Awesome Foundation - Projects

Pittsburgh, PA – Trash Bubbles: A Poetic Exploration of Trash

2017-07-17T00:00:00Z

Since 2012, I have been creating Trash Bubbles from discarded consumer packaging. It began while thinking of a way to create mail-able 3-D trash poetry collage pieces for members of a group to which I belong at IUOMA. They had to be readily available, cheap, sturdy enough to survive the postal system, with a clear area in which to create and about the size of a postcard. One day, while opening some medical tape I'd bought as an art supply, I realized that the package was perfect for the job. My first series of three Trash Bubbles were all created from that same packaging. Most Trash Bubbles contain a message. Some messages reveal themselves in creation, others are well-planned and executed affirmations. They have been quirky, kitschy micro-stories. They have been poetic. They have been down-right silly. Each Trash Bubble is completely unique unto itself. Creating a Trash Bubble is an entirely intuitive process for me. It begins with choosing a package and then combing through the bits I've intuitively accumulated, displayed and stored in clear jars, looking for those things that wish to be included. When I try to force it, they never work. It is only when I let the bits speak to me that they take on a life of their own and tell their story. A color, or a shape will present and attract other items that complement it and support the message. At first, these were just just something I could send to mail art cohorts. About a year or so in, I submitted a series of Trash Bubbles, created in a red, white and black color palette, to GreenCraft magazine at the insistence of a friend who believed in them and me. Much to my surprise, they accepted them and printed my article. Later, I created a Trash Bubble mobile which was exhibited locally as part of a green art show for Earth Day. The mobile was later disassembled and the Bubbles were mailed out. Trash Bubbles: A Poetic Exploration is intended as a gallery exhibit with workshops, culminating in a mass mailing.

Moscow (Inactive) – Организация художественно-технического коворкинга

2017-07-15T00:00:00Z

Технико-художественный коворкинг-центр на базе библиотеки и производственных и художественных мастерских Государственного автономного профессионального образовательного учреждения Самарской области «Колледж технического и художественного образования г.Тольятти» (далее Колледж) необходим для самореализации ремесленников и прикладников города Тольятти, в том числе людей с ограниченными возможностями, а также устранения противоречий между содержанием образовательных программ и потребностями ремесленников, прикладников, а так же воплощение идеи о создании сувенирной продукции Тольятти. Цель: Организация технико-художественного коворкинг-центра, который будет грамотно оборудован и доступен для реализации творческих проектов, создадутся условия для работы и занятий как техническим, так и художественным творчеством. В Колледже есть определенные ресурсы: производственные и художественные мастерские, большая площадь библиотеки с библиотечным фондом, который наполнен учебно-методическими пособиями, квалифицированные профессиональные кадры (педагоги), образовательные программы. Технико-художественный коворкинг создается по зонам: художественная на 15 мест на площадях библиотеки колледжа; техническая на 25 мест на площадях мастерских и выставочная и образовательные зоны на площадях библиотеки.

Cass Clay – Dirt Makes Kids Grow Too!

2017-07-15T00:00:00Z

"Dirt Makes Kids Grow Too!" is a project I started last year where I helped to place gardens in local daycare facilities. Gardening and kids go together in so many ways. It is a natural curiosity for children to want to know more about how things work, and have an ability to try new things. Gardening is a way for children to experience first hand the life cycle of plants and it is also a great way to supplement the food that daycares can offer to their children. Gardening has been proven to be able to provide a therapeutic benefit to children that suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and even ADHD. The Square Foot Gardening method that I use is a simple and easy way to introduce children and even the providers to gardening and I have options to meet the needs of people of any type of mobility issue. I have personally worked with people with mobility issues, developmental disabilities, elderly, dementia patients, children, and even the blind. It seems that the only thing stopping people from getting started in gardening is the fear of too much work and frustration. I have a system and a curriculum that helps eliminate these worries and the system is small enough to make most anyone successful in their first attempt, and it is scaleable to meet the desires of the facilities that put them to use. Each garden is three foot square and can accommodate 9 different plants, ranging from vegetables to flowers. I also have available elevated gardens to help meet the need of those with physical disabilities. The money will be used to market to the local daycares, purchase materials to build the actual gardens, assemble the materials for the soil-less mix, supply starter plants and seeds for a variety of different plants, and deliver and set up the gardens in the locations chosen as participants. This contribution would bring gardening to as many as 7 daycare facilities in the Moorhead community.

Moscow (Inactive) – "Волшебный мир"

2017-07-15T00:00:00Z

Занятия по арт-терапии с детьми (подростки) в сельской местности. Уникальность проекта в том, что проект поможет снизить степень социальной недостаточности детей (подростков), достичь более высокого уровня их общего развития, а в последствии в образовании, а также более успешно интеграции в обществе. Арт- терапия поможет ответить на многие вопросы подрастающего поколения о самих себе. Понять "Я-концепцию", уникальности собственной личности, повысить уровень самооценки. А если имеются недостаточный уровень развития, то проект позволить начать необходимую коррекцию. Раскрепощение "зажатой деревенской личности ребенка" путем реализации следующих направлениях: изотерапия, драматизация, вокалотерапия, музыкотерапия, эстетотерапия, цветотерапия, сказкотерапия, песочная терапия. Занятия будут проводиться на базе Центра реабилитации и коррекции несовершеннолетних. Возможно проведение комбинированных занятий в местном ДК. Занятия будет проводиться мною, 2 раза в неделю. Возможно проведение индивидуальных занятий по согласованности с родителями.

Moscow (Inactive) – Мини-гольф своими руками для детей с ОВЗ.

2017-07-15T00:00:00Z

В городе Тольятти ежегодно проводятся различные соревнования по мини-гольфу. Мы тоже решили поучаствовать, но у нас не было никакого оборудования для мини-гольфа. Я изучил все материалы в интернете про оборудование для мини-гольфа и сделал своими руками, мой коллега и школьники помогали мне. Мы тренировались, затем участвовали в городских соревнованиях. Имеем результаты: 7 класс- 2 место в "Президентских соревнованиях по виду мини-гольф; команда школы детей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья - 3 место, личное - 2 место место в городских соревнованиях. Новая игра увлекла школьников, особенно детей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья, ведь они в силу своих "особенностей" не могут участвовать во многих спортивных соревнованиях. В чём привлекательность мини-гольфа? 1. Игра является общедоступной для детей любого возраста. 2.Занятия мини-гольфом не имеют медицинских противопоказаний, к ним допускаются учащиеся с подготовительной и специальной группами здоровья. 3. Занятия по мини-гольфу доступны для учащихся с ограниченными возможностями здоровья; занятия позволяют укреплять здоровье и физическое развитие детей с ОВЗ, формируют навыки здорового образа жизни. 4.Организовать занятия по мини-гольфу можно в любое время учебного процесса (как на перемене, в качестве физкультминутки, так и во внеурочной деятельности). 5.Мини-гольф – захватывающая и интересная игра, поскольку её действие происходит на ограниченном пространстве, непосредственно на глазах игроков и зрителей. 6.Наряду с азартом присущим каждой игре, мини-гольф развивает в человеке честность, интеллект и физические навыки. Главное- если наш ПОТРЯСАЮЩИЙ проект Мини-гольф своими руками будет реализован с вашей помощью - дети с ограниченными возможностями здоровья и все школьники школьники получат ПОТРЯСАЮЩУЮ возможность играть в ПОТРЯСАЮЩУЮ игру мини-гольф, реализовать свои способности и возможности, участвовать и побеждать в школьных, городских, может быть,и в областных соревнованиях.

