.), Professional services like printing of presentation boards, Usage fees for labs and specialized equipment through liaison work with local educational, professional and research institutions, Prizes and awards to encourage participation. The program will be run by UNPAID volunteers. I am a senior in Catlin Gabel School. I go to Catlin Gabel on a full ride merit-based scholarship. I am an alumnus of Meadow Park Middle School, having graduated from there in 2012. I am passionate about applied science, and have been actively engaged in science research since Middle School. I was one of the 30 national Broadcom Masters science fair finalists in both 2011 and 2012, I also represented the US in Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition at Stockholm in 2013. My project partner is Ms. Kynah Atwood, Science teacher at Meadow Park Middle School. My project will start in the Fall for 2015-16 science year and culminate in June 2016. The first year is a foundation year. I am hoping that this will plant the seeds for science research in Meadow Park Middle School and the project will be self-sustaining through funding from Beaverton School District. Any leftover funds will be used in the following school year. I will evaluate the success of my project based on measurable outcomes: Short-Term - Percentage increase in number of Meadow Park students participating in science fairs. Number of science projects selected to advance to state science fair (Intel Northwest Science Expo) Long-Term - Number of students continuing to do science research more than one year. Number of students pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) based career options. Improvement in academic performance compared to control group of students not participating in science research Want to help? The SMART program is looking for community members who will encourage and mentor students in science research. (once a week for 1.5 hours) Perhaps you have scientific equipment the students can use or borrow. Lab contacts also appreciated. Contact: jaina(at)catlin(dot)edu and Kynah_Atwood(at)beaverton(dot)k12(dot)or(dot)us Phone: (503)531-3326

Raleigh, NC (Inactive) – City Fruit

2015-10-20T00:00:00Z
In collaboration with Grow Raleigh, Community Food Lab is initiating an edible tree planting project in downtown Raleigh. The pilot phase began July 11 when volunteers handed out small yard signs that indicated the future location of a fruit tree, nut tree, or berry bush. The pilot area spans two neighborhoods of Southeast Raleigh (Prince Hall and South Park) that are classified as food deserts by the USDA, where poverty is high and access to healthy food is difficult. The response that City Fruit takes to this situation is to encourage the development of in-neighborhood fresh food grown on trees and bushes in the neighborhood. It won't solve food deserts but it will bring a low-cost long-term food source directly where it's needed. A team of volunteers will return to the sites where the signs were placed(all private property) to plant the trees/bushes. Follow-up from our team will include some training materials and guidance for residents on what to expect. Each tree or bush will be planted within sight of the street, so that they contribute to a visual presence of food in these neighborhoods and offer an opportunity for conversation and awareness about healthy food access.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – GOODNIGHT, COURTNEY LOVE - A site-specific dance

2015-10-20T00:00:00Z
On October 8-10th, 2015, in partnership with the North Boulder Recreation Center, dance artists Joanna Rotkin and Laura Ann Samuelson will perform GOODNIGHT, COURTNEY LOVE, a site-specific dance project created in and for the NBRC's leisure pool. On October 8th, the performance will be dedicated to serving specific audiences associated with NBRC, including but not exclusive to: The Youth Services Initiative for low-income youth and the EXPAND program for people with disabilities. On October 9th and 10th, the performances will be open to the general public. All performances of GOODNIGHT, COURTNEY LOVE are free. GOODNIGHT, COURTNEY LOVE pushes the boundaries of dance in new directions, bringing innovative investigations to the local community. Samuelson and Rotkin work in non-traditional spaces as a means to imagine new ways of interacting with the world. This work is a movement towards deeper connection, involvement, and transparency within the process of art making. Because all of the project's activities take place during NBRC's hours of operation, patrons witness the artists' process as it unfolds, giving the public and performers alike an opportunity to explore how the creation of art interacts with everyday life. GOODNIGHT, COURTNEY LOVE offers audiences an inclusive and thoughtful way to experience live performance in a non-traditional setting. Because of Rotkin’s highly successful and well attended performance, dirtland, that took place in the Racquet Ball Court at NBRC last September, Samuelson and Rotkin are stepping into a well established relationship with the NBRC community. Patrons and staff recognize these artists and directly engage them through spontaneous conversations during every rehearsal. These unplanned and delightful interactions are building relationships between performers and patrons, allowing for heartfelt and intriguing connections to occur, before any formal public event has taken place.

