Awesome Foundation - Projects

Pittsburgh, PA – Patina- The Art of Aging

2017-08-21T00:00:00Z

Elderly people are beautiful but unappreciated by our youth obsessed culture. I want to make portraits of older people who are living in nursing homes, retirement communities as well as independently. I wish to share their stories and beauty with the larger community who wouldn't otherwise interact with them. I also want to give their families something to remember them by after they die. There will be an art show of the portraits and stories which will travel to the different facilities where the residents will be the stars of the evening. This project may also involve making art with elderly people and facilitating their creative process of expression. Their art would also be displayed along with the portraits.

Miami, FL – Family ReConnection

2017-08-18T00:00:00Z

For many of the nearly 300,000 children of incarcerated parents in Florida, daily life is full of hardships. These children often struggle with grief, shame, depression, and nonproductive behavioral patterns. These are some of the negative outcomes associated with parental incarceration which includes anger, misbehavior, withdrawal, lack of trust, feelings of isolation, lack of respect for authority and delinquency. Some children also have trouble at school, such as academic problems, suspensions, and truancy. Many children of incarcerated parents are at risk of developing mental illness and eventually become incarcerated themselves. Further, most live in homes with income levels well below the poverty line. The distance between the location of the prison and the family residence appear to be a key predictor of the likelihood of any in-person contact with the parent. More than 60 percent of parents in state prison and 80 percent of federally incarcerated parents are residing in prisons more than 100 miles from their family’s last place of residence. Transportation is known as one of the most common barriers to maintaining contact with a parent behind bars. Recognizing the numerous advantages for children to maintain a close and continuous support of both parents, AVOR provides a network of services which support the needs of both children of incarcerated parents and their custodial caregivers. Through the Family Visitation Program, AVOR endeavors to improve the emotional development, academic achievements, and social adaptability of children, leading to a greater quality of their stability and well-being.

Portland, OR – Young Gifted Artists

2017-08-18T00:00:00Z

The end of the school year should be a time for fun, relaxation, and exploration for children. However, that’s not the case for all kids in the Portland metro area, where 57 percent qualify for free and reduced-price meals during the school year. Without school lunches, summer becomes the time when nearly 50,000 Portland children face hunger daily. To fill the summertime meal gap, the city’s Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) joins forces with organizations like Partners for a Hunger-free Oregon (PHFO), local school districts, and businesses to present the Free Lunch + Play program. The goal is to reduce what’s known as food insecurity and support families by offering nutritious meals and recreational activities during the summer recess. PP&R coordinates the Free Lunch + Play program to ensure that it meets the changing needs of the community, and that includes deciding who to involve as partners for activities. After supporting an all-ages park jam led by Young, Gifted, & Black/Brown (YGB), PP&R requested to extend its partnership with YGB, which is a community-based, POC-centric arts organization. The project aims to create culturally-specific arts programming for children and their families at North Portland’s McCoy Park. Located in New Columbia, the state’s largest public housing community, the neighborhood includes a diverse immigrant population from around 22 different countries. YGB has tapped sister organization Deep Under Ground (DUG), a similar but more youth-focused, performance-based arts collective, to assist in its effort by recruiting Black and Brown artists from its community to commit to teaching their art in McCoy Park during the Free Lunch + Play program. YGB’s goal is to facilitate mentor/mentee relationships with Black & Brown young adult artists from DUG with Black & Brown youth in one of Portland’s most underserved neighborhoods with the intent that those connections remain beyond the program and flourish into the fall school year.

Miami, FL – Summer Pilgrimage Through Reading

2017-08-18T00:00:00Z

The basics of my AWESOME project is the students an I will select books and began a pilgrimage to destenations through our imaginations, these stories can offer an introduction to a wonderful world of armchair. The children will be engaged in creative lessons and discussions weekly. Ultimately, the students will be asked to make connections between the book and their lives, which will culminate in a final "passport" project. The students will use a page in their "passport" for each country they will also complete a reading strategy used in the classroom as the" country's stamp" example; character and setting from China: Tikki Tikki Tembo or main idea from Austrailia: Possum Magic. We will also enjoy a snack from the books' country. We will also use the map to track our travels.

Birmingham, AL (Inactive) – Children's Village

2017-08-17T00:00:00Z

Children's Village is a nonprofit organization that provides a loving home and quality care for abused and neglected children between the ages of 6 - 18. We currently have children who attend 5 different schools, and are involved in multiple extracurricular activities.

Orlando, FL – Dear Citizen O

2017-08-17T00:00:00Z

Dear Citizen O is an experiential installation which has been approved for Creative City Project's Immerse on October 21st 2017. The installation will involve the recreation of an early 20th century mail room, and participants will be given writing packets which prompt them to write a letter to an anonymous fellow citizen of Orlando: "Citizen O". Once their letter is written and sealed in an envelope and dropped off, participants are welcomed to 'take a letter' in exchange. This will be their artifact to take home -- within which they will hear the heart of a fellow Orlandoan. The prompts provided will encourage poems, letters of love, a shared personal story, a cherished memory in orlando, or drawings around compelling ideas or topics. We want to invite attendants of the event to not just consume art, but to create it -- and we are excited about this unique aspect of our installation. The project will last the duration of the Immerse event which is 5 hours, and with an anticipated attendance of over 60,000 of people to the event -- we wish to accomodate 1000 participants per hour if our budget permits.

Dubai (Inactive) – DIRE Challenges

2017-08-15T00:00:00Z

The DIRE Challenges are high school team competitions taking place in at risk/conflict nations that culminate in preseentations in Washington, DC. One is for boys only called "Deterring Islamic Radicalization & Expansion' and the other for girls is "Defeating Ideological Religious Extremism"

Ann Arbor, MI – Southeast Michigan Doula Project

2017-08-15T00:00:00Z

The Southeast Michigan Doula Project (SMDP) was founded 3 years ago by two newly trained doulas who shared a vision of volunteering their services to low-income and homeless pregnant women and teens at a local health clinic. It became obvious that there was a need within the local community when the partners were asked to expand their services to low income women working with University of Michigan midwives. Within one month they had too many clients to handle on their own and were scrambling to find other community doulas to volunteer their time. SMDP now has a base of approximately 50 dedicated and trained volunteer doulas who serve the nine southeast Michigan counties. These women provide evidence based, emotional, physical, and informational support to pregnant women and teens and their families, before, during, and after birth. In addition to our birth doula services, SMDP is committed to community outreach and public awareness regarding reproductive issues. We understand that many women and teens who are, or may become, pregnant are unfamiliar with the positive effects of having support during birth. We strive to increase community awareness as well as provide this support. As an agency, we have recognized a void in our ability to provide the majority of our clients who come from marginalized groups with a doula of similar identity. Additionally, women from these marginalized groups encounter financial barriers to obtaining doula training. Though SMDP is a young and financially limited non-profit, we have made it part of our mission to bridge this gap by providing as many scholarships as possible for doula training to women who would not otherwise be able to afford it, but would be a great asset and diverse member of the local birth community. These scholarships would also provide the recipient with future entrepreneurial opportunities serving as a for hire doula to the more affluent mothers and families who can afford them.

San Jose, CA – Pitch Please!

