Awesome Foundation - Projects

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

Austin, TX – Attendance Records: Inspiring Austin's next generation of musicians

2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

Attendance Records is dedicated to bringing creativity back into schools by connecting teachers and students with local writers, artists and musicians. By providing students with the opportunity to design, write and produce their own album, students build confidence skills that result in discovering what makes them unique. With budget cuts in full effect, arts programs are usually first to go. We provide a free, safe environment each school year where public school students are encouraged to find their own voice through the arts. Two local bands per school year work with students in the classroom to help turn ideas into actual song lyrics. The bands then take our student-written lyrics and record an original album for free at Estuary Recording Facility. The program is a whole community project, where people of all ages are learning something unique about themselves. Our curriculum is catered to each class we work with. In the fall we focus on building community through a variety of creative enterprises, and dive into the songwriting aspect by exploring point of view through lyrics analysis, freewriting, and exposure to different musical genres. In the spring we focus on art by examining classic album covers and using them as inspiration for the students own album project. We also learn about the DIY aspects of creating an album from screenprinting to promotion. As we begin our third program at Anderson High School this year, we are excited to expand to two classes instead of just one. This year we are working with a group of AVID (Advancement vid Individual Determination) students, who are first generation college students. These students are not only hard workers and excited to learn, they are appreciative for the opportunity to participate in the Attendance Records program, as many would not have an arts education experience otherwise.

Montreal, QC (Inactive) – Get in the Van

2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

"Get in The Van day will be a one-day workshop bringing together all the resources touring musicians need to understand relating to their rights and responsibilities. Get in the Van will bring immigration lawyers, booking agents, talent buyers and merch. experts to educate musicians on the ""business"" side of the business. More interestingly, the Get in the Van concept will also include expertise in other areas related to surviving on the road. As such, we're going to have auto-mechanics (because a contract to play a gig in Columbus isn't much good if no-one other than your ex-drummer knows how to fix a broken gas line) and nutritionists (because even without fresh-veg in your rider, mom would still want you to eat your five colours a day) sharing their knowledge as well. Apart from the one-day hit of the workshop. CJAM will produce a Get in the Van curriculum kit which will be available on our website to all touring artists who need our knowledge but can’t make it to the workshop."

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Best of the Fests

2013-10-21T00:00:00Z

Festivals are unique opportunities to see cultures of the word through a specific lens and focus and I want to share that with the world. I have experienced a lot of personal growth and created and maintained friendships with people from people all over the world because of festivals and the cultures they create. I realize that my perspective and that of my colleagues is a unique one. I'd love to both explore that further and share it with others. My idea is to raise enough funds and build a team to create a fresh and compelling travelogue show that looks at the culture surrounding the best-known and most eclectic festivals in the world. An ensemble cast would explore the artists, food, and folklore that make each event a completely new experience. THE PREMISE Cast members will each focus on their passion to reveal the big or small differences that make each festival unique. They’ll answer questions like: What is the unique culinary flavor of this event? What do people love or hate about how this event has affected their community? What unique set of challenges does the festival face? What is the history of the event? What legends or tales do people tell about this event? What does the future hold? THE ENSEMBLE The ensemble will be comprised of influencers and tastemakers with expertise in different fields relating to each festival. Depending on the specific content of the particular festival, the hosts will focus on: food, planning, music, film, technology and the culture inherent to the event.

Oahu, HI – Laundry Access for Homeless Families with Children

2013-10-18T00:00:00Z

Since 2006, Family Promise of Hawaii has helped over 1,000 parents and children transition out of homelessness into sustainable independence. Approximately 80% of our families transition into housing within 3-4 months. We partner with 63 interfaith congregations and over 1,500 volunteers to shelter and feed our families 365 days a year. We average over 10,000 shelter bed nights per year and provide over 30,000 meals. Family Promise of Hawaii provides daily shelter, meals and intense supportive services to families with children experiencing homelessness. We seek families who are motivated to achieve self-sufficiency and give priority to families willing to work. We operate two shelters, Honolulu and Kailua, that provide laundry facilities, showers, computer & internet access, daily meals, life skills training, employment assistance and weekly case management. This comprehensive approach to helping homeless families enables us to assist families quickly and ensures a high success rate for individuals, even after they leave our program. In 2010, we started a day program at our Honolulu center in order to serve more families. Up to 25 parents and children can utilize our day center as a home base while on our waitlist. These families have full access to the day center for mail, telephone, laundry, shower facilities, computers and weekly case management. Several of our day program families are able to secure housing before having to enter the overnight program. To date, this has allowed us to serve over 400 more homeless parents and children. Our mission is to mobilize existing community resources to aid families with children experiencing homelessness and help them transition to sustainable independence. Our host sites provide daily overnight shelter and meals to our guests. This allows us to operate at a much lower cost than traditional shelters. Our innovative model uses volunteers and community resources in a truly unique way.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Wake of the Flood

2013-10-18T00:00:00Z

Focusing on the acoustic bluegrass community of Lyons, Co and the affects of September's flood, CollectiveArtsInk is producing an audio documentary on the rehabilitation and resurgence of what is sure to be a great story. This project will consist of multiple segments aired on KGNU throughout the recovery process. The final segment will be a 30 min audio documentary. The Lyons music community is one of the strongest along the front range. The Bluegrass Jam has run for over ten years and the flood hasn't prevented them from turning out in their usually large numbers. Planet Bluegrass, devastated by the flood, is determined to reopen for their RockyGrass Festival in 2014. Interviews have begun and we are attending business community meetings and fund raising benefits. Media coverage of this flood will focus on the 40 million dollars needed to rebuild the infrastructure, but we are telling the story from the communities point of view. This is a story we need to tell. This is an artistic historical moment.

