Awesome Foundation - Proyectos

San Antonio, TX – Awesome Play Equipment for Yanaguana Garden!

2015-08-11T00:00:00Z

Great cities have great downtowns, and great downtowns have great urban spaces. Hemisfair, the site of the 1968 World's Fair, is transforming into your urban oasis! The vision of the 21st Century Hemisfair, as developed with extensive input from the San Antonio community, is to create a series of awesome urban parks that are embraced by a vibrant and walkable neighborhood. Over time, Hemisfair will become our gathering place for everything from a day with friends to the city's biggest celebrations. The park will be free to everyone...how awesome! Hemisfair is already starting to schedule local non-profit programming so many agencies can continue to do their amazing work right here in our city. Farmer's markets, yoga, movies in the park and other park-sponsored programming will encourage park-goers to stay all day. Yanaguana Garden, the first awesome phase of Hemisfair's redevelopment, is scheduled to open this fall. The park will be larger than 6 acres in size, over 4 of which will be dedicated parkland. The design theme for this park is "play from pre-K to gray". Originally, bond funds from the City of San Antonio were awarded to the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation and designated to purchase play equipment for Yanaguana Garden; however, those funds have been redirected, thus leaving no funds to make that purchase. Research has revealed that play is not only fundamental to community-building, but it is also a powerful tool for cognitive development. The support of The Awesome Foundation will enable local San Antonians to interact with each other, play, and enjoy the park to the fullest. Just imagine: you and your loved ones playing a game of bocce ball in the morning, grabbing something to eat for lunch in the park, enjoying a game of badminton or croquet in the afternoon, and relaxing on a park bench or taking a walk through the park as the sun sets. Doesn't that sound awesome?

Sydney – The Seaside Scavenge

2015-08-11T00:00:00Z

The Seaside Scavenge is more than just a beach and street cleanup. It's about putting a value on litter and focusing on the experience while doing it. In the lead-up, we ask people to clear out their wardrobes and donate their belongings. At the Seaside Scavenge location, we set up a market with all the fantastic things people have ‘thrown’ our way. Then for every ten pieces of litter people pickup on the Seaside Scavenge, they trade it for one bottle cap that has been painted to distinguish it from other rubbish. All litter items are equal in value because every single piece makes a difference. Each item in the market is priced at the value of 1, 2 or 3 bottle caps and this is their trash currency to be traded for some funky goods. Later we separate and quantify the rubbish into categories: straws, coffee cups, plastic cutlery and cigarette-butts etc and pass the data onto Tangaroa Blue that keeps a nation-wide database of beach litter items collected. We also focus on the experience. We don’t just want people picking up litter, we want them to come back and do it again with their friends because, let’s face it, picking up other people’s litter even on a beautiful beach, isn’t many people’s favorite past time. So what do we do? We throw some live music into the mix! This definitely attracts a crowd. We have already held one successful event at Coogee Beach, Sydney where we had over 100 people attend. What we would like to do for the next event is to engage more musicians, and we also would like to invite artists to run workshops on creating art and objects from the litter. This will demonstrate to everyone that even single-use items can be used again and again. This is how we plant a seed for change, for awareness and for the future!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Fast Driver Mom at Indy!

2015-08-10T00:00:00Z

I am a woman who grew up in country where it is illegal to drive. But it was always my dream to drive fast. Finally, at the age of 45 I took the plunge. For the past 17 months, I have been developing my skills as a high performance road course track driver. This morning I received an email about a once-in-a-lifetime event. Literally. It has never happened before, and according to professionals in the industry, it will likely never recur. The Mid Ohio Region group of the PorscheClub of America has arranged for club high performance drivers to use the Road Race Course, aka Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When I had first heard about this, there were no openings left, and I had exhausted my annual track budget. But I put my name on the wait list anyway since it was almost certain I would not be picked. But: I was picked! Now, I will be driving to West Lafayette, Indiana to drop my son off for the start of his freshman year at the engineering program at Purdue University. After moving him in on August 18th, I will drive to Indianapolis to prepare my race car for club circuit the high performance driving event of my life. Earlier this year, after nearly crashing my antique Porsche 911 on track, I realized it was too dangerous to continue tracking a stock street car. After consulting with my friend and mentor Mike James, I realized I had to make a change. Safety being my primary goal, and keeping my costs for maintenance and repairs in check, I decided to buy a Spec Miata race car. This car has the necessary equipment to keep my safe, and is much less expensive to repair and race. But it is not street legal, so I had to purchase a trailer as well. These two purchases have depleted my budget so that now I am in the red. In addition, this car will force me to become a faster driver: a momentum driver. That will lead me to my ultimate goal one day: getting a club racers license. My hope is that my dream will inspire women everywhere!

Sarnia (Inactivo) – The Global Citizenship Summit

2015-08-07T00:00:00Z

The second annual interdepartmental College-wide event, the Global Citizenship Summit, will take place during International Week on November 18th, 2015! This year, we are making it moer interacting and on a grander scale. Here is how you can help! The theme: #debunkthemyth Would you answer "yes" to any of these questions: Do you have access to clean drinking water every day? Is your home considered adequate shelter? Have you had access to education? Are you free to love whomever you want? Do you feel safe to worship in the religion of your choice? Have you ever fought in a war? Through the Global Citizenship Summit at Lambton College, privilege and stereotypes will be openly discussed and addressed. Our interactive stations, community members and groups, and with the help of the Awesome Foundation, our keynote speaker will provide a space to relish in the fact that what we share is greater than what we don't!

Portland, OR – Portland Underground Grad School

2015-08-07T00:00:00Z

Portland Underground Grad School (PUGS) is low cost, community-generated education for Portland. It's school for daily life. It allows Portlanders to make connections and friendships by going to class and learning something, just like you did when we were younger. There are no prerequisites, no tests, and no credentials; just learning outside the expensive, non-inclusive university industrial complex. People vote on the courses they want, so it's really as community generated as you can get.

San Francisco, CA – homobiles app hackathon space

2015-08-05T00:00:00Z

Homobiles provides safe transit to people who, because of their perceived gender or sexuality, are at risk on the street, taxis, ride shares or public transit for whatever they can afford to give. We are creating an App for easier and quicker Homobiles access that will help safely identify the riders and drivers in the system with photos. We are also adding a way for people to get quick help in emergency situations. With this money we will rent the LGBT center in San Francisco for a couple of days and during that time we will work on the website interface and App. Our pals the drag queens, burlesque babes, porn starts and the band 'the homobiles' will be there and we'll have lots of snacks and drinks from local eateries. We are planning a fun event where the coders will be entertained during their App hacking. Our plan is to keep providing emotional and physical safety for people. Ultimately we'd like to become a franchise that will open up safety to other cities in the US and worldwide, where it is often even more of a life or death issue. We have the international trademark and are ready! We can also help create more cash flow opportunities for visibly queer people.

Liverpool (Inactivo) – Swings!