2017-08-15T00:00:00Z

Pitch Please! is a play off “Shark Tank.” It will be an open mic of sorts to solicit small ideas for community based art and engagement projects. I want to encourage and support people with great ideas for their community. Local Color in Downtown San Jose can be the venue host, and I will personally help them execute their idea by leveraging my resources. The reason my focus is on smaller ideas because I believe the most sustainable change takes places incrementally over time. Kind of like how cancer starts with one cell, multiplied over time, before it actually takes effect on the human body—gloomy I know, but now you get the point. Well these small ideas are the little cells of positive change that I believe will add up overtime and make an impact. It’s not about the biggest and/or fanciest ideas. It’s just about generating a lot of them and letting them all happen—so that each one can begin to realize its full potential and organically evolve to what it’s meant to be. No one has the perfect idea right off the bat, it takes time, rapid prototyping, and learning from your mistakes. This project is mean to be the catalyst of the beginning of great ideas. Additionally, I want to highlight and solicit ideas from as many women as possible—so if you are a woman selected by the panel, you automatically get 30% more just because.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Project Alloy

2017-08-14T00:00:00Z

Project Alloy is a 501(c)(3) organization that's tackling the fact that women, people of color, trans and gender non-confirming individuals, those with disabilities, and other minorities remain dramatically underrepresented at technical conferences. Conferences should bring together the best and the brightest, but there are many barriers to attending. Project Alloy lowers those hurdles by offering financial, moral, and social support to individuals who are early in their tech careers and underrepresented in the industry so that they can successfully attend tech conferences. The idea is that when you’re first starting out, conferences can really help you find a footing — meeting people, learning from them, and forming bonds with others who can mutually support you in careers down the line. Project Alloy was inspired by Kyle Kingsbury's public pledge (www.aphyr.com/diversity) to pay out-of-pocket for anyone from an underrepresented group in tech to attend a conference. So we founded Project Alloy as a vehicle for formalizing Kyle's approach. When we give grants through Project Alloy, we give directly to people for whom we wish to open doors of opportunity. This approach is change we believe in, and also change within reach — we, as individuals who work in the tech industry, are capable of making this kind of difference for others. So we decided to form a nonprofit to centralize and scale the process so we could reach even more people. If you're wondering — why does any of this matter? Obviously, there are questions of fairness and justness. Working to build a more just society is the right thing to do. And from an economic perspective, having broader representation in the tech industry drives business growth, increases returns on equity, promotes creative solutions, and improves problem solving. But most of all, it matters because that's the kind of industry we want to work in.

South Bend, IN – Tonya's Tastys "a taste of Home" Restaurant

2017-08-13T00:00:00Z

I would like to open a family restaurant featuring daily "soul food " specials along with the usual american menu burgers, ribs, chicken, fish, salads, desserts. Dine in or carry out. I would like to be able to offer catering once the restaurant is established.

South Bend, IN – Tramelle's Place of Peace

2017-08-13T00:00:00Z

There are two city vacant lots on the Westside of South Bend that have been placed in the care of Imani Unidad to eventually be donated to us by the owners. The idea to use the parcels of land in a way that serves the community has always been the goal. Initially the idea was to create a unity garden that focused on input of youth who participate in the activities offered at Martin Luther King Center. But then the idea for a peaceful place of reflection took hold, and while discussing a name for the space, honoring someone came up. Thus a memorial for young Tramelle Sturgis took root. 10 year old Tramelle Sturgis was brutally abused and eventually murdered by his father in 2011. Driven by the mission of Peer 2 Peer (P2P) and the vision to engage the community in P2P’s growth and development we have now decided to create two projects. Our objectives are now to create a Place of Peace (PoP) on the parcel located at 1501 W Linden Street bordered by Birdsell and Wilber streets. Central to this location will be flower beds, benches for seating, and fruit trees inviting children to pick and eat. As children we can remember walking to school and along the way being able to pick from a variety of fruits in neighboring yards. This is an attempt to bring back that availability of natural fruits and aesthetics key to health both physical and mental. There are many children in our community who have never seen fruit in its natural state. The lot at 226 Birdsell is to be used to create a Unity garden. We will survey children from the MLK center in an effort to garner input as to what fruits and vegetables they prefer to eat. Sarah Stewart of Unity Gardens has pledged her support in this effort. We will solicit donations from local gardening and home improvement entities in support of this effort. We will also work with local community college students to assist with the design.

South Bend, IN – SBMA Mobile Art Stations

2017-08-13T00:00:00Z

We want to bring art to the masses! The South Bend Museum of Art participates in many local events to bring free art experiences to the community. Over the years we have partnered with The City of South Bend, Venues Parks and Arts, Downtown South Bend, Inc., Northern Indiana Artists Association, La Casa de Amistad, Robertson's Apartments, Urban Adventure Games, and many more! Because we work with limited resources and staffing, we would like to streamline the set up for these experiences. For example, we would love for more people to experience the joy of drawing and painting outdoors! But this requires us to set up many of our special, heavy easels that do not blow over on windy days. These are not easy for us to move and transport (awkward shape that gets them all tangled up in transport) and if classes are in session at the museum they are not always available. While brainstorming about this, South Bend Museum of Art Curator of Education, Christyn Overstake, came up with a design for these cool, mobile art stations to use for art activities at local events. The design is versatile, made up of four 4' x 8' sections that can be connected or set up separately. The design makes it easy for set up, sharing art supplies, and cleaning up. It includes trays for paints and drawing tools and an attached paper towel rolls. Each section will accommodate six people and will be hinged at the top, allowing us to separate the sections, fold them, load them and go! With 4 sections we could have twenty four people at once creating their masterpieces!

Yerevan – #SHIRAK Անեկդոտների պատ

2017-08-11T00:00:00Z

Գյումրին Հայաստանի հումորի մայրաքաղաքն է: Այստեղ ամեն օր հետաքրքիր պատմություններ, կատակներ ու զվարճալի դեպքեր են տեղի ունենում: Կարող ենք փաստել, որ քաղաքի բրենդներից մեկն է հումորը: Դեռեւս 5 տարի առաջ ֆեսբուք սոցիալական ցանցում ստեղծեցինք Կատակում են գյումրեցիները խումբը: Այժմ 127.000 կատակասեր կա մեր խմբում: Պարբերաբար խմբում հրապարակում ենք Գյումրու եւ Շիրակի մարզի հետաքրքիր վայրերի ու մարդկանց մասին տեղեկատվություն եւ սովորաբար խմբի մասնակիցների համար կազմակերպում ենք ճանաչողական այցեր դեպի Գյումրի եւ մարզի այլ տեսարժան վայրեր: Քաղաքն էլ ավելի ներկայանալի դարձնելու եւ նոր ժամանակակից կարեւոր այցելության վայր ունենալու համար հավես ցանկություն ունենք Գյումրիում ունենալ անեկդոտների պատ: Սա նաեւ հրաշալի հնարավորություն է մարդկանց համար առանց տեղի բնակչի ուղեկցության եւ բացատրության բարձր կարծիք ունենալ Գյումրու մասին եւ մենք եւս մեկ քայլով տուրիստական շեշտադրում կարող ենք հաղորդել: Հայաստանի առաջին պատն անեկդոտների մասին ուզում ենք ստեղծել Գյումրիում: Համ էլ փողոցները դրական տրամադրություն կփոխանցեն անցորդներին եւ երկրաշարժից հետո վնասված Կումայրի արգելոցի շենքերի պատերը ոչ թե փլված ու չվերանորոգված, տխուր տեսքով կներկայանան, այլ տրամադրություն կփոխանցեն անցորդներին: Եկել ես Գյումրի, շրջել ես եկեղեցիներով, վայելել ես արհեստների ու արվեստի քաղաքի տեսքը, կերել ես քյալլա կամ համով ձուկ՝ անուշ էղնի: Իսկ անեկդոտների պատը տեսա՞ր: Մենք փորձում ենք նոր պատմություն ստեղծել քաղաքի պատմության մեջ: Դիզայնի նախնական տեսքի պատրաստման գործում աջակցել է Անի Հարությունյանը:

San Francisco, CA – "you've got my eyes" - a dork-punk show-n-tell

2017-08-11T00:00:00Z

WHO & WHAT I'm throwing an event / party: the theme is "dirty back alley science fair swap meet". The focus is on the folks doing research on not-for-the-faint-of-heart subjects or with not-ready-for-prime-time projects. I'm looking to have 10 - 20 tables showing off freaky science / art projects, which maybe are selling things or taking tips. It's called "You've Got My Eyes", which is a reference to this scene. If you are reading this, I'm interested in you showing something, helping me find people to show stuff, or help me run the thing. While this event is free and open to everyone, this will be promoted through word of mouth, personal emails and handed out flyers. No online promotion, e-tickets or social media channels. Think: intimate, but not exclusive. Really want to know how to get there: ask someone who is showing something there! WHERE AND WHEN The date is Saturday Sept 30, 2017 - Expo from 7-11, dance party from 10 - 1 AM. It's happening at a ground level space in SOMA. HOW MUCH? It's a free party. (BUT BRING CASH.) WHY? Why am I doing this? This is something I want to see happen in the world.

Poughkeepsie, NY – Rebuilding Our Children and Community

2017-08-10T00:00:00Z

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Hard Tellin' Women in the Fishing Industry

2017-08-09T00:00:00Z

The Maine Coast Fishermen's Association seeks funding to create a series of short videos that will be used to tell the story of issues such as climate change, fishing heritage, the future of fishing, and local seafood. We are working with the Knack Factory, a production company based in Portland, Maine, to develop a thoughtful and cohesive story-line. Knack will also be producing the videos. These videos will be used via social media, shared with colleagues and partners, and screened at MCFA events. The project will culminate with a longer documentary, as well as, a virtual reality film where people will be able to follow a fish from the boat to a processor to a market to a restaurant – from the fish’s perspective. We chose videos to tell these stories because video inherently resonates and moves people to action more frequently and visual content resonates more strongly and creates a strong sense of empathy. Ultimately, videos are a preferred avenue for receiving information when it comes to education. Our goals are: 1.) Portray climate change impacts via a fisherman’s perspective to engage other fishermen and alter the story being told of fishermen and climate change; 2.) Engage consumers in a more relatable and accessible way; 3.) Share stories from various parts of the industry to develop a more well-rounded view of the industry. (This will include women in the industry, arts, trends, culture, restaurants, conservation efforts, and community.) About the nam: Hard Tellin' is common nomenclature amongst fishermen in Maine. It means "I"m not sure" or "it's hard to tell without more information." When asking people about the future of fishing this is often the answer from fishermen. It's a nod to fishermen, the uncertainty of their future, and the efforts they are making to conserve their industry. Maine Coast Fishermen's Association works with small-boat, community-based fishermen that live and work in Maine.

Louisville, KY (Inactive) – Ali The Poet

2017-08-09T00:00:00Z

I am working on a documentary film with the working title of "Ali the Poet," which examines Muhammad Ali's vision and influence on the development of Hip-Hop and spoken word poetry. Most accounts of Hip Hop place its rise in popularity in the 1970's. These accounts largely erase Muhammad Ali, ignoring his release of a spoken word album with Columbia Records in 1963 entitled "I Am the Greatest,", six months before he won his first heavyweight championship title. Although he was the most visible person to rap and perform poetry on television in the early 1960's, his influence on the early artists of Hip-Hop is not often credited. This documentary film historicizes and contextualizes Ali’s influence and presence in these traditions and examines the sexism evident in his philosophy and creative works. In its entirety this project references books, academic articles, historical footage, and interviews. The film engages a series of interviews with those close to Ali personally, those who have studied his life, Hip-Hop artists who were influenced by Ali, and Hip-Hop artists and scholars who can speak about the impact of sexism on Ali and Hip-Hop. Subjects include Muhammad Ali’s brother Rahman Ali, Ali’s daughter Rasheda Ali, childhood neighbor Lawrence Montgomery, childhood friend Sonny Fishback, DMC of Run, DMC, Kurtis Blow, Roxanne Shanté, Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets, Hip Hop scholar Gloria Ladson-Billings, Hip Hop scholar Shanara Reid-Brinkley, and others. The project creates a counter-narrative to the largely one-sided lens of Ali’s influence and popularity and also to the history of spoken word and Hip-Hop that has largely ignored his significance. No media project about Muhammad Ali has explicitly examined his influence on Hip Hop and spoken word traditions or critiqued the misogyny evident in his life as this one does. This account, this intersection, remains untold. The project is close to post-production stage, as only four interviews remain.

Chicago, IL – Back of the Yards - Bread truck mobile art exhibit

2017-08-09T00:00:00Z

For over four years, I've been documenting the last remaining member of a tiny street ministry that works with gangs and advocates for the poor in Chicago. Jim Fogarty, known affectionately as "Brother Jim," wears a hand-sewn habit made out of scraps of denim, now tattered after over 30 years of use. That's how long he's been traversing the streets by foot, carrying only rosary beads to pass out - that, and offering prayers, and maybe a little hope. His path across the city is broad, and the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the city's South Side is my primary vantage point. By now, the residents largely all know who he is, and often come running when they see him coming down the street, or call out from their windows, asking him to pray for them. There were times he stood between warring gangs shooting at each other, bullets whizzing by, risking his life. In an effort to neither whitewash nor sensationalize, I've taken care to attend to all those moments that, while difficult or simply mundane and easy to ignore, are also sublimely beautiful. To give back to the neighborhood, I facilitated a workshop at a Saturday program for youth in the Back of the Yards neighborhood (where I have conducted my documentary project) at the Port Ministries - a staple of the community that offers youth programming, a free clinic and a bread truck that drives through the area passing out sandwiches and snacks. I printed out images from my project and asked the kids (grades K-12) to respond to them by writing (or drawing) on them. I was impressed and touched by what they saw in my photos, the things they noticed and the commentary they offered. Next I will scan those new pieces (my image + their response), print them on panels and apply directly onto the side of the bread truck. I want to make sure I bring the work directly to the people in Back of the Yards. The bread truck will serve as a mobile art exhibit!