New York City, NY – Hudson River Project

2013-10-18T00:00:00Z

Hudson River Project is a feature doc film with an original score by Mogwai. Its being exec produced by the makers of The Imposter (Sundance select). Its a pretty simple idea: Build a boat out of Manhattan’s waste, take it to the source of the Hudson River - Lake Tear of the Clouds, high in the Adirondack Mountains - and row the boat back to Manhattan. The best pitch is this 2 minute taster trailer we made last year: www.hudsonriverproject.com We will start shooting on the 15th October and the entire shoot will take 2 months. We are using a small crew to stay light and true to one of the ideas behind the film (making the most of resources). Once shot our distribution plan involves Ben Tricklebank who built www.thewildernessdowntown.com for google and The Arcade Fire. We hope to premiere at Sundance in 2015 and we'll also be touring the film with Mogwai. There is so much to tell! There's more info here: http://hudsonriverproject.tumblr.com/ You could also come to our NYC launch on 2 October: http://hudsonriverprojectnyc.eventbrite.com

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – Rust Belt Regional Poetry Slam

2013-10-17T00:00:00Z

Rust Belt Midwest Regional Poetry Slam is a two day poetry and spoken word festival bringing a quality performance poetry tournament to a Midwest city to compete for the Rust Belt title, but more importantly, reunite with poetry family and spread the life and love of poetry and the literary arts. This festival brings in well known and up and coming poets into one city in a way that no other such festival does. We cultivate workshops, open mics, and family time events all in addition to the on going slam competition. In 2014, myself and fellow poet Deonte Osayande have the honor of bringing this festival to the city of Detroit, and we plan to take the festival up to a knew level by adding a youth slam, more workshop/artistic building opportunities, and giving local and national sponsors true opportunities to promote themselves with visuals like T-shirts and banners, as well as audios like Radio adds and consistent recognition throughout stage events. We look to turn 2014 Rust Belt into a building project that challenges our city and fellow poets to create an environment of growth and support.

Chicago, IL – Hook & Eye

2013-10-17T00:00:00Z

We want to create an interactive, Halloween-themed event that links the sensory experiences we value as dancers with the sensory experiences we all love about Halloween. Spanning two stories of Fulton Street Collective, a large and diverse artist cooperative in Ukrainian Village, the multi-media collaboration is structured as a haunted house of sorts, minus the vampire-witch-psychokiller thing. Small groups of brave guests step into the freight elevator at the back of the building (creepy but safe, we promise) and off the elevator into a world made surreal by various installations of music, video, performance art, live painting, dance, and theatre. As participants inch down hallways and peek around corners, they come across peculiar and downright chilling performances that craft a multi-sensory, spooky atmosphere. For instance, situated close enough to the walking path to be noticed but far enough to seem a bit unusual, is an upright bass player, filling the space with eerie and original sounds. Add to the mix a small studio overtaken by a brazen theatre company, dancers silently and subtly haunting passersby, a staccato, live painting installation, and the lingering, melancholic notes of a cello, to name a few, and you have an integrated happening that exposes art novices to the work of the local arts community in an engaging and welcoming fashion. The “haunted house” guides guests toward the programming in the building’s gallery space, also clad with artwork by local artists. Dance performances include new works by Laboratory Dancers’ artistic co-directors Emily Lukasewski and Alexandra Subak that highlight each choreographer’s distinct voice. The evening ends with a bang as Chicago band “She Speaks in Tongues” plays us out. The project’s goal aligns with our mission, constructing an environment in which people not often exposed to art can learn about and enjoy the remarkable Chicago arts scene. Halloween provides a platform for open minds and adventure seeking!

Kingston – The Dobby Project

2013-10-17T00:00:00Z

A few months ago on a Sunday afternoon I was folding laundry and listening to CBC radio. There was a program on talking about how foot problems are the number one health concern for homeless people. Most of the issues are caused by not having access to clean, dry socks. Socks are considered a consumable at shelters and they are constantly in need of them. Looking at the mountain of socks in front of me I said to myself - I can help! I called some local shelters and asked if they need socks on a regular basis - they all responded with a resounding YES! I would like to set up a few sock donation bins around the city. Shelters will take turns collecting the donated socks on a monthly or as needed (full bins) basis. The bins will also have some facts and figures about homelessness in Kingston and the urgent and ongoing need for socks to help maintain the health of homeless people in our city. I am hoping The Dobby Project will keep our shelters supplied with socks for many years to come. I have called it the Dobby Project after a character in the Harry Potter series who loves socks.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Trenton Hustle