2015-08-05T00:00:00Z

my quick idea! We always talked about the swings in Boston sounding amazing, why don’t we use our £500 and buy as many rope swings as we can, a ladder and spray paint www.awesomeliverpool.co.uk on the swing seats, and dish them out around liverpool…. theres my pitch anyway!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – 2015 Adaptive Dance Camp and State Outreach Progra

2015-08-03T00:00:00Z

Keshet has been involved with integrating artists with disabilities and abled-bodied artists into dance programming for the past 18 years. In late July 2015, Keshet will be offering its first-ever, one-week Adaptive Dance Camp in Albuquerque, NM for youth. It will be followed later in the summer by a State Outreach Tour, bringing adaptive programming, performances, and teacher training to three communities in New Mexico. The Adaptive Dance Camp will focus primarily on dance, but will include elements of theatre, music, and performance production classes for 20-25 children between 10 and 18 years old with physical and developmental disabilities. Daily classes in each of these four areas that are tailored to the unique needs of the youth with disabilities will be led by a lead artist supported by artist assistants. The camp will culminate with an original performance open to the public showcasing the talents and skills of these enthusiastic campers. Following the close of the Albuquerque Dance Camp week, approximately six performers will continue an additional four days of programming to shape their work into a touring production. This touring production will then travel to three communities within New Mexico with a projected total audience reach of 1,000 people. Each community visit will include a traditional performance, outreach classes for community participants, and teacher trainings to support the creation and continuation of adaptive dance programming in these communities. Keshet’s goal is to provide hands-on workshops for at least 300 students of all abilities and backgrounds and provide teacher training to at least 25 educators who are interested in developing integrative dance programs within their communities.

Ann Arbor, MI – Raising Awareness About Juvenile Justice

2015-08-03T00:00:00Z

The DRC will present the film 15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story on October 14, 2015 at the Michigan Theatre. The film shows the life of Kenneth who was 14 when he was convinced by a 24-year-old neighborhood crack dealer — his mother's supplier — to join him on a month-long spree of four armed robberies. Kenneth’s accomplice planned heists in Tampa, Florida and carried the gun. For his limited role in the crimes, Kenneth was tried as an adult and received four consecutive life sentences and has no opportunity for parole. There are more than 2,500 juveniles serving mandatory life sentences in the U.S., including over 350 in Michigan. In the 1990s, states passed laws allowing more juveniles to be tried as adults and receive mandatory life sentences because of a perceived rise in violent youth crimes. Mandatory life sentences remove the judge’s discretion in sentencing and do not allow the judge to consider a juvenile’s developmental immaturity or related social and emotional deficits, which may impair a juvenile’s decision-making capabilities and diminish criminal culpability. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Graham v. Florida that mandatory life sentences for juveniles convicted of crimes other than murder were unconstitutional. The lower courts were then left to decide whether the new Supreme Court case should be applied retroactively and allow juveniles with mandatory life sentences to be resentenced. This legal issue is still being litigated. After the film, Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Timothy Connors will moderate a panel of experts on the legal and social issues surrounding mandatory life sentences for juveniles. Confirmed panelists include Attorney Deb LaBelle, who has been at the forefront of litigating juvenile lifer cases, and Dr. Brian Sellers, EMU criminologist who specializes in studying juveniles in the criminal justice system. Other experts in the treatment and rehabilitation of juveniles in prison are expected to participate as well.

Orlando, FL – 1000 Student OCPS Marching Band at Creative City

2015-08-03T00:00:00Z

On October 17, Downtown Orlando will come to life with art and performance as part of the Creative City Project. One of this year's key performances will be a 1000 student marching band comprised of over 1000 students from high schools throughout Orange County stretching along Orange Ave from Pine St to the Dr Phillips Center! These students will create a wall of music filling the streets of our city and rising up into the stratosphere! We're working in conjunction with Scott Evans, administrator over the Visual and Performing Arts of Orange County Public Schools. He says, "I am thrilled that our students will have such a wonderful opportunity to explore art outside of the classroom walls and experience the application of their artistry" and praises the Creative City Project for our "visionary efforts to engage our community in the arts." This free event depends on the generosity of the community. We have received tens of thousands of dollars in in-kind donations to make this event and all of its performances come to life in 2015, but there are still so many cash expenditures associated with such an undertaking. You generosity will help us put 1000 students from our city in the public space performing as part of a night of arts featuring Cirque du Soleil, Orlando Ballet, CFCArts Orchestra, dozens of other arts organizations, and over 100 independent and emerging artists. The Creative City Project words to connect all the residents of and visitors to our city with the incredible artists of our community! I hope you'll help us make this dream a reality! Cole NeSmith Executive Director, Creative City Project

Raleigh, NC (Inactivo) – RECESS RALEIGH

2015-08-01T00:00:00Z

The brain-child of Nick Neptune, RECESS RALEIGH was a community building cookout/field day, mirroring those childhood field days we all remember so fondly from our childhood. The event doubled as a fundraiser for The Helping Hand Mission which is a great local nonprofit that does a lot of work uplifting and assisting economically disadvantaged communities in Raleigh. This event was held in August to bring adults back to the playground and to raise money for back to school supplies for the kids!

Austin, TX – Anthropos All-Stars CD Project

2015-07-31T00:00:00Z

Anthropos Arts matches professional musicians with students in high-poverty schools for one-on-one music lessons, mentoring, group rehearsals, and performance opportunities at Austin’s most seminal music events and venues (ACL Fest, SXSW, Pachanga Fest, Stubb’s, and more). Anthropos teacher/mentors can be one of the few reliable adult relationships students have; consistent encouragement and added accountability from an inspiring teacher/mentor has proven to positively affect student attitude and work ethic. Anthropos students learn that their efforts pay off in improved skills and the respect of their peers, teachers, and packed houses of applauding fans. The purpose of the Anthropos All-Star CD Project is to fund a recording project that will give students a real, professional studio experience as well as a recorded works for their college auditions and resumes.

Whangarei (Inactivo) – #localsinthelimelight

2015-07-31T00:00:00Z

Celebrating the awesome places and people in Whangarei. We will install frames around town that put in the spotlight places and faces. The frames will be positioned in a way that till allow people to jump in, smile, take a photo, and them encourage them to upload and tag them online.

Madison, WI (Inactivo) – The Found Painting Project

2015-07-30T00:00:00Z

The goal of The Found Painting Project is to offer some inspiration, joy, or a bright spark of surprise to someone else's day. Each original painting is 3x4 inches in size and carries with it an invitation to take it home, information about the project, and a way to connect online. Secured with a nail and sealed in a plastic bag, the paintings are protected from the elements until they are found. Since the project launch last summer, I have created 115 paintings and hung them in 12 states and numerous cities. With a grant of $1,000 from the Awesome Foundation, I will bring 60 paintings to diverse communities across the city of Madison in public areas such as parks, bus stops, shopping districts, nature paths, or other areas where people tend to walk or congregate. Funding will cover the expense of the paintings ($840) as well as my travel costs from Chicago ($160). I plan to spend the next several months creating 60 original paintings specifically for Madison, and hang them over a weekend in late summer. Please visit The Found Painting Project website (www.foundpainting.com) to read more and see what people are saying about their experience finding a painting. More about my work as an artist and painting images from The Found Painting Project can be found at www.chaiwolfman.com.

