Awesome Foundation - Projects

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – The Mlangarini Project

2013-12-11T00:00:00Z

Gloucester, MA – Lights, Camera, Nature Gloucester Spring Session

2013-12-06T00:00:00Z

Lights, Camera, Nature is a nature film making class for children ages 7-12. The spring session students will connect with a unique coastal setting in Gloucester. They will choose a favorite beach, marsh, or rocky shore on which to set their movies. The class combines authentic immersion in the natural world with technology and storytelling skills. Students have the opportunity to connect deeply with a place, and to produce a creative piece that will give a sense of accomplishment and be shared with the general public. The final products will document the unique nature of this area and will be screened at various venues to generate understanding and enthusiasm for local natural resources. Lights, Camera, Nature is a partnership between Jessica Kagle, a professional naturalist and the Founder and Director of Kestrel Educational Adventures, and Robert Newton, a film specialist and Founder and Director of Cape Ann Community Cinema (CACC). We alternate between venturing into the local wilds to capture natural drama on our cameras, and working at CACC editing our movies. Student movies will be debuted on the big screen at the CACC for a public audience, and will be screened at other venues throughout Gloucester later in the year. The films made by students throughout several seasons will be compiled into a collection highlighting the stories of natural places throughout Eastern Essex County. Jessica and Rob provide instruction in nature awareness, ecology, camera use, storytelling, and video editing. We also provide mentoring in leadership skills and confidence, emerging from the process of the students working collaboratively to put together awesome films. Each class period allows substantial time for wandering, playing, and pure being. The pilot run of this class is almost finished, with footage and stories completed and edits ready to happen. Students' movies will premier at CACC Dec 9th. The linked website shows pics and stories from each class meeting.

Sarnia (Inactive) – JOY-Full Socks

2013-12-06T00:00:00Z

I have a friend who's name is Cindy Cassidy. She is heading up a program here in Sarnia this year called JOY Full Socks. Her sister headed up this program and has been running it in Sault Ste. Marie for 3 years. Cindy is taking donations from people in Sarnia/Lambton who can buy new socks and fill them with toilietries such as toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo. Once all the socks are dropped off to her she is planning on taking them to the Lambton County Food Bank to be distrubuted to the homeless/tranisient people there. She has already been in contact with them about this program and they are thrilled she is willing to help. When I was in Detroit feeding the homeless a man came up to my son and asked if he had an extra pair of socks, unfortunatley we had none to give. When I heard what my friend Cindy is doing I knew there was a real need for socks and toiletries. Giving socks and toiletries will give back some dignity they deserve. Doesn't matter what circumstances led them to be homeless or not well off, they are all children of God and deserve to be treated with respect. I think I feel so passionate about this program because I have witnessed and interacted with true homeless people and i would like to continue to serve when i can.

Yerevan – Girls basketball team in Nerkin Karmiraghbyur

2013-12-05T00:00:00Z

Following advice of Mr. Ashot Galstyan—the local school trainer—started a basketball team for girls. Now 16 girls, grades 4-7, exercise at the local school gym 2 days per week. Only couple of months old the team has already won 14:1 in a match with the team of Tavush. While Mr. Galstyan gets a moderate compensation for training the local football team launched by Zorakn, he however works as a volunteer with the basketball team. To secure the further stable development of this awesome project we need to provide some monthly compensation + buy sporting equipment (basketballs) and uniform for the kids.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Tree of Knowledge

2013-12-04T00:00:00Z

see the pdf document at http://www.okhaos.com/TreeOfKnowledge.pdf

New Orleans, LA (Inactive) – Preparedness & Wetlands Club

2013-12-03T00:00:00Z

Team Happy Foundation (THF) will utilize a grant from The Awesome Foundation to inspire and equip the next generation of first responders and environmental engineers with fun literary tools to fuel their imagination! Thus, the THF Preparedness & Wetlands Club at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School in the Lower 9th Ward will engage 50 elementary school students (second grade) during the Spring Semester and provide them with free educational material and enrichment activities. Each month in the first quarter of FY2014, 50 students will receive one new, age-appropriate children’s picture book (paperback) from the Children’s Publishing Division of THF. The combination of our read-alouds are uniquely and creatively based on the Multiple Lines of Defense Model, which identifies wetlands as our first natural line of defense against storm surge - in conjunction with individual and community preparedness planning. Students are asked to submit a one-page handwritten book report (4 sentence minimum) and on the back of the same page, illustrate their favorite idea about the story! The aforementioned assignments will enhance their final journal entry: a 6-step action plan on how they will help their community become more prepared for hurricane season and also, how they will become advocates for the environmental restoration of wetlands in Southeast Louisiana (3 steps for each concept). Wednesday, January 15, 1:30-2:30p – 50 students receive The Adventures of Happy & Big Wanda. * Author reads, signs and disseminates books; explains club goals; 30mins for each separate class of 25 students. Wednesday, January 29 – book reports and illustrations are collected and picked up. Wednesday, February 13, 1:30-2:30p – 50 students receive Fearless Delta Fox. * Hour is spent same as above. Wednesday, February 27 – book reports and illustrations are collected and picked up. Wednesday, March 13, 1:30-3:00p – 50 students receive Backyard Bayou. * Students will receive books at urban wetlands field trip. Wednesday, March 27 – book reports, illustrations and 6-step action plans are collected/picked up. The club’s culminating story time and book dissemination will take place during a field trip to the Viewing Platform of Bayou Bienvenue’s Wetland Triangle at the corner of Caffin and Florida Avenue. Students will hear from wildlife experts and see firsthand many of the lessons highlighted throughout the collection of books. Before departing campus for the field trip, students will watch a 20minute documentary titled Bayou Sundance produced by L9 Center for Sustainable Development and Engagement, which focuses on the urban bayou in the city’s backyard!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – No, No Estamos Locos

2013-12-02T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is a two-week story-telling residency in La Central de Abasto in Mexico City. La Central is one of the largest wholesale markets in the world — up to 30% of all the food sold in the entire country passes through it every day. I will be accompanied by a Mexican photographer and translator (sadly, I chose German in high school). Together, we will spend one workday (starting at midnight, in most cases) at a time in its different sectors and with its different actors, from flowers to fruit, and from cargadores to cleaners and prostitutes to police. We will record their stories, document their day-to-day activities, inventory data (what do they eat? where do they come from? where and to/from whom does the produce they work with go? what do all the crazy fruit and vegetable signs say? what is the most expensive and cheapest product on sale each day? what is in the market’s waste and where does it go? etc.). Each day, at the market’s close, we will return to our own headquarters to put together a beautifully designed broadside of our findings: photographs, stories, and infographics that bring to life the people and unpack the mysteries of this "Axis of Food." Each day’s broadside will thus focus on one facet of the market: there will be an entire sheet on ice vendors, another on carrot cartels, and yet another on truck drivers, for example. We'll print these and distribute them as food wrappers at the city's public and street markets, where much of the produce sold at La Central ends up. We'll also publish them online (in collaboration with the BBC), and, at the end of the project, display them in tear-off pads as an exhibition in DF and then NYC. The market is amazing and mysterious, even to 99% of the residents of Mexico City: this project will help bring its daily operations and idiosyncrasies to life for the people it feeds. I have been wanting to do this since my first quick visit in 2010 (http://www.ediblegeography.com/the-axis-of-food/)!