2013-10-16T00:00:00Z

Once an industrial power house Trenton is now a shell of its former self. Over 30 murders in a town of 85,000 this year. The streets lined with litter, homeless everywhere begging for change, gangs of bored teenagers roam the streets beating and robbing for fun. I meet a lot of people that want to work, but for many reasons (No ID, no transportation, sketchy work history, questionable pasts) they can't get a job. Also many people are incapable of working a consistent 8 hour a day 5 day a week job and only want to make enough money to get by for a day or two. I want to give them that opportunity. "Trenton Hustle" will combine community service with a money making oportunity. In exchange for 25 hours of litter patrol and light gardening I will pay for a peddlers permit and background check. With these credentials a person would be able to use my peddlers cart to sell fruit, nuts, water and vegetables. I would do a 50/50 split and use the profits to build more carts. The carts will have brooms, rakes and garbage bags to encourage more cleanup. The shifts will be a short 4 hours with a morning sign in. I have a few candidates that would be perfect to test the concept. I would also use some profit for prizes because I want to make it a competition.

Ottawa – Bureaucratease

2013-10-15T00:00:00Z

October's Awesome Ottawa award goes to Rhapsody Blue, Nicholas Charney, and Adam Tupper, to support the production of an office-themed burlesque and performance art show called "Bureaucratease." "Deserved or not," says Adam, "Ottawa has a boring reputation. Perpetuated by an insular political culture and a bureaucracy that is nearly synonymous with the national capital region, many are labouring under the mistaken notion that Ottawa is full of offices and offices are full of tedium. But this selfsame bureaucracy is not only brimming with creativity, but also pulsating with a desire to thrust off the shackles of the work-a-day world and join the bustling nightlife culture." "The show," he explains, "will be a celebration of the oddities of office culture, with performers exploring the themes of facelessness, hierarchy, and red tape on a stage set with cubicles, water coolers, and other familiar office accoutrements. The show will be a playful, purposeful, and beautiful juxtaposition of the buttoned-down office environment and the lively world of burlesque that brings the two worlds closer together by reaching out to an untraditional audience." Rhapsody Blue is a local burlesque performer and fire breather, Nicholas Charney is co-founder of Bureaucratees, and Adam Tupper runs Ottawa events-planning organization Wonder Geeks Activate! They plan on holding the show in April. [Photo: John Finnigan Lin]

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Young Adult Burn Survivor Conference

2013-10-14T00:00:00Z

The conference is geared at steering young adult burn survivors towards a source of assistance, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society after enduring a burn injury. The empowering 3-day weekend, revolving around self-acceptance and self-discovery brings survivors from all across the nation to: Learn to develop a new understanding of their true abilities and capabilities. Participate in group discussions regarding effective coping skills and self-esteem, leading to self-acceptance. The overall goal of the conference is to encourage a smoother transitions for burn survivors, from the teenage years to the adult years of their life. This mission is accomplished through breakout sessions, doctors, burn community leaders from across the nation. This is the events second year. We are still working on local partnerships to help create a sustaining sources for this amazing life transforming event. Any support offered will be greatly appreciated.

Vancouver, BC (Inactive) – A Good Book Drive

2013-10-13T00:00:00Z

A Good Book Drive is an annual book drive to bring stories to a new generation of readers, and support kids in need of new books. Running through the month of November, A Good Book Drive inspires Vancouverites to purchase a new copy of their favorite kids’ book and deliver it to set locations throughout the city to be donated to this year’s book drive recipient. A Good Book Drive has teamed up with a great group of independent Vancouver retailers that will each house A Good Book Box where donors can drop off their favorite kids book. There, donors will be able to personalize their donation with special bookplate labels, sharing their own story of why that book is special. By permanently placing those stories within the cover of the books, children will read the personal narratives and learn about the impact of that book on someone else’s life. After the 30 days of promotion, we collect the books from across the city and deliver them to the recipient. We also celebrate the excitement of A Good Book Drive and create a space to connect over the sharing of stories at a wrap-up event, the last day of November.

Chicago, IL – Home is where the heart is...

2013-10-12T00:00:00Z

I am interested in making ceramic sculptural graffiti that is installed on abandoned/empty buildings around Chicago neighborhoods that are considered 'up and coming' or are in some state of flux. These pieces will be designed and installed with thought to the building's architectural design, business history, social/community involvement. The pieces will only be installed on the boarded up sections of the buildings so there will be no permanent damage to the building facade. My hopes are that not only will this stretch Chicago graffiti scene and traditional ideas of graffiti but also highlight these over looked and under cared for areas of our community.

Maldon (Inactive) – 2 THE XTREME YOUTH FESTIVAL 2013

2013-10-11T00:00:00Z

2 the xtreme (2TX) is the only event of its kind in Central Victoria. It aims to inspire, motivate and engage young people, many of whom are from less advantaged backgrounds, in positive healthy creative sports, dance, music and food. It also provides young people with safe, healthy alternatives to high risk taking behaviour through FREE workshops. 2TX will run over two days on November 30th and December 1st 2013. 2TX is a much needed inclusive event where young people of all ages and walks of life can demonstrate and learn skills in Skate, BMX, dance, music, visual art and cooking. Being involved with such an energetic event enhances teamwork, fitness and fun, encourages responsibility and boosts social interaction in a performance-based setting. Over the weekend of the event XtremeInc will be encouraging broader youth participation by incorporating FREE healthy cooking workshops for young people aged five to 25 with 2012 MasterChef contestant Beau Cook . Other workshops will include visual art, and dance. These workshops will be taught by professional artists including special guest dance group ‘Beat the Streets’, Australia's No.1 "Street show” which is made up of a team of multi-talented, prodigal, world-class performers selected from around the world; the best performers in their fields. Their show contains every essence of the word entertainment including; Death defying - break dancing, electric tap Dancing, Comedy and Bucket drumming (beatthestreets.com). This crew will come to 2TX to inspire, perform and run FREE workshops. The whole community benefit’s from the positive outcomes of providing opportunities that encourage young people to participate in healthy activities, to express themselves creatively and feel like valued and connected members of the community. Better community connectedness is achieved through establishing new, and strengthening existing partnerships between local artists, organisations, businesses, community members and young people.

