Awesome Foundation - Projects

London, ON (Inactive) – Try Poetry School Slam

2014-01-28T00:00:00Z

I have shared my poetry in classroom workshops & at school assemblies in several school boards & have seen first-hand the impact spoken word can have on youth. Spoken word is an accessible & inspiring art form that allows young people to find their voices & share their personal stories, while empowering them to work through their struggles, speak out on important topics, & create positive change in their lives & communities. While my workshops & assembly addresses do well to introduce students to the art of spoken word, I am only able to vaguely describe to them the atmosphere of an actual poetry slam & the incredible energy & enthusiasm created when a group of people come together to speak & share. The London Poetry Slam, though all ages, is nearly impossible for teachers to organize field trips to, as it is held on Friday nights. I would like to create a day-time slam event that schools/teachers could come to, introducing more students to spoken word & to the poetry slam environment, & encouraging them to get excited about poetry, to interact with poets, & to write & perform themselves. The event will be either a half day (slam + Q & A), or full day (slam, Q & A, writing workshops, student open mic) event, depending on interest/funding. The slam will feature diverse poets & content (content will be regulated to ensure appropriateness for students) & will reflect the energy, enthusiasm & accepting environment of a real slam. As a slam poet & Director of the London slam, having worked in schools & with the school board in different capacities, & with interest in this idea already from several teachers, I am confident I can produce a quality, successful event that will share the art form that I love with more London youth, & encourage more young people to write, perform, get involved in slam, & generally speak up & find their voices. Slams encourage creativity, empathy, & enthusiusm for art/language, and a slam accessible to schools would surely have great impact.

Philadelphia, PA – Turn House into Home, The "Senior" Prom Project

2014-01-28T00:00:00Z

After going on a week-long, summer service immersion trip called JusticeWorx the summer after sophomore year, I was inspired to help the homeless. My peers were helping a woman move from a transitional housing shelter into a house of her own when they observed the bare, unwelcoming, white walls of the house. They wanted to help the woman, but did not know how. In response, I founded Turn House into Home on August 10, 2012. Turn House into Home collects student-made artwork from local schools and donate it to homeless and transitional housing shelters. Turn House into Home has worked with five high schools and three shelters, donating over 160 pieces of artwork. The artwork is given to residents of local shelters, who then take the artwork with them when they move out of the shelter and into a more permanent housing situation. This art provides the residents with a special gift to make their house feel more like a home. With the artwork, Turn House into Home offers residents with more than just decorations; it provides them with hope and a sense of community support. Turn House into Home has touched the lives of many individuals whose spiritual needs are often neglected by society. I also support another group of people whose spiritual needs are often neglected by society, the elderly. I founded the charity The "Senior" Prom Project on April 21, 2013 after visiting my grandmother’s nursing home. My grandmother wanted to see my prom dress so I modeled it for my grandparents. Later, I received a call from my grandmother, asking me to bring a group of my friends to model dresses for the nursing home residents. The “Senior” Prom Project now organizes fashion shows at nursing homes to spread joy to the elderly and create an inter-generational bond between the student "models" and the residents of the nursing homes.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Volunteer Handymen for Poor & Vulnerable Families

2014-01-27T00:00:00Z

In the experience of the Foundation, vulnerable and poor young single parents lack the means to pay a handyman for basic repairs. Similarly for households where the father suffers from chronic mental illness. Such families also lack the means to buy equipment and materials for such repair work. Because of this, their houses become run down, drab and dreary environments which negatively impact the mental health of family members. We have recruited retired men having their own tools and transport already having skills for basic home repair chores. They are trained and mentored and supported for such work. We have developed a Code of Practice for them since this work is of a sensitive nature and the volunteers need to be highly aware of maintaining boundaries. This service grew out of a keenly felt need by Foundation Social Workers. Since one of the strategic objectives of the Foundation is to identify gaps in social support service provision and to respond to such needs, the Foundation tries to fill the gap through this project. In 2012 the three Volunteer Handymen in the project have completed a total of 581 hours of service; 390 hours of which in the homes of vulnerable families. 77 individuals from 23 familes benefited. Without this service, the homes of these 23 families would have remained highly disorganised. A total of 62 visits to these families were undertaken. Apart from the work described above, the Volunteer Handymen carried out the following work: (1) pick up of used furniture from families wishing to donate such furniture to vulnerable families and (b) delivery of donated used furniture to vulnerable families. In one year, the volunteer handymen undertook 41 such transportation and delivery visits, using the van of one of the volunteers, with fuel re-imbursement by the Foundation. We are looking for more volunteers to meet the demand and funds to cover materials and very basic equipment.

Miami, FL – Fresh Green Change

2014-01-24T00:00:00Z

The thought and care behind this project was meticulous. How could you implement such a complex subject into its simplest form? Simple: straight to the point. All the juicy stuff is for the parents to know. The fun stuff is for the kids- they'll love it. We plan on educating children in elementary schools on what they're eating, where it comes from, its value, and how it grows. We're going to teach them how to plant their own vegetable and fruit gardens- right at their school alongside teachers and parents. Our main goal is summed up in one sentence: Being healthy while keeping our planet healthy. We're going to bypass all the pesticides used in commercial agriculture because we're growing our own plants and taking care of them ourselves every day. Kids will see the process and will have fun in planting and harvesting these plants in order to take home once they've grown and enjoy the taste of natural fruits and veggies. This is going to be a hands-on project- excellent for their curious minds. Sunset Park Elementary has graciously allowed us to begin this project with their students! So, beginning this January 2014, we're going to have PowerPoints and activities ready for presenting the idea to the kids. We'll be teaching them what a plant is, how it grows, how to plant and water it. We'll teach them about the soil and how that's the plant's food. They'll have fun with this and get to do crossword puzzles and coloring activities in order to prepare them for the "Harvest Season." As soon as we start The Harvest Season, we'll be planting (this year) blueberries, carrots, celery, spinach, peas, raspberries, zucchini, and strawberries. but prior to that, we will build the beds and create an irrigation system for the beds in order to avoid the messy process of watering them every day and also to prevent plant dehydration during the weekends. Parent nights going to be planned so that they will know about what the program is teaching their kids.

San Antonio, TX – Face Off Against Kids Cancer

2014-01-24T00:00:00Z

Our foundation has teamed up with the San Antonio Rampage Hockey team's Face Off Against Kids Cancer Program. The team initiated a special program last season titled “Face-Off Against Kids Cancer” that pairs Rampage players with children from the Centers for Oncology and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital of San Antonio, who are currently in either early stages of treatment for pediatric cancer or in remission. Through a series of social events that included a pizza and board game party at the hospital, an ice cream social after a Rampage game, a visit to SeaWorld and the San Antonio Rodeo, the program helped Rampage players forge lasting relationships with their respective buddies over the course of last season and hope to perpetuate those bonds this season. We are the sponsor of the 2013-2014 program.

Miami, FL – When I Grow Up

2014-01-23T00:00:00Z

Our Professor showed us a video of a TED talk that featured Candy Chang and her idea of a "Before I Die" chalkboard wall. She created this wall in and abandoned building in New Orleans in order for people to share their ideas and thoughts. Surprisingly, the wall filled up in one day. Inspired by her project, my classmates and I have decided, with permission granted from the school principal, to create a chalk-board wall in the elementary school stating "When I Grow Up I Want to..." The purpose of our project is to motivate children into thinking of their futures and allowing them to set goals for themselves. The Sweetwater community mostly consists of low-income hispanic community. Most of the parents are not involved in their children's education due to having multiple jobs. Many of the parents do not have any college degrees and this has not allowed the children to know of all of the endless career choices there are. By creating this fun wall, the children will not only begin thinking of their futures but it will also serve as a fun motivator in the school. If the environment of the school is fun and attractive to the children, they will become more motivated to do better in their studies. We want to create something inspirational, fun, motivating, and mind-opening for the children and this chalk-board wall is something that has proven to work. Aside from the wall, we would also like to create a garden at the entrance of the school. The reason for this is to give an appealing environment for the students, teachers, and families. The better the teachers and student feel about their environment, the better each one will perform.