Austin, TX – Legends for Youth baseball clinic for kids with disabilities

2013-11-30T00:00:00Z

CTX Ability Sports is the only organization in America that provides year round sports and activities to children with disabilities and their siblings and parents, all free of charge. The goal: total family inclusion. After one year of knocking on the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association's door, they agreed to hold the first ever "Legends for Youth" Baseball Clinic for children with disabilities. This will be a benchmark for the rest of the country to follow and even the MLB Network will be there to cover this historic event, scheduled for April 14, 2014.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Drop Project

2013-11-30T00:00:00Z

The Drop Project is an interactive exhibit that will embody sustainability and cutting edge science communication. This graduate student-led project will involve a month-long series of exhibits and activities held at Assemble, “a community space for arts + technology”. Our vision is to grow and diversify the ‘watershed movement’ by increasing awareness of the human-water relationship as well as promoting lifestyle choices that support a cleaner watershed. The Drop Project will include pieces that allow the participants to have a sensory experience that draws them into a stream ecosystem. Visitors will bump their way through stream rocks made from used fabrics. Macroinvertebrates, aquatic organisms underfoot but overlooked, are the most commonly used tool for assessing stream health. The exhibit will highlight their role in stream ecosystems and bioassessment. Participants will also learn about the visible and invisible pollution that stress our waterways. From plastic to pharmaceuticals, visitors will engage in creative, unconventional approaches to understand the problems, but also the personal practices, the “little drops” that can truly make a difference. One measurable objective for The Drop Project is to create community and connect stakeholders. Water is a valuable and contentious resource in the Pittsburgh region, and around the world. It will take many stakeholders coming together to creatively manage the draws we ask of our water resources. The Drop Project will facilitate connecting communities with action organizations, government agencies with non-profits, artists with scientists, and fly fisher people with resource managers. Through these social networking events, connections will be made that will catalyze sustainable resource use in the region.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – Detroit Charter Data

2013-11-29T00:00:00Z

Detroit Charter Data [DCD] was born out of the discrepancies I witnessed between school funding and access to resources at my charter school. Independently operated and funded by federal, state and local taxes, charter schools are a composite of traditional public schools (public funding and universal access) with aspects of private schools (choice, autonomy and flexibility). The end result is a mixed bag of independent districts with free reign of everything from the curriculum to budget. In many states, like New York, charter schools are required to be not-for-profit operations; Michigan is not one of those states. In fact, according to a report by the National Education Policy Center, Michigan has the highest proportion of for-profit charter schools in the nation. Having a background in journalism I decided to send in as many FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] requests as possible to figure out where the money was being allocated. The process was really important for me to understand the decisions at my school. That said, I ran into a number of hurdles in the process. Detroit Charter Data would be a resource for community members and stakeholders, like myself, to get to the bottom of where money and resources are going inside of charter schools. A data aggregator and FOIA generator the site will be grounded in a charter map on the home page which will list out all charter schools in the city. Users can filter the map to focus on Authorizers, Management Organizations or Inception Dates. Once users have picked a school they are interested in learning more about they can click on it and go to the "FOIA Generator" this would be a template FOIA that users could tweak for their personal use (we would have recommended requests listed at the bottom of the page). Users would create and send in their own FOIAs and then upload results to the site. The overall goal is an accountability/transparency site created for and by the public.

Miami, FL – Sensor Sub

2013-11-26T00:00:00Z

José has built a small, self-propelled submarine equipped with a camera and several data collection devices. We'd like to equip and use the sub to test and report on water quality in Miami. We will outfit José's sub with an array of water quality sensors (https://www.atlas-scientific.com/product_pages/kits/sds-kit.html) that will collect data about pH, purity, conductivity and oxygenation. We would then use the sub to test various bodies of water and to take underwater photos and video in Miami's waterways. We will analyze, map and report on the results on sensorsub.com and possibly partner with local media outlets to publicize what we find. Our end goal is to help Miami better understand the health of its waterways, to promote South Florida's growing maker movement, and to encourage civic science in our city.

London, ON (Inactive) – Student Move-Out Day Garbage Program

2013-11-26T00:00:00Z

Simply put, every year on there is a significant amount of garbage generated by student households. At no time is this fact more prevalent than on move-out days at the end of the year, when a brief stroll through a student neighbourhood will reveal a disturbing amount of stuff left out by students. Clothing, furniture, discarded electronics, kitchenware, clothing, food (both perishable and non), and all sorts of other bagged items are disposed of without necessarily careful regard. This excess of visible garbage on move-out can be attributed to the fact that while the city imposes a 4 bag-per-household limit normally, on move-out days this limit is removed to allow for the excess disposal. This provides an incentive for students to uncritically dispose of their wares. When looking at this problem, it is very easy to blame students. After all, one could argue that if students simply took responsibility over their individual waste contribution we would not see unnecessarily or disposal of goods that might still have value. While there may be an element of truth to that assessment, it does not suffice to say that this is simply an individual problem; it is a community problem, and it requires a community solution. In essence, by allowing students to dispose of a limitless amount of garbage without providing them with the proper resources with which to properly dispose of or donate their things, the city is equally culpable for the large and wasteful garbage disposals seen on move-out days. With this in mind, I propose a program which makes it easier on students to access and dispose of materials that can be otherwise used. The focus of this program will be on 1. More accessible electronics recycling 2. More accessible food donation points 3. More accessible clothing and household wares donation points. Though I have yet to identify with precision the most efficient way to help solve this problem, any and all small steps can help.

Philadelphia, PA – The Awesome Fest 2014

2013-11-26T00:00:00Z

We pride ourselves as a community that strongly believes in supporting each other, independent film, and showcasing this city as one of the very finest. We have created this to be a one-of-a-kind destination festival, with attendees from all over the globe traveling to see our shows. This is why for the 4th year in a row, we presented our entire outdoor summer series completely free of charge.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Community Canvases

2013-11-25T00:00:00Z

Community Canvases takes infrastructure, such as signal boxes, light poles and garbage totes, and turnes them into canvases of original artwork that reflects the historical, coultural and georgraphic features of each community. One thing that is unique about Buffalo is how incredibly diverse it is. From the immigrant and refugee populations in the West Side, to the many heritage corridors sprinkled throughout the city, Community Canvases aims to turn neighborhood infrastructure into works that reflect the celebrated differences that ultimately unite our city. Our first series of art was focused on Tonawanda Street in Buffalo's Riverside neighborhood. We used local artists to paint designs illustrating historical concepts like the War of 1812, geographic themes like the river and the park, as well as messages showing the connectedness of the residents.

Portland, OR – Dreamland

2013-11-24T00:00:00Z

Dreamland is a place where you find yourself unexpectedly. You are heading into the library or the courthouse or the museum and suddenly you come across a bed. There is someone sitting in a rocking chair reading aloud. You lie down and listen. It takes you to another place. Our project is to take you to this place. We bring in a these props and create a setting and then we invite participation, investigation, and experience. To make the project work it requires interaction and trust. We are choosing to trust that people will respond and join and people are given the choice to trust us to bring them to a place of wonder. There is something magical about the bizarreness of the scene we are setting. We have witnessed face after face light up when they realize what we are offering them. In this project we are interrupting the day-to-day in order to remind people what is possible. This is a repetitive process, it is done again and again in different spaces in order to reach a wider audience. We want to offer this to a wide diversity of people throughout the city, to offer this moment of whimsy and this glimpse into what is possible. Our process so far has been to haul our own furniture from our homes into a park. We have carried a bed, a table, a chair and all the other components of our set up a hill. We set up our bed, our room, our lights and people are immediately interested. We are peppered with questions throughout the entire process. We talk with people, we answer questions, we joke and we invite. We start, taking turns in the rocking chair, reading to whomever has gathered, a short story. People walk up, sit down, listen. Some stay for a while, some drift off and sleep a little, some sit for only a minute or two then walk away. Others take photos, pose in front of our set up. No matter the level of interaction, people notice, talk, smile, laugh.