Seattle, WA – PIer Into the Night - Live Dive Series

2013-10-11T00:00:00Z

Picture this. It’s dusk in Puget Sound. As you walk by the local dock, you see mysterious lights coming from below the surface of the water. Intrigued, you walk to the edge of the dock and join local residents as they see, touch, and learn about the very creatures that live in the waters below them. This is Harbor WildWatch’s “Pier into the Night” program. The Pier Into the Night program invites adults and kids to observe marine activity that occurs in the Puget Sound from a night-time perspective. Submersible lights and scopes are anchored off the end of the dock to illuminate underwater activity in Gig Harbor Bay. Similar to porch lights, the underwater lights attract marine species that are seldom seen during the day such as ambushing squid, bioluminescent ctenophores, and wriggling sea worms! Naturalists are on hand to identify the animals as well as provide information on their life cycles, habitat indicators and human impacts on their survival. Free and open to all ages, this program focuses on introducing visitors to, and generating excitement about, the marine creatures that inhabit Puget Sound. In 2014, we will expand this program by introducing a live video and audio feed between the SCUBA diver and the audience – the Live Dive Series. A video screen on the surface will connect to a specialized communication unit on the diver, allowing visitors to see exactly what the diver sees. Audience members will also have the opportunity to ask the diver questions directly. The Pier program began in 2009 with 2 programs and 250 visitors. In 2012, we hosted 13 programs with over 7,600 visitors. The addition of the Live Dive Series to the Pier Into the Night program will greatly enhance our environmental education efforts by attracting and engaging more visitors at our winter events. This extra-awesome experience will help further our mission of inspiring stewardship for the Puget Sound by dispelling common misconceptions about these fascinating marine creatures.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Roma Ecology

2013-10-10T00:00:00Z

This project would explore and foster the relationship between the Romani immigrant community in Cosenza Italy and the existing local ecology, social and natural. I will teach a photography class for 20 community members that will focus on documentation of their everyday experience within the community camp and in relation to the natural environment. I will display the work in public space creating opportunities for the participants to communicate with members of the larger community of Cosenza through their own photography. The Romani are considered unique as a culture because they have never identified themselves with a territory; they have no tradition of an ancient and distant homeland from which their ancestors migrated from, nor do they claim the right to national sovereignty in any of the lands where they reside. Romani identity historically is bound up with the ideal of freedom expressed and having no ties to a homeland. However, the contemporary Roma community in Cosenza, as in many places throughout Europe, has played a complicated role in the local ecology over time. The community looks and functions more like a settlement than a transitory nomadic space; and in that reality, I as an artist endeavor to celebrate the strengths of their nomadic past while supporting the development of a new voice for the community equally grounded in social and ecological concerns for the place in which they reside. The community I propose to work in is comprised of 700+ community members dispersed across three separate neighborhoods within a camp located on public property much to close to the main river for human inhabitants. The immediate environmental and social impact the community has had to this point is in large part not positive; but I aim to create a new relationship based on the empowerment inherent in creative expression.

Liverpool – Tag-art art groups

2013-10-09T00:00:00Z

I am setting up base in a community youth centre in the Everton area of Liverpool. I am going to be running art workshops for children and adults. Ranging from drawing,painting,collage and clay sculpting plus much more. The aim is to engage with the community through art. Encouraging children to socialise and develop there artistic skills and providing art education and giving teenagers an insight into alternative routes of employment,into creative industries.Aswell as providing art therapy to specifically older groups using clay workshops to help aid physical problems such as arthritis etc... As well as providing art for fun, art for education, art for therapy I will also be setting up paint party's for all occasions as another source of income to sustain the upkeep. And long term I want to be able to offer courses offering art accreditation to teenagers who may have been removed from main stream education and adults looking for alternative routes back to employment.

Sydney – #wildsydney

2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

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

Sydney – Meet the Maker

2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

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

Whangarei (Inactive) – Noice Cave

2013-10-07T00:00:00Z

I would like to build a Noise Cave make from broken instruments, bells symbols and drums - anything that makes sound. I would like to install this at Art Beat Whangarei February 2013.