Kingston – KMS Outreach Workshop Kit

2014-01-23T00:00:00Z

KMS has been asked to participate in outreach activities, sharing knowledge and skills throughout the community. At the FL&A Science Fair (http://www.flasf.on.ca) we've been asked to run workshops for Grade 5/6 students, a similar request has come from Science Rendezvous (http://www.sciencerendezvous.ca). We would love to be able to participate, to share our love of science and technology with other Kingstonians. However, we need to provide our volunteers with a Workshop Kit full of fun science & techy things which will help engage their audience, and give the audience hands on opportunities for participation. We're used to sharing individual items in the Maker Space, but running a Workshop for 30 plus students requires having many multiples of the same thing, that becomes cost prohibitive for our non-profit volunteer driven organization.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Display Cases for Metal Arts

2014-01-21T00:00:00Z

We want to display metal art to the public in Boulder but are limited by the lack of display cases in local art venues. We want to surprise and delight the art-going public in Boulder by offering a familiar medium with a new meaning: stunning metalwork and art jewelry created by hand, by local artists. There’s only one catch; we’re physically unable to exhibit our art work. Two of the notable art venues in Boulder, The Dairy Art Center and Chatauqua don’t have display cases and as a result, won’t exhibit small-scale metalwork.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Take a seat, Make a Friend

2014-01-20T00:00:00Z

Serve the City Belgium's 10th anniversary is next year and culminates in the 10th annual Big Volunteer Week in July 2014, when hundreds of volunteers come from all over the world to improve our city via people-to-people community service projects throughout Brussels. It takes a lot of work to get local residents - especially Belgians, who tend to be more reserved - interested and comfortable enough to help out on a team with people they don't know. I'd love to re-create Soul Pancake's "take a seat, make a friend" idea at different locations throughout Brussels this year to build community, inspire friendships, raise awareness, and get people involved in Serve the City projects by the time Big Volunteer Week rolls around next summer. "Take a seat, make a friend" involves turning a large wooden crate into a ball pit with questions written on all of the balls. There is enough room for 2 people at a time to sit in the crate and talk to each other at a time. You can watch how it played out for Soul Pancake here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHV4-N2LxQ#t=66. I'd like to do this, as well as a similar project with thermos of hot chocolate, plastic cups, and paper slips with questions for the more shy people in the community to get to know each other, too. The ball pit would be moved to different locations around the city one day per month to build community and raise awareness for Serve the City's Big Volunteer Week amongst potential volunteers. The similar hot chocolate idea will be employed weekly on a smaller scale in our Saint Catherine neighborhood, where it will seek to build community and raise awareness more amongst the people we serve and who may not have shelter or other forms of warmth against the cold.

LA South Bay, CA (Inactive) – Little Free Library for DaVinci Innovation Academy

2014-01-17T00:00:00Z

One day I went on a walk with my Mom and we went across the street. Suddenly, we came to this house and I saw a little box standing in front of the house. There were books in the box. We found out it was a Little Free Library. You could keep the books, bring them back whenever you want or give it to a friend. Or you can put other books of your own in the Little Free Library. A Little Free Library I want to use it at our school. I want to have books so we can share the books. A Little Free Library is a library that it could help you learn to read. And I really like to give it to friends and I like reading new books. Thank you for thinking about our community and to help the country learn to read.

Seattle, WA – Trans Love, An honest guide for parents

2014-01-17T00:00:00Z

As a trans* person I see an utter lack of resources that are directed at parents that feel useful and respect a complicated trans* experience. For most things today we just recommend that if you want to know something- you should just do an internet search. This can be a disaster when it comes to your parents trying to access information that is not reflective of your experience, simplifies trans* identity and maybe even gives inaccurate facts. I have crafted a draft of a guide for parents that's written by a trans* person. I am going to gather feedback from my community and from parents of trans* folks. I am writing an honest, vulnerable and direct guide that will address common issues that come up in ways that don't pathologize trans* people and holds compassion for both parents and their offspring. I will do my best to make sure this guide is simple but accessible to all different kinds of families and communities of color. What will be brought up in the guide will shift the focus from trans* people being the problem and talk about how transphobia and other oppressions affect our community. We will also address real solutions to work on within relationships. This guide will be available at no cost online as a PDF, available for order via a printed booklet for very little money and we will create empowering posters as well. I believe artistic design is hugely important to how something is received. Our guide will have graphic design and illustration that will reflect its creativity, passion and vulnerability. It will also look professional and be appropriate for personal relationships as well as medical or counseling environments. My activist colleague, Rae Senarighi has offered their graphic design services at a highly discounted rate. You can see their work here: http://raesenarighi.com/ and they also did the final graphic design of Meet Polka Dot- the first book in a series for gender variant children: http://dangerdot.com/faq-the-polkadot-series/

Oahu, HI – Thrift Store: The Musical

2014-01-17T00:00:00Z

Our initial submission has all of the project details. Here are some of the characters appearing in the show: SALLY SWANSON, middle-aged, ambitious thrift store manager. She's lost it all in the "great recession" and needs to get back on her feet. Down but not out, this may be her last chance. FATHER PAUL, older gentleman, kind, thoughtful, wise, has a twinkle in his eye. He's got a flock to take care of and he's way too creative to follow the strict doctrine of the church. RHONDA, the psychic hair-dresser who comes to volunteer at the thrift store. Heartbroken and desperate for love, she's middle-aged, flamboyant and overly-dramatic but playful enough to see her own foibles. CLAIRE: A young (teenage) homeless girl who lives in the park just outside the doors of the thrift store. She deserves a better life and is offered a chance to work at the store. FRANCESCO ANTONIO PADOVA, an Italian clothing designer, a distinguished gentleman, suave and debonair. He has a eye for fashion and for the ladies -- and he wants both. BRENDA BATTLEAXE, Sally's nemesis and former business partner. She's nasty, pushy and boisterous and she means business. She's about to open a competitive big box thrift outlet right across the street. FIFI LA FONG, THE FASHIONISTA: a young, stylish, cyber chic, attached to her cell phone and to her identity as one of Honolulu's top fashion bloggers. Where ever Fifi goes she is sure to cause a stir. HENRY, neurotic, quirky and outrageous, he's a hoarder who tries to donate his things. His family has done an intervention and he’s in recovery, but his shopping addiction continues. SUSTAINABLE SAM, a young, non-GMO, organic environmentalist and activist. Dedicated to the cause. Reuses and recycles everything, a fix it man with a plan. EVE, Bohemian artist, alternative, Generation Y, about mid-twenties. She’s looking for her Burning Man costume and is a street performer.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – Better Detroit Youth Movement Marketing/Media Team

2014-01-16T00:00:00Z

The Better Detroit Youth Movement is a non-profit coalition of positive-minded individuals and groups who are committed to working together with communities, parents, schools and students to improve the quality of life and learning for our city's children. One of our primary goals will be to improve communication among Detroit’s youth service providers by developing a database that will help enhance delivery of services, and serve as the basis for production of a resource guide to provide comprehensive services and solutions for Detroit youth. Citizen volunteerism, and youth engagement and participation are key components of the BDYM. We believe by fostering higher levels of communication, cooperation and collaboration among our citizens and communities, while seeking out areas where we can better work together, we will achieve greater success with and for our young generation.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – Enhancing Drawing Detroit