Whangarei (Inactivo) – Steam Roller Printapalooza

2015-07-29T00:00:00Z

The Steam Roller Printapalooza will be held at The Quarry Arts Centre and Te Kowhai Print Trust and is inspired by a number of Print Making Steam Roller Festivals that run annually in America. We plan to hire a ride on steam roller for the day and print large scale woodcut prints on to canvas &/or paper. The general public, local polytechnic and surrounding primary and secondary schools will be invited to produce wood or linocuts and bring them down on the day to get inked up and steam roll printed. We will have one large scale collaborative woodcut that will be cut out over a few weeks and finished off on the morning by whoever is willing to take part and will be printed in the afternoon. We hope to also have a large handheld push roller for smaller prints. We will also have a T shirt printer printing t shirts with silk screen and woodcut and other printmaking demonstrations. It will be an interactive, festival style day of awesome printmaking shenanigans. There will also be food and music. The attached photos are of other steam roller festivals.

Nairobi (Inactivo) – Library-in-a-Box (LIB)

2015-07-29T00:00:00Z

LIB is ideally a community initiative that is aimed at providing the students at the under-served Ndiini Primary School with a functional library. This school lies in the outskirts of Kahawa Sukari, a middle class suburb and is the only public entity in the area. It caters for children in the surrounding underprivileged communities. As it is, they have no physical library, neither do they have an extra room that can serve as a library. Therefore, we will affix a lockable metal box in each class to serve as a mini-library and thereafter stock it with grade appropriate books. We are engaging the community to donate all their old, no longer used recreational readers or alternatively sponsor a book to help us reach our target of 1000 books. We plan and hope to commission the Library in a Box on September 4th 2015 as a surprise for when the kids open school for their final term. We are working with the Headteacher of the school as well as the teaching fraternity to realize this and they have promised (and are excited) to re-institute the un-used Library time back into the weekly lesson curriculum.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Adopt-A-Jean

2015-07-28T00:00:00Z

Downs Designs has 18 styles of jeans for individuals from ages 2 and up. Because individuals with Downs Syndrome have many issues that are unique to their syndrome, most typical clothing does not fit properly. Our Downs Designs jeans are proprietary designs custom fit to the unique body shape of a person with Down Syndrome. Below is but a short list of the numerous design challenges a person with Down Syndrome faces: a) Individuals with Down Syndrome have a short femur. Pants are almost always too long and not tapered correctly at their knees. This means hemming a typical pair of pants still leaves ill-fitting clothes. b) Most individuals with Down Syndrome have limited fine motor skills. This makes buttons and zippers particularly frustrating. Often they are forced to choose between depending on others to dress relatively well or wearing sweatpants they can pull on themselves. Most choose independence. People with Down Syndrome have relatively low muscle tone. This makes holding in their tummies difficult and they often have larger, rounder bellies. The vast majority of people with Down Syndrome push everything they wear under their tummies, causing the pants to hang even lower in the front and exposing their behinds in the back. c) There are other health issues such as thyroid and heart problems. Both thyroid issues and various medications can cause sudden, excessive weight gain. d) Today, most children with Down Syndrome are mainstreamed into public schools. They want to fit in and wear clothes like their peers. We believe there is a direct link between appropriate clothing options and self-esteem. For example, they may need help undoing their pants to go to the bathroom to avoid wetting their pants. Everyday. This assault on their independence can lead to lasting humiliation. They also may feel less confident because of poorly fitting clothes or clothes that are not in style. The list goes on. We are the only business that offers this unique service and product

Chicago, IL – Open Source Furniture: Enzo Mari Design Workshop

2015-07-27T00:00:00Z

We’re going to do an awesome workshop where everyone can take a piece of furniture home! In 1974, Enzo Mari published a do-it-yourself guide to furniture making that taught a generation how to build their own functional, practical, and beautiful pieces using only rough boards and nails. Mari’s designs were easy enough for beginners to build but timeless in their sophistication. 40 years later, we want to bring that entrepreneurial spirit to a workshop on a warm summer afternoon in our space that will teach 20 participants the basics of furniture building with a critical, responsible, and sustainable eye. Together, everyone will build their own chair over the course of a few hours, and will be able to either take it home with them or donate it to the museum. We see Mari’s approach to design as very similar to our own: it empowers us to think of making things as a way of communicating, and to question what we make in terms of how it is serving a greater good. Put simply, design makes life better because it acts as a unifying platform for discussion, opening up opportunities for us to come together and connect. We hold these workshops because we believe that a museum is a neutral ground where those different viewpoints and experiences can gather to consider a common problem. We want people to be able to use their hands, in a collaborative space. We want people to learn from one another, and from us. And we want to make sure that great ideas aren’t forgotten.

Philadelphia, PA – History Truck: Chinatown North Block Party

2015-07-27T00:00:00Z

Now two years old, History Truck is a mobile museum creating interdisciplinary neighborhood exhibitions with the people who live, work, and play in Philly's places in spaces. In our first year of work, we collaborated with the East Kensington Neighbors Association, St. Francis Inn Ministries soup kitchen staff and guests, the Kensington Community Food Co-op, and the neighbors of Huntingdon Street to create an exhibit titled Manufacturing Fire at Little Berlin gallery which explored postindustrial textile mill fires and activism within the neighborhood over time. In its second year, partnered with Temple University's Center for Public History, I worked with the Free Breakfast Program art collective, artists Theodore A. Harris, Tree House Books, and Philadelphia Urban Creators to create They Say They Gonna Build, an exhibiition exploring the history of community building and university expansion in North Philadelphia. In 2015-2016, we will work in Chinatown North to create our third exhibition using our process of relationship-based history making to decide what the show will be about.

Washington, DC – ATTIC DC

2015-07-27T00:00:00Z

I've visited cities all over America. I love walking around and exploring unique neighborhoods. But what I've noticed more and more is that individual cities are slowly losing their character -- every city is starting to look the same. From the same Starbucks on every corner to the same clothing stores. My project, called ATTIC, is meant to help reverse this trend. It's designed to help local, independent retailers compete in a marketplace that is now as dependent upon their digital presence as their physical one. So what ATTIC does, as a start, is pull together the latest inventory from vintage furniture stores all over the DC area into a single website. It makes shopping from local, independent businesses a bit easier and a more likely alternative to shopping at big-box chains. The goal isn't to have people shop online from these stores, but to motivate them to get out and visit the stores. To that end, ATTIC doesn't sell products from the businesses -- it just markets them and introduces local options to the community.