Twin Cities, MN (Inactive) – Youth Longboard Building

2017-07-14T00:00:00Z

We are launching a new project building longboards with Twin Cities youth. Woodworking is an excellent medium for developing technical, social, and emotional skills, but boats as a craft pose some philosophical quandaries. By building boats, youth create something beautiful and useful, but often their only experience using them comes through us. Moreover, a boat is a luxury item that many people don’t have the privilege of using in their lives. By building longboards, each youth will have something beautiful and useful to take home with them. Authentic, individual empowerment (through creative expression, connection to nature, and access to transportation) is at the heart of this effort. Boards will provide a way to experience the local environment in a way that is relevant to youth’s daily lives. Youth will decorate the boards with their own screenprinted designs. Instructors will talk about safety while using the boards, detailing required gear and laws. Youth and instructors will go on field trips to local parks and trails to practice using the boards, engaging with the nature in an urban context. We have some of the required tools and knowledge to get started — in fact, one of the youth participants of the Apprenticeship Program, Alex, has already prototyped a board in our workshop (picture included). There is still much to be purchased and prepared before we can fully roll-out the project. Recently we connected with the owners of Rolling Tree, a local business that connects skaters and artists in the community to design boards. They gave us a board-pressing demonstration and talked about next steps to get the project started. This project has the potential to be revolutionary for our programs and youth, but we need support to get it off the ground. We are seeking donations of safety gear and hardware from other organizations. $1,000 from the Awesome Foundation would help us establish the foundation of the project so that we can engage more youth.

Philadelphia, PA – One America Philly Project

2017-07-13T00:00:00Z

The One America Movement's goal is to heal divisiveness in American society. Our programming brings people together across religious, racial, political and cultural divides to work together on a community service project, have a meal together and have a conversation together. For instance, in Washington DC in May, we brought together Jews, Muslims and evangelical Christians to serve together at a men's shelter, have a meal catered by Syrian refugees and have a 2.5 hour conversation about religion, politics, poverty and the isolated "bubbles" we increasingly find ourselves living in. We are scheduling a similar project in Philadelphia, working currently with a synagogue, an evangelical Christian church and at least one Mosque. Our goal is to again have the meal catered by Syrian refugees, both to support those refugees in meeting their basic living expenses and also to further our work to promote respect and inclusion for all people living in the US. After all, one of the key goals of One America's work is to reduce bigotry and prejudice against religious and racial minorities by bringing them into contact with Americans who may not otherwise have had contact with those groups. Forming personal relationships across those divides can not only reduce prejudice among the participants themselves, it can create "ambassadors" who return to their own communities with new perspectives and a willingness to share those perspectives with their peers. This is supported by social science research: one 2017 study indicates that one of the leading indicators of whether or not a person "likes" a particular religious group is whether or not they personally know a member of that group. But less than half of Americans say they personally know a Muslim.

Chicago, IL – TECHNE: Electronic Music Powered by Girls Chicago

2017-07-12T00:00:00Z

We seek an Awesome grant to bring TECHNE, a national music education organization tasked with the mission to give rise to distinct and divergent female voices in the realms of technology and sound, to Chicago. While in Chicago, TECHNE will give three workshops, working in collaboration with three Chicago community organizations. TECHNE will give their most popular workshop, Electronic Music: Powered by Girls to students at the Chicago Girls Rock Camp and students at Intonation. In an Electronic Music: Powered by Girls workshop, students are guided through the process of building and designing a handmade electronic instrument that is uniquely their own, learning to solder and integrate concepts of basic circuitry and instrument design as they create. In the workshop, students are also introduced to listening and improvisation skills that foreground thoughtfulness, collaboration, and self-confidence. For their third workshop, TECHNE will be hosting a Teach the Teachers event, in which they will share and instruct Chicago area arts-educators in the curriculum needed to conduct their own Electronic Music: Powered by Girls workshops. This will engender the Chicago community to continue to empower young people in the Chicago area.

San Francisco, CA – The Artship at Playland at 43rd Avenue

2017-07-12T00:00:00Z

The ArtShip is a shipping container at Playland at 43rd Avenue that we are retrofitting into a multiuse space facilitating both artists’ studios and a Creativity Corner focused on kids and art workshops. The ArtShip seeks to support Bay Area artists by providing a space to develop and create their work and a platform to show it. The ArtShip will celebrate and add to the Outer Sunset community through public art. Artists will have access to the container for a six-week residency, transforming it into a gallery and studio for the creation of work that fosters community engagement and speaks to the Outer Sunset vibe. During that time, artists will offer at least one workshop connecting and sharing what they do with people visiting Playland. We eventually hope to bridge what happens in the ArtShip with vendors in the community, allowing work to be shown both in the container and locations around the neighborhood. The Creativity Corner will feature workshops sponsored by anyone with an interest. Sponsors of workshops will open the doors at one end of the ArtShip and assist kids and families who may be in the park and want to draw, color or make something. Also check out: https://www.facebook.com/Playlandat43rdAvenue/

Ann Arbor, MI – Sahbi

2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

One of the projects we have undertaken as an organization has been to provide libraries for different programs. In these endeavours, we work to donate the supplies necessary to have a substantial library addition to their facilities with no cost burden to their budgets. We recognize that the budgets of these programs are not always able to allocate funds for promoting literacy or the arts when they are often strained to provide for the day-to-day essentials. We provide resources by donating the physical supplies necessary while also donating our time and efforts in building the libraries. Books for a Benefit provides a large number of books fitting for the age ranges of program participants, furniture such as bookshelves and seating for reading areas, decorations, as well as painting and cleaning supplies. The combination of these resources and our efforts in cleaning library areas, assembling furniture, and sorting donations creates a desirable library area to enjoy the books. Our organization has been able to build libraries in a variety of areas including the youth shelter services program Matrix Off the Streets in Detroit, Cornerstone Community Outreach in Chicago, Illinois, and PRIMO Center for Women and Children in Englewood through Alternative Spring Break Trips to Chicago. Books for a Benefit aims to promote literacy and increase interest in literacy in youth populations. Our efforts have allowed us to create environments that promote and facilitate interest in reading through providing a safe, calm space to escape into the stories. Our impacts have been long lasting in these communities as the libraries provided will remain with the programs and the interest sparked in the youth will follow them throughout their educations.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Lower Ninth Ward Home Rebuild

2017-07-10T00:00:00Z

When the levees broke after Hurricane Katrina, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, and 100% of Lower Ninth Ward homes were rendered uninhabitable - 14,000 residents were rendered homeless overnight. This 98.1% African-American neighborhood, which had one of the highest rates of black homeownership in the nation, continues to struggle in its recovery. Almost twelve years after Katrina, the majority of former residents have not returned. The federal recovery program put in place to help Louisiana homeowners return to their properties after the levee breaches was found to be discriminatory in a federal court in 2010. Rather than basing settlements on damage to property and estimated cost to rebuild (minus insurance settlements and other resources) the Road Home program based settlements on pre-storm property value, meaning those in low-wealth communities received less. In the Lower Ninth Ward, settlements averaged 25% of the median state figures. Working directly with homeowners, lowernine.org uses volunteer labor and donated materials to rebuild residential properties for pre-Katrina residents. Work on the homes occurs when there is funding for materials or in-kind donations, and when there are volunteers available. Working with lowernine.org, volunteers brings the cost to rebuild down to 30% of market rate. In-kind donations from valued partners like James Hardie and Atlas Roofing make that figure lower still. With summer volunteers and a small investment in the remaining materials, lowernine.org plans on completing its 84th and 85th homes before September 2017.

Asheville, NC (Inactive) – Community Creativity & Celebration at Ledgewood

2017-07-10T00:00:00Z

We want to bring a day of celebration, connection, and creativity to the folks living in the Ledgewood Village Section 8 Housing Project in Asheville, NC. There are over 150 people living here, including many kids. We will collaborate with members of Faerie Kin Enchanted Stiltwalkers and Nex Millen of ONEmic Studio. Chakaba (pronounced shah-kah-bah) is the traditional African practice of wearing a sacred spirit mask while dancing on stilts. The practice goes by many names, depending on the African language that is spoken by the people. The tallness, the stilts, is a reminder to look up to the great things ancestors did. It also represents maintaining balance in life. The mask and costume contains objects that are flora (plant), fauna (animal), mineral (earth), and aqua (water, the sea). It brings forth the concept that these things are important, and a healthy world must strive to be in balance with nature for harmony, peace and continuity. We will share and teach easy, earth-centered, and connecting songs to folks of all ages. We will also co-create simple dances to the songs with the participants. There will be the opportunity for youth to provide back beats to the songs on equipment provided by Nex Millen. There will be a puppet artist who will offer easy instruction for folks to make spirit masks (materials will be provided). We will put it all together in a parade led by the stiltwalkers that includes everyone singing, dancing, and wearing masks. We'll conclude the celebration with a shared meal of healthy nutritious food and offer a song of gratitude (and a time for participants to offer their thanks).