Gloucester, MA – Cape Ann WWII Veterans Portrait Project

2015-10-20T00:00:00Z
This a photographic project designed to honor residents of Cape Ann (Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester and Essex) who served our country during World War II. Members of the "Greatest Generation" - Gloucester alone sent more than 5600 young men and women to serve during the war. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of one this great conflict. These veterans are, at the youngest, in their late 80s and some are in their late 90s. Before too long, they, like the war will have passed into memory. This is my effort to recognize and honor them now.

Pittsburgh, PA – SisterFriend

2015-10-19T00:00:00Z
SisterFriend is an organization by women for women dedicated to sustaining feminine health by providing homeless and underprivileged women and girls with feminine care products. Women living in poverty typically know where to find a safe place to sleep or a hot meal to eat. But when it comes to taking care of their feminine hygiene needs, they often have nowhere to turn. Tampons and sanitary pads usually top the list of needs at shelters, since they’re pricey and supporters don’t often donate them. That is where SisterFriend comes in. We provide our shelter and after-school program partners with the feminine care products they desperately need. Every woman deserves personal dignity regardless of their social economic status. What if not having sanitary supplies meant DAYS without school, DAYS without income, DAYS without leaving the house, DAYS without being clean and risking infection? Women and girls use toilet paper, washcloths, and clothing, anything they can find. It’s a desperate situation that many women living in poverty feel resigned to accept. SisterFriend aims to provide access to quality feminine hygiene products to women who are living in poverty. We administer our program by; • direct distribution of feminine hygiene kits • partnering with nonprofits, groups and organizations • raising awareness • and providing volunteer opportunities to young women in our community

Kingston – Helping our vets: Yoga for trauma

2015-10-15T00:00:00Z
This project is about saving lives and helping our local vets who suffer from PTSD. We will take a group of 7-10 vets and their spouses to a yoga informed retreat that will help them to breathe more freely, cope with anxiety and chronic pain. It will be an opportunity to reach out to our vets.

Austin, TX – Adventure Therapy for Homeless Families

2015-10-14T00:00:00Z
Annette Pelletier, a social worker at the Austin Shelter for Women and Children, applied for an Austin Awesome Foundation grant to kick-start a new adventure therapy program for shelter residents. Adventure therapy uses activities such as hiking, geocaching, and rock-climbing to work towards positive change. Research shows this type of therapy can help participants develop trusting relationship with others in addition to boosting self-confidence, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving skills. Says Annette: “The use of adventure therapy could be the key to helping women and children experiencing homelessness develop new skills that will help them achieve healing and self-sustainability.”

New York City, NY – Mobile Print Power + Combat Paper

2015-10-14T00:00:00Z
Art builds community. At Interference Archive, we are bringing together two mobile community-based art initiatives for a day of creation, collaboration, and learning. Mobile Print Power is a multigenerational collective that takes their mobile screen printing cart into the community, collecting words and ideas by asking questions of passersby, and turning these into collaboratively generated designs. They print these on their mobile cart and display them in the same public spaces where their conversations started. Combat Paper brings army veterans together around a mobile paper making cart, where veterans are invited to pulp their uniforms, make these into paper, and then use this paper as a medium for expressing their experiences. At Interference Archive, a space which focuses on past and present production of social movement culture, we are organizing a day long event with these two groups. We’ll focus on how art-making empowers individuals and community, and we’ll invite the public to join us in learning new skills and new mediums of expression. Why We Think This is Awesome We love that this project is a collaboration between three community-minded organizations and forms a super-project that any one of the groups would not be able to accomplish on its own. This project really made us think very deeply about about uniforms, about rituals, and about community interactions with members of the military. We're very excited to be able to support such great organizations and such a unique event in our city.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Nemo's Garden