2014-01-16T00:00:00Z

Having a successful launch, Drawing Detroit would like to take the blog to the next level. We would like to become the go-to site for Detroit data and discussion. In order to do that we would like to improve the skill-set of the Drawing Detroit staff. The current staff includes one part-time student, who is also a journalist, and contributions from Center staff, including GIS (mapping) analysts and masters and doctoral-level researchers. While a great deal of capacity exists within the staff, this grant would allow us to improve our site by allowing us to get graphic-design training for our staff, allowing us to improve the creativity and appearance of our graphics and thus our audience interest and engagement.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactive) – System Ali House

2014-01-15T00:00:00Z

This project will fund the first professional Ethiopian hip-hop group in Israel to record their first album. They will be mentored by the now famous Arab-Russian-Jewish hip-hop outfit, System Ali. We love them because... well - just check out the link to a clip below and you will see why :)

New York City, NY – We Radiate

2014-01-15T00:00:00Z

We Radiate is exploring the feasibility of mobile and strategically placed compost units which allow for the transfer of heat energy created through the decomposition and breakdown of food scraps. Heat generated from compost units creates temperatures exceeding 120°F. Our goal is to maximize energy output of small-scale compost units for use in public spaces (eg. bus-stops). And since New York City landfills over 1 million tons of organic material annually, this possibility can create vast (renewable) energy outputs. There are 2 objectives: a) Design innovative, small-unit compost units which optimize heat generation; b) Maximize heat transfer from compost unit to external devices, for consumption in public spaces (bus-stops or to melt ice) We Radiate is conducting multiple experiments to research the most effective methods to create heat energy by small scale compost stations. To reach elevated temperatures of 120°F, compost units must exceed a volume of 1 cubic meter, which is larger than ideal for an urban environment. To make this a plausible city-wide initiative it is necessary to minimize compost unit size. Initial trials have been successful with temperatures exceeding 100°F on a small-scale. This achievement has prompted a continuation in volume reduction - from 2/3rd of the original size down to 1/4th. A prototype is currently being developed for placement underneath a bus-stop bench. This ecologically sound idea would bring forth heated benches at bus stops throughout the wintertime without additional financial resources; this will also offer an educational duality for participation in compost initiatives. We Radiate is looking to expand these design models across the city to encourage awareness and partnerships. We Radiate meets the challenges of two urgent concerns: solid waste management and energy. Our vision enables communities to create, maintain, and possess their own energy generating locally from compost.

Ottawa – Twice Upon a Time

2014-01-15T00:00:00Z

January’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Alexandra Yarrow, to support Twice Upon a Time, a project to provide books to children from families in need. “The pride children experience from owning books further promotes lifelong learning,” explains Alexandra. “We will provide free or gently-used books to children initially through a pop-up shop in Heartwood House's lobby, and later from an independent storefront on-site.” “We envision Twice Upon a Time as a complement to excellent public library service. Many families bring their children to the library, but many do not, because they are afraid of potential fines or costs for lost material, or other perceived or real barriers. And even if families visit the library, studies have shown that children do better in school when there are books at home.” “Our project is inspired by the Children's Book Bank, a charity operating in Toronto’s Regent Park since 2008,” Alexandra explains. She and her team of dedicated volunteers will collect the books through donation bins and community-based book drives. To learn more or to get involved, visit http://ottawachildrensfreebookproject.wordpress.com/. Alexandra is an acting manager at the Ottawa Public Library.

Yerevan – արհեստանոց

2014-01-15T00:00:00Z

2013 դեկտեմբերին ՕՍԸՄ հիմնադրամի ամենամսյա մրցույթի հաղթող է ճանաչվել ԱՐՀԵՍՏԱՆՈՑ նախագիծը: Հիմնադրամի միջոցներից տրամադրված գումարը կոգտագործվի երեխաների խեցեգործական արհեստանոցի համար թրծման վառարան գնելու նպատակով: Ծրագրի մասին հավելյալ տեղեկություներ կարող եք կարդալ ստորև: Սահմանափակ հնարավորություններ ունեցող երեխաների զբաղվածությունը մեր երկրում այսօր թերի է կազմակերպված: Ճիշտ է, մեզանում կազմակերպվում են ամառային և ձմեռային ճամբարներ, որտեղ երեխաները սովորում են կանգնել դահուկների վրա, յուրացնում առագաստանավային սկզբունքները, սակայն գարնանը և աշնանը նրանց ժամանցի և զբաղվածության խնդիրնեըը շարունակում են մնալ չլուծված: Մենք կազմակերպեցինք մի արհեստանոց, որտեղ ես երեխաներին սովորեցնում եմ նկարել, կավից պատրաստել տարբեր առարկաներ, յուրացնել դիզայնի հիմունքները: Ցավոգ կեռամիկայից պատրաստած իրերը մենք ստիպված ենք թրծել այլ տեղում ստիպված ենք երկար սպասել մեր հերթին հասնելուն և կարողանում ենք թրծել արտադրանքի սահմանափակ քանակությունը: Հայտնի է, որ կավի հետ աշխատանքը ունի բուժական հատկություններ և անհրաժեշտ է սահմանափակ հնարավորութուններ ունեցող երախաների որոշ խմբերի համար անհրաժեշտ է՝ շարժումների կարգավորման, ուշադրության կենտրոնացման համար և այլն: Բացի վերը նաշվածից այդ գործունեությունը կարող է ունենալ նաև կոմերցիոն բնույթ: Արկա են նախնական պայմանաորվանությաններ որոշ կազմակերպությունների և բանկերի հետ երեխաների ձեռքերով պարրաստած իրերի գնման մասին՝ տոնական և անվանական նվերներ, հուշանոերներ: Ինչ խոսք, ստացված միջոցները լուրջ խթան են հանդիսանալու երեխաների համար: Հիշեցնենք, որ ՕՍԸՄ հիմնադրամը դիմումներ է ընդունում մինչև յուրաքանչյուր ամսվա վերջին օրը: Ուղարկեք ձեր ֆանտաստիկ գաղափարները եւ հնարավորություն կունենաք ստանալու $1000 ձեր փոքր երազանքը իրականացնելու համար: Մեր պայմանները պարզ են եւ մատչելի, ընդամենը հարկավոր է լրացնել այս ձեւը եւ ձեր ՕՍԸՄ գաղափարը կքննարկվի: http://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/submissions/new?chapter=yerevan

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactive) – yutsrim zugiot - יוצרים זוגיות

2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

Yotzrim Zugiot offers speed dating for young adults with Autism. We are proud to say that some of the participants have gone on dates, and as a result of one of the evenings there are now two “official” couples!

Ann Arbor, MI – MPowered Makeathon

2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

Makeathon is a design competition that takes talented college students across all disciplines- from engineering, to pre-med, to art and design, to music- and gives them 36 hours to design and build a functional, physical prototype. Products will be voted on, and the winning product will be manufactured and sold. The best ideas are those that incorporate multiple perspectives and are spawned from collaboration. Specifically, Makeathon aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among students across the nation, as well as to give them valuable connections to other students in various fields. Moreover, Makeathon aims to show students how to effectively create, market, and pitch an idea, as well as to promote an understanding of how innovation, productivity, and creativity (with the help of prototyping tools) can be used to develop new products. Makeathon is a completely student-run event, hosted by undergraduates at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. It will take place February 21rd-23rd, 2014.