Poughkeepsie, NY – POP Program (Pride and Ownership of Poughkeepsie)

2017-07-09T00:00:00Z

Mental Health America of Dutchess County, based at 253 Mansion Street in Poughkeepsie serves over 5,000 people per year. Part of the programming within the organization is Mel's Place. Mel's Place is a daytime homeless shelter. At any given time we have over 60 people attending this drop in center each day. The reason most people in and around Poughkeepsie are not aware of the extent of homelessness in Dutchess County is because of Mel's Place. Our experience of the homeless of Dutchess County is that they are kind and caring individuals who, despite not having a permanent place to reside at the time, have pride in the area they live. Far too often people in the community experience a few homeless or mentally ill people in Poughkeepsie because those particular people may be struggling and causing disruptions. This unfortunately paints a broad stripe of all homeless in a negative light. We want to change that perception by having our clients display very positive behaviors which exhibit a Pride and Ownership in Poughkeepsie. The goal of this project will be to identify one block sectors working out from the Family Partnership. These sectors will include Mansion Square Park. Volunteers will be solicited from our homeless program and from our other programs. These volunteers (2 or 3 at a time), will be tasked with reporting to a specific sector. The goal would be to work their way around the block picking up all trash they see and bagging it. Our expectation would be that we would identify different sectors on average 1-2 times per week. Once the job is complete the individuals would be given a $5.00 gift card.At the end of the year a pizza party will be held with all participants for the year and elected officials would be invited as well.

Adelaide – Hannah:

2017-07-07T00:00:00Z

Hannah is a text based, chat style video game that aims to raise awareness of some of the complex elements involved in Domestic Violence (DV), and help family and friends provide non-judgmental positive emotional and practical support to those experiencing DV. DV is common in Australia with one in three women reporting that they have experienced violence by a male since the age of 15. The responses of friends and family in DV situations are incredibly important, as negative and uninformed attitudes results in less understanding, empathy and support being provided to survivors of violence and can make it much more difficult for women to end abusive relationships. Games have been utilised in educational contexts to ‘teach’ and explore empathy, and frameworks have been developed to help empathy educators analyse and choose games to teach identified empathy educational outcomes. Hannah is being developed based on respected research around utilising games to help teach skills and explore different life experiences, as well as the personal experiences of women who have experienced domestic violence, and the family and friends who supported them during this time. Hannah is designed so that family and friends wanting to help, can play it in order to develop a deeper understanding of the situation of someone experiencing DV, their experiences, feelings, and the difficulties they encounter attempting to gain support from support services. The game will aim to model and teach ways that the character can provide non judgmental support, empower a DV victim, and help them on their complex journey to accessing support services. You can also read a little more about Hannah here: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/03/australian-developer-creates-game-to-help-domestic-violence-victims/ or here: http://susannahemery.com/game-design/

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Summer Camps for Grieving Children

2017-07-07T00:00:00Z

One week of camp can change the life of a grieving child. It gives them a place to feel connected to others who understand what they're going through. We currently run one-week programs in Maine, New York, California, and Georgia, and will serve nearly 500 campers this summer. The week is a mix of traditional camp fun and bereavement support sprinkled in to normalize the grief process and give kids the tools to create positive outcomes in their lives.

Adelaide – getmoova

2017-07-07T00:00:00Z

getmoova is an electronic smart wrist device for children. It combines a virtual pet that is rewarded for active travel or movement, along with an emergency notification system that sends a message and G.P.S. coordinate to the parent’s phone if the child believes they are in danger. Minigames will also be available where the child can be active in situations where it wouldn’t be suitable for them to go outside. The aim of getmoova is to get children active whilst being safe at the same time in a world where levels of physical activity are declining. The device is an alternative to a mobile phone for youth aged 5-11 and is planned to be affordable, with a retail price planned to be less than $50 per unit. It will also not have a monthly phone plan cost, which can be a burden for parents and a school mode, so the device doesn’t disturb learning time. Since September 2016, when I first thought of the idea, I have been developing the product and researching the market. In March this year I ran a stall at the Tonsley Science Alive event where I received around 300 survey responses about getmoova from both parents and children. With feedback saying that 82% thought the idea was great and 80% saying they would have purchased it on that day, means getmoova is a product that is wanted in the marketplace. I have now structured getmoova’s business model accordingly and since developed two prototypes that have working virtual pets and motion tracking. getmoova has ambassadors including Pamela Kent, the President of the South Australian Primary Principals Association, who thought the idea was great and that it could be combined with programs including the Premier’s Be Active Challenge. Additionally, Annesley Junior School have said that they would be happy to hold trials for the product and thought that it would promote an active future.

Oakland, CA (Inactive) – Non-Fiction High Engagement Texts!

2017-07-06T00:00:00Z

I am a 5th grade teacher at a public charter school in Richmond, CA. We are a Title 1 school serving a 85% Free/Reduced Lunch population of underrepresented scholars. My scholars are making leaps and bounds in our school of high expectations, however, much of this is due to outside resources I provide in my classroom. Literacy is one of the biggest indicators of future success and college readiness for a student and therefore, must be highly encouraged and supported in classrooms. We are unable to provide a school library and many of my students do not have a supply of their own books at home. I have spent many years attending free book drives or buying books to compile my own classroom library but as such, it is not always as up to date or engaging as I would like it to be. In order to further expand my student's access to engaging texts, I would like to provide a plethora of non-fiction magazines in my classroom in order to continue engaging students in reading that is relatable and encourages their interaction with unfamiliar cultures and places. Magazines such as Time for Kids or National Geographic for Kids are a great resource for students to learn about these unfamiliar topics as well as increase their exposure to highly engaging non-fiction text that will challenge their current reading abilities to grow further. With a subscription based text set, students could find excitement in waiting for the next edition to arrive in our classroom, further promoting excitement about literacy and engaging students in accessing new text and information. These magazines would deeply enrich my student's reading experiences as well as grow their highly applicable non-fiction reading skills into future careers and experiences.

Annapolis, NS (Inactive) – Gleann na Gaeilge - Valley of Irish

2017-07-05T00:00:00Z

Gaeilge sa Ghleann was the Awesome Annapolis winner for July with support for an Irish Gaelic immersion weekend, based in Annapolis Royal The Irish activities will take place on the weekend of October 13 to 15, 2017 from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, and will consist of Irish language classes taught by qualified teachers, cultural activities and Celtic music, and social events. This immersion weekend is open to all including Irish learners in the local Gaeilge sa Ghleann group as well as the broader Canadian and International Irish Gaelic learning community. This is the first time such an immersion program is being offered in this area, and the focus will be on beginners and lower intermediate language learners. We are projecting a total participation of 30 to 40 people. The immersion course will find its home in the O’Dell House Museum. The goal is to harness the strength of Annapolis Royal, which is a collection of unique heritage buildings and a diverse base of entrepreneurs. The program will spread out to other venues in the area and will benefit many of the local businesses.

Washington, DC – DC hosts the AweSummit

2017-07-04T00:00:00Z

The DC chapter of the Awesome Foundation would like to offer a $1,000 grant from its trustees in support of making the Awesome Summit on Oct. 13-15, 2017 more awesome!