2015-10-13T00:00:00Z
Our company is researching and developing a new form of agricolture. This new form takes place underwater, where we can utilize the natural properties of the oceans : stability of the temperature, isolation from harsh elements and parasites, increased pressure for accelerated growth and natural filter from UV rays. Also, we create fresh water through natural evaporation, meaning that we don't consume any kind of energy to desalinize water for crop use (and maybe also for other uses). We have created underwater habitats, domes, we call biospheres. inside these biospheres we have air - inside this aerial form environment we plant our seeds whom then are nurtured by the warmth of the surrounding water, watered thanks to natural evaporation and, possibly grown faster thanks to the pressure . What sounds complex, is very easy to understand through our videos on the website. Our aim is to continue develop these ideas and technology to bring this system to every place where it is needed. Logic tells us that keeping in mind the human migrations mostly towards the equator regions; the amount of water on earth compared to land; the excessive pollution of land and over cultivating; lack of resources and increase of population; lack of (especially in the equatorial regions) soil, stable comfortable temperature for cultivating, water etc - Nemo's Garden could be a perfect fit, especially for developing countries and any region where traditional agricolture encounters difficulties or is not possible.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Lava Mae

2015-10-13T00:00:00Z
Lava Mae converts retired transportation buses into showers and toilets on wheels for those experiencing homelessness. We deliver dignity - one mobile shower (and toilet) at a time. We created Lava Mae to address the massive shortage of showers and toilets available to homeless individuals living in communities across this country. In San Francisco, for example, there were 16 shower stalls for the 3,500+ unsheltered men, women and children in this city. Lava Mae is driven by three beliefs: 1) Everyone has the right to be clean. 2) Access to water and sanitation is a basic human right. 3) With hygiene comes dignity and with dignity, opportunity. What we do is often called human services but we call it radical hospitality. We call those we serve our guests. We know their names, learn their stories and work hard to ensure that they leave feeling better than when they came to us. Since our launch in June of 2014, we have touched the lives of 1,500 homeless San Franciscans. By the end of this year, we will scale from 1 bus, which at full capacity can offer 12,500 showers/year, to 4 buses, which ramps that total up to 50,000 showers/year. In 2016, we will launch Lava Mae Global to respond to the 100s of requests from help from communities across the globe seeking to replicate our service.

Ottawa – Cellfie

2015-10-13T00:00:00Z
Together with Artengine, Awesome Ottawa is giving two special $1000 Awesome Maker awards to support exhibitors at next month’s Maker Faire at Landsdowne Park. The second of the two is to Tina Haase and Dan Modulevsky, for the production of “cellfies” of attendees. “Images posted in Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook all provide a sense of one’s self to the world,” says Tina. “But what do we truly know about ourselves? What if we were to take a look from a new perspective? Observing ourselves in the micro-world provides us with an in-depth look at what we are truly made of.” Tina and Dan will show off high-resolution images of our true “cell-ves,” as well as encourage and assist attendees to produce “cellfies” using their own cheek cells. Tina is a post-doctoral fellow and Dan is a PhD student, both at the University of Ottawa.

Ottawa – The Art of Guilloché and Enamel

2015-10-13T00:00:00Z
Together with Artengine, Awesome Ottawa is giving two special $1000 Awesome Maker awards to support exhibitors at next month’s Maker Faire at Landsdowne Park. The first of the two is to Chris Manning, for demonstration of the dying jewellery making arts of guilloché and enamel. “For the past 15 years,” says Chris, “I have been experimenting with various methods of jewellery making. Sadly, in our rush to find the latest and greatest techniques, many old skills are dying. One hundred years ago there were tens of thousands of guillocheures in North America, but now there are fewer than a dozen of us, and even fewer enamellists who can work at a high level. The last generation of craftsmen to work with the masters are now dying off, with few people to take up their art.” Chris will perform live demonstrations and introduce attendees to these techniques. Chris is an Ottawa-based jeweller and pen maker.