Ann Arbor, MI – Fabulous Contraptions! cardboard arcade pop up

2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

Fabulous Contraptions, a community created pop-up cardboard arcade, is about building the creative confidence of the community— uniting kids and adults in the pleasure of making things and the act of joyful play. The event is inspired directly by Caine's Arcade, the short documentary about a 9 year-old boy whose imagination fueled the creation of an entire arcade built from cardboard at his dad’s auto shop. Fabulous Contraptions is a collaborative community project that celebrates (and exercises) individual and collective creativity. This spring, it will pop up at the FLY Creativity Lab in downtown Ypsilanti. We have interest from the Wurst Bar about hosting the arcade as well. The portable arcade may appear at other community sites as well— we will seek other opportunities to display the work. How will it be built? FLY will reach out to kids in the community. We will offer hands-on workshops where kids will learn about simple machines, and spend time exploring the challenge of making their visions happen. Creating complex contraptions that work requires time and space to explore, as well as knowledge and exposure to inspiration and information. FLY is prepared to provide these resources! These free workshops will be open to the entire community. At the same time, we will invite local creatives to participate. We live in a community that is rich in talent and inspiration. This is an opportunity to make connections, across generations and genres! This project is about process as much as the end result. Kids will learn to build something that works, and present it to the public. Kids learn to make their own fun, to design, to experiment, to meet a challenge, and to collaborate with others. We'll connect artists with youth, and bring our neighbors together for some fun. This project helps FLY address creative confidence and community directly and in a highly visible way. The project has extensive impact: it will benefit kids, the community, and FLY.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Solo No Puedo: I Cannot Alone

2014-01-13T00:00:00Z

Filming for the last 7 years, my second feature documentary, “Solo No Puedo: I Cannot Alone” is almost done filming. If you build it, will they come? An energetic, inspirational 78-year-old Peruvian-American doctor attempts the impossible before he dies—the construction of a state of the art, volunteer-run hospital in the middle of the jungle. Dr. Luis Vasquez is the Pied Piper of dreams! From his Chicago suburban home, to his mother’s remote jungle village—a place lost in time for a century— Luis’s simple idea to bring universal healthcare to the community and build a clinic explodes into an internationally run and sustainably designed scientific campus that will spark global changes in health care. The area around Yantaló, Peru is lacking in even basic care, but the specialists that are drawn there by Dr. Vasquez’s force of energy have already attracted patents from as far away as Lima. An intimate portrait over 7 years, Dr. Vasquez and his mother’s home village transform, as the power of dreams and determination are tested. Documentary is the ultimate form of journalism; entertaining, educational, and reaches large audiences. The film will be an example for organizations on how to inspire volunteerism, and for individuals on how to make a lasting impact. Agreements have already been set up between the Peru hospital and over 20 institutes around the world. Each of these organizations provides opportunities for partnership, promotion, and screenings. The film and its corresponding social media and website will provide resources and direction for people to volunteer, donate, and take action, both for Dr. Vasquez’s hospital and for other volunteer opportunities around the world. At a time when global warming and access and price of health care is on everyone’s minds, the film shares a successful system of “those who can pay will pay who those who cannot” and how to sustainably construct a hospital. Construction of the hospital will be completed April 2014.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Worker Center Tool Library

2014-01-11T00:00:00Z

The Southside Worker Center was opened by Southside Presbyterian Church as one of their social justice ministries in 2006 to provide a safe place of workers to wait for employment and to negotiate a just daily wage with potential employers. The Southside Worker Center connects employees with work. We are a grassroots non-profit organization. Along with offering a space for workers to wait for work we also focus on empowering the leadership of the workers through a variety of trainings, shared decision making, and by maintaining the Center as a worker-run organization. Currently, we are organizing an effort to have a storage room filled with work tools (such as drills, jackhammers, rakes, etc.) so that when workers have a construction job or get hired to do landscaping, painting or tile work, they will be able to rent (at low-cost) the tools that we hope to have available for them. The profits made will be recycled back to the organization so that we continue to expand and maintain our tool selection.

Gloucester, MA – Giant Chess Gloucester!

2014-01-10T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is actually very simple. With the money, I will purchase a giant chess set, similar to the one you may see at the summer Block Parties (I'm usually the one playing everyone). I will then bring the chess board and pieces with me to locations that I will alert people to before hand, and take on all challenges. I will have a large white board to keep score of my wins and losses (I'm above average to really good at chess, so it will be mostly wins with maybe a couple of losses and a tie here and there), friends to take pictures, and prizes for those who win. I will also gladly attend events at schools with the chess set if asked.

Los Angeles, CA – Rainbow Pack

2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

I started Rainbow Pack when I was 10 years old. My school took a field trip to Haddon Avenue Elementary School in Pacoima. We were partnered up with some of the students and as I was coloring a picture with my partner with one of the few crayons on the table, I heard one of the girls say that she wanted a box of skinny crayons but her mom said she could not afford them. This broke my heart and it made me want to make a change. I then contacted the social worker at Haddon. After speaking with her I learned that this problem could not be fixed with just box of crayons. All of the kids at Haddon live below the poverty level. Not only did the kids not have crayons but they did not have a lot of the other basic school supplies that my friends and I take for granted every day. Because of that, many of the kids could not do their homework and were falling behind. This made me even more determined to help. Once I came up with the idea to give the kids brand-new backpacks full of homework supplies it was time to recruit some friends to help. The first year I got 4 of my friends to help and their parents. We set a goal to give backpacks and homework supplies to the entire kindergarten class at Haddon, but we doubled our goal and gave kindergarten and first grade backpacks and school supplies. The next year we set our goal even higher, we wanted to give Rainbow Packs (that is our name for the backpacks full of the supplies) to the entire school (K-5th grade). But we surpassed our goal again and helped the pre-kindergarten and special education classes too. To date Rainbow Pack has given out over 1,400 backpacks and over 19,000 school supplies. This being our third year we have set our biggest goal yet, we are hoping to help two entire schools, providing over 2,000 backpacks, and we are already more then half-way there. We have received so much help from our friends, family and even complete strangers but in order to reach our goal we need your help.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Warmth for Afghanistan

2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

Embrace’s first project in the Middle East was launched in April 2013 at Rabia Balkhi Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, in partnership with Health, Education, and Development for Afghanistan (HED-A), a small family-run NGO with strong ties to the Afghan community. Infant and maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan are among the highest in the world. Embrace program activities at Rabia Balkhi Hospital focus on: (1) raising awareness of the devastating impact of hypothermia in premature and low birth weight babies; (2) providing on-going training and support on use of the Embrace infant warmer and Kangaroo Mother Care, which includes breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact, to keep the baby warm and protect from infection; and (3) delivering complementary, culturally appropriate health education focused on addressing the root causes of low birth weight and other critical maternal and child health issues. We have had incredible uptake of the Embrace infant warmer at Rabia Balkhi Hospital. In the program’s first three months, we provided side-by-side training to nearly 200 mothers and health care workers and served over 1,700 infants. We see tremendous opportunities to expand our work to three additional hospitals in the Kabul area by early 2014, given our initial program assessment, feedback from Rabia Balkhi Hospital staff, support from the Ministry of Public Health, and the pressing community needs. Under our current ‘Satellite’ program model, our local Site Manager based at Rabia Balkhi Hospital would also provide training and support to surrounding health care facilities in the region.

Oahu, HI – 15th Annual Holiday Party for Foster Keiki

2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

The Annual Holiday Party for Foster Keiki is a way to recognize and support foster children and the families that care for them during the holidays. The holiday season can be a difficult time of the year for children in foster care who are not with their biological families as there are constant reminders of the family they have lost. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Holiday Party which provides over 2,000 foster children and family members with a wonderful lunch, non-stop entertainment, lots of activities for the kids, a Santa photo booth and a gift or toy for every child and youth. For some children this may be the present they receive for Christmas this year. For a few it will be the first present they have ever received. And for siblings separated in foster care, this may be the only time they can celebrate with their siblings and take away great memories of a day of fun together, catured in a special photo taken with Santa. The Holiday Party, held on December 15th at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, is also the biggest fundraiser for the agency raising much needed funds for programs and services that are under-funded or need of additional funds in the coming year. These unrestricted funds are vital in keeping our programs and services running. There are three ways in which we raise funds for the Holiday Party. We sell virtual tables at the event to underwrite the cost of the event and raise program support. A virtual table costs $500 to sponsor and will then be filled with eager foster children and their families on the day of the event. We also solicit sponsors to cover some of the major costs of the event such as rental charges, food, beverage, transportation, decorations, gift wrapping and more. These sponsorships range from $1,000-$5,000 and can involve volunteer opportunities for employees and family members. Lastly, we secure in-kind donation to feed 2500 people and provide 1200 children with a present from Santa each year.