Liverpool (Inactive) – Karaoke Tales

2017-07-03T00:00:00Z

The premise of On the Verge is to create new innovative theatre for the non-theatre space, the pieces must be new works , performed or created by emerging talent in the country and finally the pieces must not be in a conventional theatre space. With that my performance is called ‘Karaoke Tales’ and will be set in a private Karaoke bar on Renshaw street. For me Karaoke is a moment to look into a personality, they have their time to shine. What I find interesting is the decision people make, what is it about the song choice? The era? I believe Karaoke allows people to be something or someone they never were or never will be. Below is a tagline I have been working on for the show: You make the decision, not on vocal ability but on sheer dance move potential, you fill in the Karaoke slip, your name is called, the words appear on the screen, the mic feels heavy in your hand, you open your mouth and PROPER GO FOR IT. Join us on a journey through every summer holiday this Huyton girl ventured, filled with tales of the agonizing decision each family member had to make when faced with the question “what’s your karaoke song?”. Enter the sticky floored, booze fragranced karaoke bar for a night of stories, songs and questionable vocals. The stories of my own personal experience are where the comedic element prevails, my mother is one of six girls and within our family we uphold a very odd but stern rule book of Karaoke politics. With that the piece is a honest and voyeuristic look into my very Huyton family this is something that has been at the forefront of every personal idea about making art I have had. I believe giving a voice to the female northern woman from a council estate in Huyton is something I feel very passionately about. And now with this platform I not only have the capacity to explore this as an emerging theatre maker but also as a comedian, and with stand up being a world hugely dominated by males I feel privileged to adhere to this responsibility.

Liverpool (Inactive) – A-VOID

2017-07-03T00:00:00Z

A-VOID is a performance piece that will take place on a bus but a Cliff Richard rom- com it is not. This dark comedy is inspired by the NHS Propaganda driven into the collective consciousness of UK during Brexit and the current feeling of dissolution amongst many who have been cheated. Human susceptibility to subtle manipulation will be under the spotlight as we use a combination of immersive theatrical techniques and psychological experiments to coerce our audience. We aim to celebrate the power of collaboration (but only when combined with a shared knowledge base) and open eyes to the ultimate corruption that arises within any group reliant on hierarchy or blind faith. We’re assembling our own vehicle to drive public opinion. Seatbelts at the ready! (These details refer to the production which has been selected for this years On The Verge Festival, Liverpool. A festival that features work in unusual spaces by new and emerging artists. 18-22 October 2017) The audience will be invited onto a bus travelling around the city of Liverpool and the action will centre around 3 female characters seated among them. Propaganda footage for an organisation, featuring the 3 characters, will be pre-filmed and watched through the CCTV screens inside the bus whilst live action will allow the characters to interact with the audience through a combination of absurdity and reality, physical theatre and clowning. Simultaneously, ‘planted fake audience’ members will respond in a directed manner to certain stimuli devised to sway the ‘real audience’ reactions to the unfolding events and persuade them to swear allegiance to the organisation. As they near their destination however they will be required to submit to stranger and stranger tasks leading to an important ethical/political decision at the end of the journey. When the performance concludes, we will drive the audience back to the starting point which will give them the opportunity to discuss the experience with the company.

Austin, TX – TWENTYEIGHT: a new play

2017-06-30T00:00:00Z

Black lives matter. Black bodies moving on stage matter. Black artists making work together is vital to the health, vitality, and richness of the American theatre. TwentyEight, our new play, is a necessary piece of political and social theatre born from the Black Lives Matter movement. The production, premiering on August 4, 2017, will involve Austin in a much larger and ongoing conversation about diversity, inclusion and police brutality. TwentyEight is the Afrofuturistic story of the 6 Black refugees living on Settlement 40.The play takes place in a future world where cities have been destroyed with violent gentrification and the only escape is into space. In the play, people of color have been held on Settlements and forced to build spaceships to take them away from the brutality of earth. What no one knows is where they are actually preparing to go. TwentyEight is inspired by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement research that concluded a Black person was murdered in the USA every 28 hours by a police officer or vigilante in 2012. Incorporating traditional negro spirituals, hip hop, and step dance, TwentyEight asks, “Who Will Survive In America?”. TwentyEight is an innovative physical theatre piece with an all African American cast. TwentyEight connects Austin audiences to groundbreaking social conscious theatre. TWENTYEIGHT is produced by Gale Theatre Company. Gale has brought high quality physical theatre productions & training to Austin since 2013. Our plays have been hailed as the “most astonishing and innovative pieces of theater to come along in Austin in quite a while.” (Broadway World, Jeff Davis). Gale Theatre makes plays that are ensemble driven and super physical. What does that mean? Our work is often described as a hybrid between dance and theatre. We focus on movement as the core of any story. By focusing on movement,we put actor's bodies and their presence onstage at the forefront of how we understand their hopes, dreams, conflicts and inner life.

San Antonio, TX – Printing of Daydreams and Other Monsters

2017-06-30T00:00:00Z

We have made an AWESOME exhibition of AWESOME local artists and constructed an AWESOME book to accompany it. We are documenting SA artists doing AWESOME things so they can be appreciated nationwide and recorded for history. The exhibit is free and open to the public and it is AWESOME so I hope all of the AWESOME board members can come check it out to see what we have been working so hard on for the past 2 years

Disability – Peer-To-Peer Wheelchair Repair

2017-06-30T00:00:00Z

In collaboration with Berkeley's Easy Does It (EDI) non-profit and the Bay Area disability community at large, I propose to enhance the existing wheelchair repair program hosted by EDI with multi-tiered outcome improvements. Currently, EDI receives donated wheelchairs with varying degrees of functionality that are used either for parts or, if adequate, revamped and donated to individuals who need them. The model has been successful and long-running, yet has far more potential than is currently tapped. Limitations to reaching this potential include limited funding and staffing and their sequelae; limited community participation, outreach, and opportunities for fundraising. As a disabled adult who has benefited from EDI's wheelchair program, I have the passion and vested interest in seeing this program thrive. I currently volunteer at EDI to help repair wheelchairs and coordinate community events. In the past month, my experience at the workshop has showed me the tremendous potential for wheelchair repair and maintenance to be an activity around which the disability community can gather to socialize, organize, reduce isolation, enhance self-efficacy, and improve the quality and lifespan of wheelchairs - an increasingly critical activity in the the current political landscape that threatens health insurance for the poor and disabled communities. This awesome project would build on the existing EDI program to host more frequent and routine wheelchair repair and maintenance workshops geared towards the disability community. It would provide the tools and parts, in particular the 12 volt batteries, needed to revive and/or maintain a wheelchair for oneself or another community member. Wheelchairs can be liberating for their users; wheelchair repair extends that liberation to empowerment and cost-savings when chair users are equipped to maintain and repair chairs within the community. I plan to donate my time to coordinate this proposal. What our trustees are saying: "I think John Benson is amazing and like his work. Anyone supporting him and helping wrangle that warehouse full of parts into shape has my vote! I also feel deeply committed to repair of existing equipment and getting it to people for low cost. Repair workshops for people with disabilities to tinker with their equipment sounds like a great idea to me." "I liked this submission because it's well rounded. It focuses on creating meaningful and positive experiences that teach valuable life skills to people with disabilities. And it's a practical request that is going to benefit a bigger cause." "As a wheelchair user many of us are dependent on wheelchair repair companies. This project supports peer exchange of skills and information that will give them the tools to maintain their chairs without being held hostage to the DME industrial complex." What our grantee is saying: "I am honored and thrilled to receive the Awesome Disability award! While congress places our health care and liberty and under attack, disabled people need to find creative ways to use our own community as sources of support: My goal for these funds is to contribute to our community's capacity to upkeep our wheelchairs and by extension our liberty. My wheelchair, Anita, made it possible for me to protest the senate health care bill yesterday. Our community's potential is endless when our basic needs are met!"