San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Moby-Dick Marathon

2015-10-09T00:00:00Z
It may seem excessively optimistic (or, far worse, naïve) to expect a busy 21st-century San Franciscan to have any time for a 600-page, 160-year-old book about a whale. It may seem downright foolhardy to invite a few hundred people down to Fort Mason to read this crazy book aloud. But that's exactly what we're doing. San Francisco will soon welcome Herman Melville back to the Barbary Coast with a marathon reading of Moby-Dick at the Firehouse at Fort Mason on October 24 and 25. We're going to begin at 12 noon, and read the whole thing aloud—all 600 pages, 135 chapters. Some people will bring visuals. Some will read in other languages. A few chapters will be performed as a play. When he was writing the book, Herman Melville knew he was creating something unlike anything anyone had ever written before. One of his main projects in the book is to show us that, just as every sailor in the book has his own unique notion regarding Moby Dick the whale, every reader has his or her own unique understanding of Moby-Dick the book. As Ishmael says, it “begins to assume different aspects, according to your point of view.” This is what makes this event so unique and wonderful—with so many different people coming together to read (aloud! with voices!), those myriad interpretations come alive in the most literal sense: the familiar appears to us in a new way; the unfamiliar becomes available for the first time. We need to cover overhead costs: venue rental, PA rental, etc. We have no paid staff. We imagine a festival atmosphere, inviting food trucks during the evening, art installations, performances from local theatre troupes, and much more. It's going to be, in a word...awesome. “Our first port is San Francisco…and thence, I hardly know where.” — Herman Melville, 28 May 1860

San Francisco, CA – Project I AM

2015-10-09T00:00:00Z
Often, I AM is used to identify our feelings, our professions, our choices. But who I AM can be so much more. To utter the words I AM identifies our essence. Essence is something beautiful, something that cannot be taken away. An I AM statement does not, however, need to be limited to essence. You can write about your future hopes and dreams, as well. Project I AM was seen in a dream. Photographers Salgu Wissmath and Meghan Peter are following this dream into a reality. They are setting out to photograph women who are the heroes in their families and communities but are often quiet about their heroism. The vision of Project I AM is to celebrate women—their essence and beauty, in addition to their heroism. We have photographed portraits of women who have overcome the huge challenge of homelessness and who have recently graduated from a rigorous job training program to make a better life for themselves and their children. With this grant we will professionally print and frame the photographs and then hang them in homeless shelters where the women graduated. We hope these images will inspire those currently living in the shelters and offer words of encouragement and possibility.

Lusaka (Inactive) – Community Studio @ Livingstone Art Gallery

2015-10-07T00:00:00Z
The Livingstone Art Gallery would like to build an outdoor community studio space for artists. Having proper space to work is a major challenge for many artists, especially enough space to allow artists to work on a large scale, make a mess and have their creativity run wild. A studio would allow artists to come and work in nature and take advantage of the natural light and peaceful quiet of the surrounding bush. A studio space would allow artists to interact with other artists, which is useful when seeking advice and solving visual problems, but more importantly, builds a strong community. Additionally, visitors to the gallery will have the chance to meet artists and observe how they create. Such interactions foster an understanding and appreciation for the arts and may also increase the potential for the artist to make sales and generate income for their work. A community studio space would also double as an outdoor classroom. Currently there is a lack of arts education programs in Livingstone. With studio space to work from, the gallery would be able to develop an art students league, offering classes for both adults and children of all skill levels. Professional artists will be given the opportunity to develop a curriculum for a class or workshop and offer it at the gallery studio, providing the artist an additional source of income. The gallery itself would like to host an ongoing course to help young or new artists build their portfolio to apply for schools, scholarships, competitions, residencies, and workshops. The gallery would also like to host regular critiques, allowing artists to gain new ideas and perspectives on their work while also elevating quality standards. A simple structure would allow the gallery to offer a wide array of programming to benefit artists. We believe that a community full of strong artists boosts the creative sector and positively contributes to development and to the economy of Zambia.