San Francisco, CA – Litter Critters

2015-07-24T00:00:00Z

We make art out of trash collected at the beach to make people think about the plastic they use and discard, and to raise money to support Save the Bay's efforts to clean up and restore the San Francisco Bay. How it all started: After hearing on the radio that there is more plastic than plankton in some parts of the ocean my seven-year-old daughter and I started picking up trash at the beach once a week. One, day, she held up two pieces of plastic and said, “this looks like an elephant”. Because we are a crafty family we took them home and turned them into our very first Litter Critter. After this we decided to sell them and give part of the money to the “Save the Bay” foundation. My dream for this project is to take groups to the beach (and even through neighborhoods) to collect trash and then have workshops where we turn the trash into art. With this grant we will pilot Litter Critter workshops and buy supplies. So far the response to Litter Critters is amazing. People love the idea, love supporting cleaner beaches, and LOVE to make art out of trash.

New York City, NY – Alliance for Girls in STEM

2015-07-24T00:00:00Z

We are a publisher of picture books that show girls as the main characters in stories with science, technology, engineering, and math themes. Our target audience is girls from 4-9 years old, with an emphasis on girls from underrepresented minority groups. By creating a series of children’s books that follow their characters’ interests in astronomy, robotics, marine life, and a host of other topics, we can present STEM subjects to girls as viable career goals and options in an entertaining way. Further, by drawing girls of different ethnicities as the main characters in different series, we can show a wide audience of girls someone who looks like them and who takes an interest in science and the world around them. We therefore will use picture book stories to model the kind of world we want our girls to live in, the world of the future where tech is as natural and necessary as the air we breathe. Why We Think This is Awesome AwesomeNYC loves this project because it is a unique approach to tackling the challenges of getting women involved in science and technology, it comes from a place of true passion for change, and the project is just getting kicked off and we're happy to be able to help push it along. Says Sean, "I volunteered for a coding program with mostly 8th graders, and one of the students said "I've never read a story where a girl built something before." That's why I'm doing this."

Miami, FL – WHEELS: Tactical Urbanism Neighborhood Greenway

2015-07-23T00:00:00Z

WHEELS is a project of The East Coast Greenway Alliance, Green Mobility Network/Bike SoMi, the City of South Miami, and many dedicated volunteers, with the goal on getting more people taking bike with transit trips for transportation and recreation on the week of Nov 11-15, 2015. The Awesome Foundation can help! One small but very important project is the tactical urban implementation of South Miami's 58th Avenue Neighborhood Greenway, which runs the entire north-south length of the city. The idea is that people can use 58th Avenue, a green, local street to bike and connect to transit. 58th Avenue connects to our our downtown, the South Miami Metrorail, the Underline, local schools, the community center, and parks and neighborhoods. See http://www.citylab.com/design/2012/03/guide-tactical-urbanism/1387/ and also,http://www.southmiamifl.gov/documentcenter/view/1118

Amsterdam (Inactivo) – THE Bike

2015-07-23T00:00:00Z

Imagine one bike, fitted with a GoPro (or other camera) and GPS tracker. It is given to a random person who may use it. When he or she is done using it, it must be given to a next person to use. Then when he or she is done the same repeats. This continues, night and day. What will happen to the bike? Where will it go? Who will use it? All these questions will be answered.

Tallahassee, FL (Inactivo) – Teens & the Law

2015-07-23T00:00:00Z

In 2014 I hosted the first Teens & the Law Event at Rickards because I was concerned about the increase in altercations between youth and law enforcement. This was a very sensitive issue for me because many of my classmates were fearful of the police. Because I had participated in the TPD TAC camp my views of the police was different from my peers. Our parents taught my sister and me to be PROACTIVE and NOT REACTIVE. I also didn't want to lose a friend because they didn't know how to react if they were stopped by the police. I thought that if they learned first hand from law enforcement why they stop people, what happens if you are stopped, how to respond to law enforcement if you are stopped, what NOT to do, how you converse with law enforcement during a stop and what the officers are thinking and feeling when they make a stop- that this might PREVENT PROBLEMS for students and officers. I asked my classmates what they thought about the idea and many thought that we couldn't get them to come out and talk to us. I spoke with my Principal and SGA Sponsor and asked if we could host the event for the Sophomore class. When I got their approval, I spoke with the City and NOBLE and they agreed to participate in the event. Because nothing like this had ever been hosted at Rickards or any local high school, we did not know what to expect. It was AWESOME! The students hung on every word, the officers were honest and open with student questions, the videos were informative and we ALL left the event with a different view about law enforcement. We even had students take advantage of the ride-along opportunities with the different departments and are seriously considering a career in law enforcement. All from one event! We received a lot of positive feedback about the event but we were limited to hosting the workshop for Sophomores only. What impact could we make in Tallahassee if all students got this information? The James S. Rickards Student Body Cabinet will use all Awesome Project funds to host a series of Teens & the Law events for James S. Rickards and students from Godby, Lincoln, Leon and Chiles high schools. I have already received commitments from TPD, FAMU and FSU police departments, FDLE, ATF and NOBLE to be trainers and speakers for the event at no charge.

Minas Gerais (Inactivo) – FA.VELA

2015-07-22T00:00:00Z

O FA.VELA tem como objetivo principal criar oportunidades para o desenvolvimento do capital humano, intelectual e econômico em comunidades inseridas em situação de vulnerabilidade social é a principal missão do FA.VELA, organização sem fins lucrativos que nasceu, no ano de 2014, como uma alternativa para fomentar e acelerar a transformação social dos moradores de comunidade de baixa renda, nossa primeira intervenção é no Morro do Papagaio. A organização é liderada por 10 jovens empreendedores sociais e atua por meio de quatro projetos principais: PIPA – Programa de Intervenção Participativa em Aglomerados, FA.VELA JAM, FALA FA.VELA e FA.VELA ESCOLA. Fazendo uma alusão ao nome FA.VELA, queremos ser uma espécie de vela que impulsionará a real inclusão socioeconômica de indivíduos que desejam transformar a sua vida. Nosso objetivo é estimular uma conscientização em prol dessa mudança social e gerar condições para que essas pessoas coloquem em prática as suas ideias e objetivos.

Newmarket – Back to School Back Packs

2015-07-22T00:00:00Z

Every year our clients sign-up to receive a Back to School Backpack from Women's Centre of York Region. Each new backpack is age and gender relevant and contains (at a bare minimum) a reusable water bottle, a lunch kit, school supplies and a gift card to purchase additional school supplies needed. In 2014, 97 back-to-school backpacks were provided to clients to ensure their children (and they themselves if returning to school) have the necessary supplies to participate in school. Our goal - age and gender appropriate backpacks, water bottles and lunch kits for every applicant who expresses the need. We want to ensure families are equipped with these supplies so they can focus on other life necessities. We also want to encourage parents to provide healthy meals and water to their children to increase their energy and participation in school. By providing the supplies we encourage parents to think about and use them. This program is offered to low income families in York Region who are current clients of the Centre, participating in at least one of our programs (Making Changes Life Skills, Financial Empowerment, Counselling etc.) More than 40% of our clients are low income households and 22% report they are single mothers with dependents under the age of 18. In 2014 we served over 863 women at the Centre and our need continues to grow.