San Francisco, CA – Awesöme Orchestra Collective

2013-11-24T00:00:00Z

Awesöme Orchestra Collective is a group of Bay Area musicians that holds free and open rehearsals of exciting orchestral repertoire of all kinds. We provide a low-pressure environment for people to create and enjoy orchestral music together with an emphasis on collaboration, transparency of process, and high musicianship. We believe the lower the stress, the better the experience. We seek a diverse group of musicians that represent our community who are passionate about orchestras and seek a more open, encouraging, and democratic music-making experience not always present in traditional ensembles. Participation in Awesöme Orchestra Collective is on a volunteer basis, not by audition, and will always be free to both musicians and non-musicians. We seek out musical adventures and innovative ways to make both new and traditional concert music more accessible to our community. Inclusiveness is a huge part of what we do, so we work hard to have the group self-govern itself, which leads to a more empowering experience and individuals. We have a few guidelines we've created: 1. Any musician or non-musician is always welcome to join us - just make sure you can proficiently handle the part you choose. 2. Attendance is never mandatory - but if you sign up, show up. 3. Part assignments are determined by the section - do what's best for the group and share the love. 4. Relax, get to know and encourage each other, and enjoy playing together - the high musicianship will follow. 5. Thou shalt be excellent to each other. We have been in existence since last spring, and meet at least once a month, and never more than twice a month. We are coming up on our twelfth session, and the group has 400+ players now, with new members and audience at every session. We actively seeking out new musicians, new composers for new works to premiere, and to get rid of the "packaging" common to most concert music experiences that take away from the music.

San Antonio, TX – Apps for Aptitude

2013-11-22T00:00:00Z

Apps for Aptitude is a non-profit organization (501c3) run completely by high schoolers. It was established for the purpose of reducing illiteracy rates within the in the greater San Antonio area and to fight technological illiteracy across the nation. San Antonio has experienced a growth of literacy rates- about 25% of the population is illiterate or functionally illiterate. This alarming rate and the fact that the majority of students are not knowledgeable in computer programming has fueled our desire to lower these rates. In order to do this, Apps for Aptitude has created a educational flashcard app called Cards for Cause, which is targeted at the common high school student struggling to study their material while on the go.The proceeds from the app will be donated to organizations in San Antonio that were established for the purpose of fighting illiteracy; thus enhancing education for everyone. First, you sign up for a submission service. Then, you send in your study flashcards/ review materials (may even be in the form of an excel spreadsheet) to be examined by the app's team. Once your cards have surveyed, they will be reiterated back to you in our app! What a perfect solution for students who are very involved or constantly busy.

Los Angeles, CA – ShareShelfLA

2013-11-22T00:00:00Z

What if on the side of garbage cans there was a little shelf? A wooden ledge attached to the garbage can that fit a few bags or boxes with leftovers in it. This way if you go out to eat, order too much and have some leftover you could put it on that shelf instead of on the sidewalk and instead of IN THE TRASH. The thought being, if homeless people are going to look through the trash for something to eat – maybe we could make the whole experience a bit more humane. With a tiny bit of help from the share shelf – we can share our excess, and others might have the opportunity to get what is left a little easier. Ben just so happens to be great at building things! He can build the shelves. And we will install them together. Our plan is that they latch onto the side of garbage cans or light posts in populated areas NEAR BUT NOT TOO NEAR restaurants in Hollywood, Downtown and other areas that are very populated. This way there will be foot traffic but we will be careful not to place them near right front doors of restaurants, we want to be friendly with neighborhoods we’ll exist in and not get complaints from restaurants.

Kitchener-Waterloo – 5am

2013-11-21T00:00:00Z

5am Every day 5:00am passes me by. While I am asleep there is a world that I am completely detached from. When I begin settling in for the evening there are countless others getting themselves ready to start their day. From bakers and farmers to gas station attendants and factory line workers, we live in a world that never truly sleeps. Productivity and services continue to be provided while many of us are asleep and dreaming. When I wake up in the morning I can, without a second thought, enjoy freshly made bread, produce picked hours earlier or even a newly paved road. The 5am project developed out of an interest to step outside of my 9-5 world; to document places, people and livelihoods at - or as close to - 5am as possible. The world may look very different when not congested with people and cars but that does not mean we have all settled in for sleep. Welcome to 5am.

Kingston – Operation Red Nose Kingston

2013-11-21T00:00:00Z

By the community, for the community. That best sums up one of Kingston's most worthwhile - and dare we say, AWESOME - seasonal campaigns. When many other people are celebrating and imbibing during the holiday season, a group of dedicated volunteers give up their own nights to get others home safely. Yes, we drive drunks home. But they are happy, generous and responsible drunks. Our goal is to reduce impaired driving by creating awareness and education around all those options available to holiday revellers - whether it be arranging a designated driver, calling a friend, calling a cab, spending the night, or using Operation Red Nose. Our service was introduced in Kingston in 1997, volunteers have escorted almost 8,600 motorists home safely during the festive season. Area residents have donated $165,000 to local charities. AWESOME. One day, we hope there will be no need for Operation Red Nose, but until that happens, we'll be here. We are your last call before you hit the road.

Ann Arbor, MI – Update on Cooperative Phonograph for skate park

2013-11-20T00:00:00Z

Must see video of recently finished phonograph: http://youtu.be/uEXZYPG6E6w The Cooperative Phonograph uses forgotten mechanical-audio magic from 19th century in an all-new type of sculpted experience. This interactive phono-record sculpture is unique because it is not at all fragile and the recorded sound waveform is macroscopic and tactile. A voice-recording of the refrain, “Love is All You Need”, is instantly recognizable as the coda of the Beatlesʼ song “All You Need Is Love” when the textured sound wave is scraped- using a business card as the phonograph stylus. One person spins huge record disc to control the rotation frequency (musical pitch), while another person holds the sound wave scraper and varies the amplitude (volume) of the musical experience. An organic sense of community emerges as users engage each other in this cooperative play.

Ann Arbor, MI – FUSE: Mobile Microcinema

2013-11-20T00:00:00Z

With AF's support I will launch the first year of FUSE, a quarterly mobile microcinema event in our community. There are two primary focal points for the project a) experimentation with the cinema-going experience, especially how audiences and artists can interact; b) a collaborative hosting model, with a different artist helping co-organize each FUSE. Conceptually, FUSE aims to short-circuit expectations for the typically static relationship between artists, presenters and audience. Why is experimentation important for the cinema-going experience? I believe most of our viewing options – whether paying to see feature films in a theater, a home viewing of streaming/DVDs, or link-hopping online – lend themselves to a passive, consumer relationship that's reductive in how we digest ideas and art. What if the artists' whose work is shared are present (virtually and/or physically) and the audience encouraged to contribute feedback, ideas, screening fees as they feel inspired? What if the whole event is transparent in terms of revenues/expenses, time involved and programming choices? What if content is choreographed for audience participation? FUSE will focus on ways that artists, presenters and audiences can interact to generate deeper experiences of sharing cinema. Collaboration with rotating co-hosts is also a critical piece of this project. It's a way to weave through cross-sections of our community, bridge gaps and bring new audiences together. It's a way for artists to gain experience in presenting work in new contexts. And it's also a way to avoid a curator's built in blind spots and biases. I hosted a test FUSE on June 8th at the studio of Roos Roast. We showed short films by local makers in attendance for audience Q&A. We setup an interactive video installation and held a "PopOff" contest to decide whose popcorn seasoning recipe was supreme. Attendance was 50 people, double the expectation, and feedback was enthusiastic for further FUSE events.