Berlin (Inactive) – Tabula rasa – the great beyond

2015-10-07T00:00:00Z
It is time to introduce Berlin with the finish-off scene! “Tabula rasa – the great beyond” is a market of abandoned cultural productions, accompanied by a program of performances and installations. A diffusion of excess concepts, remaining stock and latent projects. A moment to let go, and a last opportunity to pick up the drifting creations of others. You can acquire media, art, design and concepts for a small contribution. Projects which find no new host, will rest in peace through a communal burial ceremony and enter the public domain in afterlife. The idea came to mind after we realized that more than one basement in Berlin is filled with creations which are either incomplete, to dear to throw away, to expensive to sell, to unique to have a price or simply to many to distribute. The plan is to realize a market like event, starting out by building a network of creators, where items and concepts can be submitted online via a standard form, on their way to the great beyond. After the event, creations will rest in peace in a virtual memorial. We expect the following type of items to be submitted: Media: Videos, Records, Magazines, Books, Posters, Stickers Art: Installations, Prints, Instruments, Artworks Design: Furniture, Clothes, Items, Jewelery Concepts; Projects, Master thesis, Business ideas Let us burn the past together and may elevator pitches make great funeral speeches.

Lusaka (Inactive) – Biomoto

2015-10-07T00:00:00Z
The growing population and lack of affordable housing in cities and towns like Lusaka is forcing many people in to unplanned settlements, without sustainable access to basic sanitation. While ‘killer’ water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery are widespread in these communities, we believe this is mainly due to poor human waste disposal. Research shows 40% of the world’s population lack access to a toilet. This social enterprise will explore growth opportunities in the bio digester toilet business. • What is the problem? Provide a clean toilet that safely disposes off pee and poo right where it is produced. • What is the solution? Environmentally responsible low cost portable self-flashing biomass digester. • How does it work? The user inserts their sh*t in the pit. The pit instantly flushes the sh*t using gravity and, enables an anaerobic process that converts the sh*t in to biogas (a renewable non-smelling natural gas) that is stored and used for cooking, heating and lighting on-the-go. The toilet also produces non-toxic bio fertilizer that is sold and used for farming. • How is it unique or different? -Increase the convenience of using the toilet -Minimize the likelihood of contaminating the surrounding air, water and land. -Minimize the likelihood of disease outbreaks like cholera, typhoid and dysentery. -Minimize the cost of flashing the toilet using water. -Minimize the cost of using electricity, LPG and charcoal for cooking and heating. -Increase the possibility of having uninterrupted power at home. -Minimize the inconvenience of power-cuts and load shading. • What’s the vision for the future? Cleaner, greener cities.

Lusaka (Inactive) – APTERS

2015-10-07T00:00:00Z
Appropriate Paper Technology (APTERS), is an organization based in Lusaka, Zambia. It was set up in 1990 to produce mobility aids with recycled paper and cardboard to assist physically challenged children while empowering physically challenged adults. The objectives of the organization are : 1) To produce mobility aids using paper technology for physically challenged children (e.g those with cerebral palsy or birth injuries). The mobility aids include: standing frames, chairs, wedges and walkers 2) To offer economic and personal empowerment to the members of the team, who are physically challenged, through regular paid employment. On average, APTERS produces over 380 mobility aids a year, using APT techniques, for children with polio and/or any other form of physical challenge. The equipment made by APTERS provides children who are physically challenged with low-cost intervention tools that are instrumental in their treatment and rehabilitation. The workshop also makes various papier mâché products such as dustbins, file boxes, toys and trays which are available for sale to the public as a means to raise extra funds for the organisation. APTERS has also recently started to produce home and school furniture in recycled cardboard, such as kids tables and chairs, coffee tables, living-room sets.