Yerevan – ''Before I die"' Wall

2013-10-07T00:00:00Z

September's Awesome Yerevan award goes to Mariam Safaryan and team of Luys Foundation Community members, to support the production of a street art wall called "Before I die." The project has been implemented in over 20 languages and in over 50 countries; the first one being in New Orleans. Candy Chang painted the side of an abandoned house with chalkboard paint and stencilled it with a grid of the sentence “Before I die I want to _______.” Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space. We hope that this project will unite the people of Yerevan into a community and they will start reflecting on what's truly important to them, what truly matters to them in their lives. It should also be noted that the text can vary. Examples are "Before I turn 100 I want to...", "Armenia would be a better place if...", "Yerevan would be a better place if..."In my Life I Hope to..."; The text can also be translate into Armenian instead so that it is more accessible to a wider mass.

New Orleans, LA (Inactive) – The New Orleans Center for Community Media

2013-10-07T00:00:00Z

I am requesting a grant to fund the first community-media workshop from the New Orleans Center for Community Media. The workshop will take place over the course of four Saturdays. Facilitated by two teaching media artists, and attended by ten community members, the workshop will cover the basics of storytelling and interviewing, and it will include an introduction to multimedia tools. Participants will work in groups to create a short reporting piece covering an issue in their neighborhood. The Current Context New Orleans is a city where stories hold power. But not every community has access to the tools that would allow them to communicate their stories in the steadily shifting media landscape. There are still many barriers to media engagement, particularly for low-income communities of color. The Vision: Storytelling for Transformation The New Orleans Center for Community Media is a start-up media training and resource center supporting community-based and grassroots media production aimed at elevating the voices of communities across the city. Our work is centered in bringing communication tools to underserved populations, providing these communities with the media production technology and resources to tell, document, and preserve their own stories and the stories of their communities through both traditional and emerging media platforms. Using a multipronged approach steeped in media literacy, media training, media justice, and the media arts, we work with and within communities to use media as a tool for advancing community voice and social justice. Our community workshops seek to use media and media training as a way to elevate the voices and experiences of those most often kept out of the centers of power when it comes to rebuilding the city. We envision a city where low-income communities of color have the skills and the access to the technologies that will allow them to document their lived experiences and to further social change.

San Francisco, CA – The Library of Joy (A Museum of Joy Project)

2013-10-07T00:00:00Z

The first in a series of experiments on the intersection of joyous experience and public space, the Library of Joy is inspired by the “Portraits of an Ingenious Gentleman” project by the artist Boethius, who placed over 400 unique paintings on pages taken from Don Quixote into books in San Francisco’s used bookstores, there to be discovered and taken home by casual readers. The experience of discovering one of these pages was such a profound joy that we thought we’d take it one step further, both in homage and in gratitude. To begin, the Library of Joy project will solicit text through several different social media channels, including blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, with the simple prompt “Please describe a moment you experienced joy.” Fifty of the responses will form the base texts for the next phase: the assemblage of a library of artist books. The books themselves will be ordinary hardbacks, found in bargain bins for $2 or less; their text block will be cut out and replaced with a unique collage inspired by and illustrative of one of the solicited texts. The dust jacket of each book will also be collaged, with “The Museum of Joy” on the spine, the original base text about joy on the inner flap, and a short blurb about the project with a QR code, a thank-you to the Awesome Foundation (and to Boethius), an encouragement to finders to reshare their discovery, and a text link to the project website on the back. The books will then be replaced in bargain bins with the $2 sticker still on the front, to be discovered and delighted over by unsuspecting book-browsers. Ideally, the Library of Joy will reach beyond bookstores, and volumes will wind up in any laundromat, café, or waiting area with a casual take-a-book-leave-a-book-style bookshelf. The Museum of Joy hopes to push the boundaries of the joy we can expect in public spaces by simultaneously evoking, celebrating, and disseminating joyous experience through the Library of Joy project.

Detroit, MI (Inactive) – Essence of Motown Literary Jam & Conference

2013-10-06T00:00:00Z

The Essence of Motown Literary Jam & Conference is a two day event bringing readers and writers together raise literacy rates in Metro Detroit and to uplift the literary community around Michigan. Held every 2nd weekend for the past nine years, as the Motown Literary Jam enters its tenth year in 2013, the volunteer only based event hopes to make a powerful impact on Motown and the world. Along with a goal to get over 10,000 book donations for the conference season to assist SitOnItDetroit, the event will hope to provide the following two day events free to readers and writers in Metro Detroit: Laughs For Literary Passion Fruit Poetry Writing, Publishing & Marketing Workshops All Male Literacy Panel Author Genre Panels Poetry Panels 2013 Booksigning Release Party

London (Inactive) – In the Sticks

2013-10-06T00:00:00Z

A Forest School is an outdoor classroom where children are encouraged to develop their own learning through play and curriculum-linked activities. Based on Danish methods of Early Years and Primary education, children are taken to an outdoor setting once a week for at least 6 weeks. We have connected with an adventure playground in Shoreditch, Hackney, who have agreed to allow us to run Forest School programmes on the site during school hours, when it is generally disused. There are seven primary schools in the local area who would be able to take part in Forest School activities run on the site, several have expressed interest in the project. We would like to run 12 week projects with 2 schools, with the aim of expanding our delivery in 2014. Forest School is supported by the National Trust as a counter to a 'sedentary indoor lifestyle' (Natural Childhood, National Trust, 2012), has been found to have a positive impact for children with 'significant behaviour problems' and 'mental disorders' (Sowing the Seeds, London Sustainable Development Commission, 2011) and aids the development of language and communication skills for all children, particularly those with EAL (English as an Additional Language). Many areas of the National Curriculum Foundation to KS4 are intrinsically covered, in the Forest School experience. The Forest School approach meets the developmental needs of the whole child, at the same time nurturing respect and care for the environment by focussing on providing an experience in the natural environment. Aim: - For urban children and young people to have meaningful outdoor experiences and make informed choices towards positive, low-impact lifestyles. Social Outcomes: - Positive impact on effects of deprivation - Environmental education and awareness - Improved physical and mental health and wellbeing for the children and young people who participate in our programmes and workshops - Reconnecting people with nature in their local community