Liverpool – Synced Musical shoes for kids to run in harmony!

2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

Some kids have cool shoes with glowing LEDS when they step. Nike+ shoes also measure step rate etc. We want to achieve a simple mission: Bring the world to life with music. Imagine James walking down the street. Every step plays a note of the violin section of Peter and the Wolf. Inexpensive leaf sensors in his shoes send wireless impulses to a small speaker mounted on his belt. He skips in time to the music. James sees his mate Danielle in the playground. They walk up to each other. James' system automatically syncs up to Danielle's and now every step Daniel makes, he starts playing the flute voice. The other kids turn round and all join in! There's a whole orchestra playing based of kids running around and having fun. It's synaesthesia. It's music. It's exercise. All rolled into one. We want to teach the world to sing again and bring joy to the hearts of everyone who takes part or witnesses this. The money would help. If we didn't receive the money we'd hope you could assist with publicising it and working with other previous winners, we see crossover with Art Therapy and free cakes for Kids. Also, I think it's a wonderful one for the whole Awesome network. Prototype one: A little metal player harp like they sell in Utility that plays 'Hey Jude' araldited onto a belt with metal buckle. Camera shutter release cable araldited in line to turn the harp one notch with every step. This project is Prototype two, with 2-3 functional units synced and talking to each other so 2-3 kids can run around making up a song.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – You Are Enough

2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

http://youtu.be/5LCWEU1G_rg "You Are Enough" is a cute and sentimental picture book for adults that celebrates singledom. My intention is to launch it in February, for Valentines day; an understandably challenging holiday for most single people. This heartwarming story written as a poem, shares the message that we don’t need a partner to "complete" us, that being single can be celebrated, and offers us many gifts. This is my tribute to being single in a couples’ world. “You are enough” is dedicated to the huge percentage of people who, as a result of being single, go forgotten on Valentines Day. It’s for those who aren’t a fan of commercial businesses reminding them of what they apparently “lack,” those for whom February 14th couldn’t come and go fast enough. My hope is that this video reminds people on ANY DAY of the year that they aren’t “lacking” simply because they aren’t in a relationship. But especially on a tricky day like Valentines Day, let this video serve as inspiration to offer some juicy self-love, and an appreciation for the many gifts that come from being single. Celebrate your singledom! Happy Valentines Day to EVERYONE.

Rio de Janeiro (Inactive) – Picadeiro de Histórias da Maré

2014-01-06T00:00:00Z

O Projeto mescla as seguintes linguagens artísticas: Circo (perna de pau, malabarismo, palhaço e acrobacia de solo), Música e Contação de Histórias. Proporciona, através de oficinas, a iniciação nestas artes como forma de socialização e comunicação. O principal objetivo é ampliar as potencialidades artísticas dos participantes e incentivar a experiência com novas habilidades. O irado neste Projeto é combinar diferentes saberes, como por exemplo: fazer malabarismo em cima da perna de pau ou tocar músicas enquanto conta histórias. As atividades circenses contribuem para o desenvolvimento físico-motor e psicológico, estimulando a percepção espacial e o equilíbrio. O ensino da música melhora a coordenação motora e a concentração. A contação de histórias desenvolve a criatividade e a expressão. O processo artesanal ajuda a conscientizar sobre questões ambientais. Serão confeccionados, em grupo, malabares (claves e bolas) e instrumentos sonoro-musicais (tambor, flauta de bambu, agogô, etc.) a partir do reaproveitamento de elementos da natureza e sucata. Este conjunto de atividades representa um desafio para que os participantes aumentem a perseverança, espírito de coletividade, cooperação e autoconfiança. Além disso, estimula o hábito de leitura, ampliando o conhecimento e a reflexão crítica. O Projeto destina-se aos moradores do complexo de favelas da Maré, Zona Norte do Rio. Trata-se de uma região com infraestrutura precária e acesso limitado às atividades culturais, principalmente no que se refere ao aprendizado circense, muitas vezes restrito a cursos particulares. As oficinas ocorrerão ao longo de um mês, tendo 2 aulas por semana, com duração de 3h cada aula, totalizando 24h e atendendo a 20 participantes. Metodologia: 1ª etapa: técnicas circenses e confecção de malabares; 2ª etapa: música e confecção de instrumentos; 3ª etapa: contação de histórias, preparação e apresentação para a comunidade do espetáculo “Picadeiro de Histórias”, construído coletivamente.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Wishes and Wellness

2013-12-31T00:00:00Z

Wellness and Wishes is a project that has been designed to educate and improve the lives of young adult cancer patients through granting them an experience to make them feel like they were never diagnosed with cancer. We will use Wellness to try to educate youth about prevention and diagnosis of young adult cancer.

Pittsburgh, PA – Kiss for Peace!

2013-12-31T00:00:00Z

Abstract: On November 4th 2013, a new project was started to promote peace and mutual understanding among people of Iran and the United States of America. The two countries, with very dark days in the history of their relationship, initiated direct contacts after over 30 years. Amid such positive atmosphere Netformance, a creative internet based performance art , called on people to send their photos (using social medias like Facebook twitter and instagram)while posing a kissing gesture! Immediately after the website went live, many social network users participated and showed a very positive feedback. In just one week we received over 300 pictures and several International news agencies such as BBC covered our story. Now we are moving forward to bring “Kiss For Peace” to public spaces. http://much-kiss-for-peace.netformance.org --- Now; Public show / Pittsburgh: In light of Pittsburgh’s long history in embracing creative art works, we are considering to our public demonstration from this city by projecting pictures on a city building. That would give us the opportunity to invite people of Pittsburgh(observers ,pedestrians...) to participate in real time and post their photos(their kisses!) on the website which then will be projected back on the building. ---- Neftomarnce: Internet-Performance art; is an interdisciplinary project with the objective to have audience at the heart of an art work looking at various challenges of the societies . Our goal is to use creative ideas and innovative technology to help people’s opinion about these issues heard. A software was developed to connect social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instamatic to a web portal and update the website in real time using the content provided by users of these services. This platform will serve the Netformance art work and its subsequent developments in the future. ---- https://www.facebook.com/Netformance

Austin, TX – The Texas Observer: Reaching Millions

2013-12-31T00:00:00Z

The Observer has been providing in-depth, investigative coverage of Texas politics, news, and culture since 1954. Over the past few years, with a glossy new magazine and rebuilt website, web traffic is skyrocketing, with 1.2 million unique visitors in 2013. According to researchers, tablet use has increased 400% in the last year, and around one-third of Texas adults will own tablets by 2016. Pair those stats with a Texas population of 26 million, almost 50% of which identify as moderates or progressives, and that’s a potential reading audience of 4.3 million in Texas alone. A grant from the Austin Awesome Foundation will allow the Observer to contract with a web-based digital publishing platform to create and manage tablet apps easily, affordably and without hiring a developer. If it works as planned, it will allow the Observer to offer the magazine on digital newsstands and to provide tablet and smartphone readers with the interactive experience they expect. As a nonprofit media outlet, the Observer’s investigative reporting is supported by subscribers, donors and other paying readers. Money raised through digital publishing on 27 new platforms will allow the Observer to maintain the tradition of fearless watchdog journalism honed over 60 years.