Baltimore, MD – “Miami is Nice”

2017-08-07T00:00:00Z

“Miami is Nice” is a Baltimore - based exhibition, queer performance series, and gay wedding celebration, inspired by the fearless irreverence of the popular television show The Golden Girls. “Miami is Nice” will take guests to an idealized version of the warm and leisurely energy of South Florida in the 1980s, a decade primarily known within the queer community for the devastating aftermath of the AIDS crisis and the triumphant acts of perseverance which mobilized a generation to fight for recognition. Utilizing The Golden Girls as a symbol of strength, subversion, and profound acceptance, “Miami is Nice” continues that fight by offering a joyful and nostalgic escape from the struggles of daily life to an actualized paradise: a world in which love wins. My name is Zachary Z. Handler and my arts partner is Nicholas Horan. We are the two lead organizers whose wedding has been designed to take place within the gallery space as a component of the exhibition itself, presenting a tongue-in-cheek response to the growing anti-LGBTQIA+ movement in America today. “Miami is Nice” presents a world more aligned with compassion and tolerance, while paying homage to those four remarkable female characters who played such a prominent role in our upbringings.

Adelaide – Free 2 Wee

2017-08-04T00:00:00Z

The aim of 'Free2Wee' is to increase the visibility of gender-neutral bathrooms in Adelaide. A gender-neutral toilet is a toilet that can be used by anyone without fear of being questioned or experiencing violence based on their gender or sexuality. Many people are forced to avoid places that don't have gender neutral toilets, preventing their full participation in public life. Currently, finding appropriate bathrooms in venues and businesses is a difficult process, and one that can be a source of anxiety for gender-diverse community members. Our project is simple: to develop and print stickers that indicate there is a gender-neutral bathrooms within premises around Adelaide. The sticker, which we have already designed (see attached), would be placed at the entrance of shops and venues with the permission of owners, making it visible to patrons, and alleviating stress for those who would ordinarily have to ask. In addition to this, we will develop online & print resources about bathroom accessibility to share with venues. For those who may be unaware of the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms, we will use these resources to begin a conversation and provide information. For those venues that do not have gender-neutral bathrooms, we may also be able to discuss ways in which the introduction of one might be possible. Using our online and print resources, we will collaborate with community members and support them to roll-out the stickers and have conversations with venues.

Singapore – Halloween Date

2017-08-04T00:00:00Z

I considered calling this project "Little Dreamers", telling you that it was going to be a celebrity read-athon to combat infant illiteracy, and that if somehow this project fell apart, plan B was to buy costumes for my play. I couldn't decide whether you would consider this (i) brilliant and hysterical humor or (ii) unfunny disrespect. You'd be surprised how often this question arises in my life :) I would ask you to consider my project with a macro lens. Does comedy/laughter/art help the world? Assuming you believe it does (if done properly), that's what I want to pitch to you. The project is a Halloween-themed, dark comedy targeted at adults. If you are an adult who wants to find something thematic to do for Halloween, you can come to this play. Hopefully, you will spend an hour forgetting your troubles. The characters and stories are broad. Nothing too deep or with any socially-redeeming agenda. I do get frustrated with understanding women, so some of the script delves into that. To balance that out, the play finishes with the male protagonist (who embodies my darker thoughts) going to hell. I am willing to add a disclaimer in the play's programme that, if you fund the play, the only idea you support is me going to hell :) Why is this awesome? It's awesome if you believe laughter is a good force in the world. Hopefully, the actors and audience will have fun with this play, and it will help the local arts scene grow. Because I have no experience putting on a play, I hope that my doing so will encourage others to action some of their dreams. If it did encourage other people, that would also be pretty awesome. You have to give me that! If other people wrote plays, there would be no room to put on any of my work.... which equals world you want to live in! Final pitch... you know I'm going to submit next month if I don't get the award this month. Do you really want to read another application from me? I didn't think so :)

Oakland, CA (Inactive) – Social Justice Sewing Academy

2017-08-03T00:00:00Z

I want to provide free critical arts educational programming to Next Step Learning Center in Oakland, CA. Next Step Learning center is a place where transitional aged youth (TAY) 18-22 can come to earn a high school diploma or GED. Being pushed out of the traditional school system, I want to provide SJSA programming to use participatory art as a vehicle for personal transformation, community cohesion, and social change. While the first half of the programming will be focused on activities, workshops and assignments in social justice education, the second half is centered on creating activist art with textiles –forms of art that strive to make a social difference. SJSA allows participants to create art as a way of narrating, shaping, and making meaning of their experiences in the world and this art is an effort to draw attention to, mobilizes action toward, or attempts to intervene in, systems of inequality of injustice. SJSA allows young people to create textile art that question, challenge and strive to indirectly influence existing conditions of inequality and injustices by engaging communities in social transformation. I will provide in-depth sewing instruction and tap into students' creativity by introducing sewing techniques, color theory, and artistic expression. We will end the program with a culminating final project of creating a ‘social justice art quilt’ and hosting an art show featuring all the textile and fiber projects they have design and sewn. Ultimately, I believe the participants will learn that sewing can be more than just a hobby; it can be a revolutionary practice of resistance.

Annapolis, NS (Inactive) – National Artist in Residency competition

2017-08-02T00:00:00Z

The project is to host a national competition, with the prize of a one month residency at Lucky Rabbit & Co. Artists' House in Annapolis Royal. The competition will be advertised through national and provincial arts organizations as well as on social media. A jury of three will make the selection. To honor the guest artist and introduce them to the community, I will host a "meet and greet", require them to open their studio to the public on Saturdays in keeping with Artists' House hours, and will offer an exhibition in my gallery to those who are interested. An extroverted artist with tangible product to sell will thrive in this location in the summer, while a more introverted artist will benefit from the peaceful and respectful atmosphere of winter work time. Offering the first residency as a prize will create a buzz, and act as a magnet to attract other artists to this "art destination". This project will capitalize on the existing strength of Annapolis Royal as a cultural hub. Annapolis Royal has the opportunity to host a world class artist, who will then go on to promote the town in the best possible way. Could Annapolis Royal boast that it once hosted the next Emily Carr or Margaret Atwood? An open competition will garner interest from a vast array of artists from across the country. Artists help one another, and network in unusual ways. By bringing artists "from away" into the Artists' House community, a rich cultural exchange will take place. Local artists will benefit by making contacts with artists from outside of this community and province, and the greater community will be enhanced by the dialogue and creativity that is sparked.

Atlanta, GA (Inactive) – Technologists of Color

2017-08-01T00:00:00Z

Technologists of Color (ToC) is a organization committed to building the African American tech community in Atlanta. Our primary goal is to connect tech professionals so that they can share knowledge, resources and opportunities. We also strive to inform and educate the community to help increase African American participation in technology. The organization was created in May of 2012 and has steadily grown to become a valued voice in the African-American technology community. ToC is fiscally sponsored by Successful Paths, Inc a 501c3 corporation. Here's a sampling of our programs and events: * Code Your World - This is a series of technology workshops given in public and private settings. We have provided and/or hosted multiple programming workshops on Arduino, 3D Modeling, Mobile App Development and WebRTC technology. * ToC Happy Hour - ToC hosts regular Happy Hour events during which members fellowship and network. The Technologists of Color Happy Hour provides a great opportunity to meet technology professionals in a casual setting. It will also helps tech professionals get plugged in to what's happening in and around Atlanta's technology scene. * App Showcase - ToC hosts an event where members of the community were given an opportunity to share or "pitch" their app, website or service to the audience and receive constructive feedback. * Hour of Code - We used Code.org’s "Hour of Code" program to introduce over 180 students to programming at the Lindley Sixth Grade Academy during Georgia’s "Day of Code". * Biologue STEM Fair and Black Girls Code - As a group, ToC also provided volunteer support to the Biologue STEM Fair and helped to organize the Black Girls Code "Build a Web Page in a Day" events in Atlanta * Academy of Scholars - ToC provided volunteers to assist with the Academy of Scholars pilot Saturday coding classes.