Ann Arbor, MI – A Face Mask For Girls Playing Field Hockey.

2013-11-20T00:00:00Z

Almost all girls playing field hockey play without the benefit of a face mask and as a result some are injured by an accidental stick or ball strike to the face. Concussions and stitches sometimes result. I have designed a simple, full face clear, plastic mask with two disposable foam inserts that attach to the inside of the mask at the forehead and chin. My design provides full face protection, total unobscured vision and has slots to enable easy breathing without condensation. Field hockey traditions do not encourage the use of a mask except when a girl plays certain defensive positions. All other players on the field are unprotected. Considering that the balls and bats are rigid and hard and that serious injuries do occur, it would seem that a simple and functional mask could encourage girls to wear them and they would then benefit from safer play. Traditions are difficult to break but it is time to upgrade this sport and keep girls from injury by design.

Ann Arbor, MI – Broken

2013-11-20T00:00:00Z

I have co created my second large social art installation project called "Broken" I is an work that is regarding human trafficking. It will be on exhibit at Art Prize this fall. It is an expensive project with many components: Handmade quilt, many handmade dolls, a large painting, a bed, a vanity, chains, handcuffs. It also has many bird cages that hold the handmade dolls representing imprisoned slaves. We hope that this project will travel as our last social art project traveled for 3 years to 20 venues. We already have a request to exhibit at the Michigan Conference for Human Trafficking. This project brings to life the suffering that trafficked individuals experience. We distribute information on how people can work to solve this problem and we educate people with facts.

New York City, NY – Pier 42 Wild Oyster Survey

2013-11-20T00:00:00Z

The oysters of New York Harbor were once world-renown for their quality, and the legendary vibrant and diverse social and cultural life of lower Manhattan in the 1800s revolved around oyster street stands, halls and saloons, and waterfront barges. Oysters made downtown what it is today. Restoration of the historic reefs and beds is the highest habitat goal for NY Harbor for the next decade; though not edible in our lifetime, oysters would provide valuable ecosystem services. Oysters are nutrient-rich food sources for marine life, birds, and humans. Hundreds of fish species and thousands of microscopic plant and animal species associated with oyster reefs settle in, providing increased abundance, functional diversity and complexity: the indicators of ecosystem health. Adult oysters can filter 50 gallons of water a day, removing toxins and contaminants from the water, and pelletizing them into the sediment. Oyster reefs and beds buffer the edge against storm surge, sea level rise, and acid rain. Oysters are returning to New York Harbor after a hundred-year absence due to habitat destruction, pollution, and over harvesting in the 1800s! The River Project first observed wild oysters at Pier 26, Tribeca in 1990, and continues observations. Presently, oysters seem to be settling at an accelerating rate. Our project is a survey to assess the local population and establish a baseline dataset for this site, which has habitat representative of much of the Harbor; Pier 42, in the Hudson River Park Estuarine Sanctuary, on the Greenwich Village waterfront, adjacent to our wetlab and office at Pier 40. The survey will measure settlement, growth, mortality, habitat distribution, size, age, and disease, if any. Early results show densities of approximately 8 oysters per square meter, maximum size 11cm (4.5 inches).

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Opera for kids: The Magic Flute

2013-11-19T00:00:00Z

What is more awesome than opera? As a group of classically trained musicians, we are eager to share our love of music to a new audience! Opera is often received as boring, expensive, and hard to follow. By involving children and families in the production through opportunities that include helping to design the costumes and sets of the opera, informative workshops introducing children and their families to the magical world of opera, and in-school performances, we plan on bringing opera to the community. We offer discounts to local parent groups, donate tickets to I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder, a drop out prevention program, and offer group sales for in-school performances. In December 2013, we will produce an abridged version of the widely known and well-loved opera, Mozart’s The Magic Flute sung in German with english dialog. Through our collaboration with Tinker Art Studio, we will offer a series of free workshops to create a dragon head and a set design for the show. These workshops will happen in late October. In an effort to directly and personally engage students, we are offering in-school visits by the team and some cast members for an “Intro to Opera” workshop. We will also hold a ten minute Q&A session with the cast at the end of each show.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Hope through Common Threads

2013-11-18T00:00:00Z

While living in Thailand, I developed a love for the handmade textiles woven by Burmese refugee women. From my perspective as a Western visitor, the textiles were “wearable art,” beautiful with intricate and colorful patterns. To them, the textiles are purely functional. They use them as clothing worn daily to carry vegetables from the market or their gardens and even to carry their babies on their backs while they work. The women weave these textiles using a back-strap loom, a traditional and ancient technique used by indigenous peoples around the world. They build the looms themselves out of wood and pvc piping and they weave for hours at a time in their homes. Not only does weaving preserve these ancient techniques, it also ties their communities together, bringing women together to talk about social and economic issues. Weaving provides an outlet for self-expression and most importantly it creates supplementary income. I want to help the refugee women I work with in Florida preserve their traditional craft and support themselves financially. When they arrive in America, they face an uphill battle. Most speak little or no English and have very limited employment prospects. This project will provide refugee women with the materials necessary to build their own looms and start weaving. It will also help them with the marketing and sales of their finished textiles. By organizing “sewing circles” which include Iraqi, Afghan, Cuban, Colombian, Congolese and Ethiopian refugees, as well as Burmese, the women will improve their English skills because it is the only way they will be able to communicate across nationalities. This program will help the refugee women preserve their cultures while simultaneously improving their integration into American culture by creating a desirable artisanal textile products and selling them at local arts markets. Eventually, we will grow the program to include instruction on Internet sales, including product listing sites like Etsy.

Vancouver, BC (Inactive) – Prado Parklet

2013-11-18T00:00:00Z

I'm working with a young architect, an up-and-coming public artist, a new and innovative social enterprise, the BCIT ironworkers program, and a talented photographer to develop one badass parklet: a public space that takes over street parking. Consulting for the owner of Prado Cafe on Commercial Drive, we are one of only a few parklet teams accepted into the City's 2013 parklet pilot program, and we are the only team on the Drive. As a resident of the neighbourhood, it's important for me to bring together a great team in order to create an interesting public space for our community. The architect and I have sought to honour the conversational qualities of this new space by working with Jordan Bent, a visual artist with a prolific portfolio of work. Ever seen those huge blocks of text above the Cambie or Granville bridges? Or on the walls of the Little Mountain Gallery, Chapel Arts, or Bitter? He did those. We will work with Jordan to garner the words and sentences of passersby, after which he'll distill and synthesize them into abstract metaphoric images. We''ll then bring the imagery to Derek from the Laser Cutter Cafe, who will laser etch the designs onto the wood structure. We believe this is the right aesthetic and conceptual choice for our design: the wood will actually embody the words of the community! It's going to look slick. We have reached out to students at BCIT, who will be welding and fabricating our table and bench structures. Since they are students, their work is inexpensive! We also wanted to give them an opportunity to work on a project with real consequences, one they can visit and share with friends. Finally, while building the structure a photographer will be creating a time-lapse video of the process, and looping it in the cafe for patrons to view. I hope you'll agree that we have maximized this collaborative opportunity for a really awesome endeavour. Come, sit and enjoy when it's completed over the next few months!