Philadelphia, PA – Widener Memorial School Wheelchair Dance Program

2013-12-31T00:00:00Z

This semester we will be teaching Foxtrot and Waltz to the children and their standing partners from surrounding universities. After 8 weeks of instruction we will have a competition with judges and prizes for top 3 couples. This has always been a hit for students, faculty, standing partners, and families.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – P.E.A.C.E Project Recycle (Donkeys for development

2013-12-23T00:00:00Z

The project includes setting up a community recycling buyback centre that will facilitate the collection sorting and selling of waste to gain an income. It is purely a local economic development programme, looking at creating jobs, generation of income and cleaning of the environment in Senwabarwana, a rural community in deep rural Limpopo province, South Africa. Waste collection will be done using the Municipal system, and since this is not adequate, it will also include the collection of waste using trolleys and cages that are easily on and offloaded from a converted pick up truck which i am still fundraising for. The most innovative part of the project is the use of donkey drawn carts to collect waste door to door in areas the Municipality is currently not servicing. The project is centred around cooperatives who become the direct beneficiaries, since i work under P.E.A.C.E Foundation. The idea is to pull rural communities out of poverty through provision of jobs for the otherwise unemployable in the informal sector. Currently, i have received funding for the baling machine, fencing, electronic scale, 2 cages, 10 trolleys and protective clothing. This has seen One cooperative of 5 women moving from working from an unprotected dumpsite to operating from a formal structure, with water, electricity and the prerequisite machinery essential for operating a buyback centre. We have also identified 9 donkey owners whom have already been sent for training on proper harnessing of donkeys, and once we fundraise for their donkey carts, they will now be formally employed in their own cooperative structure. We will also have recycling competitions and workshops in schools to promote recycling activities at a school level

Newmarket – "AstroNuts kids space club"

2013-12-23T00:00:00Z

Four years ago Brett and I created the "Astronuts kids space club" for local kids that love rocketry, astronomy, technology, STEM and "everything space"... The "crew " of 20, both boys and girls, ages 9 to 12, meet at our home once a month for a 3 hour "mission" . During the "mission" the AstroNuts are engaged by amazing volunteer "space educators"(astronomers, rocket scientists, astronauts etc) ....WE also have have a special skype guest from somewhere in the world inspire the kids! The AstroNut kids always have an hour long space-related activity...activities included making comets from dry-ice, multiple rocket launches, making home made telescopes, many arts and crafts related to various themes, many awesome "mission drills" in our space ship called "Space ship Mercury Two" I built the space ship over the past 2 years...its made completely of "space junk" Brett and I have taken recycled materials and electronics...then rebuilt and rewired them for a fun "out-of-this-world" adventure. Our spaceship was featured on TVO kids "the Space". We also go on a number of field trips to places like the York University observatory, UTIAS aerospace studies institute, NAPAS rocket launch site, and the Ontario Science Centre to name a few. I have also done volunteer space education outreach with Big Brothers/ Big Sisters and Scouts Canada. Three years ago, in order to engage more elementary school children in the space sciences I created the "annual " AstroNuts STEM contest" where students from 50 elementary schools were invited to create and present to scientists their STEM projects... The winners were then invited to attend the very successful annual "Whats up in Space" event...Both events brought hundreds of children together with dozens of volunteer space educators like Canadian astronaut and hero Dr. Dave Williams to engaged over four hours on "everything space". Our rocket ship float was entered in both the Newmarket and Aurora Santa parades...

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactive) – "אמץ סבא"

2013-12-22T00:00:00Z

Ametz-a-Saba (Adopt a Grandpa) connects students studying in Jerusalem and aged citizens in the city. By volunteering their time with the elderly, the students find themselves the perfect adopted family in their new city, and the elderly receive life-long company and friendship. We love this project because it's a win win for everyone involved!

San Antonio, TX – Piazza DiColombo, Little Italy San Antonio

2013-12-20T00:00:00Z

Every major city in this great country has its unique cultural corridors or neighborhoods and some cities are defined by them. San Antonio is no different with its incredible pioneer history. This city will celebrate 300 years of its existence in 2018. Most people know the city for the “Alamo” and the spirit of rugged individualism. This is a great city with hidden treasures all throughout the region. I believe one of those treasures exists at the heart of where the city began its nearly 300 year existence. Little Italy San Antonio represents everything this city was founded on. As early as the 1870s Italians from southern Italy specifically from a town in the Calabria region known as Spezzano della Sila migrated to San Antonio. They would settle in the northwest part of downtown and band together to form their very own Italian neighborhood. In 1890 they would create the country’s oldest Italian organization known as the Christopher Columbus Italian Society. In 1927, the midst of the Great Depression their organization intrepidly built the now historic San Francesco Di Paola church and the CCIS Hall. In the late 1950s the highway act commissioned I35 and I10, cutting through the old italian neighborhood. The only remnants of the neighborhood are the church, the hall and Christopher Columbus Park. Little Italy San Antonio is a non-profit development seeking help to salvage the authentic history that exists today. Members are getting older and their generation is threatened with consequence of a forgotten legacy. LISA will provide a community/cultural center rich in authentic italian history that is unique to San Antonio. We must tell this story where it began and ensure a legacy that we can all appreciate. San Antonio is Awesome, especially for its history which is weaved into the fabric for all of us to enjoy.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Sweet Dreams

2013-12-19T00:00:00Z

Blue Marble Dreams' first project was the creation of Inzozi Nziza (Sweet Dreams), Rwanda's first-ever local ice cream shop. Our partner in this unique venture was Ngoma Nshya (New Reign), Rwanda's first and only all-women drumming troupe. Ngoma Nshya was founded in 2005 by Kiki Katese, a Rwandan artist. Kiki conceived the group as an opportunity to bring women together from both sides of the 1994 genocide and provide them with a means to express themselves, expand their sense of self and nurture the reconciliation process in a new and creative way. Over time, the group developed into a talented, cohesive team of performers. Yet, they still struggled with severe hardship at home and faced pressure from their families to abandon drumming and tend to their domestic duties. Eager to mitigate this pressure and provide material support for the women, Kiki began to seek income-generating activities for the group. In 2008, Kiki met Blue Marble Ice Cream's co-owner, Jennie Dundas, at an artists' workshop in the US. When she learned of our business, she found the opportunity she was looking for. Could we come to Rwanda and help these women open an ice cream shop of their own, she asked? We were surprised but intrigued by the question and asked Kiki to explain her reasoning. Here's what she said: 1, it would create training and employment opportunities for the women. 2, it would support local farmers and producers. And 3, it would serve as a place for people to gather, indulge and heal. Inspired by her reasoning, we signed on and dug in. After two years of planning, fundraising and traveling, we opened the doors to Sweet Dreams in 2010. The shop has endured challenges like any business but is alive and well today. Through Inzozi Nziza, we have trained and employed dozens of women, indirectly supported 200+ family members, buoyed the local economy and provided a special place for the community to feel safe, happy and renewed.

Connecticut – AND ANOTHER THING

2013-12-19T00:00:00Z

Our project is a super awesome interactive sculpture; a soap box and GIANT exclamation point. We want to encourage activity and whimsy in an otherwise buttoned up section of Hartford. We want to activate an underutilized space and create an opportunity for people break out of their normal routine and have some fun. The soap box is there for folks to exclaim, proclaim and otherwise shout out their thoughts, dreams and ideas. The exclamation point is to really drive home the message. We have identified a local artist, Tao LaBossiere, to fabricate the exclamation point and adjoining soap box from fiberglass. We envision it being big, red and shiny: at least 8 feet tall and a super glossy shade of bright orangey-red. We are developing a low-key lunchtime programming schedule to get the ball rolling and encourage people to get on our soap box and make it their own. We would like to incorporate local inprov group, Sea Tea Improv, to help us in that effort. We have identified a plot of asphalt on a heavily trafficked corner in the core of the central business district. It is currently underutilized and we have permission from the property owner to regularly program the space.