Libraries (Inactive) – Breaking Library Silos for Social Justice

2017-06-30T00:00:00Z

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began conducting raids to arrest undocumented immigrants in Austin, many citizens were horrified. Librarians, true to their nature, mobilized. Noticing an increased anxiety level in their students, high school librarians in Northeast Austin attempted to provide the ACLU's Know Your Rights pamphlets to their students but were prevented from doing so by the administration. Undeterred, the same high school librarians reached out across their network and found that the Austin Public Library was willing to disseminate this information. This type of cross-institutional collaboration is essential to building stronger communities, especially in current times. Yet, despite Austin’s sizeable librarian population, rarely are there opportunities for meeting and collaborating across institutions. This one-day conference is focused on understanding how Austin’s librarian community is currently meeting the needs of Austin’s underserved communities and how the greater library community can work together to stand up for social justice. Hearing from librarians that are currently working with underserved communities is the main focus of this event while leaving space for discussion of intersectionality in librarianship would be an additional area of focus. Careful attention will also be paid to the inclusion of librarians from all professional levels, institutions, abilities, identities, and ethnicities. While inclusive and open to all, The Breaking Library Silos For Social Justice conference will specifically reach out to social justice communities and organizations across the city: Austin Public Library (APL) community archivists and how they are working with communities of color in a rapidly gentrifying Austin. High school librarians at Lanier High School who are serving undocumented students and their families. Austin Public Library staff (APL) serving people experiencing homelessness UT iSchool students working with the Inside Books Project and the Texas After Violence Project Members of the Library Freedom Project, now based in Houston, to provide privacy and security training in a rapidly evolving surveillance environment. The skillshare and unconference model will allow for participants to be both teacher and student and by enabling the schedule to be created by the participants, it can directly reflect the participant's skills and interests. The #critlib unconference model will also ensure that attendees have collective control over the topics discussed during the day. What our grantee has to say: "Currently, librarians in Austin rely on paid professional organizations (Texas Library Association) or institutions (UT Austin’s School of Information) to provide opportunities for networking. These constraints often mean that we cannot be as responsive to our own needs or our community’s needs. Those institutions receiving city, state, or federal funding may be weary of supporting events that could be viewed as left-leaning or politically motivated. Attendees may feel uncomfortable sharing their views while 'on the clock'. By removing any institutional sponsors, we hope to create a space for attendees to share their struggles, insights, and ideas for ways that Austin’s librarian community can work towards a more just city." – Cindy Fisher, Vice Chair of Austin's Library Commission and Chair of the People Experiencing Homelessness Task Force. What our trustees have to say: "The grant would support a program among librarians and other Austin-area professionals who are working to support communities of color and other marginalized groups. I love the idea of seeing "Awesome Foundation: Innovation in Libraries" as the key sponsor of this important event." "Bringing a variety of education and library organization to solve this issue offers an interesting solution." "A well-considered proposal to use the unconference model to address a serious problem. I think this event will draw a large crowd." "This (un)conference comes at a time and place of great interest, and this will have huge potential for future collaboration within Austin and beyond. Anything that brings library folks together to share stories, problems, and solutions is worth investing in. The program could be replicated across the country as needed." "This project could help enable a more open forum for timely and honest exchange of ideas and concerns amongst librarians supporting underserved communities."

North Minneapolis, MN – Beautiful Brown Girls

2017-06-30T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is to begin my own youth program dedicated to young brown girls in North Minneapolis. I will give them the tools to empower themselves as well as one another. They will create functional art, craft and fashion. I am very passionate about empowering due to the fact that is something that is rarely ever taught. We live in a society where degrading is the norm and uplifting is something that doesn't happen often. Therefore this grant will help me on my journey of creating a empowering program in which we will use arts, crafts, and fashion to express our self love and who we feel our inner, true selves are. My youth program will be for girls ages (6-10) learning to love who they are. An example of what it would be like is I will teach a segment on hair care and loving their natural black girl texture no matter what messages media portray as beauty. They will design their own hair pieces to wear. My younger sister as well as local girls from the community are willing to dedicate their time and energy in making my dream program become a reality by helping to leading the girls. I also have a team of grown women who are my advisors who are there to support me throughout my process with my girls group. I already have over seven girls who want to join my program. We will meet at the parks recreational center. North Commons has already confirmed that I am eligible to use the space to host the workshops. I am talking with my church about transportation and using the church van to pick the girls up as well as myself so that I can assure the girls make it to the recreational center as well as home safely.

Oahu, HI – Project Hawai'i Adventures Abound Summer Camp

2017-06-29T00:00:00Z

Project Hawai’i, Inc.’s mission is to enhance the lives of homeless children on Hawai’i Island and Oahu throughout the year by providing interactive programs. Our goal is to help them escape their cycle of poverty by helping them gain self-esteem, build life and social skills, and keep them healthy. We are a nonprofit organization that is run 100% by volunteers and solely supported by public donations. Project Hawaii’s work is needed because homelessness in Hawai’i is increasing at rapid rates. The sad fact is that our islands are poverty stricken! Our homeless children of Hawai'i live without running water, or electricity, let alone daily meals. They live in cars, tents and bushes. To escape this cycle, they need resources that teach them the skills needed. Not unlike a developing country, our children are facing the same dilemma right here in Hawai'i. Thousands of children live without a roof over their head. The children are eating off the streets, getting diseases from lack of hygiene, and falling through the cracks of education. A 2016 Homeless Point-In-Time Count found that the total number of homeless on Oahu is up 25 percent from 2009. And many of these are children! Our traveling adventure summer camp session provides the keiki with the opportunity to learn about our island with hands-on experiences to excite their imagination. Project Hawai'i Summer Camp offers our children a unique, and sometimes once in a lifetime opportunity, to explore places of the island otherwise out of their financial reach. Our team of volunteers are dedicated to provide a well-rounded educational program to involve as many of the islands' wonders as possible.

Oahu, HI – Farrington Retail Store

2017-06-29T00:00:00Z

My Retail class, in the Business Academy at Farrington High School, will be working to create a store on campus. This year, we have been working with our Engineering Academy to come up with designs for the store. The business academy students have also done market research as to what the community would like in the store. The students next year will take the plans created this year, and make it a reality. This will benefit the students because they are gaining collaboration and communication skills as they develop the ideas and create the store with the other academies. This will also benefit the community because in our store we will supply spirit items. Farrington High School has a strong alumni base, and we hope that this will provide an opportunity for our community and alumni to continue purchasing merchandise that will support Farrington and continue bringing our Kalihi community together. The store will also provide our students with the opportunity to gain employability skills. They will learn time management, customer service, communication, punctuality, responsibility and much more. This will help them be prepared for their post-secondary experiences. Last, we hope to use the profit we make in the store to fund DECA, a business club. This club would provide our students with the opportunity to connect with business partners, compete in competitions based on business topics, and learn more skills and knowledge to prepare them for life after high school. DECA requires students to pay dues to be a part of it, and while some of our kids do not have money to pay for that, this will allow us to use the store as a fundraiser so that all students can compete in DECA.

Newcastle – Newcastle Afoot

2017-06-29T00:00:00Z

Newcastle Afoot is a startup launching in July.. Newcastle Afoot provides small group walking tours and curated local experiences that explore the diversity of our city's culture; old and new. Guests experience local scenery, historic sites and galleries, and have the opportunity to meet local makers and business owners. All tours are accessible, relaxed, informative, and socially aware.

Buffalo, NY (Inactive) – Open Storefront Makeover Program

2017-06-28T00:00:00Z

The Open Storefront Makeover Program assists to beautify vacant, occupied and neglected storefronts by connecting neighborhood businesses and property owners with local artists, developers, organizations, and universities to collaborate on design and storefront improvements. Fillmore Forward previously worked with students from the Buffalo State Interior Design Department and the owner of 1470 Fillmore Avenue this past fall semester to facilitate design improvements to the upscale thrift store, "One Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure." Three concepts were presented to the property owner Leslie Thomas who selected one to implement the summer of 2017 as a way to help encourage more patronage to the shop and provide aided aesthetic value to the streetscape. Fillmore Forward wants to continue the program's momentum by using the potential award of the Awesome Foundation funds to assist another storefront makeover along the Fillmore Avenue Corridor. Without continued support to our locally owned businesses and owners, we cannot continue to revitalize the business districts of the Broadway-Fillmore and the MLK neighborhoods. Locally owned and operated businesses are the heartbeat of these communities acting as a social touchstone open to all members of the neighborhood. Our goal is to boost economic activity in both neighborhoods by encouraging public and private investments, and improvements to the appearance of individual buildings along Fillmore Avenue in the Broadway Fillmore and Martin Luther King communities. The Open Storefront Makeover Program looks to give support to those in the business districts who have remained and want to become cornerstones neighborhoods on the rise in the Buffalo's East Side.