Gloucester, MA – Glosta Lobsta

2013-10-04T00:00:00Z

Many Gloucester fishermen rely on catching lobster as part of their living. This year, soft shell lobsters were selling between $2.50 and $3.50 per pound. They usually sell between $3.50 and $4.50 per pound off the docks. Prices have been as high as $7 a pound. Lobstermen really need to be getting $4 a pound to pay their bills and make a living. HOWEVER, lobster landed off local boats is increased $1 to $2 per pound by retailers before being sold to restaurants, shippers and food processors. Restaurants will double the prices of the lobsters in their restaurants. The “Glosta Lobsta” project intends to promote soft shell lobsters landed in Gloucester and bring more money to local fishermen. This project is a pilot project that intends to connect consumers with local fishermen and promote soft-shell lobsters which are normally sweeter than hard shell lobsters. The big difference is that soft shell lobsters, due to their naturally weakened shell after molting, are not likely to survive shipping or transportation. This reduces their value. We want to have a “Glosta Lobsta Day” on October 19th. We would like to work with three restaurants with the agreement that they will prepare local soft shell lobster using a creative recipe that can be sold to customers. They agree to give us the exact recipe. In exchange local restaurants will help promote "Glosta Lobsta Day."

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – International Online Opera

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z

Twitter has a very active community of opera singers and fans across the world. A group of singers on Twitter (myself included) wants to leverage this to perform together via webcams and the internet (on a Google+ hangout). We will rehearse and perform a short opera (tentatively Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas," but potentially Bizet's "Le docteur miracle" if the casting/scheduling requirements of the former are too taxing) entirely online. The rehearsals would be private but recorded for future reference, and the final performance would be broadcast live and advertised in opera communities (on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr; major blogs/forums like Parterre; and lists like Opera-L), plus recorded and uploaded to YouTube for later viewing. If this initial project is well-received, this would be the start of (what we believe to be) the world's only entirely online opera company. [We recognize that there are some potential technology issues (e.g., internet delays or failures) here, which is part of why this is a proof-of-concept. If those issues prove insurmountable, we will explore alternative technology options, like partially or entirely recording individual video and audio in advance but combining and airing the parts all together.]

Miami, FL – The Impact of Wage Theft in the Greater Miami Area

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z

I want to apply the skills I have acquired through filmmaking and my interest in social justice to a project with potential to enact change and promote awareness on an issue that negatively impacts the Greater Miami-Dade community. Wage theft occurs when workers are paid below the minimum wage, not paid for overtime, forced to work off the clock, have their time cards altered, are misclassified as independent contractors, or are simply not paid a wage for work performed. Wage theft is a growing problem across South Florida as employers seek to cut costs. The problem is especially acute in Miami-Dade because of jobs in our tourism and service sector based economy which support mainly low-wage and hourly jobs. However, research conducted by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP) has shown that professionals and higher salary occupations are also at risk of wage theft because of the weak enforcement of Florida’s labor laws and the lack of jurisdiction that these labor laws offer to many workers. Workers have little to no recourse, legal or otherwise. The negative effects of shortchanging workers’ wages ripple across our community. Families suffer when earnings are too low to meet basic needs. Local businesses and economies are denied vital stimulus that would flow from the additional spending of workers had they been paid all that they had earned. Working families often resort to public programs to meet basic needs when wages are stolen from them. Funding for this project will go towards the creation of a documentary/educational film to raise awareness of the issue. The film will be used to educate local politicians, workers, and college students in the community. An innovative social media campaign will be used to promote the project and enhance the film's exposure. The more exposure the film project receives, the greater the potential for making a profound and positive impact on our local community.

Sarnia (Inactive) – HARK

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z

"Hark" is a mass choir. Very mass!! We are not all professional singers but we all appreciate good music. We know that one or two of our voices will sound mediocre but the collective music that a mass choir (between 500 and 1000 people) will produce would sound absolutely AWESOME. So, we plan to assemble a multitude of citizens to participate in an informal gathering to sing festive Christmas carols. The songs will all be familiar ranging from "Jingle Bells" to "Hark the Herald". We won't practice. We won't be accomplished musicians, but the song fest will be open to any child, youth parent or grandparent who feels like joining in. The date is likely to be Sunday afternoon, Dec. 8. We already have the location in mind but we want to keep that a secret until the event is formally announced.