San Antonio, TX – Cinema on Tap

2017-08-01T00:00:00Z

Cinema on Tap is a free film series in San Antonio, TX exclusively featuring independent films and local shorts paired with craft beer. Every feature film we show is a unique, bold and passionately made independent film and is always preceded by a short film shot in San Antonio or made by a San Antonio filmmaker. We have had every event at a craft beer taproom or a local distillery, where we promote equally passionately made beer and small batch spirits. Previously, we have had homes at Big Hops and Edwards Ridge Distillery where there was a projector and screen available for us. We are now looking to turn our series into a true pop-up, where we have the ability to travel to different craft beer locations around San Antonio, regardless of set up, and put on amazing events. To do this, and to keep this series free, as every event has been thus far, we are looking for funding for equipment and licensing costs. In the future, we hope to expand beyond just craft beer and be able to have events in random, unannounced locations or in established venues like parks, art galleries, or anything else we brew up. We also plan to share our equipment. We will partner not only with local filmmakers, but with San Antonio-based student filmmaking programs to provide them our equipment for their own events. We also want to spread the word through fundraising for these programs at some of our events.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Punch Out the Patriarchy

2017-07-31T00:00:00Z

I started She Fights Foundation to offer free boxing classes to young girls aged 14-19 who come from low income backgrounds in NYC. The goal of our program is to foster empowerment in our girls through boxing. We have partnered with Church Street Boxing Gym, who has allowed us use of their space free of charge. We also have some amazing coaches who donate their time to our girls once a week. We have been officially up and running as She Fights since November of 2016, and currently have 15 students. We are working on expanding to other gyms, with the hope of providing the same opportunity to more students. We are also working on partnering with gyms that offer more than just boxing, so our girls have the opportunity to try out other combat sports like Muay Thai and Brazilian Ju Jitsu. In this short time we have seen a change in our students, not just in their skills as boxers, but in their overall confidence. They have said that boxing allows them a healthy outlet for their frustration, and has taught them how to be more patient with themselves. We noticed that when the girls start out boxing, many of them seem afraid of doing something wrong, of looking foolish, or of making a mistake. With time they have learned that it's ok to make a mistake, and that She Fights is a judgement-free space where they don't have to fear doing something wrong.

Libraries (Inactive) – le projet TchadEducationPlus

2017-07-31T00:00:00Z

Chad has the highest ratio of students per textbook, according to UNESCO and the National Report on the Development of Education in Chad. Apart from the programs designed by the NCC, the National Curriculum Center, created in 2003, there are very few textbooks for teachers and pupils in secondary education. On the basis of these findings, the TchadEducationPlus project aims to collect and digitize materials for general secondary education and distribute the materials free of charge in order to reduce the educational divide for approximately 800,000 teachers and students throughout the country of Chad. This project is made possible through the Collège Saint François Xavier N'Djamena in partnership with Label 109. What our grantee has to say: “My name is Bouayom Anderson Djimadoum. I'm Chadian. I'm a geography teacher and have a master’s degree in urban sustainable planning. In addition to teaching, I’m also a hip hop artist, writer, and founder of Label 109 – a non-profit dedicated to education and sustainable curriculum development. As it is difficult to find support for projects in Chad, this Awesome Foundation Grant will allow me pilot this project and identify sustainable funding.” What our trustees have to say: “This submission starts with a small pilot program but has the potential to take off for several courses. I'm impressed by the efficient simplicity of the idea, and hope that it can become fully realized into a fully-functioning educational app which students all across Chad can use to further their academic studies. It's an efficient way to address problems with the materials at hand.” “Innovative utilization of existing technology to expand resource access to extremely underserved community. Expands concepts of what a library can be and provide and helps support increased resource access to people who would otherwise have a difficult time obtaining access.”

Alaska (Inactive) – Cedar Bark net making instruction

2017-07-31T00:00:00Z

I would like to host a cedar bark net making course on Prince of Wales Island. I will invite net-maker Paul LaPier to instruct students in the construction of willow dip net frames with red cedar bark rope net. The class will be open for students from across the island. I hope to have the course happen by September 2017. With willow and cedar bark,students will create a functional fishing net.

Disability – The Accessible Stall Podcast

2017-07-31T00:00:00Z

The Accessible Stall is a podcast dedicated to open, honest conversation about disability issues. My cohost, Kyle Khachadurian, and I are breaking ground in the podcasting space, as we are currently one of very few shows regularly addressing disability. We have a strong, dedicated listenership and engaged fans on social media. As of the time of this application submission, we have released 34 episodes and our total number of listens stands at 16,461 – far surpassing the 26 episodes and 10,438 listens we had as of our first time applying for this grant. Our podcast places us in a unique position, allowing us to reach beyond the echo chambers in which the disability community tends to exist, educating and connecting with people who do not have familiarity with disability experiences. This is absolutely crucial, especially in the world in which we currently live, where disability is far too often overlooked and misunderstood. Thus far, we’ve covered topics ranging from fun (such as accessibility and Pokemon Go) to serious (such as disability and sexual assault). We also discuss current events from the disability perspective. To add depth to our conversations and amplify diverse voices, we sometimes invite guests to join our discussions. Looking ahead, Kyle and I aim to continue expanding our listenership and growing our reach beyond the disability community. As podcasting continues to grow as a key form of media, Kyle and I are ready and excited to continue blazing a trail with The Accessible Stall. What our grantee is saying: "We're so ecstatic that The Accessible Stall Podcast was chosen to receive the Awesome Disability grant, because it gives us support to sustain our work and continue bringing real talk about disability issues to a mainstream media platform."

Austin, TX – Into the Wilds: A Portrait Project

2017-07-31T00:00:00Z

Jeanette Nevarez began photographing Austin-area drag queens in August 2016. “I am fascinated in the transformations that cross dressers undertake,” she says. For Nevarez and her subjects, each portrait is part of a bigger artistic collaboration embracing freedom of expression and the disruption of socially-constructed gender roles. Nevarez says her ultimate goal is to complete 10 portraits and show them in a solo exhibition. The Austin Awesome Foundation is happy to help make this goal a reality.

North Minneapolis, MN – UNLIMITED NEXT LEVEL DRUM AND DANCE

2017-07-31T00:00:00Z

OUR PROGRAM IS A COMMUNITY BASED PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR OVER 12 YEARS NOW. IT WAS FOUNDED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MR. STEPHAN GRAHAM WHO SINCE HAS PASSED AWAY IN JUNE OF 2012 . WE ARE NOW UNDER THE ACTING DIRECTOR DEONDREA COLE. WE RAISE ALL THE MONEY FOR THIS OUR SELVES AND WE DO FUNDRAISERS. OUR MOTTO IS '"MAKING UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES IN MOVING YOUTH TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN THEIR LIVES AND COMMUNITIES". THINGS ET SO HARD FOR US AT TIMES CAUSE OUR YOUTH CANNOT AFFORD THING SOMETIMES. SO WE FUND RAISE TO HELP THEM OUT .