Melbourne (Inactive) – Gravity Initiative

2017-06-28T00:00:00Z

Hi again friends! We met at the pitch party and thought we'd try our luck a second time 'round. While we have a lot of projects on the go - from our university programs to corporate outreach, we've got one main project in mind for this grant. We'd still love to run a big, inclusive mental health awareness event in the Melbourne CBD to help open up the conversation surrounding mental health and put on a public display of support for those dealing with mental health issues. The stats surrounding mental health, depression and anxiety break our heart. In addition to the difficulty faced by individuals struggling with their mental health, they also have to face up to a negative stigma that deters them from reaching out or seeking help. This is something that we want to change. To recap the event that we pitched - an massive silent hip hop yoga event in the city for 200 people followed by a massive group meditation and mindfulness seminar, with more good vibes than you can poke a stick at it. We want it to be more than just a 'yoga event', and more like a wellness seminar, workshop and all round good time. We hope this event will spark interest within the community and further our reach - so that we are able to have a positive impact on more people and help stigmatize mental health! Help a brother (and sister) out!

Yerevan – The Wings of Freedom

2017-06-27T00:00:00Z

"Ազատության թևեր արտ ինստալացիան նախատեսվում է տեղադրել երևանյան այգիներից մեկում: Այն իրենից ներկայացնելու է վեր հառնված թևերի տեսքով մետաղական, թեթև, կինետիկ շարժի լուծումով կոնստրուկցիա: Արձանը լինելու է այնպիսին, որ ցանկացած մարդ, կանգնելով թևերի դիմաց, ունենա տպավորություն`ասես այդ թևերն իրենն են:

Tallahassee, FL (Inactive) – Launch Youth Hockey in Tallahassee

2017-06-27T00:00:00Z

A group of us went to the County to try to pitch them on building a multi-use outdoor rink that would have accommodated roller hockey at the old dump on Appalachee Parkway. We were told that while there was money in the budget, it would take a minimum of a year to develop a plan and several years to construct. As it turns out, that site is going to be further developed for passive recreation and no rink is going to be built. Not satisfied with that "plan", myself and two other friends secured a space and built a roller hockey rink. It is called Tallahassee Indoor Sports, and is located at 130 4 Points Way, Tallahassee, FL 32305. There is no big money behind this project, and we have had to value engineer it every step of the way. We really want to start a kids hockey program and offer a new, low cost, safe sports option to kids in Tallahassee. However, the initial cost of equipment is an obstacle for many families. We would especially like to be able to offer hockey to the kids and families in the area immediately surrounding the rink, many of whom are lower-income or single parent households. Our inspiration comes in part from the Ed Snider Foundation. Ed Snider was the Chairman of the Flyers, and he built several rinks in Philadelphia. His foundation runs youth hockey, academic and life skill programs directed at under-served kids in Philadelphia. The demographics of Tallahassee and its climate (rain/heat/humidity) all would suggest that we need more indoor recreation options for kids. Especially in the area near our rink, those options are few and far between. Getting kids off their Ipads and participating in team sports is, in my opinion, a great service to the community.

Yerevan – "Shelves of Kindness"

2017-06-27T00:00:00Z

My awesome idea is to place 10 'Shelves of Kindness' in pre-selected 10 markets or supermarkets in Armenia. 5 will be placed in Yerevan, the remaining 5 in Stepanakert, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Ijevan and Gavar. The aim is to have people who make a purchase in the markets/supermarkets buy something extra and place it on the shelves so that those people, who are poor or in need of food, come and take it.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Wordnik

2017-06-26T00:00:00Z

Wordnik is the world's biggest dictionary (by number of words included) and our nonprofit mission is to collect EVERY SINGLE WORD of English and to make information about those words available on our web site and via our API to everyone, everywhere. Many people are surprised to learn that more than HALF of the unique words of English aren't included in traditional dictionaries. (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6014/176) Wordnik thinks every word should be lookupable! Instead of writing definitions for these missing words, Wordnik uses data mining and machine learning to find explanations of these terms that have already been written in texts from all over the world (often written by journalists reporting on new events and discoveries). In addition to traditional definitions, explanatory examples, and thesaurus information, Wordnik also includes more than 40,000 user-generated word lists, statistical information about each word, images, audio pronunciations, comments, tags, and tweets. Wordnik's API is open and free for most basic use cases, and has more than 20,000 registered developers (developer.wordnik.com).

Washington, DC – Mindful Mama Support Circle Scholarship

2017-06-26T00:00:00Z

I am a psychotherapist who runs a mindfulness based support group, the only one of its kind in DC, for new moms with babies six months and under. The group meets at The Well, a healing wellness center in Mount Pleasant. We learn and practice mindfulness and share about the ups and downs of new parenting, from sleep to breastfeeding to relationships post baby. Mindfulness practices include breathing and walking meditations, mindful eating, self-compassion practices and releasing guilt. There are up to 10 moms in each session. The group has been an incredible way for new moms to gain tools and resources to be more present to their babies, as well as to build a community of support that continues after the four or eight week group is over. Groups have been continuing to gather outside of The Well for play dates and other meet ups. Teaching mindfulness is a research based modality that has been shown to reduce postpartum anxiety, depression, and overall stress, meaning healthier mamas, babies, families, workplaces, and communities. With my background in mental health, I am also able to screen and refer those participants who need additional postpartum mental health support. One recent participant said: "Participating in the Mindful Mamas group was the most helpful thing I did during my maternity leave and while adjusting to the "new normal" after our daughter was born." The Mindful Mama Support Circles are an amazing way to provide support to the many new moms in Washington DC.

Kingston – Ice Cream Social

2017-06-25T00:00:00Z

S5WAVES is an awesome group of community members who volunteer their time to organize and host American Sign Language community events. We are hosting an Ice Cream Social and would like to make this an annual event, bridging community of signers and non-signers together. Families with Deaf children are small and few in each city and struggle to find others like them so we expand their horizons. The community are unaware of barriers their children go through and this event is perfect to bring awareness and create new friendship. We want to make this event free; provide ice cream and have talented ASL performers from across Ontario to entertain the crowd. Its one of a kind, puts Kingston on the map!

Ottawa – Soul Cave

2017-06-25T00:00:00Z

June’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to brothers Zayyan and Imran Ahmed to support the development of a mystery escape room and augmented reality photo booth called Soul Cave. “Inspired by The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Plato’s Cavern,” explains Zayyan, “I want to create a space you can visit that will transform the way you see the world.” “From the moment you enter Soul Cave, you will be presented with choices. The things you pick up, the things you touch, the spots you gravitate to. These choices will morph and transform the space around you. The walls may sparkle with diamonds to match your desire for wealth,” he explains, “or the mirror may transform you into a deer to signify your connection with nature.” Soul Cave will use projection mapping, a one-way “magic” mirror, and “internet of things” materials to take the experience of both escape rooms and photo booths to a new level. “As the mystery of the cave unfolds,” Zayyan continues, “you will solve visual, logic, and environmental puzzles to clarify the images in the mirror. At the end, you will be rewarded with an image of yourself that represents the truths that you have uncovered during your journey.” Zayyan, who is a product designer, and Imran, who is an engineering student, plan to launch Soul Cave by September, and will tour it around Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. You can sign up for early access at tryesper.com.