Bend, OR (Inactivo) – Save the Monarchs!

2015-07-22T00:00:00Z

Monarch butterflies are one of the most beautiful, interesting, and endangered animals in the world. They pass through our region every year, which means we have a great opportunity to help them survive by planting the native milkweed their lives depend on. Our project has two components. First, we'll work with Bend's community gardens (there are 11) to build raised beds and plant native milkweed and other blooming plants. We'll also create signage to educate people about milkweed, monarchs, and other native pollinators. Second, we'll host a public presentation by a local monarch expert who will educate people about monarchs and explain how to plant them in our own gardens. Interesting facts about monarchs: • Their population has dropped 90% since the 1990s. • They weigh about as much as a paperclip but migrate thousands of miles over several generations. • Milkweed plantings have successfully aided monarchs in areas including Madras, Clarno (along the John Day River), Medford, Portland and between Prineville and Terrebonne.

Gloucester, MA – Colorful Characters of Gloucester's Early Days

2015-07-21T00:00:00Z

Colorful Characters of Gloucester’s Early Days is the name of a book targeted for young people who wish to learn about Gloucester’s history through a collection of its most colorful characters dating from 1600 – 1900. Based upon an original collection of dramatic monologues researched and developed for performance back in 2009, Dr. DiPrima will adapt these historical monologues into autobiographical sketches for juvenile readers. This book will feature over twenty historical characters ranging from Sachem Masconomet to the early explorers and settlers of Gloucester, to the religious leaders, the inhabitants of Dogtown, the schooner fishermen, merchants, writers, artists, scholars and eccentrics of this vibrant community. It is a work intended for illustration and publication. Completed copies will be placed in each of the public school libraries, the archives of the Sawyer Free Library and the Cape Ann Museum. I will approach each of the teachers (grade 4, 5, 6 & 8) who cover the history of Gloucester as part of their social studies curriculum in order to effectively disseminate the book among all students.

Alaska (Inactivo) – Mobile Mending Vardo

2015-07-21T00:00:00Z

I used to run the Mobile Mending booth at the Spenard Farmer's Market in Anchorage. I brought my sewing machine, fabric, notions and thread to the market and set up a tent where people could bring me items in need of repair. I hemmed pants, patched holes, fixed zippers, sewed on buttons, closed up seams, and tucked in frayed edges. It was a remarkably successful enterprise in a way. Though I was mobile, in the sense that I moved my little mending tent to and from the market, I wanted to be even more mobile, capable of traveling around in a little cart or trailer. And I also didn't like setting up and working in weather that often was cold, windy and rainy. I wanted to be both mobile and warm. So... I am building a little vardo (a Romani or gypsy wagon) on a small 5' x 8' trailer. It is sort of like a little camper, with a bed, fold-down table, shelves and a tiny kitchen - but way more romantic. (Google images of 'vardo' to see what I mean!) Part of the reason for building the vardo is so I can set up a little mending station and be truly mobile. I have a hand-crank sewing machine for places with no electricity, but will also incorporate electrical outlets and wiring so I can plug the vardo in to power my trusty 1964 Singer sewing machine. I plan to visit places around the state, and let folks know in advance that I will take in their mending. Once I'm in a community, I will offer workshops, meet people, listen to their stories, and mend their worn and loved textiles.

Ann Arbor, MI – The Washtenaw ID Project

2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

Imagine life without an ID. Jane is unable to make a doctor's appointment or fill a prescription because she does not have a proper ID. Sean recently had an interview for a job, it was going well until his potential employer asked for ID and the one he could produce is with the name and image of Emily, who no longer fits his gender identity/expression. John, a permanently disabled man in his 50's, receives Supplemental Social Security Income, but has no photo ID. When John's government checks come in, he has to ask someone to drive him to a distant storefront where for a 20% fee, he can get his check cashed. These vignettes are confronted by actual people. In Washtenaw County, there are approximately 38,000 undocumented individuals facing barriers like the stories above. Without an ID, folks not only have difficulty opening bank accounts, getting a library card, filling prescriptions, or signing a lease, but they are also afraid to participate in public events, speak out on political issues and approach government bodies. In response to this social injustice, in 2012, service agencies, community advocates and public officials formed the Washtenaw ID Project Task Force to organize the creation of a program that would offer government-issued photo ID to all residents regardless of immigration status, housing status, gender identity or other identifier. In November 2014, the County ID Program passed and will roll out in May 2015; it will be the first county-government issued ID card in the country and the first local ID card program in the Midwest. Now the ID Task Force's focus must shift towards leading an outreach campaign to raise awareness and provide support to those in need of the Washtenaw ID. Synod Community Services has established an ID Support Clinic to raise a needs-based scholarship fund for those who could otherwise not afford an ID; provide technical support navigating the card requirements; and hold public education events to inform the public.

Ann Arbor, MI – Festival of the Honey Bee

2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

Festival of the Honey Bee is a three day festival dedicated to celebrating honey bees. It takes place in Ypsilanti, MI during the first weekend in September. Friday kicks off the weekend with a city-wide art show and live music, presented in partnership with First Fridays Ypsilanti. Saturday, we hold educational events for children and adults at the Ypsilanti District Library, and on Sunday: Bike2Bees, an urban hive bike tour, and the Bee Bazaar vendor fair round out the festival. The festival started in 2013, as an effort to raise awareness about honey bees and create a space for appreciation and creative expression about bees. People love the festival, and it has been very successful, all while run on a shoestring budget, personal funds, and with huge thanks to community partnerships and through tens of hours donated by volunteers. Getting investment from the community would allow us to take the festival to the next level, stop funding it with personal funds, start to build a festival bank account, and share the celebration and appreciation of bees with more people in our community.

Ann Arbor, MI – The CivCity Initiative: Pre-Election Potlucks

2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

The CivCity Initiative is a new nonprofit focused on increasing awareness of how local government works and motivating residents to participate in civic life. We intend to saturate the community with opportunities to get educated, informed and engaged – from formal events like workshops & classroom projects, to more whimsical outreach like puppet show re-enactments of city council highlights or "Puppies at the Polls." One project we're developing is the Pre-Election Potluck. It works like this: A host invites 10-12 people – neighbors, friends or co-workers – to their home for a potluck dinner. At least 2 weeks prior to the potluck, each guest is assigned to do research on one local candidate or ballot proposal, so that all local candidates and ballot proposals are covered. At the potluck, everyone shares the info they've gathered & the group discusses the local ballot. It's a way to get educated by crowdsourcing the work on local election issues and sharing it in an informal social setting. We'll be piloting a few of these this summer prior to the Aug. 4 primary. The goal is to develop a how-to kit this year that describes how to organize a Pre-Election Potluck, as well as a short video to show what it's like to participate. The video will be used to recruit dozens – hundreds! – of hosts in 2016, when there will be significantly more items on the local ballots.