Orlando, FL – Distance 2

2013-12-18T00:00:00Z

Distance Music takes advantage of the delay caused by the speed of sound over distance by placing sound sources far away from the audience. "inSPIRE for 22 Brass, Carillons, C Bell and Distance" used twelve distinct rooftop and lake locations in downtown Orlando and proved the viability and audience appeal of the concept. See: http://www.keithlay.com/works/inspire_for_22_brass_c_bell_ca.html Distance II asks the audience members to walk along a paved path around downtown Orlando's Lake Eola during the performance. The music's sound sources comprise of machines, called "sounders," and live musicians. The sounders are air-driven diaphone horns tuned to the C major scale. Three brass choirs will be stationed high above on nearby roofs of buildings. Distance II will also include two improvising musicians. The work will consist of three movements, each 5-7 minutes in duration. Each sounder will be controlled by a solenoid valve actuated via Zigbee two-way radio, in turn controlled by a music sequence composed in Max6 software. When the sounders play their notes simultaneously audiences at the east deck will hear an upward musical scale because the first notes of the scale will be closest and the highest notes placed farthest. The west deck will hear the very same event as a downward moving scale because of the opposite distance relationships. The composition will be designed to make it easy for the audience to understand why their changing of position creates a new musical result depending upon their coordinates. The three brass choirs will read standard notation and will synchronize their timing in three ways: Synchronize by metronome click over two-way radio. Synchronize by listening to the other groups. Synchronize by using the regular pulse of the sounders below Distance 2 is music which makes the speed of sound tangible. The audience will be able to control their experience.

Calgary, AB (Inactive) – Girls Gone Wilde

2013-12-18T00:00:00Z

Girls Gone Wilde Late Night Cabaret is a tongue in cheek evening of performances created by female artists or with a strong female perspective. Girls Gone Wilde is awesome because: - We will involve over 30 artists, a huge cross section of the emerging talent in Calgary, in a supportive environment to create, develop, and perform new work. - The process includes dramaturgical support, production support, and mentorship by professional artists. - It’s a fun night of theatre to see- it’s like going to a tapas restaurant where the dishes tantalize your palate, leaving you wanting more! - Urban Curvz is Calgary’s professional feminist theatre company whose work reflects the wit and intelligence of women to counteract the underrepresentation of females in popular culture, and we’re extending this year’s Cabaret to two weekends because last year’s sold out!

Seattle, WA – Live Action Side-Scroller

2013-12-17T00:00:00Z

The Live Action Side-Scroller would transform an alley or sidewalk in a busy pedestrian area of Seattle into a level of a side-scrolling video game, for one day only. Lucky passersby will don hero gear (overalls, red hat, big mustache) and navigate the level. The bricks would be painted or chalked to create a pixelated background. The rest of the level will include elements such as: 1. break-apart cubes with items inside for the player to collect 2. platforms, springboards, and obstacles for the player to traverse 3. remote control enemies (e.g. stuffed turtles mounted on RC cars) 4. costumed person enemies roaming the level 5. giant cardboard or foam coins to collect 6. sound effects and music (being played by a volunteer) We will video and/or ani-gif each player's run and post it on our website afterwards. We have a great team of people ready to put this together. We will work with Graffiti Defense Coalition to find a location, rope in friends with set construction experience to help build, and artist friends to design the background and oversee painting. The painting and set-up itself could be part of the spectacle! The level will be staffed with volunteers (some of whom will play costumed enemies.)

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Boulder Student Art at 1175 Lee Hill

2013-12-17T00:00:00Z

Art@1175 is looking to kick off our public art installations with a seasonal art piece inspired by Boulder’s talented High School art students. The theme is entitled "How did the Boulder flood affect your vision of home?” Our intent is to recognize and reflect on the effects the recent Boulder flood has had on many of our lives. We have gathered a distinguished jury of local art industry professionals to review the submissions and choose up to 18 art pieces that best reflect the theme and the student's talent. Building construction at 1175 Lee Hill Drive has just begun, and a 6-foot construction fence has been installed around the perimeter of the site. The intention is to have the student’s art work displayed on the construction fence for up to three months where they will be viewed by the public. Art@1175 public art committee envisions this as a wonderful opportunity for the students to be able to not only showcase their artistic talent in a very visible location (corner of Broadway and Lee Hill), but to also have an item for their college applications and portfolios. This project not only engages students and the community, but the final product enhances and beautifies an otherwise unsightly construction area.

Melbourne (Inactive) – National Boat Day

2013-12-17T00:00:00Z

In response to the Australian Government's inhumane treatment of asylum seeker boat arrivals, and the pervasive rhetoric surrounding 'boat fear' in Australian politics and the media, we have decided to organise National Boat Day, to be held on 26th January 2014. As the website states: "National Boat Day is an opportunity for Australians to confront their fear of boats in a safe and caring atmosphere. All around the country, let us gather in boats to re-acquaint ourselves with a heritage we have come to fear. Paddle-out into the ocean, onto a lake, or simply beach your boat for a picnic in the park. Inflatables, tinnies, dinghies, sail-boats, ocean-liners. All are welcome on Boat Day. Many of us will be beaching our boats on the steps of parliament, paddling softly at the ground to ease boat-fear from the hearts of our politicians and from the pages of policy. Boat day may look a little silly. And it is. But it's not." National Boat Day's objectives are: 1. encourage Australians to celebrate boats 2. highlight the absurdity of boat (and boat-related) fear 3. encourage Australia to address its boat-related histories and prejudices 4. appeal to Australia’s cultural (rather than political) heart 5. do this in a light, cheeky, non-adversarial manner All around the country, Australians will gather to celebrate boat day. As of 28th December, people will be able to go online and register their boat day event, encouraging others to join them or do the same. We will be holding the main event in the Treasury Gardens in Melbourne, where people will be able to picnic with their boats. Throughout the day, groups will be encouraged to pose with their boat on the steps of Parliament in front of a banner bearing the National Boat Day slogan: 'We're Not Scared Anymore'. Through our press and social media campaign, it is our hope that the message of National Boat Day will reach deep into the cultural heart of this country.

Ottawa – Sesquisharp Productions

2013-12-15T00:00:00Z

The second of December's two Awesome Ottawa awards goes to Megan Johnson and Jacob Caines to support innovative community concerts. “The music scene in Ottawa is conservative,” says Megan, “and dominated by older institutions. Jacob and I felt a need to create a platform that would allow young emerging artists the chance to create collaborative, innovative concerts. Sesquisharp (which means three quarter tones sharp) is a totally grassroots organization, and we function completely on volunteers. We program three concerts a year, and just completed a successful second season opening show in November. We perform all kinds of music: classical, contemporary, cabaret, broadway, etc., and use all different kinds of performers: instrumentalists, singers, dancers, tumblers, actors, etc. Our concerts are very multidisciplinary and are always held in non-traditional venues throughout the city.” “We always have a loose theme for each concert,” Megan explains, “which informs the music choices, the types of performers involved, the venue and the marketing. We include as many young artists as possible, to provide them with the exposure, the performing experience, and also the chance to have a say in the creation of the concert. We believe in the power of art and music performance in creating vibrant, healthy, sustainable, communities, and with each concert we try to push ourselves even more to provide our community with something innovative and out-of-the-box.” The award from Awesome Ottawa will go toward the remaining two shows in Sesquisharp’s 2013-14 season—an evening of rotating conductors, and a short tour of Eastern Ontario with a concert of cabaret music. Megan is a classical singer and art administrator, and Jacob a clarinetist and conductor. Both grew up in Nova Scotia, and came to Ottawa in 2010.