Minas Gerais (Inactive) – Triatlo Cultural

2017-06-24T00:00:00Z

O projeto Triatlo Cultural tem como principal meta ocupar o tempo de crianças, jovens e adultos com atividades produtivas de crescimento pessoal e construções em grupo, através da arte, cultura e educação, diminuindo assim o envolvimento dos indivíduos com a criminalidade, e contribuindo para a conscientização da população. A interação cultural entre a mídia Comunitária via radio com o programa Rap Revolução, o esporte com a Capoeira RDG, e a educação com o Inglês cultural. Na Radio desenvolvemos um trabalho de autoestima do jovem negro e periférico através do espaço compartilhado para divulgação do trabalho da comunidade para o mundo, possibilitando que artistas amadores e profissionais tenham visibilidade através das ondas sonoras. Na Capoeira o grupo Raiz das Gerais trabalha com todas as idades o bem estar físico e psicológico trabalhando com música, luta e história. Na aula de inglês desenvolvemos a educação com uma visão mundial dos fatos fazendo relação com a música e a economia global. O triatlo cultural é desenvolvido e aberto a todas as pessoas sem nenhum custo, porém temos gastos para mantê-lo e precisamos de contribuições para oferecer a estrutura que a comunidade merece.

Milano (Inactive) – The Bike Hub

2017-06-24T00:00:00Z

La nostra idea è quella di fornire al cittadino, e più nello specifico a colui che usa quotidianamente la bicicletta, una piattaforma composta da diversi totem, attrezzati, utile alla riparazione e manutenzione della bicicletta e di tutti i mezzi di trasporto che necessitano di un'aggiustatina, un luogo dove poter gonfiare le gomme senza sporcarsi, o caricare il cellulare nel caso di emergenza, o avere la possibilità di potersi dissetare comprando una bottiglietta d'acqua dal distributore, come un impermeabile in caso di pioggia. Abbiamo progettato la struttura al fine di rendere un servizio utile al cittadino, uno strumento che avvicina e stimola l’individuo all’utilizzo della bicicletta, mezzo di trasporto eco-sostenibile, per i principali spostamenti in città. Il nostro scopo è aiutare la crescita di un fenomeno culturale che vediamo svilupparsi sempre più in torno a noi, la nuova generazione No OIL, più attenta alla sostenibilità, agli alti indici di smog nelle città, al benessere psico-fisico coltivabile nel breve e lungo periodo. Il nostro intento è di facilitare e rendere più comode le procedure di manutenzione di una bicicletta, mezzo di trasporto che nonostante la sua componentistica essenziale, necessita di accurate procedure di mantenimento. Stiamo pensando al posizionamento adeguato nel circuito urbano, in luoghi strategici e di maggiore flusso di persone e biciclette. Per poter fare fronte ai costi di produzione, manutenzione e logistica, abbiamo previsto all’interno della struttura degli spazi destinati alla pubblicità.

Sydney – Woolloomooloo Workshop Cafe

2017-06-23T00:00:00Z

Weave Community Hub in Woolloomooloo is going to renovate a disused garage space and turn it into a workshop cafe and we would love your help! The goal is to turn a previously wasted space into an awesome hang out space where local people can come and work on their own projects, use shared tools, fix their bicycles and engage in skill based workshops. The space will double as a cafe and lounge hub for people to hang out and spend time together; Woolloomooloo is an interesting inner city community that has lots of public housing but is undergoing a process of gentrification with young professionals and families moving into the area. A workshop cafe community hub designed and hand made by local people will build a stronger sense of community in an often marginalised and isolated inner city community. When finished this space will become the venue for our monthly community barbecues and special events.

Newmarket – Transportation for Young Mothers to Rose of Sharon

2017-06-23T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project is ensuring that young mothers who access programs at Rose of Sharon Services for Young Mothers are able to safely get to us so that they can get the help they need. For a young mom and her baby who lack personal transportation, as is often the case, it’s very challenging to get to Rose of Sharon by herself: transportation is a huge barrier to accessing programs. Ensuring transportation for young moms may be expensive but it’s an essential key to removing barriers to the help mom and her baby so greatly needs. 23% of the young mothers we serve live in Newmarket (approximately 66 women). Nearly 100% of the prenatal and parenting women we support live below the Low Income Cut-Off and over 60% are living on less than $1,000 per month. Rose of Sharon is the only agency in York Region dedicated to providing counselling, education and parenting resources to prenatal and parenting young mothers and their families supporting their social, emotional and spiritual well being. It would be awesome to receive money to help ensure that our young mothers arrive at Rose of Sharon and access the life-changing programs and supports they so greatly need.

Miami, FL – Pocket Lab

2017-06-22T00:00:00Z

PocketLab is a family of wireless sensors, apps, and software for exploring the world and building science experiments plus easy-to-use sensor that enables you to gather information from the world. I believe anyone can be a scientist, and I believe science should be fun and engaging. It is a tiny device you can literally carry in your pocket packs an accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, barometer, and thermometer, all of which seamlessly and instantaneously feed your tablet or smartphone with measurement data. Anyone can start learning in seconds. Now, whenever my students have questions like, “How high did we hike today?” or “What happens when I collide the matchbox cars?” or “How fast am I going on my skateboard?” or “What’s the temperature in the ice box, and how quickly is it changing?” I can actually give precise answers. Just stick PocketLab in the cooler, tape it to a skateboard, or a car, or yourself. The collected data is displayed in real time and is easily integrated with Excel and Google Docs. In addition, PocketLab facilitates users to share the results of their experiments, search other people’s experiments, curate the data, and make it available to inspire others. Examples: Science Fair: You can measure acceleration and calculate impact forces on a helmet. You can synchronize the sensor data with video recorded from your phone or tablet. Outdoor Exploration: You can go for a hike and collect temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure data using PocketLab Weather. With the PocketLab App, you can map the weather measurements to your geo-location. Rocket Science: You can launch PocketLab Voyager in a rocket and measure the altitude, thrust, and trajectory of the rocket's flight path. If the rocket travels out of Bluetooth range, the data will be saved to the on-board memory. Sports Science: Using the IR Rangefinder, you can measure the distance to object

Orlando, FL – Arts for Health To Go Bags

2017-06-22T00:00:00Z

Arts for Health To Go Bags are sterile bags of awesome art supplies for individual use by patients at local assisted living facilities. Studies have shown that engaging in creative activities in the healthcare setting can help patients, from pediatric to the end of lifespan, cope with the stress of illness, deter against depression, and maintain and improve health conditions. Specifically for older adults, engaging in the arts has been shown to relieve stress, increase communication, and improve quality of life for patients and caregivers alike (Hanna, Rollins, & Lewis, 2017). With an Awesome Project Grant in Orlando, we will partner with local Brookdale Senior Living locations to distribute 100 Arts for Health To Go Bags. Arts for Health Florida is a statewide not-for-profit organization that seeks to promote the use of the arts to enhance health and well-being. The goal of our Awesome Project is to expand access to arts engagement to patients at facilities that may not normally provide those services. We are applying for grants from the four Awesome chapters in Florida, to allow us to provide the art bags to as many facilities as possible across the state. The Arts for Health To Go Bags will supply residents with the supplies needed to creatively engage during their stay. Included in each of the 100 bags will be a sketchbook/journal, prompts for journaling and sketching, water-soluble colored pencils, an eraser, a pencil sharper, graphite pencils, a pilot pen, origami paper and instructions, and mandala coloring pages. We believe that our Awesome Project will provide the proven benefits of arts in health to residents in need in Orlando. This outreach will also help us build new relationships around the state of Florida, allowing us to better serve our goal of becoming a collaborative resource for individuals and organizations interested in arts and health integration programs. Hanna, G,Rollins, J,Lewis, L(2017)Arts in Medicine Literature Review. GIAresearch.

New York City, NY – New Women Space

2017-06-22T00:00:00Z

In a city where event space is rare, and mission-driven event space is even moreso, we admire organizations that are willing to carve out their own space to do the work that they feel is most important. New Women Space has created a space where 100% of their programming is led by self-identified women, femme, queer, trans and gender nonconforming individuals as a direct response to the lack of space dedicated to these communities. In their own words: NWS is a 2,100 Sq. Ft. space made for in-person gatherings. We believe spaces play a critical role in the way our communities are shaped and how well they allow for deeper relationships within our neighborhoods to form. Our space hosts events in all different capacities, including but not limited to: workshops, classes, seminars, showcases, exhibitions, installations, discussions and more. Our key areas of focus surround Social Justice and Gender Justice Organizing, QTGNC Support, Advocacy and Celebration, Professional Development and Career Resource Building, Arts Engagement & Curation and Community Health & Healing. We believe that by putting more equity and investment into the strength of these programs will increase community involvement and visibility, allowing for visitors to feel like they have a tangible network they can belong and contribute to. In the short term, the Awesome Foundation grant will go toward purchasing air conditioning for their space as we enter the hottest months of the year, and we're happy to help NWS be able to continue their event programming through the summer.