Rio de Janeiro (Inactive) – Movimento in Absentia

2013-10-02T00:00:00Z

Movimento in Absentia Public art installation/ mechanical performance In light of recent global protests, Movimento in Absentia presents deconstructed power struggles to the greater public in a form that is stripped of ideology and is focused on the essence of recent and historic struggles that define society. Not only political or apolitical movements, but the struggle of all human relationships. The piece sets 12-16 old cassette tape players against each other (6 v. 6, etc.) to carry out a coordinated argument based only on the phrases “Queremos isto!” and “Não vamos dar isto a vocês!” The audio will be coordinated in a way that the argument grows in intensity on each side (at first each tape recorder “speaking” alone until all the voices combine) and the demands of each side finally change to their opposites. The demand for recognition or power, the “this” or “that”, is finally reversed. This piece can be set up all over Rio, all over Brazil, the world. The Arcos da Lapa and Praca Tiradentes are just a few initial locations. The installation will be mobile and can be staged all over the city, presenting people with a new way to think about their own struggles and greater arguments that are now happening in Brazil and around the world.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactive) – “Acting for change” – Sudanese Theater Group

2013-10-02T00:00:00Z

This theatre group of African Asylum Seekers in Israel is performing for audiences around the country. Through this play, audiences are introduced to the complexities of life for Ayslum Seekers in Israel and triggers discussions around a topic that sorely needs to be discussed in Israel. We love this project because it is dealing with a very serious issue in a sustainable and bite sized way.

Kitchener-Waterloo – Community Music School of Waterloo Region

2013-10-01T00:00:00Z

Our project is awesome because music is a ubiquitous part of human culture that everyone should be able to enjoy and have access to. Music is everywhere and if given the proper nourishment it can flourish into something that shades everyone around it from the hot Sun of everyday life. The Community Music School of Waterloo Region is a project designed to fight injustice in our community by giving quality music lessons to 40 referred students who would otherwise be unable to afford lessons. This project is ongoing and has had great success over the past year. It is awesome because of its ability to use otherwise wasted talent, build self-esteem, and create hope and opportunities for individuals in our community. The School is already partnered with the Beckett School/Lyrical Lines Education Network, the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community, KW Symphony, The Working Centre, Bob's Guitar Service, and the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association-Kitchener Branch. Students are referred through Pathways to Education, KidsLINK, The Working Centre, Lutherwood, Mill Courtland Community Centre, The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and KW Counselling Services. These partners will allow the School to grow and better address the needs of talented youth in our community whose talents go unappreciated. Lets give them a helping hand up so that our entire region can benefit from those talents in the long term.

Miami, FL – Zine Machine

2013-10-01T00:00:00Z

Books Are Nice started off as a blog intending to share graphic designer Augusto Mendoza's expanding collection of art and design publications. Since then, he has published four monographs from Miami artists that are held in University of Miami Libraries’ Special Collections. More recently, Books Are Nice helped put together an event at Lester’s to give local book and zine publishers a platform to display their work. The next venture will encourage community engagement. We will purchase three vending machines, similar to those dispensing temporary tattoos and stickers. Ten local artists will be given the opportunity to work with a graphic designer and create a 16-page zine. Every artist will have 50 copies of their “mini-monograph” available for purchase. Each machine will be featured in different locations and will feature random quantities of that season’s artist’s zines. Consumers can collect all 10 zines by the end of their time at each location. Books Are Nice wants to make art accessible to those who appreciate it. Throughout the installation, we plan on featuring visual artists, designers, chefs, coders and anyone with interesting aesthetics and ideas. By curating different artists each season, the machine will allow local art patrons to grow their zine collection, while simultaneously giving artists exposure. The Zine Machine kickoff event will take place during Art Basel, where Books Are Nice will be having a Pop-Up Reading Room in Wynwood to display local publisher’s works. To gain a more widespread exposure after the kickoff, the machines will be placed in a record shop, bookstore and coffee shop in Little Haiti, Coral Gables and Wynwood. The project will be self-sustainable, as each zine will be purchased at a minimal cost that helps fund a future seasonal zine publication. Our hope is to generate enough interest in the publishing process and production to be able to open up a permanent bookstore where the zine machine would be a permanent fixture.

Pittsburgh, PA – PittMesh Wireless Network

2013-09-30T00:00:00Z

Meta Mesh is building a wireless mesh network in Pittsburgh. On this network there will be resources like those one would find on the Internet- except no ISP is needed to reach them. It is a free-as-in-beer, encrypted, quality-of-service-enforced wireless network that anyone with an off-the-shelf wireless router may join and benefit from. Here's an analogy for our project: The way the Internet works now is that you pay a big company to loan you mailbox that they come and install in your house and any time you want to send a letter, the envelope is sent to a single, massive, central routing station, is flipped through a bunch of chutes and travels all over the country to land at its intended destination- even if that destination is the house next to yours. In a mesh network, you independently own a mailbox that you can set up with instructions provided by Meta Mesh. When you send a letter, the envelope slides down the mail chute to the corner of your block where a kindly post-officer looks at the address, realizes it's going to your neighbor, puts it in the neighbor's chute and it arrives at his house without ever even crossing the street. This is a novel but not new method of networking. Instead of relying on huge, centralized repositories for routing information to every Internet-accessible network, a mesh network uses individual routers to store little pieces of routing information of a far larger network. Instead of big routing stations that, if damaged or lose power, would cause much of the network to stop working, there are many little overlapping coverage areas making failure for the entire network much more difficult. Mesh networking has the potential to change the way we communicate within a geographic area, to disrupt ISP monopolies' stranglehold on our ability to communicate, and to solve the networking privacy issues that have recently come to light. The solution is low-cost, low-maintenance wireless routers placed throughout neighborhoods.