Ottawa – Walk (Bike) Your City

2013-11-13T00:00:00Z

November’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Lana Stewart, to support a raft of do-it-yourself “guerrilla wayfinding” street signs to improve walkability and bikeability in Ottawa. “Everyone says Ottawa is boring, but it's not if you know the right places to go,” says Lana. “Unfortunately, the signs you see along the streets and highways aren't going to direct you to the heart of local Ottawa. We need signs that point the person who hopped off the bus and is walking, or the person cycling along a bike path, to the great things just minutes or metres from where they are.” Starting in the spring, Lana will use the do-it-yourself sign-making website Walk [Your City], which she backed when it was first a Kickstarter project, to create signs to local businesses or points of interest that would not normally make it onto a formal street sign. “I hope these signs help point people in the right direction to find good local food, shops, and culture,” she says. Lana is a pedestrian, cyclist, and mom. She blogs at http://www.modalmom.com.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Dances Made to Order/En Route Dance Film Festival

2013-11-11T00:00:00Z

Dances Made to Order is an online, monthly, dance film series. Every month we invite three talented artists who rise to the challenge of creating new and original dance films inspired by the themes chosen by our audience. 65% of the revenue we earn from subscriptions and ticket sales goes back to our artists to support their work. We also produce the En Route Dance Film Festival yearly in December for which we take submissions. The program includes a selection of dance films from all over the world that are not available anywhere else online. The ticket sales from the festival are used to furnish a cash prize for the audience choice award winner. We also invite a prestigious jury to watch the films to provide more exposure for our artists. Here's a link to our trailer for our 2012 festival:https://vimeo.com/55131992. We realized that people's habits and preferences for the way they consume media are changing. Our project responds to those changes to present local dance on a global scale.

Baltimore, MD (Inactive) – Hanky Pancreas

2013-11-11T00:00:00Z

Hanky Pancreas is a series of products currently for women to help make the insulin pump more wearable and socially acceptable. My top selling item, the Hanky Scarf is a versatile piece that can be worn around the neck or waist. Made of wonderfully soft fabric, it feels great against the skin, and has a special pocket to hold and protect the insulin pump in a user-friendly, comfortable, & fun way. For a person living with diabetes, the social and psychological impact of the illness can affect day-to-day management. Individuals who feel more social support living with the disease may be in better health than those who do not. Studies show that patients with diabetes are more likely than their non-diabetic peers to develop anxiety, depression, and disordered eating behavior. While insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors serve as significantly better alternatives to multiple daily injections and finger sticks, some people are concerned with how it will affect their appearance to others. Primary research has shown that women, specifically within the range of 15 – 35, are less likely to use these treatment options due to reasons that are typically socio-psychological in nature. Some find these devices socially inconvenient and difficult to integrate into clothing or on the body. Hanky Pancreas products are designed as an intervention providing fashionable yet functional solutions transforming the devices into positive conversation pieces. The mission is to plug diabetes technologies into social identities and create support in everyday environments for women living with diabetes. It has awarded me the opportunity to speak at the headquarters of Medtronic Diabetes, The Mayo Clinic, and on Public Radio International. I am honored to have received accolades from The Mayo Clinic, Core77, DiabetesMine and Humana. Founded in 2010, the products are sold to happy customers all over the world and have been featured in exhibitions in the UK, New York, and Spain.

Baltimore, MD (Inactive) – "Cantata for a Loop Trail" for Rhymes With Opera

2013-11-11T00:00:00Z

Erik Spangler will be collaborating with the ensemble Rhymes With Opera to create a 35-minute music theater work for singers and instrumentalists along a forest trail. In his role as Guide, he will escort small groups of audience members to different stations along the path, blending intimate proximity to performers along with the experience of voices and instruments heard from a distance. His own texts, along with those of poet Wendell Berry, the Roman Code of Justinian, along with adaptations of several Appalachian folk songs, frame the work as a type of secular ecological Mass. This work is intended to connect audiences with a natural environment close to home, and with memories of older generations regarding changes that the land has undergone. Each performance will have site-specific audio components, derived from recorded interviews with local people and samples of environmental sounds found in the area of the performance. In each location where the work is performed, Spangler will work with local students to record the spoken accounts of their elders in the community, relating to changes in the landscape, local sounds, and what their home area means to them. Using portable audio recorders, the youth participants will also seek out and record sounds that are unique to their area. He will integrate these audio contributions, which will be played back on hidden boomboxes placed in the foliage along the loop trail. Rhymes With Opera will present the premiere of "Cantata For A Loop Trail" on the Norman Reeves Trail at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park in Baltimore, Maryland, during the afternoon of June 21, 2014. On June 22, the work will be presented at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. Five performances are proposed for each day at 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. The performance will be free, with 20 tickets available for each performance.

Gloucester, MA – Art Haven Lobster Trap Christmas Tree

2013-11-08T00:00:00Z

Cape Ann Art Haven is a community space where artists of all ages and abilities are encouraged to develop creativity and confidence through hands on learning and collaboration. The Lobster Trap Christmas Tree, located on Main St. in Gloucester outside of the Police Station, has been a long-standing winter tradition. The Cape Ann Art Haven has taken over the duties of building and setting up the tree in recent years, while it's students paint buoys to adorn the piece of art. This has historically been the organizations best known and most attended event, a true Gloucester favorite!

New Orleans, LA (Inactive) – Take a Professional to School Day

2013-11-08T00:00:00Z

After launching Nolablackprofessionals.com, I got the crazy idea to remix Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. So I gather professionals of all races together and we take over a school. It's not like your normal boring Career Day. We dress like ourselves, we talk to the kids in a relatable manner, we invite a local DJ to provide music during our lunch session and then we allow the kids to ask us questions at the end of the day. I wanted to create something dope that the students would like and appreciate.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Secured and Fortified

2013-11-06T00:00:00Z

My goal is to create an interactive, painted and sculptural blanket fort which will be in the center of "The Game Room" at Highfield House in Falmouth, MA, in April 2014. The curator, Annie Dean, of this historic house museum approached me to install one of my large life-size stacked furniture wall painting installations. (not attached but can be seen at http://candicesmithcorby.com/walls.html ) After seeing the proposed room and describing my recent work with blanket forts, my interest was piqued by the possibility of creating a new 3-d work that encompasses painting, sculpture, and an interactive element. The room has a high ceiling with beams and a skylight which physical objects can be attached to. At my last exhibition at the Ellen Miller Gallery, I made an actual blanket fort (see images) and was left with some ongoing questions/interests- How could painting and the real be merged more believably? In this exhibited fort, I hand-painted a sheet but used other real blankets and fabric. In the images of the paintings, there is a freedom of construction without having to adhere to gravity, as well as perspective. For the new fort, I am interested in using life-size illusionistically painted images of blankets in lieu of actual blankets. Furniture will be used for structural needs (real and illusory) and may be physically altered and painted to support the blur between the 2 and 3 dimensions. A conceptual and physical reference for me are Roman fresco wall paintings in which the architecture and illusionistic paintings expand the understanding of the space. http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/247017?rpp=60&pg=1&rndkey=20131013&ao=on&ft=*&deptids=13&what=Paintings&pos=57 This new fort will be interactive in that visitors, including children, will be able to crawl and move through the fort, capturing the belief of playful transport that we often lose in the day to day duties of our adult lives.