Pittsburgh, PA – Poetry Houses

2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

As you are walking through the city, on your way to work or lunch or an evening out with friends, you see a tiny wooden box on a mailbox post titled "Poetry House." Behind a plexiglass door are four postcard-sized poems, free for the taking. When you check back in a couple weeks, the old poems are gone and new poems have popped up in their place. Soon, you can't wait until the next re-up of your local Poetry House. This is the vision behind the Poetry Houses public art project. Our plans are to build and install four Poetry Houses around the city of Pittsburgh. Every two weeks, for a year, a brand new batch of four poems will arrive like magic in the Poetry Houses. Each of those batches will include: a local poet, a local teen poet, a teen poet from anywhere in the world, and an adult poet from anywhere in the world. The Poetry Houses have an online component, too. On a time delay, we will publish images of each poem postcard released through the public houses so anyone in the world can access the poetry, not just people in Pittsburgh. The motivating factor behind the Poetry Houses is to make poetry fun and accessible. When we say accessible, we mean both intellectually accessible and physically accessible. Poetry these days has a reputation for being impossible to understand and meaningless for everyday life-locked away in an ivory tower. We want to show people that poems can be anything, from strange and mystifying on through to simple and sweet. The poems we choose for the houses, then, will tend toward the narrative and the humorous as opposed to the experimental and fractured. And by installing Poetry Houses alongside sidewalks and other places with good foot traffic, we are physically making poetry a part of people's everyday lives.

Boulder, CO (Inactivo) – Engagement, Belonging and Community at CircleTalk

2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

CircleTalk engages older adults in meaningful conversations using creative activities to inspire personal sharing, a sense of belonging, and a feeling of community. By reviving spirit, vitality, and joy in a comfortable group setting, we alleviate and sometimes eliminate the feelings of loneliness and isolation often experienced by older adults. CircleTalk offers a curriculum-specific, dedicated program that builds social connectedness among older adults that allows them to flourish within their community. Person-to-person connection is what matters most to all of us. As older adults leave their homes, friends and communities of a lifetime and move into the security of a senior residence, inevitably, they lose these important connections and rarely have a chance to let other people know what really matters to them and who they were in life and who they continue to be. We have field-tested this method of engagement in senior residences for over 200 hours. It has been praised by CircleTalk members and professionals. High resident engagement and satisfaction levels have been observed and reported by CircleTalk leaders, facility personnel and residents themselves. Follow-up satisfaction surveys and interviews (conducted by an external evaluator) have consistently rated the CircleTalk model as very desirable, engaging and pleasurable. The results also speak for themselves: Last week we asked our Community Circle the following question : “What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?” The responses were full of heart and good memories: Looking into the eyes of my children at birth. Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. My great grandchild's smile the first time I met him! As the circle came around to Francis, our eldest member (95), she gazed into her hands for a few moments, took a deep breath and thoughtfully responded “Walking into this group each week and seeing that you expected me here. That's beautiful to me.”

Seattle, WA – Megapod

2015-07-19T00:00:00Z

Megapod is a giant climbable slug! Reaching 12’ into the air and 22’ in length, climbers can release their inner lemur to swing around the antennae, lounge along the head, or parkour their way over and through the body. Built out of Kee Klamp pipe fittings and parkour-grade steel pipes, the structure is designed to support all the weight a posse of enthusiastic Seattleites can throw at it. The structure is see-through like a playground climbing structure, and includes horizontal, vertical, and ramp-like bars to entice and challenge adventurers of all fitness levels. The head area is designed for group seating. Megapod will appear suddenly at parks and art events around Seattle. The structure is designed to be assembled and disassembled for many uses in different locations. Photos of the model for the structure and screen shots of the 3D model can be viewed at http://koncsek.com/megapod. After building the model, I modified the design slightly to include a few more structural triangles for added stability, attachment points for guy lines at the head, and a 10' fire pole style component.

Madison, WI (Inactivo) – Summer Drumming

2015-07-17T00:00:00Z

I am a neighborhood officer on Madison's South Side in an area with high crime and high levels of poverty. In the center of my neighborhood is a park (Penn Park) that I am trying to fill with positive programming for the families and kids in the neighborhood as a way to enhance the community and push out the negative activity that often happens there. I have been trying to bring in a fantastic set of musicians that run a "culture coach" which develops talent in the neighborhood and gives them a chance to perform. These individuals also do "drum circles" during which neighborhood kids can come and learn to drum from musicians and are also mentored by these role models on life skills and positive behaviors. This is a means to bring the joy of music, the pride of developing a learned skill, the presence of positive role models, and positive interactions with law enforcement, to a population desperately in need of all of the above. The group I am looking to fund successfully does this in parks throughout Chicago and is eager to work in my neighborhood.

Oahu, HI – Kaimuki HS Softball Dugout and Study Hall Room

2015-07-17T00:00:00Z

I am Rylan Morihara and I am the Junior Varsity head coach as well as the assistant Varsity coach for softball at Kaimuki High School. Many of the students that attend this school come from low income backgrounds and lack the needed supplies to succeed in any endeavor that they undertake. My project is to rebuild our dugout fitted with an adjoining room that can be used as a study hall/learning center for my players. As a coach, I am trying to instill a yearning for education into my players. We routinely hold a study hall day in place of our regular practices once a week to stress the importance of education. The problems we run into are that the library is already closed so the girls are unable to do research or type out their papers. The purpose of the study hall room would be so that we can have the ability for our girls to be able to still do their work even if they do not have the financial resources to purchase their own computer or the resources (e.g. the library) are unavailable. The purpose of improving our dugout is to provide the players with a safe environment. The dugout will be equipped with secure lockers for them to store their equipment. The new dugout will help improve the players experience. The softball team helps the girls develop good character and instill important life values. Enhancing their experience will further boost the positive impression the game has on their life.

Antigonish, NS (Inactivo) – Public Heart Strings

2015-07-16T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is to take used pianos and make them public- Public Art that is! The idea, modeled after the success of many major cities, takes forgotten pianos, has them painted by local artist(s) and places them in public spaces to be interacted with, by the public, from the non-player noodle-ing to the advanced playing impromptu shows. These pianos are fixed and would be placed in non-residential spaces. I am currently in talks with he Town to explore such spaces + public art initiatives. Projects similar to this in the past have created a sense of wonder, surprise and community pride.