Asheville, NC (Inactive) – Story Art Project

2017-07-30T00:00:00Z

As of Monday June 5 the Class has started: Story Art is a class I have brought to the Charles George VA Hospital in Asheville. I am working thru voluntary services. I am facilitating the class with Rebekah Wiggins, resident VA Art Therapist. The class is designed for veterans in rehab at the Community Living Center at the hospital. Participants will be telling a story, something significant in their life's experience with an image or sculpture. Think about what would make a dynamic cover for your biography or memoir? Rebekah and I guide the participants thru the process from concept to final art. Rebekah is qualified to work with emotional issues that my arise. The participants are encouraged to help each other with advice and story telling. I have structured the class for all levels of artist ability as well as assisting those with handicaps or limitations. At the end of 6 weeks we will discuss as a group the possibility of displaying the finished art within the hospital and in addition Rebekah is in discussion with a local Asheville art gallery the possibility of community interaction. Our first class had 9 participants and I am very excited to what it progress positively. My goal is to offer this class on an ongoing basis and expand it the t Hospice within the VA to assist veterans with a way to leave a legacy.

Ottawa – Community Cup

2017-07-30T00:00:00Z

July’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Chris Sheppard and Shawn MacDonell to support a Stanley-Cup-type trophy — a Community Cup — given to someone new each week, chosen by the previous week’s winner. “The idea,” explains Shawn, “is to celebrate everyday people in Ottawa. The trophy will be awarded ambush-style, with the event documented and shared online, along with the story of the winner as told by the person who did the choosing.” “The short amount of time between winners is meant to encourage people not to think too hard about it,” Shawn continues. “The Community Cup could go to someone who always packs your groceries super well, or to the folks who clean the streets of the city. The message is that everyone can be a champion.” Chris is a part-time skateboarder and full-time dad, and Shawn is the founder of a creative agency. You’ll be able to follow the Community Cup on Twitter.

Gloucester, MA – 2nd Annual Pay-It-Forward Pink Envelope Initiative

2017-07-29T00:00:00Z

In partnership with one another, Awesome Gloucester and Awesome Rockport will distribute 121 pink envelopes containing undisclosed amounts of cash across our neighboring communities. Together, our chapters will give away a total of $2000 in free cash over the course of a single weekend. The dates of distribution are July 29 and July 30. In addition to the cash, we will also insert a brief note in each envelope requesting that recipients (a) do something awesome with the money and (b) share a story about what they did via email or through social media.

Rockport, MA – 2nd Annual Pay-It-Forward Pink Envelope Initiative

2017-07-29T00:00:00Z

Boston, MA – Migrant Sounds, Cultural Fusions

2017-07-28T00:00:00Z

We are three musical projects, with cultural ties around the world, looking to join forces in Boston. The date is set - Sunday, September 24. The lineup is locked in - Awaaz Do, Interminable, and ¡Aparato!. The events - one panel discussion during the day, in cooperation with local feminist nonprofit Girls Rock Campaign Boston (http://girlsrockboston.org/), and a concert at night. Both onstage and off, we would showcase our vision for collaboration, exploration, and creativity. By bringing these three projects together, we would feature voices from women, men, nonbinary, indigenous, black, white, South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Mexican, queer, straight, and migrant people. Each project presents a unique vision of cultural fusion: Awaaz Do is a postcolonial rock project based in Boston, whose lead singer is on the board of Girls Rock Boston. Interminable is a diasporic space fusion project from Philadelphia, bringing together the afromestizo rhythms of son jarocho from Veracruz, Mexico, with that of jazz, rock, and electronic music. ¡Aparato! is a chicanxfuturist son jarocho/punk band from LA, dressed like space-charros and ready to rock. All bands sing in both their native languages and in English. Only one thing stands in our way - funding. We want to be able to offer all events as sliding scale, without having to compromise on receiving our fair due as musicians. This concert will be part of a larger Northeast tour, and as independent, unsigned musicians, it is important for us to acquire sufficient funds along the way to not end up losing money in the long run. We are reaching out to universities and other cultural organizations, but still are in need of secure funding for our awesome Boston activities. This grant would help do just that.

Yerevan – Make Amasia Great Again

2017-07-27T00:00:00Z

The project is AWESOME because there isn’t a single neighborhood in Armenia buildings of which are painted in unique and bright colors. Name of the project. The name of the project was chosen during the discussion of SKYE youth club and is “Make Amasia Great Again" In different coutries all over the world people paint their neighborhoods and houses in different colors in order to make their lives more colorful. They find aesthetic solutions and positive emotions which interest tourists too, making them visit the places, take pictures and later tell their friends. There are such colorful neighborhoods in Argentina, Brazil and other countries. The aim of the project. The aim of the project is to paint wooden houses in neighborhood called “Haravslavakan” in Amasia thus making it a modern neighborhood which would create opportunities for Amasia to become a local touristic attraction.The inhabitants of the neighborhood will have beautiful appartments and the life will be filled with colors. In the scope of the project 50 houses will have appartments painted in two different colors and the houses will be protected from corosion for the coming 5 years. Local tourism will develop in the community and the appartments will provide B&B services for tourists. In the scope of the project 50 houses will have appartments painted in two different colors and the houses will be protected from corosion for the coming 5 years. Local tourism will develop in the community and the appartments will provide B&B services for tourists. All the above mentioned was discussed with the community in particular with the owners of the houses of the neighborhood. World Vision Amasia Area Program will support the project by giving 1000 usd. The project will be covered by local public TV and news web sites.

Newcastle – More Than a Mumma - Connecting Mummas

2017-07-27T00:00:00Z

The first ever More Than a Mumma workshop was only supposed to be a one time event. In mid 2016, Anastasia was a heavily pregnant mum, eagerly searching for a sense of community and connection. She came up with the idea to organise an event where mums could gather to learn about self worth and self love. Anastasia found the best female-focused wellbeing practitioner she could find, Lucy Ellis, and invited her to speak. Anastasia was thrilled when thirty-five women showed up to the event. The realisation that Anastasia was not the only mum yearning for connection was exciting and inspiring. She discovered that this was a huge gap in many mother’s lives and she was determined to reach out and connect them together as often as she could. More Than a Mumma was born and is already connecting over 100 fantastic females with each other, face to face, while hearing inspiring content that will lead them in the right direction.The workshops allow mothers with babies, toddlers, teenagers and adults to all come together, not only because they are mothers, but also to discover that they are so much MORE than that! Motherhood is such a privilege, but it can also be incredibly difficult and isolating. Everyday brings new and unpredictable challenges that can cause rifts in relationships with family, friends, and partners. Anastasia is determined to make CONNECTION the primary motivation behind every single decision she makes with the direction of More Than A Mumma and she has created this buzzing new concept due to a large volume of conversations she has had online and face to face with mothers from all backgrounds. Anastasia has heard many mums say that they feel as though they have lost their identities since becoming mothers and the predominant complaint is that they just don’t have time for themselves. This has moved Anastasia into action. Her goal is to make sure that women are creating valuable and lasting friendships with each other and within themselves.