Boston, MA – Grind House Recordings

2017-06-21T00:00:00Z

Grind House Recordings is a hip hop record label based in Lynn, MA. The label was founded by Chris Martin and Edwin Cabrera, two self proclaimed hip hop heads, who believe that the city of Lynn, as well as inner cities across Massachusetts, boasts some of the most talented MCs that have yet to be discovered. The label was created to help promote local hip hop acts and help jumpstart careers of talented musicians who dream of being able to support themselves financially through their music. Grind House Recordings helps artists produce their record, promote their music, and distribute their record digitally and physically.

Boston, MA – CameroonONE

2017-06-21T00:00:00Z

CameroonONE is a Boston 501c3 charity organization that was created to be able to take a new approach at solving the troubling orphanage system in the Republic of Cameroon. CameroonONE is unique because it is the first organization in the region to try to do an In-Home Sponsorship program for orphans, which means that we take orphans out of the sub-par governmental orphanages and place them in the care of a surviving family member. As long as this family member makes sure that the child is attending and succeeding in school and is staying healthy and well taken care of, our organization will use our donations and funding to fund these children's living expenses, education, health expenses and also provide a stipend for the family. As we are a charity based organization we need grants and donations to be able to operate and expand our reach to more children in need in the region. The organization has no office space or full time staff to insure a low overhead cost, so that we can get the most out of our funding in terms of helping the children which we provide for. We currently provide for 80 children and look to expand this in the coming years, as well as make this sustainable by starting a bee farm on lands donated which we would use the profits of honey sold to put back into the organization to help the children.

Gloucester, MA – Cape Ann Maritime Partnership

2017-06-20T00:00:00Z

We have one goal in mind: eradicate marine pollution. This issue affects our economy, our landscapes, and worst of all, helpless marine life. In order to attack this problem, it needs a full court press. Our project will not only collect pollution, but educate the public, and most importantly, younger citizens. Our plan is to install one Seabin (The Seabin Project) and one Marine Skimmer (Marine Accessories) into Gloucester Harbor. They will collect marine pollution 24/7, all year long. We are installing two different products that do the same job for scientific purposes. First, we will determine which product is the most effective and able to stand up to New England weather. We can also gather data on the types and amounts of pollution the two products collect. Lastly, their locations will be at Cripple Cove (Seabin) and Maritime Gloucester (Marine Skimmer). The beauty of this project will be two fold: actively collecting plastics, detergents, and other harmful substance out of our water, and also becoming a part of the Maritime Gloucester education program, engaging children and families all summer long. At the end of our one-year study, we will determine which product is most fit for our specific needs on Cape Ann. Moving forward we will purchase several more to be placed strategically throughout the region, partnering with different local marinas, and become a much wider effort towards combating marine debris.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Stories & Songs of the Amazon, 360° Documentary

2017-06-19T00:00:00Z

In July, my partner and I will travel to Peru into the Amazon rainforest. We’ll be filming a series of short 360° documentaries about the stories and medicine songs, or ikaros, of Shipibo healers indigenous to the Ucayali region of the Amazon. The Shipibo have deeply artistic and spiritual cultural traditions that are still very much alive today, but are rapidly being marginalized in the wake of Westernization, urban sprawl, environmental destruction, and increasing poverty. As protectors of the Amazon rainforest for millennia, Shipibo healers, or curanderos, possess vast wisdom relating to environmental stewardship and physical, mental, and emotional healing through their knowledge of medicinal plant remedies. They also continue to practice their traditions of textile art, pottery, and singing, whose masterful techniques have been passed down for countless generations. We are 2 independent filmmakers and sound designers who want to create a new platform for Shipibo voices. We’ll be living in the Amazon rainforest for 2 months, filming interviews with Shipibo healers and recording them singing their ikaros. We’ve already obtained permission from interviewees and have our accommodations figured out. To truly capture the magic of the Amazon, we will be creating a 360° film series on YouTube so that viewers can experience a level of immersion and emotional connection impossible to achieve with traditional audiovisual methods. We believe that by documenting songs and stories of Shipibo healers, we can bring attention to their culture, the Amazon rainforest, and the challenges they both face today.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – SciDance

2017-06-19T00:00:00Z

Overview: SciDance is a collaboration between scientists and aerial dancers that will result in an aerial theater performance created by my aerial dance company Flight Collaborative. This work leverages methods of communicating in those respective fields, creating an immersion into scientific topics that is wholly different from the experience of either listening to a lecture or seeing an abstract dance performance. It will be both cerebral and kinesthetic! Format and aesthetic: The performance will include three 15-20 minute acts, each focusing on the work of an Earth systems scientist, including the topics of forest regeneration, fire processes, and flood-erosion feedbacks. Each act will begin with the scientist delivering a 3-5 minute research lecture in the traditional academic format (i.e., the scientist speaking, accompanied by a powerpoint projected on a single surface). The act will then become increasingly abstract for its duration. Sound clips from the lecture will be looped and overlaid onto music, images from the powerpoint will be abstracted and projected onto multiple surfaces, and dancers who are responding both to the sound clips and the images will gradually be incorporated. Development of the work: The three acts will be developed over several sessions. In the initial session for each act, a scientist will deliver a research lecture to the artists, followed by Q & A. The dancers will be led through a series of improvisational exercises in which they will be asked to respond to the lecture in various ways (e.g., use different movement qualities to interpret a concept), culminating in a rough-draft dance piece. In subsequent sessions, the dancers will collaboratively develop the pieces, working iteratively with a projection artist and scientists so that collaborators in different fields will have an opportunity to learn from one another. These sessions will result in three independent but related 15-20 minute acts that constitute the final work.

Pittsburgh, PA – TEDxYouth@SquirrelHill

2017-06-19T00:00:00Z

My name is Nadav Gilboa, I'm 12 years old, and I am organizing a TEDx Youth Event. I have worked for two months just to get the application all the way through, and I finally finished. I've secured a location - Repair the World in Homewood. I've chosen a theme: Create Your World. Now one of the only things I have left to do is find funding, I'm hoping your organization will be part of my solution. I have a dream to let kids with great ideas share them with people who want to hear what they have to say. Not only do I plan to have at least half of my speakers be children, but I will invite child entrepreneurs from around Pittsburgh showcase their products and/or services. That part is very important to me because I know that in years past I have had so many ideas of things I could do or sell, and I want to encourage others to follow their ideas like I am. I want the world to understand that kids have good ideas that can also revolutionize the world for the better. I want everyone to know kids can help, and I all I want to know is... Would you please help, too?

Louisville, KY (Inactive) – Yellow Belles Podcast

2017-06-16T00:00:00Z

Yellow Belles is a podcast with the goal of giving a space for multicultural voices, particularly those of Asian Americans living in Louisville and the south. While hosted by three mostly Korean-American women living and working in Louisville, each host has very different ideas and experiences surrounding race and identity. Through this, we're able to have meaningful conversation and analysis on the Asian-American experience in the South -- an experience with few mainstream platforms. The podcast will explore cultural literacy and experience through discussion, current events, pop culture and interviews. While non-white media representation is historically lacking, Asian-American voices are even more so -- sparking a current movement to increase visibility and lift voices. We want to be part of this movement and give southern voices a place in it. Digital media is a great platform to explore human stories. Through this podcast, we're able to not only tell our own stories, but invite others to share theirs and to add insight into the complex topics of race, identity and how we all fit into the world. Potential topics and opportunities include media representation and the growing movement to end whitewashing, the sexualization of both Asian men and women, a feature on Louisville's Crane House, a feature on Korean-American and southern chef Ed Lee and the exploration of major Asian-American populations in the south, such as Atlanta.