LA South Bay, CA (Inactive) – S.A.W. Project (Supplying Alternative Water)

2015-10-05T00:00:00Z
Our project is collaborating with Long Beach Organic, a nonprofit organization that revitalizes vacant urban lots into organic community gardens, to help them save water and cut down on costs. With the ongoing severe California drought, Long Beach Organic (LBO) is struggling to cover their water costs. LBO rents out plots to gardeners to grow their own food. If they cannot find a way to mitigate their rising water costs, LBO will be have to raise annual fees and impose harsher water fines. Our solution is to design, build, and implement a rainwater catchment system that would capture rainwater during the rainy winter and spring seasons. The captured rainwater would be filtered with a biosand filter to make non-potable water and stored in rain barrels for the dry summer season. Gardeners can use the captured rainwater to water their gardens and rinse their fruits and vegetables instead of paying per gallon at the tap. Although the captured rainwater is not enough to replace tap water currently used, the alternative water supply is enough to significantly reduce the community garden's water usage. In addition, we are developing a workshop series to educate gardeners and community members on how to use and maintain the rainwater catchment system, as well as on sustainable watering practices. We hope to increase sustainability of the gardens and educate the local community on sustainable practices through collective action. Through the help of volunteers from Long Beach Organic as well as students from our chapter, we hope to bring measurable long-term change for hundreds of community members all around Long Beach and the surrounding areas.

Orlando, FL – St.art Something

2015-10-05T00:00:00Z
Orange County Board of County Commissioners’ (BCC) approved Neighborhood Preservation & Revitalization Division (NPRD) staff to initiate the St.art Something Traffic Signal Cabinet Art Program on September 9, 2014. St.art Something provides an opportunity for both organizations and artists to create a sense of place and strengthen community identity by placing art on Orange County maintained traffic signal cabinets. Since the program was first established, the BCC received requests from citizens interested in expanding the program. Due to the high interest in the program it will now be a County wide program. With the assistance of Public Works, NPRD has recognized over 600 cabinets in 33 community areas. NPRD and Arts and Cultural Affairs Division will work with citizens in each area to come up with a design committee for their community area. The design committee will consist of 3 to 5 citizens from neighborhood and civic organizations, nonprofits, and businesses. I, as the local artist, would be assigned a box(es) to paint or wrap in order to reflect the community accordingly and assist in the program itself.

Sarnia (Inactive) – Dan Does It For Sarnia

2015-10-02T00:00:00Z
In 2011 Sarnia's youth went through multiple suicides. Students suffering from depression were calling it quits due to a struggle with mental health. The night I fell my family and friends sent out a call for help and that call was answered by the community of Sarnia. The city fundraised $150,000 to help with medical supplies, home renovations, and things to improve the quality of my life after the accident. Now there's another call going out and I intend on answering this call but I'm going to need your help to do so. Today is my 9th anniversary and ever since my first year I've always reflected on & celebrated this day for what it truly is, A BLESSING. For my 10th year anniversary I will be putting on an event at the Imperial Theatre to commemorate the "Do It For Dan" campaign. The proceeds for this event will be going to towards Mental Health initiatives through The Bluewater Health Hospital here in Sarnia. Here's where I NEED your help!! I'm putting together a short film of several interviews of people that shared or shares a part of my story. I'll have a set of questions ready and the interviewees will sit and tell their side of my story. I believe that this could impact the lives of everyone who sees it in a positive way! Many people don't know this but by definition, what happened here in Sarnia 9 years ago was a miracle. I want to share that miracle with as many people as possible. 9 years ago my dream was to be a professional football player and that was taken away from me. Today my dream is to change and inspire my city the same way it changed and inspired me. And I'll die before that dream is taken away from me.

Atlanta, GA – Boy Scout Troop 100: aspiring to be the largest

2015-10-01T00:00:00Z
Troop 100 gives its scouts the opportunity to see and experience a world full of adventure and possibility, while exposing these young men to some of the best possible role models and mentors. Soon to be heralded as the largest Boy Scout Troop in the WORLD, we will not only make history, we will make a difference in the lives of our boys, and serve as a beacon for young men everywhere. Leadership, character, citizenship, discipline, dignity and high adventure, we have produced valedictorians, salutatorians, class presidents, honor students, club leaders, sports captains, eagle scouts and, most importantly, over 85% of our young men graduate from high school on time.

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.