Kingston – EdCamp Kingston - bringing the unconference to YGK

2015-07-16T00:00:00Z

Edcamp Kingston is a one-day "unconference" that brings together teachers, parents, students, and community partners to talk about education in our city and how we can work together to affect real change. Unlike regular conferences, edcamps are completely free, non-commercial, and made up of sessions hosted by the people attending the conference (not expensive keynote speakers). There have been over 700 edcamps organized around the world, but this will be the first one in Kingston - and we are long overdue for one! Prior to the event, we will have a padlet wall running so people can start talking about what they want to see in education - what's happening already that they love, where we have room to grow, things they wonder, that sort of thing. On the day of, people will come, register, have some breakfast, and we will have a giant brainstorming wall for people to add sessions that they would like to see. The wonderful thing about edcamp is that the conversation is driven by the people who are there. We will take the most popular sessions and slot them into our schedule for the day (there will be four 50-minute time slots for sessions, and up to 10 sessions running at one time depending on numbers!). One of the rules of edcamp is the "law of two feet" - if the session isn't what you had hoped, you are free to check out another session! We will also have a number of interactive activities throughout the day that will help people to network and connect. After all, though this is a one-day event, the conversation must continue for action to take place! Throughout the day, we will also have a twitter feed going via the hashtag #edcampYGK so that people who can't make it to the event can still participate in the conversation. We are really excited to bring edcamp to Kingston this fall!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – A Carnival Fantasy: Where Anything is Possible

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

When children are fighting cancer their lives are anything but normal. They oftentimes live in the hospital for weeks at a time. They miss school, they miss spending time with friends and they miss out on so many things that other children and families take for granted. "A Carnival Fantasy: Where Anything is Possible" is just one opportunity for children who are daily fighting for their lives to forget about cancer for a few hours and just have fun at "the carnival." The event is open to children on- and off-therapy, and their immediate family members. In addition to carnival-style games and fun, there will be food, face painting, a few special guests, music, door prizes and more. Everything is free to the children and their families. We've hired a company that provides character appearances -- Anna and Elsa will be joining our party and they will have someone making balloon animals for the kids. We've also requests cheerleaders and Big Al from the University of Alabama make an appearance. In addition to the prizes that kids can win through the carnival games, we are hoping to have enough nicer items (games, toys, arts and crafts, gift cards) to give to all of the kids before they leave. We also hope to collect some items to give parents (gas gift cards, grocery store gift cards, VISA gift cards, etc.). Everyone is very excited about this event, and I can't wait to see how happy the kids are. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. This event will happen, even if I have to sell my stuff to come up with the money. The more we can raise, the more magical it will be for these kids. And they definitely deserve some magic in their lives. Thank you for your time.

Boston, MA – Feminist Fiber Art Exhibit

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

I am organizing a pop-up, DIY, feminist art exhibit through my independent artist business, Iris Nectar Studio. The exhibit is featuring only artists that self-identify as female and focusing on fiber art. I am still accepting submissions until June 30 from artists all around the world, but have secured several internet-famous artists who have confirmed that they will participate. This includes artists from England and Iceland who will ship their artwork to me in Boston. I decided to organize this exhibit to give a voice to female artists who are so frequently shafted from the art world that focuses on male artists. Since fiber art has such a long history as a craft produced by women, I chose to fuse the two concepts together into one feminist art exhibition. The exhibition will take the form of an art crawl through alternative art spaces in the Greater Boston region, beginning in Somerville, with a gallery opening of August 14. The work will remain installed in Somerville for a month before moving to Cambridge, and then other neighborhoods within Boston for several months. During the gallery opening event, artwork will be installed in three different creative venues - Aeronaut Brewing Co., Arts at the Armory, and Washington Street Art Center, - and viewers will be invited to view the artwork through the form of an art crawl, checking out the artwork installed at all three venues before attending the musical performances at the Armory. Bands fronted by strong females will perform at this event, decked out in handmade costumes constructed from fiber. This will demonstrate the importance and functionality of fiber art. This exhibit is exciting because it continues to grow as artists and followers share the call for art online. It initially began as a small project to take place in a little gallery, but I have run with it and secured several locations in order to accommodate as many artists as possible, and we have not established an end date!

Sydney – Disability Beyond Boundaries

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

Disability Beyond Boundaries is being established for and by people with disability with the aim of raising awareness of the unique needs of customers with disability within our local community's fashion and self-care businesses and service providers. We have focussed on such businesses and service providers because of the vital link between personal presentation and self-esteem. We aim to empower people with disability to confidently request assistance from local fashion and self-care businesses and service providers. As such, an important facet of our project will involve the distribution of educational materials and the running of information workshops to foster understanding and communication between the businesses and service providers and their customers with disability. Ultimately, we want to create an online directory of fashion and self-care businesses and services that people with disability can confidently contact for assistance, knowing that their unique needs will be understood, and that they will enjoy a friendly and accessible experience.

San Antonio, TX – Janie Mae's Cakes

2015-07-13T00:00:00Z

There are many projects out in the community in San Antonio that have strived for greatness; whilst some has made it to the top and some are still in the works. I myself have been in the latter category of those two, where I am working hard everyday to reach out to the community with a language that mostly every speaks- cake! As of November of 2014, I've launched my personal business, Janie Mae's Cakes (named after my 90+ year old grandmother) in this little, yet big city, where word of mouth is essential and very effective. As a Florida Native coming into this town as a loner it was hard to get started not knowing many people, but I've slowly made friends and have some really good connections within the community. My passion has always been to be a provider for the less fortunate and those who simply cannot afford to have the best. I have made it my personal goal to provide a service through my bakery to offer high quality products, such as cakes, pies, and all types of pastries, at an affordable cost. I have even gotten involved within the community by offering cake decorating classes and even donating to families in need for special occasions, such as the birthdays and those who have family members who are not in the best health. It can become a costly activity to partake in, but the only thing that matters is the time that I give back to the community. I am currently working on offering my services voluntarily to a Hospice center by participating in their Birthday Cake program, which provides a sugarless birthday cake for terminally ill patients on, and to sing "Happy Birthday", to what may be one of their last.

Ottawa – Dogs Playing Poker: LIVE!

2015-07-13T00:00:00Z

July’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Leah Bartlett, to support a live-action recreation of Cassius Coolidge’s paintings of dogs playing poker for Ottawa’s Nuit Blanche. “We will have four to six ‘dogs’ playing poker, drinking whiskey, and eating bone cookies,” explains Leah. “And there will be one or two empty seats at the table, for members of the public to enter the painting and join in.” Visiting members of the public, Leah notes, will be required to wear dog collars at all times. And after one or two rounds, “the cat bodyguard will escort the humans out and bring in new players.” Leah is a local health planner in Ottawa. You can follow her progress at dppottawa.weebly.com.