Liverpool – SOLA ARTS- Art Therapy in the Community

2013-11-06T00:00:00Z

SOLA ARTS is a small charity that does big things! We have been supporting the most disadvantage people since 2004 and intend to continue doing so through this brilliant and innovative project. We want to provide a 12-week Art Therapy in the Community offer for people on low income with mental health problems. Although we will focus on people from refugee and BME communities, the project will be open to anyone in need referred. Art Therapy is a non-verbally focused form of mental health support, using creative approaches to healing of the mind and soul. It can be very extremely distressing for people with mental health problems to feel a pressure to engage verbally and so it is fundamental that people in this situation have an opportunity to engage in non-verbal mental health support and for this to provide art therapy. For people with language difficulties, art therapy can be more effective for mental distress than talking therapies. Yet, surprisingly even though Liverpool is a multi-cultural and creative city it is only now through SOLA ARTS that Art Therapy has recently become a community based offer. SOLA ARTS has been delivering arts engagement activities for the past 10 years, however, over the past 6 months SOLA has become specialist in being the only community project offering Art Therapy as a core programme. Specialist mental health services such as psychotherapy or counselling are often charged and expensive or difficult to access due to long waiting times or the stigma of having to request such a provision through a GP or NHS process. We want to provide this service free of charge and in a community setting . This allows for the person to have direct access to the provision and by being in the community based at a community arts project, participants will have an anonymity and privacy in their healing journey, this project is for those most needy in our community. We think this is awesome and need your support to make it happen.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Music, Music, Music: Elders Takin' it On the Road

2013-11-06T00:00:00Z

I lead "Power Sings"---singalongs filled with a variety of music from the 1930's to present. Our residents would like to "take it on the road". We are eager to bring music to local nursing homes. Our community dwelling seniors realize that nursing home residents could benefit from the joy of other seniors sharing music. We'd love a little funding to "take it on the road".

Washington, DC – Floor Charts

2013-11-05T00:00:00Z

I started an innocent Tumblr in November 2012 after the election was over and D.C. reporters were bored. It's an exhaustive archive of charts/posters/props used by Congress since cameras were turned on and they became popular. It doesn't have a political bend, and it tries to only track each chart once. It uses keyword tagging at the most basic level and it's not nearly as interactive a database as I envision in the future. Now it's my life with more-than 1,700 charts. I don't promote often but just launched a Facebook page and Twitter account for it after NPR included me in a story...and TIME graciously honored me as a "Tumblr to Follow in 2013."

Yerevan – Ye տարբերանշանի հանրային ցուցադրում/առաջխաղացում

2013-11-05T00:00:00Z

Արդեն ավանդական դարձած Էրեբունի-Երևան տոնակատարությունն 2013 թ-ին դիզայներական օղակներում, իսկ հետագայում՝ արդեն ավելի հանրորեն ստացավ լայն արձագանք: Ամեն ինչ սկսվեց նրանից, որ քաղաքապետարանի կողմից հաստատված "Իմ սրտի ուղեկից" կարգախոսով տարբերանշանը նախ ստացավ բացասական արձագանք դիզայնի ոլորտի մասնագետների կողմից, այնուհետև արագորեն տարածվեց Ֆեյսբուքում. մեծ քանակությամբ ֆեյսբուքից օգտվողներ սկսեցին փոխել իրենց պրոֆիլային նկարը և փոխարենը տեղադրել Ye տարբերանշանը, միմյանց ներկայացնելով այն որպես Երևանի, Երևանի այլընտրանքային կամ Էրեբունի-Երևանի լոգո: Արշավին միացավ նաև մեդիան: Մասնավորապես՝ PanARMENIAN-ը, (http://goo.gl/WI1YU1), ( http://goo.gl/cqr6Zw) և EMPORIUM-ը (http://goo.gl/CjK46R): Ստեղծվեց Android հավելված, որով կարելի է նկարվել կամ արդեն ունեցած նկարի վրա տեղադրել տարբերանշանը (http://goo.gl/6NjBdN by Sendshot ) : Ստեղծվեցին հատուկ կայքեր, որտեղից կարելի է վերցնել տարբերանշանի ցանկացած գույն ( http://ames.am/ye-colours/ ), կամ տեղադրել այն ցանկացած նկարի վրա ( http://zoom.am/ye/ by Zoom Graphics ): Դիզայներ Արա Ասլանյանը ստեղծեց հատուկ բլոգ ( http://yenews.tumblr.com/ ): Հետագայում Վահան Ստեփանյանը և Արա Ասլանյանը կազմակերպեցին ֆոտեսեթ՝ որի արդյունքները կարելի է տեսնել http://yenews.tumblr.com/ հասցեյով: Միջոցառմանն անդրադարձավ ImYerevan.com-ը՝ (http://goo.gl/hMY8sW): Հրապարակվեց Երևանյան լուսանկարների շարք՝ ye.2795 (http://goo.gl/dyT12n) և Ye-Yerevan (http://goo.gl/1mxoTV by Eugenia Evoyan ): Լոգոյի հետագա տարածման նպատակով նախատեսվում է Երևանյան փողոցներում կազմակերպել միջոցառում՝ երևանցիների մասնակցությամբ և տարբերանշանի օգտագործման տարբեր մտահղացումներով, օրինակ՝ որպես փողոցում տեղադրած նշանի, որի մոտ հնարավորություն կլինի նկարվելու, տարբեր կրիչները լոգոյով պատելու՝ մեքենաներ, վահանակներ, գռաֆիտի, տեղում շապիկները լոգոյով պատելու հնարավորություն՝ տարբեր գույների ներկերով, հուշանվերների պատրաստում և տարածում Մասնակիցներ՝ - PanARMENIAN Photo - Ara Aslanyan - Arthur Lumen Gevorgyan - Eugenia Evoyan *ցանկը կարող է համալրվել

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Performance, Potluck & Punch

2013-11-04T00:00:00Z

Performance, Potluck, & Punch is a potluck party, but at this party there are also curated performances of all shapes and sizes. It’s a potluck, so the only admission price is a dish to share. We want to plant deep artistic roots in our neighborhood of SW Detroit. As artists we want to share what we do with our neighbors, and we want them to share with us. By sharing a communal art experience in a familial way we hope more people will feel invited into alternative art. We'll come together around what brings people together—food and a shared experience. We'll provide a punch bowl to gather around and together we'll watch a performance or two. After, we'll return to the punch to discuss what we've seen, as well as anything else that might come up. We piloted this program with one event last year to great success. It felt right. Detroit communities need more reasons to come together, not just to fight neighborhood problems but to celebrate each other and our imaginations, witness acts of beauty, trigger inspiration, and spark curiosity, A Host of People feels that it is vital we find ways to weave artistic acts regularly into the social fabric of our lives—it fuels us to keep going. We're sure you've seen Detroit's challenges in the news lately. But what the news doesn't show is the amazing things that are going on here- that are being created outside of the broken system. It was this creative energy that led us to relocate our company here from Brooklyn, NY. We feel inspired by the strong, resilient community we have found ourselves in. It is these communities that will be the agents of change for this city. A Host of People has always believed in starting where you are, but we also believe in sharing. This program was designed to be repeatable. We hope that if it is successful in our community, other neighborhoods will start their own Performance, Potluck, and Punch too. Let it grow like the community gardens that dot our so-called blighted landscape!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Employee of the Month