Melbourne (Inactive) – The Tasmanian Tree Project

2015-09-30T00:00:00Z
Tasmania is home to the largest flowering tree in the world, the Swamp Gum, yet few people are aware that these giants exist in our own backyard. These trees regularly grow up to 85 metres in height, with the tallest living individual at 99.6 m high. When these giants are viewed from the ground, the majority of the tree is obscured from view and it is often impossible to get a sense of the full size of these trees. Imagine if we had a photographic image of a swamp gum taken from a level viewpoint, with climbers in the tree for a scale reference, so people could, for the first time, truly appreciate how massive these trees are? Inspired by the National Geographic Redwood Portraits, the centrepiece of the Tasmanian Tree Project will be a high-resolution photographic portrait of a majestic Swamp Gum. We will capture an image of the tree from a level viewpoint to create a unique image without visual distortion. This will be achieved by installing a custom-built rigging system that runs the entire vertical length of the tree. Photos will be taken every metre along the vertical length and the final image will be created by digitally stitching together hundreds of photos. The end result will be an extraordinarily high quality, high resolution image with climbers in the tree to highlight how truly enormous these trees are. The image will be showcased in an exhibition in Hobart and Melbourne, be featured in a leading Australian magazine and will be displayed in public places such as museums and schools. We feel that powerful images are the key to creating change. We want this image to do for the Swamp Gums what the National Geographic portrait has done for the redwoods: be a single striking image that conveys to the world how grand and beautiful these trees are. We feel that the Swamp Gum portrait will help promote the conservation of these forests, and help foster an appreciation and understanding for forests around the globe.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – De-tread LLC

2015-09-30T00:00:00Z
The story of De-tread began about 6.5 years ago, when its founder Audra D Carson was deeply impacted by the trend of illegally dumped tires in the neighborhood that she grew up in. Her parents still lived there and were thriving yet something ugly was happening in their proverbial backyard. Although the vision for a tire processing facility has not come to fruition, in the interim a model for community empowerment and collaboration has emerged. The Osborn Neighborhood Alliance, Repair the World, The Skillman Foundation, SDEV and the Brightmoor Woodworkers are just some of the organizations that De-tread has partnered with to remove illegally dumped tires from neighborhoods. Dumped tires toxic composition makes them highly flammable they also house mosquitoes and rodents which carry the West Nile Virus. This poses an enormous threat to the health and safety of neighborhoods. De-tread is the project manager that coordinates approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, mapping & estimation of the number of tires, volunteer training and transportation for the collected tires through the proper waste stream. To date De-tread is responsible for removing just under 9,000 tires from the streets of Detroit. For reference, 9,000 tires stacked would be 7,500 feet high, or 13 Penobscot buildings stacked on top of each other. The tower of tires could be seen from Lansing.

Paris (Inactive) – "Sport pour Toit" / Association Viacti

2015-09-30T00:00:00Z
Bien au-delà d’un rêve personnel, mon projet répond à un vrai besoin. Le nombre de personnes SDF a augmenté de plus de 50 % en 10 ans en France. Lors de mon Service Civique, en février 2014, j’ai créé Sport pour Toit, une solution en 3 actes qui: 1- donne aux SDF le goût au sport par des projections de matchs, des événements sportifs, des petits déjeuners sportifs. 2- leur permet de pratiquer l’activité physique adaptée et santé : gymnastique douce, natation, marche, tennis de table,… 3- les accompagne dans une réinsertion sportive avec une réorientation vers des lieux de pratique du droit commun, formations, bénévolat, emploi. Pendant mon service civique de 6 mois, j’ai aidé 350 personnes SDF à se socialiser avec 300 personnes avec domicile fixe et ce, à travers 25 actions sportives de mixité en Ile-de-France. Afin de pérenniser mon action, j’ai, depuis, rattaché mon projet à l’association Viacti qui au-delà, des personnes de la rue, aide des personnes en situation de handicap, qu’il soit physique, mental ou social. My project is not only a personnal dream, it is also the answer to a real need. The number of homeless people has doubled in France in the passed 10 years. During my Civil Service, in February 2014, I created Sport pour Toit, a solution in 3 parts to : 1- Give homeless people a taste for sport by organizing screenings of games, sports events, and sports breakfasts. 2- Allow them to get involved in sports : soft gymnastics, swimming, walking, table tennis… 3- Accompany them in socializing through sports, and help them to find a training, volunteership, job… During my Civil Service I helped 350 homeless people to socialize with 300 people, through 25 sports events in the Paris area. To make my action more durable I have since attached my project to Viacti, an association that helps homeless people, and people with physical or mental disabilities.