Orlando, FL – The City Chalkboard

2015-07-10T00:00:00Z

After high school I moved to Memphis, TN for a brief period of time to attend Memphis College of Art. While in Memphis, I was awestruck by the amount of Community art around Midtown. one of the Ideas I came across was a large scale chalkboard that became an internal and interactive part of the community. My Idea is to incorporate a chalkboard into my mural work to allow a more interactive response from the community. Many cities have a great disdain for public art, thankfully Orlando, the city I, and countless other creatives have chosen as home allows and encourages public art. My hope is to create murals that have a positive message and encourage, creativity, community and diversity throughout the neighborhoods of Orlando, and to have a section of the mural that encourages locals and tourists alike to vocalize their creativity in a positive way. By making the interactive mural a chalkboard, We'll allow for easy clean up and promote community pride. At the moment my website, fonathanyubi.com is used to display my portfolio, I would incorporate "The City Chalkboard" into the website to allow for accessible information and display images of the project.

Yerevan – #SaveHome45

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

Home 45 is a free public space, located in the cellar of a building, constructed in the end of the 19th century on Yeznik Koghbatsi Street – one of the four streets making up the Old Yerevan district. Formally the buildings are under the protection of the government, but in reality they are being deconstructed one by one; the few ones that survived are expecting their death sentence. By supporting Home 45 you will help this historical building to get a chance to survive and live a longer life, to serve creative people from Armenia and all over the world. Home 45 was created with the means and enthusiasm of this community: a dirty rotten cellar step by step turned into a bright and light hearted free public space for social activism. It opened this spring and has hosted more than 50 travellers from all over the world, dozens of exhibitions, workshops, performances and even the most innovative wedding in Yerevan. The space is open to everyone who needs a space to create. The platform has been supported by our community and from the small donations of our guests and residents, however, it is getting harder and harder to pay the rent and communal expenses. We initiated several fundraising events, and managed to collect a small amount of money, only letting us cover one month rent. We start a campaign on indiegogo.com in parallel. You can follow the link below` https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/savehome45/x/11062057#/story

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Holistic Healing for Survivors of Sexual Violence

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

Dr. Denis Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital in 1999 as a response to the devastating war that surrounded his community in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the brutal sexualized violence that has characterized it. Panzi Hospital treats approximately 3,000 women a year complex gynecological injuries, including obstetric and traumatic fistula, as well as other injuries sustained through rape and sexualized violence. The hospital currently has 450 beds, 250 of which are reserved for survivors of sexual violence. Panzi’s holistic model of care provides survivors of sexual violence with services that meet the full spectrum of their needs: physical recovery, psychosocial support, community reintegration and legal assistance. In addition, we make critical investments in building the capacity of civil society organizations doing the grassroots work to rebuild their communities on principles of human rights and partnership between men and women. 40% - 60% of the women treated at Panzi Hospital are unable to return home after medical treatment – either because of the extent of their injuries, the ongoing violence or, most often, the stigma associated with rape or obstetric fistula. At Maison Dorcas, Panzi’s innovative after-care facility, these women and girls who are otherwise unable to return home after their medical treatment receive housing, meals, and access to the full slate of holistic recovery support provided by Panzi, all in a protected, collaborative and supportive environment. These programs include therapeutic counseling, job skills training, literacy and numeracy classes, micro-grants and -loans for small businesses, and outreach projects to rural communities. The ultimate goal of the Maison Dorcas staff is to heal and build the resilience of the whole woman, her whole family, and her whole community, setting the entire region on a course towards lasting peace.

Melbourne (Inactivo) – PROJECT HONEYCOMB

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

WITHOUT BEES, WE'RE DEAD. I am a wild forager and an apiarist, rescuing urban bees from extermination. I rehouse bees, build them new homes and relocate them to new urban rooftops. I sell honey comb to some of the best restaurants in Australia to cover the costs of looking after over 10 colonies (700,000 bees). It's a lot of hard work and i do it for the love of mother nature and these incredibly important creatures. I need the Awesome Foundation to help cover the cost of designing packaging for their honeycomb to help us launch this product to Australian providores. The Apiarist is about rescuing and relocating bees with proceeds of the money going back to building more homes for them.

Adelaide – Adelaide Community Garden

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

We think ping pong is pretty fun. And so does The West End Village Association's (WEVA) community garden. Put a free-for-all-to-enjoy ping pong table in a successful and established community garden in a vacant block in the West End Precinct of Adelaide City. is AWESOME! This privately leased & operated garden is used by the community for growing fruit,vegetables,herbs,flowers etc.It is also used as a social gathering place, activities or just relaxing. -- WEVA is a not-for-profit community organisation, focused on pursuing the interests of residents of the West End precinct in Adelaide.

San Francisco, CA – Teaching Electronics to Visually Impaired Students

2015-07-08T00:00:00Z

Traditionally circuit blocks are teaching aids that are constructed with wooden blocks and nails and components such as red and black wires, switches, batteries and lights. Students usually construct the circuits by using alligator clips to connect the nails and different circuits together. This kind of STEM activity is inaccessible to the blind and the visually impaired. With this grant I will develop a learning aid for blind and visually impaired students that teaches electricity and basic circuit skills. I will design “circuit blocks” that use an electrically conductive sticky tack rather than traditional circuit building methods like soldering and breadboarding. Using a material I developed called ‘Conductak” and also embossed tactile graphics the students will be able to build their circuits solely through touch. Here’s my idea: Embossed on the block will be tactile graphics, so that students will be able to feel simple circuit diagrams. The new circuit blocks will be shaped (i.e. the battery circuit block will be shaped like the schematic symbol of a battery). Polarity will be indicated by the relative length of the "leads" of the block with the longer lead being positive. Rather than traditional alligator clips, a magnetic system will be used to simplify electrical connections. I was inspired by Roberta Williams, a teacher of the blind and visually impaired in Monterey, to develop projects for her students. This summer, I'm bringing these lessons to her 10-12 mostly middle school age students. To my knowledge this is the first time circuit blocks have been made accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

Lusaka (Inactivo) – Sunshine Zambia Project

2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

Project Background In Zambia, those most excluded from the labour market are persons with mental health difficulties or intellectual disabilities (ID). As a first step towards achieving inclusive employment for people with ID in Zambia, the Sani Foundation is piloting the Sunshine Zambia Project which aims to provide holistic, and relevant training to prepare adolescents and young adults with ID for employment and independence within their community. The Sunshine Zambia Project uses evidence-based approaches, adapted to the local setting to establish an environment in which persons with ID are stimulated and aided to create and sell products using recycled materials as well as receive training that will prepare them for employment on the open job market. The project delivers this outcome by profiling each member’s needs, identifying their aspirations & skills, and procuring short term internship engagements for members to have a first-hand experience of the employment world before accessing a permanent job or setting up a business. To improve opportunities for internship and job placements, the project will also include a number of awareness campaigns and activities that will include family members and potential employers of persons with ID. Field trips to different companies will be held to expose member’s to different career options. Scale up mechanisms The success of this pilot project will be used as an evidence base with which to begin to influence policy change among various stakeholders. The goal is to have government systems in place to support persons with IDs to start their own micro enterprises, contract the services of job centres, or hire personal job coaches. Long-term, we will lobby for the adoption of our evidence-based model as the national standard for providing transition and employment services to persons with ID.