2013-11-01T00:00:00Z

During a rough economic market, I started the Employee of the Month Show to share informational interviews with folks who were also struggling to find work. I'd meet with remarkable activists to CEO's to Oscar winning filmmakers and I wanted to share the honest stories, pitfalls, and secrets. People craved these uniquely candid interviews and several folks got jobs directly as a result of what they learned! - Jennette, a thirty-something, quit her job and went after her dream career inspired by, "How daring your guests are on the show and, honestly, you Catie!" - Michelle, who lives in Seattle and listens to the podcast is taking a stab at cartooning, after having given up previously, but heard Bob Mankoff, The New Yorker cartoon Editor on my show and say he wished more women would apply. She told me that, "I feel like I got my life back." - Carl, another fan, an African-American, forty-something father of two, finished a children's book which he had put off because he felt, "So inspired by hearing Kevin Clash speak in a way he never has. Thank you Catie!" Employee of the Month's fan base is now over 40,000 subscribers. We have live shows in two cities and will be expanding to three as well as more video content. I simply can't keep up with the demand. Fans email to ask questions. They want to get on our mailing list, donate, access the interviews, volunteer on live tapings, submit future potential guests, and research the (almost) 100 interviews. There's a growing library! Let's say you want to be a Muppeteer or research what it's like to be a puppeteer. I have four interviews with the leading puppeteers of Elmo, Grover, Miss Piggy and Avenue Q! So if I can update the website to respond to what folks need, they can look up interviews by interest area. In turn, I can then find out who fans want to hear from and respond accordingly. Also people want videos, so I will disseminate the interviews across platforms creating interactive digital storytelling.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactive) – Tachless

2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

When the average age of exposure to pornography in Israel (boy and girl) is 11, the average age of first intercourse is 14-15 (boy and girl accordingly), and the exposure to sexual messages is 0, it really is surprising that there is little to none sexual education in schools, and parents have a hard time talking to their kids about sex! Tachless provides sex education for parents and students in schools across Israel.

Denver, CO (Inactive) – El Sistema Colorado at Swansea Elementary

2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

El Sistema CO uses music for the whole-child, as a tool for cognitive and social development, academic success and graduation. Low income children are often denied the educational and developmental opportunities of music as their schools focus on "the basics" to raise test scores. They are left without this AWESOME means of overcoming economic and community barriers to success. Deprived of the joy and engagement that come from more enriching activities, poor youth feel less engaged in school and the achievement gap that separates them from their more privileged peers grows. El Sistema CO provides free instruments, music education and a youth orchestra at schools in the low-income Hispanic Globeville area of north Denver, CO. 97% of students live at poverty level, but music injects richness into their lives. Students from K to 12th grade receive music in-school & after-school, taught by dedicated teaching artists. In the last year, El Sistema CO provided 900 hours of programming to 290 students at Garden Place Elementary. Nearby Swansea Elementary needs our program, but to get started, they need violins. We can make this happen for these AWESOME kids. The youth orchestra will be a catalyst for these low-income children to succeed and to enrich their lives. Currently, only 31% of those with limited English proficiency graduate in this area – not AWESOME! There is a strong link between music education, cognitive development, academic achievement and graduation. Music education improves pattern recognition, visio-spatial processing, memory, critical and systems thinking and problem-solving. The discipline and cooperation required of children participating in an orchestra also develops success skills such as self-discipline, teamwork and collaboration, perseverance, resilience and leadership. Lastly, we are about bringing people together with music, creating community identity and vitality. Leaders in El Sistema CO will be AWESOME leaders in their communities.

Pittsburgh, PA – Tip Type in Wilkinsburg: Rudy Lehman's Legacy

2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

In January of 2013 my friend and mentor, Rudy Lehman, died. Rudy had run Lehman Typesetting in Wilkinsburg from 1957-2013, and the shop houses a complete and classic working Linotype machine, something that is getting harder and harder to find. On a Friday after he died Rudy's family told me that metal scrappers were coming Monday to haul away the equipment in the shop. I asked them to please cancel that plan and I have been working ever since, raising money here and there, to buy the shop and the equipment. Rudy's family is delighted that someone wants to save the shop and I am about to sign a contract to take it over. I plan on turning into a working Linotype and photo lithography studio, available for projects by artists in Pittsburgh and beyond. As part of this plan, in September 2013 I will be attending Linotype University, a monthlong intensive course held at the Working Linotype Museum on the campus of Pry Plastics, Inc in Denmark, Iowa. Run by Larry Reid the course is a labor of love and preservation, free for people who have the equipment. Linotypes are amazing and beautiful machines! The Linotype is sometimes called a typesetting machine, but this is not correct: it does not set type. It is a substitute for typesetting. It is strictly speaking a composing machine, as it does composition but its product is not set type, but solid slugs in the form of lines of type with the printing face cast on the edge. Text is molded and cast into lead and after the printing process it is melted back down and used again. I am extremely excited to work with this extraordinary and evocative process and to be able to make it available to other artists.

Philadelphia, PA – Chester Arthur Elementary Drum Club

2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

Most Philadelphians are well aware of the recent and quite devastating "Doomsday" budget cuts to the public school system, which essentially made any arts and music programs a thing of the past. Not so fast, a group of pretty remarkable, forward-thinking parents and teachers of Chester Arthur Elementary recently formed a non-profit to help offset the lack of funding and keep vital school programs intact for the city's kids. I learned more about their efforts and have volunteered my Friday afternoons to design and implement our version of a music program for the 5th and 6th grade class: precisely the age I when I was introduced to playing music. So we've formed the Chester Arthur Drum Club! The school is equipped with an old piano, and that's about it. So we've gathered dozens of 5 gallon plastic buckets - essentially, they make great drums. Donations have been helpful in getting drum sticks, other noisemakers, and we even managed to piece together a full drum set, via community donations, to provide a rhythmic anchor to our newly formed percussion ensemble. I was amazed by the community's helpful response: Below is a little recent press: http://www.philebrity.com/2013/09/24/friends-of-chester-arthur-elementary-school-are-taking-music-into-their-own-hands/ I feel the kids are at the perfect age not only to release a little physical energy, but to learn to express and create through a group based, teamwork-driven musical experience. I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned about music, it's rewards and it's challenges, but I also can't wait to learn something new from these new musicians. Thank you for your consideration.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactive) – קידום פרויקט בניה לצעירים ערבים בלוד

2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

Nivni Asasat-Building Foundations is an initiative of young Arab people in Lod, who decided to take action to address their real need for a home, a common issue of the Arab population in the city of Lod. The group is working on a groundbreaking joint housing project through a non-for-profit association, that will enable them to take advantage of significant benefits given by the state to groups, such as land allocation. We love this project because it is so ambitious and so innovative!

Melbourne (Inactive) – Traveling Gypsy for Disabled

2013-10-30T00:00:00Z

The Project is a very simple one that is to raise as much money and awareness for riding for the disabled centres around Australia as I can. At the moment I am in Glenrowan Victoria rebuilding the Gypsy wagon so it is better suited and be more representable to the public. and the campaign that my self and my family are about to embark on the home wagon needs to be in top shape and easy for the horses to pull. I am looking for help in making this dream come true. I am currently on a disability support pension and have very little funds to make this happen and to finish the wagon with but so far we have almost finished . When we have finished the wagon we will start touring Victoria first then we will travel through each state and town spreading the word about the benefits of horses and how people can get involved in there local RDA Centre and al funds raised 100% will go to the local Centre for horse feed and any thing that mite improve and help provide the service for there clients. With my Cab Wagonette Carriage 10% of money raised through rides will go to the local RDA Centre and if the town we travel through has no RDA then the nearest Centre will receive the funds. At the end of the day this is Just a way to help make this world a better place for any and all disabled people .