Miami, FL – IlluminArts: Songs of the City, Songs in the Dark

2015-09-29T00:00:00Z
IlluminArts is Miami's Art Song and Vocal Chamber Music series, collaborating with Museums and Galleries around the city to present curated programs of music based on the Visual Art in the space. In September and October of 2015, EXILE Books will present LISTEN TO THIS BUILDING, a collaborative project between MCAD and EXILE Books, a Miami-based, pop-up artist’s bookstore. LISTEN TO THIS BUILDING is a groundbreaking program that seeks to bridge the understanding between downtown Miami architecture, independent publishing, and accessibility, specifically addressing visual impairments. Opening September 3, 2015, the exhibition coincides with the 25th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act. The exhibition is believed to be the first architectural exhibit designed to address accessibility for persons with visual impairments. On October 1st, IlluminArts will collaborate with Exile Books, the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and the Miami Center for Architecture and Design on a performance to highlight the "LISTEN TO THIS BUILDING" exhibit at MCAD. The performance will be titled "Songs of the City, Songs in the Dark," The performance will be an evening of art song and poetry exploring life in the city, how places define us, and the characters who bring the buildings and the city to life. The program will conclude with a sightless performance of art songs by famous composers who created masterworks despite their visual and hearing impairments, allowing the audience to experience music with senses other than sight. IlluminArts will involve American Sign Language Interpreters for the first half of the performance, and also provide blindfolds for the audience in the second half of the performance to simulate a sightless experience. We are thrilled to be able to be involved in this important project, and to spread awareness about accessibility through music.

Miami, FL – Milk + Bookies

2015-09-29T00:00:00Z
Milk + Bookies is a non-profit organization that exposes young children to how great it feels to give back while celebrating the love of a good book. The mission of Milk + Bookies is to spread the love of reading to those who can not afford books of their own. Milk + Bookies teaches teaches children the importance of giving, and instills in them self-confidence, pride and a sense of goodwill-all wonderful byproducts of the Milk + Bookies brand of philanthropy. As hosts we have planned a book-raiser at a local bookstore. At this event the children are invited to choose, inscribe and donate books to their local peers in need and want of appropriate reading materials. After the donation portion, attendees will join us for story time with an accompanying activity and of course, Milk and Cookies! All donations will be presented to the children of Lotus House.

London, ON (Inactive) – Street Soccer London (SSL)

2015-09-29T00:00:00Z
Street Soccer Canada began as an initiative by housing advocate Paul Gregory to put together one team for the Homeless World Cup in 2004. It’s now a thriving network of over 20 soccer programs in a dozen cities across the country. London would like to add its' name to the city roster! Over those last 10 years, hundreds of marginalized individuals living in shelters or on the street have been given a chance to be part of a team. Sometimes, all it takes is one small step to get the ball rolling—through the positive inﬂuences of physical exercise and new friendships, Street Soccer Canada is helping people move past life’s more dire circumstances and make a play for their goals. A few months back we decided to see if we could run this program in London - we received permission from the BMO Centre in London to use their field as a trial basis to see if we could garner some attention. We contacted folks at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope and they were in total support, agreeing to assist with transport etc. We had some flyers made up and posted them in some local shelters and left some with different community orgs. At our very first session on Monday, June 1st - we saw one person come out - then the following week two came - at the end of July we were seeing more then 20 individuals every week and the number is growing! We have received some very generous equipment donations and additional gear (cleats etc for the players). Mid July we took a dozen players to the Street Soccer Canada tournament hosted by the City of Hamilton. The players participating, most in their first ever organized sports event. While there the players were housed, fed and provided a ticket to a Pan Am soccer game. For our folks this was an absolutely incredible experience, one most noted they would never forget. We KNOW this program will continue to be successful we just need a bit of a helping hand at the moment.