Denver, CO (Inactive) – READ TO ME

2013-09-30T00:00:00Z

I founded READ TO ME four years ago with the hopes of helping low-income children grow up with books. Ten years ago I was a fourth grade teacher in Denver Public Schools and have a life changing experience in the classroom. I taught kids who's families struggled greatly at home. Their resources were limited. Many, if not all, had a hard time completely their reading homework assignments because they had no books in their home. The U.S. Department of Education reports that 61% of low-income families have no children's books in their home. Sad! READ TO ME is a non-profit organization helping the highest need families in Colorado have a chance to grow up with a book in their home and love reading and books. READ TO ME partners with hospitals to give every low-income newborn a book bundle on their birthday. The medical providers encourage the families to go home and share the book and cuddle their newborn. READ TO ME can reach families at the earliest point in a child’s development, at birth. As part of our mission objective, we encourage and support mothers of newborns to take advantage of the critical early months in their infant’s brain development. In fact, researchers now agree that 85 percent of brain development occurs during the first three years of life.

San Antonio, TX – Mobile Om

2013-09-30T00:00:00Z

Mobile Om is San Antonio's first and only mobile yoga studio. Mobile Om provides donation-based yoga classes that are free of pretension and welcoming to anyone and everyone who wants to practice. It is a yoga movement taking yoga out of the studio and into people's everyday lives. What makes Mobile Om awesome is that we provide no nonsense yoga to everyday people in locations that are casual, inspiring and hyper local. People who have never stepped foot inside a studio feel at home in a Mobile Om class, whether it's outside on the Hays Street Bridge overlooking the city's skyline or inside the 100 year old building that has been beautifully restored as the home of the Richter Co. Mobile Om rolled (it’s mats) out for the first time on the Hays Street Bridge on a Friday evening in June to share yoga and the beautiful view with our community. Twelve people showed up to that first class, and I was blown away. Through the Facebook page, word of mouth and an article in the Rivard Report, Mobile Om’s we have grown to host up to 45 people at and has introduced over 20 people completely new to yoga. We recently added a class in the lobby of the Richter Co. and created our first donation-based corporate yoga program at Rackspace Hosting. The vision for Mobile Om is to offer several classes every day at a wider variety of locations throughout San Antonio. Within each unique location, Mobile Om will create a consistent and authentic yoga space complete with the amenities of brick and mortar studios such as yoga mats, props, towels and water. I am currently renovating a 1972 VW Van that will serve as the transportation for the wandering studio and will keep all the goods needed to set up the temporary homes. All mats and props will be available for students to borrow free of charge. Mobile Om would like $1000 to stock our wandering yoga studio.

Berlin (Inactive) – HacKIDemia- Berlin

2013-09-28T00:00:00Z

A hole in the wall in Kreutzberg (based on famous projects of Sugata Mitra in India -http://www.ted.com/pages/prizewinner_sugata_mitra ) we want to install a learning station in one of the walls of an underprivileged public schools of Kreutzberg (in the Rosa Luxemburg Schule). The learning station is set up in an outdoor playground setting which children can access at any time. It ensures that girls, who would generally not be sent to close room housing a computer, can now easily access the Learning Station in an open setting. The playground setting offers a host of other advantages. Unconditional access to Learning Stations ensures that both children in-school and out-of-school can use them. Another advantage is that the unstructured nature of this setting also ensures that children themselves take ownership of the Learning Station by forming self-organized groups who learn on their own. Finally an unsupervised setting ensures that the entire process of learning is learner-centric and is driven by a child’s natural curiosity. On the learning station computer the children will have access to filtered internet connection, learning activities in science, craft, art, challenges and hands on projects they can do in their community (extract DNA from fruits, take a picture and show the result, etc ). The children will also be able to browse and see other similar projects done by other children around the world in the hands-on workshops organised by HacKIDemia.

Washington, DC – Fair Trade Music DC

2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

Fair Trade Music is a grassroots community organizing initiative with the goal of developing local, community best practices for equitable relationships in live musical performance. As a social movement it spans the US and Canada with local campaigns in locations as varied as Seattle, WA, Rochester, NY, Portland, OR, Austin, TX and New Orleans, LA. It exists as coalitions of locally concerned parties including, musicians, performance venues, labor organizations, music affinity groups and audiences. It's main activities involve: advocating for fairness and transparency in the local live music industry; educational outreach; and positive recognition of participating community members. Fair Trade Music is, in part, a long-term community discussion for working musicians on the topic of earning a living as a professional musician with an eye towards economic justice and sustainability, artists rights and professional respect. It provides a forum for members of the local music community to recognize successes, discuss opportunities and work through more nuanced issues involving equity, behaviors and attitudes in the community. We are currently in the data collection phase for collecting information about local venues and businesses in order to come up with a DC wide Fair Trade Music standard and minimum payment wage for musicians that perform in the area. Our goal is to create a standard that meets a basic artist living wage and launch a campaign to promote the venues and establishments that practice these standards. The information we would gather will be publicly available for both artists and fans who want to truly support their local creative economy.