Ottawa – Herbs and Edibles - Help Yourself

2013-12-15T00:00:00Z

The first of December's two Awesome Ottawa awards goes to Gail McGuire and the Brook Tower Tenant Circle to support neighbourhood planters for herbs and other edibles. “I am a tenant of an Ottawa Community Housing building, and a recipient of Ontario Disability Support,” Gail begins matter-of-factly. “This past spring, fellow tenants and I planted herbs in a large raised planter at the back corner of our building, at Cartier and Gladstone. We labeled the herbs and placed signs which read ‘HELP YOURSELF.’ We also planted strawberries late in the season. They will eventually take over the planter, and so we would like to build more planters for herbs and edible flowers, and an arbour for grapes. These would be accessible to anyone passing by and we would encourage all to enjoy the harvesting, sharing, and interacting at our little corner of the universe.” “We have been delighted with the engagement this planter has provided us with our neighbourhood,” Gail says. “Neighbours from the surrounding blocks contributed herbs. People paused to take photos of the planter. I found it moving to see that despite the fact that many in my building are financially challenged and many of us use our local food bank, we received so much pleasure and satisfaction from watching others enjoy the herb planter.” The award from Awesome Ottawa will help grow that pleasure, satisfaction, and enjoyment next summer. Gail is a tenant at Brook Tower, where she is also garden coordinator and volunteer facilitator.

Chicago, IL – Chicago Recipe Box

2013-12-14T00:00:00Z

The mission of Potluck: Chicago is to use the concept of a potluck where everyone brings a different dish to an event, to explore ways that the city can come together as equals, sharing our stories, joys and struggles, while celebrating the diversity that makes Chicago what it is. The Chicago Recipe Box, the awesome project, will archive our process and promote further city wide community bonding. The project will foster new connections, strengthening Potluck: Chicago’s sustainability. How it works: 1. Participants bring comfort food and recipe to potluck 2. A meal is shared 3. Cards are collected 4. A deck is made 5. Deck is added to the handmade Chicago Recipe Box 6. Deck is added to the online archive in a printable PDF format Two formats for the Box//Archive: 1. Handmade - we will craft several editions to be given to the community partners who helped us launch the project 2. Digital – full archive available online for anyone to access and construct their own Chicago Recipe Box For the potlucks, held at various community organizations around the city, guests bring a portion of their favorite comfort food dish and its recipe to share with others. We chose comfort food because we believe it creates comfortable spaces and conversations among strangers. Through the empathic act of bringing a taste of your favorite comfort food from your culture to a table of strangers, the potluck fosters a connection among diverse cultures and generations over the common need for nourishment. These moments of mutual generosity, when the story of one dish is exchanged for another, often reveals additional commonalities and dependencies among a seemingly incompatible group of people. (Support from The Awesome Foundation will significantly help us prepare for our role in the forthcoming exhibition "RISK: Empathy, Art and Social Practice", where we will both exhibit the project and host meals around Chicago where cards will once again be collected and added to the archive.)

Chicago, IL – Community Nursing Home Garden

2013-12-14T00:00:00Z

It started in 2009. The Naperville Community Nursing and Rehab Center allows me to garden on their empty plot of land. I presented my idea of a flower/vegetable garden and the owner was thrilled. They let me free farm their unused land. They have about an acre of pasture. I grow everything possible on this small plot. Each year I plow up another 2 feet and I’m hoping to increase again. This project is done by me. I had help with the initial till and the installation of the fence but I manage everything else without any outside help. The home provides me with the land, water from a nozzle 200 feet away and use of the storage shed for hoses, shovels and supplies. I do not take profits from the Market sales we have with extra harvest. The residents use the money for local trips. The joy I receive when I can share some good food with them is worth it. There is a wild black berry patch on the property and one year I made Black Berry Cobbler. It’s is a simple dish but when one of the residents reached for her third piece, the orderly stopped her but she said “But it’s the best I’ve ever eaten”. It brought tears to my eyes. Over the holidays I make pumpkin and squash pie from those grown. I am not allowed to incorporate the harvest into their diets but we can have "Tastings". On the days I present, the cafeteria is now almost full as they wait for me. At first, it was only a dozen. I feel they need to eat fresh once in awhile. I treasure their wisdom and welcome their comments when I am out weeding/watering the plot. Most of the residents are physically unable to work but they will sit while I work and share stories with me. I learned dried blood keeps the rabbits away and if I pinch back the basil before it seeds, the plant will last longer. These bits of advice are priceless. Once I have the farm, I will bus every one of the residents to the first “Farm Dinner”. They would love it. The funds for wheelchair accessible and more flowers for beauty

Orlando, FL – Light Up The MSO!

2013-12-13T00:00:00Z

PAM maintains sound and stage equipment, percussion instrumentation with chairs, music stands and electrical lighting for a 100 piece symphonic orchestra. The Maitland Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is a community of volunteer musicians that come together every Thursday night to rehearse for 5 to 6 concerts a year. Setting up for rehearsal or a show is extremely labor intensive and includes placing lights on each music stand and plugging them in to power strips that lie on the floor by the players feet. Our recent outdoor concert taxed the electrical power that was available on the lovely stage in Mead Botanical Garden. Our twilight show required lighting each music stand in addition to installing stage lighting for spotlights. During the concert, the breaker would blow every time a spotlight was used. This left some musicians playing in the dark, and caused momentary voids from sections that were affected. Stage volunteers quickly tripped the breaker to restore the lighting and the show came off as perfect as we could expect. There simply was not enough power on the stage to handle a large orchestra. We are looking for ways to improve this venue for next year and lighting is essential not only for the musicians, but for the ambiance of the performance. Funds are limited and electrical assistance is costly.

New York City, NY – Sneel - Open Hardware Swimming Robotic Snake

2013-12-12T00:00:00Z

Sneel engages communities to take a hands-on approach to marine preservation through the use of modular hardware toolkits for fabricating and programming open-source biomimetic robots for environmental exploration. I have led hackathons and workshops, worldwide in places like Ireland, New York, and Casablanca, developing and deploying toolkits for environmental sensing. My ultimate goal is to proliferate modular toolkits for environmental and social impact. Sneel is a series of biomimetic swimming robotic snakes designed to navigate unknown territory and sense environmental data, The inspiration for Sneel originates from a fascination with exploring lifelike, reptilian motion in an aquatic robot. The electromechanical design of Sneel mimics the structure and motion of a real snake, as a test to explore swimming behavior in an undulating linear robot. Worldwide applications for Sneel include remote marine data collection of salinity / toxicity levels, radioactivity monitoring, pipeline or underwater exploration, fishery monitoring, and search and rescue. Sneel is a fully open source hardware project, which means that I document all of my work online and in-print, including the CAD designs, the source code, and the electronic schematics for others to see and use, on my own website (sneel.cc), on github, and on sites like Instructables. From Sneel spawned global communities of people building and developing their own open hardware snake robots based on my own. Sneel was originally developed as part of the Protei project, open source sailing drones for the ocean preservation and cleanup. Sneel_001 was designed as the 7th prototype of Protei and has since spurred into its own project and initiative. Sneel has been exhibited at TEKS meta.morf Trondheim Electronic Arts Biennial, Transnatural Art Festival NEMO Amsterdam, ITP NYU, Geekdown 92Y Tribeca, Open Hardware Summit 2013 MIT.

San Francisco, CA – A Stop to Bullying

2013-12-12T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project is to make "pledge bracelets" and hand them out to all the high schools and middle schools in the city of Santa Cruz, CA. Not only hand out these pledge bracelets to create awareness but also, give our resources to those who have been bullied. And tips on how not to a bystander. We believe that empowering bystanders is the key to end bullying. By making these pledge bracelets we will be giving the bystanders tips on how to safely intervene someone who is being bullied. We plan to devote 50+ hours making bracelets, tabling and doing presentations at our local high schools and middle schools.