Twin Cities, MN (Inactive) – Gym equipment for the Crisis Nursery

2017-07-26T00:00:00Z

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery request a grant to purchase equipment for our indoor gym, where staff and volunteers lead children in age-appropriate play while they are in residence during a family crisis. With the help of The Awesome Foundation, we will equip this large room for activities that teach children how to take turns, share, collaborate, follow directions, and lead. We will create a space that encourages children to use imaginative play to build social relationships explore their environment. Parents voluntarily bring their children to the Nursery when the challenges of poverty, single-parenting, transience, and isolation reach crisis levels. The Nursery provides a secure environment and the attention of nurturing adults to calm children’s fears while they are separated from their parents. Throughout the three days of placement, care providers in a ratio of one to four children follow the Nursery Way protocol to repair the impact of stress on the child’s mind and body. As children bathe and brush their teeth, pick out their clothes, play on one of the playgrounds or in an indoor activity room, enjoy meals and snacks, and get ready for bed, they learn to expect help from adults in expressing their needs and feelings, recognizing limits, empathizing with others, and exploring their environment. Play is an important part of the Nursery Way protocol. As a body of current research tell us, children develop cognitive skills, physical abilities, vocabulary, and social capabilities while participating in games, making art, and role-playing. At the same time, they reduce stress and build self-esteem (http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/10-things-every-parent-should-know-about-play). With a contribution to equip the Crisis Nursery gym, The Awesome Foundation will provide the many benefits of play to children whose lives are often overshadowed by family instability and parental anxiety.

Melbourne (Inactive) – The Strong Sunflower book

2017-07-26T00:00:00Z

Treatment of people seeking asylum in Australia is as cruel as a dinosaur is big. Writing Through Fences, facilitated by Janet Galbraith, is a group of writers currently or recently detained by Australia’s immigration system. The group’s next publication will be a book entitled ‘The Strong Sunflower’ featuring a poem by Mohammad Ali Maleki who is detained on Manus Island. This application is requesting funds for the printing of this book. Rose Turtle Ertler (who works with WTF) and Mohammad have been writing to each other daily for the last 18months. Mohammad, an Iranian man, a tailor and a set/prop builder for films, started writing poetry a year ago. He takes a lot of medication, is depressed and anxious, sleeps little, eats one meal a day, and like all other men on Manus, has inadequate medical treatment. When asked why he writes, Mohammad answers: Because I am writing my feeling. I am writing everything that is happening here for me. I write my feeling on the paper and see my pain. Some time I see my pain this is good for me. But some time very hard to see my pain. Some of Mohammad’s poems have been published online by various writers and publishers in Australia. This makes him happy and enables his voice to reach beyond the fences of detention. Mohammad’s book will be printed on A5 paper with a spine stitched together (referencing his tailoring skills.) Mohammad will create artwork for the cover and 8 artists will make illustrations for the book. 4 refugee artists: - Eaten Fish cartoonist detained on Manus (Freedom of Expression Voltaire Award Liberty Victoria, CRNI Human Rights Award) - Mahmoud Salameh (Palestinian - Syd) Miriem Salameh (Syrian - Melb) Iqbal Asadi (Iranian - Melb) 4 non-refugee artists: Firstdog Onthemoon The Guardian cartoonist/regular collaborator with Eaten Fish (Melb) Mandy Ord graphic comic artist (Melb) Michael Camilleri artist (Melb) Rachael Guy botanical artist (Castlemaine) The book will be launched and distributed by WTF

Tallahassee, FL (Inactive) – Senior Volunteer Programs Summer Literacy Camp

2017-07-25T00:00:00Z

Elder Care Services' Senior Volunteer Program provides seniors 55 years of age or older the opportunity to fill numerous community needs, while keeping themselves active and engaged. The Foster Grandparent Program provides love and guidance to children with special or exceptional needs at schools, pediatric units and day care centers. During the summer months, we strive to keep our Foster Grandparents vital and our student supported. This year, we have a unique opportunity to partner with Smith-Williams to provide low income children with a free storytelling program. Storytelling is an interactive and exciting way to build on pre-literacy and verbal skills. Storytelling activities will include opportunities to increase student reading; provide them with exposure to Florida and African folktales, fairy tales and literary stories; hone skills related to traditional storytelling (public speaking, emotional nuance); create programs with other campers (teamwork, communication, conflict resolution); and improve creative writing and performance skills. This camp will run 3 times a week during the entire month of June, but may be replicated at other community centers in the future.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – SF Bay Bad Date List

2017-07-24T00:00:00Z

As a criminalized and stigmatized population, sex workers suffer significant amounts of violence. In an effort to reduce instances of violence the St James Infirmary launched a Bad Date List.("BDL"). The BDL is a community-based violence intervention tool utilized by sex workers to share information regarding “bad dates.” A Bad Date may be any person who threatens, behaves violently towards, robs, extorts, or engages in any behavior that violates the agreed upon terms and boundaries of the exchange. The BDL facilitates sex workers' ability to warn other workers of those who cause harm with anonymous reporting, mass distribution of reports, and a network of support and community. In an effort to make the BDL as accessible as possible, sex workers are able to make anonymous reports of violence by phone, email, in person, and online in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. The St James Infirmary currently pursues outreach of the BDL in person through the other programs offered by the clinic (needle exchange, HIV/STI testing, Speakers Bureau etc), online through social media, and by working in coalition with other sex worker, rape crisis, health clinics, and social service providers in the SF Bay Area.

New York City, NY – The Free Black Women's Library

2017-07-24T00:00:00Z

The Free Black Women's Library is an interactive mobile library that features a collection of over 700 books written by Black women. The library pop ups monthly in public spaces throughout the NYC area and creates space for the community to take part and enjoy visual art, performance, readings, writing workshops and critical conversations that explore varying connections between race, gender and culture. All races, genders and ages are welcome to trade books with the library. Some people bring one book to trade, some people bring three, some people bring ten of their books to swap with the library for new books. Some people show up with no books but come just to hang out in the space, talk about books, art and to make new friends. The library has appeared in playgrounds, parks, museums, art galleries, barber shops, vintage clothing stores, community gardens, bars, cultural centers, street fairs, music festivals and anywhere else that is easily accessible and free. This is a grassroots project that is self funded and co-created in community that helps to promote literacy, diversity and inclusion, at its core its mission is to center voices in literature that are not normally heard. AwesomeNYC is proud to be able to support the library's transportation costs around the city. Subscribe to their Facebook page to find out when the library is coming to a public space near you!