Miami, FL – Wynwood Paint and Skate Pop up Park

2013-10-29T00:00:00Z

This project is being organized by C.R.A.F.T. with the support of several international and local artists, as well as one of Miami’s biggest professional skateboarders. Our goal is to revamp Wynwoods abandoned RC Cola Factory, an un-used and relatively large space, by turning it into the Wynwood Paint and Skate pop-up park: an art-based skatepark for locals and at-risk youth. Both graffiti and skateboarding are regularly used as outlets for at-risk youth. Without a local place for both participants to showcase their talents, the mediums often lead to heightened criminal activity and sometimes death. Currently, there are more than 13 million skateboarders in the U.S. with an increase of 10% participants per year since 2010, making skateboarding the fastest growing sport in the country. In terms of graffiti, the Wynwood neighborhood remains one of the biggest graffiti and street-art districts in the world. Still, there are currently no safe places for local muralists to work, and there are currently no major skateparks within a 22-mile radius. In terms of Wynwood itself: although the neighborhood has seen much change, most sections of the neighborhood continue to be impoverished and residents continue to lack a solid communal space. In 2000, with a median household income of $11,293.93, Wynwood was known as one of Miami’s most dangerous and impoverished neighborhoods. With this event, we seek to aid in Wynwood’s continued growth. The Wynwood Paint and Skate pop-up park will function as a 3-day event during Miami’s 2013 Art Basel festival in order to showcase Miami’s need for a permanent space on-site. Our partner artists and skateboarding professionals will act as mentors for the young, participating skaters and artists. Ultimately, we aim to create a venue that will function as a place for youth from both worlds to learn, create and play in a safe and controlled environment, while creating a much needed public space for residents to enjoy.

London, ON (Inactive) – The London Eye

2013-10-29T00:00:00Z

Imagine soaring over the streets of London - what would you see? Historic buildings, beautiful parks, sun glinting off glass towers. The London Eye will capture the beauty of this city, allowing all Londoners to believe they can fly. The London Eye is a camera-equipped flying robot that allows anyone to create super-hi resolution ariel movies of this fair city. When complete this remote-controlled robot will be capable of flying up to 3 metres in the air, capturing a view of London that no other ariel photography can provide. Unlike traditional ariel photography that views the city from hundreds of metres away, the London Eye captures an intimate, human view of the city, showing us the detail that would otherwise go unnoticed. While traditional ariel photography involves renting a plane or fixed-wing glider and costs hundreds of dollars per trip, the London Eye uses an affordable, battery-powered, gyro-stabilized quad-copter that anyone can pilot. The goal of this project is to make ariel photography accessible. When complete Londoners can book the London Eye and use it free of charge. All videos will live on freely-accessible website, promoting the beauty of London to the world. To see what kind of footage the London Eye will be capable of, watch this video created using similar technology: http://vimeo.com/74765076. If selected to pitch to the Awesome London judges I will bring my London Eye 1.0 prototype, created for $20 using helium balloons and an old video camera. When you see what $20 can make, you won't believe what we could accomplish together with $1000. The London Eye is more than a flying video camera, it is a flying public art installation which empowers Londoners to share their vision of the city with the world. With your support I will help Londoners believe they can fly, allowing their artistic visions take to the sky.

Connecticut – Little Elves for Little Angels- CT, Inc

2013-10-28T00:00:00Z

Little Elves for Little Angels helps children and families with basic needs - as well as "special" needs, that are such an important part of our human experience :-) We pair up excited "secret" helpers in our community, with "little angels" whose parents cannot afford birthday and Christmas gifts, back to school clothes and supplies. We also give our most needy families care packages- which are household and personal care items designed to last the family at least 2 months. My own family struggled for years after my husband lost his job- and this is the reason we started our cause. To date- our organization has helped over 400 families. Please watch our video (I apologize for the length- I'm working on condensing it :) ) https://www.dropbox.com/s/gcamm9mm3tjjta5/Little%20Elves%20for%20Little%20Angels-%20CT%20Inc..wmv

San Antonio, TX – Each One Teach One Adult Literacy Program

2013-10-27T00:00:00Z

As mentioned in previous applications, EOTO provides one on one tutoring to adult learners who either: 1) perform below 8th grade level academically or 2) are studying to pass the GED exam for high school equivalency. Through the use of over 100 volunteer tutors from all walks of life, EOTO serves adults ranging from non-readers to those nearing completion of the GED. The tutoring sessions are two hours in length, and EOTO staff prepare individualized lesson plans for the adult learners. Since becoming an independent non-profit in 2010, EOTO has served over 200 adult learners and helped more than 60 obtain their GED. EOTO is the only non-profit in San Antonio serving low functioning adult learners. One quarter of San Antonio adults are "functionally illiterate", i.e., unable to read above a fifth grade level. San Antonio ranks 7th in the U.S. in population, but 60th among U.S. cities in literacy. Literacy has a profound affect upon socio-economic issues such as unemployment, crime, health, high school dropout rates, and domestic violence to name a few. EOTO utilizes the one on one approach to learning with adults so that they can learn at their own pace and avoid the stress or embarrassment of a traditional classroom setting. Furthermore, the EOTO approach to adult learning gives members of the San Antonio community the opportunity to be a part of the solution to this serious and citywide problem. As a result, the program effectively leverages its resources and can serve many more adult learners than if dependent solely upon financial resources. EOTO provides tutoring services at four locations in the city: Baptist Child and Family Services (410 and Callaghan), River City Christian School (5810 Blanco), St.Mary's Learning Center (3141 Culebra), and Margarita Huantes Center (1411 Guadalupe Street).

Newmarket – YouthSpeak Performance Charity Organization

2013-10-25T00:00:00Z

Our 4th annual A.W.A.K.E. (Awareness With Anew Knowledge & Experience) youth drug awareness conference for grade 9 & 10 students is being held at Valleyview Alliance church, Newmarket on March 20th, 2014. We are grateful that Valleyview has allowed us to use thier amazing space as it accomodates all of our activities and workshops. The goal is to provide: Opportunities for youth to participate in activities that are fun, safe and would be healthy alternatives to using drugs Information on the effects of drugs and alcohol misuse and opportunities to learn healthier lifestyle choices Information on accessible resources for youth in York Region Build rapport with adult role models such as police, teachers and youth counsellors within their community Strengthen relationships between school board and community agencies, building capacity among youth and adults together Leadership opportunities to youth who have faced adversity and help them develop confidence Activities include: Keynote presentation – with youth speakers sharing personal stories in overcoming their challenges with substance abuse and youth counsellors from Addiction Services for York Region on the effects of drugs Other presentations – canine demo by police and accident prevention presentation with a vehicle that has been in a collision on display Interactive Workshops – participants will have an opportunity to choose from a selection of workshops facilitated primarily by youth - Breakdance, Martial Arts, Bellydance, Graffitti, Jewellery-making, Poetry Agency booths – where students can interact i.e. police with the impaired goggles, DriveWise and they have an opportunity to ask questions and receive information with other agency booths such as public health Community Partners include: York Regional Police, Addiction Services for York Region, Public Health, York Public and Catholic District School Boards See attached flyer & our blog for info on last years event