Newmarket – Slap Shot Hockey Program for Children

2017-07-24T00:00:00Z

All children need to feel that they belong within their peer group, their school and their community.Recreational sport and development of life skills such as good sportsmanship and living with character often provide this aspect of community integration for many children. Low income/newcomer children and their families struggle to integrate socially and culturally in Newmarket Slap Shot is a free seven week in school hockey program developed to reduce social isolation in low income/newcomer children ages 8-12 (Grade 4-6) in York Region. Slap Shot provides a safe, inclusive, age-appropriate introduction to the game of hockey and Canadian culture to children whose ability to participate in recreational sport is limited due to financial and cultural barriers. Delivered by an experienced program coach, professional hockey trainers and supported by peer mentors, participants learn the basic skills of the game along with important skills in leadership, character, socialization, teamwork, nutrition, health and the benefit of living an active lifestyle using the game of Floorball. When the in school sessions are completed, participants travel to a local arena, where they play a game of hockey on ice dressed in full hockey gear with their coaches and volunteer York Regional Police hockey players. Participants receive a jersey, hockey stick and puck to keep so they may continue to play hockey with their peers. The program ends with a celebration pizza and recognition lunch where participants receive a team medallion, photo, watch a video of the on ice day and discuss their experience in the program. Since 2012, we have delivered this program to over 1,400 children in York Region with 88% of our participants reporting reduced social isolation in school and in the community as a result of participating in the Slap Shot Program. In September 2017 we will be delivering this program for the first time to 50 low income/newcomer children at Maple Leaf PS and Phoebe Gilman P.S.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Dirty Girls

2017-07-21T00:00:00Z

Dirty Girls operates in Greece using the paid services of three huge commercial laundries located in Lesvos, Athens and Thessaloniki. We wash, (to hospital standards), blankets, sleeping bags and other materials so that they can be reused, rather than the present practices of International Non Government Organisations (INGOs) – the cavalier trashing of all materials and replacement with new ones. The clean materials go back to the refugees for reuse. As well as giving the blankets to people in Greece, we have sent 10,000 blankets to Serbia. So far we have saved over 500 tons of material from landfill. We have saved UNHCR, who distribute the new blankets, over a million euros because they haven't had to pay for replacement blankets when we wash them. In the process we have created employment for local Greek people. At the peak of refugee arrivals on Lesvos we also washed the drenched clothes of people arriving by sea. At that time we had 4x300kilo washing machines working 24/7. Now that people are trapped in Greece, rather than moving along in a few days, we supply washing powder so that people can keep and wash their own clothes.

Kingston – Project Dream Again

2017-07-21T00:00:00Z

Sleep apnea is a common disorder which involves having one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may cause high blood pressure and heart attacks which can lead to death. CPAP treatment entails wearing a mask over the nose and/or mouth that is connected to a small machine that pumps air to keep airways open during sleep. The problem with current sleep apnea masks is improper fit, leakage and discomfort. With an estimated 10,000 people in Kingston using CPAP to treat their sleep apnea and millions across North America, making CPAP treatment more tolerable will have a huge impact on each of these individuals’ lives. Our project is to develop an improved design for sleep apnea masks. Using 3D printed technology, the user's face is scanned in order to design a customized cushion for their CPAP mask. This added component is then attached to the mask’s surface to improve comfort and wearability. Since we last pitched, we have been working with Dr. Helen Driver from the KGH sleep lab and are working with local Kingston vendors including VitalAire, MediGas, ProResp and Shoppers Home Health Care. We have interviewed over 15 patients in Kingston with sleep apnea with the goal of implementing their feedback, and we are continuing to search for further resources and contacts. Of the patients interviewed, we have secured 5 volunteers to test trial our product. We are on our third round of prototyping and have trialled two types of silicone. We are looking to further iterate on our masks and are seeking for more patients willing to test our design. To accomplish this, we hope to connect with experts in the Kingston area that would be willing to support our project. Currently, we have set up a meeting with Launch Lab, a local Kingston accelerator, to assist us in moving forward and we also hope to partner with the Queen’s Department of Medicine to organize clinical studies.

Bend, OR (Inactive) – Cooking up Food Heroes with Aprons and Chef's Hats

2017-07-20T00:00:00Z

The OSU Extension Nutrition Education Program / SNAP-Ed provides nutrition education and related physical activity education to youth, families and adults with researched based curriculum, interactive physical activity games, and nutrition enhanced cooking lessons. These activities are based on the current USDA Dietary Guidelines. The funding comes from the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed). Our youth class participants in Bend include high percentages of youth qualifying for free and reduced meals. One of our most successful and life-changing efforts is an after-school cooking class, Kids in the Kitchen. Through the seven lesson series, we are able to offer free cooking classes to fourth and fifth grade students at qualifying schools in Bend. Bend Boys and Girls Club youth also benefit from engaging garden enhanced nutrition education lessons at the Environmental Center's Kansas Avenue Learning Garden. We also work with English Language Learners during summer garden enrichment programming at other sites. Students have gained life long skills to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families. We know that providing our students with skills and education impacts their food choices and willingness to try new foods, as well as empowers them to cook at home. The spices, cooking tools, and reinforcements students receive during our lessons stretch further than one cooking experience. They allow students to prepare healthy foods for themselves beyond our time together.

Orlando, FL – "Act Like A Hero" opportunity for Paramore kids

2017-07-20T00:00:00Z

Singapore – The Blind Cooking Project

2017-07-19T00:00:00Z

The Blind Cooking Project is exactly what it sounds like – a means through which people with vision impairment can be taught important skills in the kitchen. Right now, the project will be limited to teaching 8 selected vision impaired individuals 8 introductory dishes, with plans to expand into more recipes in the future (late 2017 / 2018). The most heart-warming possible outcome of this project would be a scenario in which our Blind Chefs would be so confident in the kitchen, they will be capable of sharing cooking techniques with other fellow vision impaired individuals, or even with regular sighted people. Sighted or not, cooking is an integral element of independent living, and this project aims to provide a safe, structured environment to kick things off and get some of the most willing members of the Singaporean vision impaired community started.

Gloucester, MA – Yoga in 12 Step Recovery

2017-07-18T00:00:00Z

Hello! My name is Megan Ghirardi and my Awesome Project is Yoga in 12 Step Recovery. Our communities have been deeply impacted by addiction. Many treatment and recovery centers are now offering yoga as an adjunct to traditional therapies to help individuals create sustainable recovery and avoid relapse. Several National Insistute of Health studies have supported yoga postures and yogic breathing as therapeutic modalities. However, those leaving treatment centers, or simply recovering on their own in the community are often unable to practice yoga with the the support of a group because of cost. It's my belief that yoga classes to benefit this group of individuals should be offered in a supportive and inclusive environment at yoga studios that are set up with all the comfort, props and amenities that support an enjoyable practice. No one should miss out on learning how to create a more positive life for themselves because of financial limitations.

San Jose, CA – Backpacks for a Future

2017-07-18T00:00:00Z

In the Bay Area alone, around 800,000 people live in poverty. Students born to low-income families consistently struggle to attend school every day. After attending a middle school in a low-income area in Santa Clara, I noticed how many students would regularly show up to school with torn backpacks and lacked school supplies. To end this cycle, I hope to provide 100 foster children and low income children with backpacks for the coming school year.. Each backpack will have a pencil pouch with 3 pencils, 3 pens, 1 eraser and 2 glue sticks, as well as 2 storybooks, and a box of crayons. By providing these children with school supplies and a new backpack, I hope to give them the materials and confidence to succeed in this coming school year. To distribute these backpacks, I hope to work with organizations such as Stand up for Kids - Silicon Valley, GiveLight Foundation, as well as Title I schools in the area, to make sure that these kids get the materials that they need. I have already assembled a team of 6 friends to help make the backpacks, and held a book drive to collect over 200 books for the backpacks. These backpacks will be mainly for students in grades K-3. I hope that, using the materials in the backpack, that the children are able to create a strong educational foundation that will help them later on in life.