Awesome Foundation - Proyectos

New Orleans, LA (Inactivo) – Listen! Literacy & Arts Festival

2013-09-05T00:00:00Z

The third annual Listen! Literacy & Arts Festival, to be held October 2013, is an outdoor cultural arts event organized by 2-Cent through the help of our youth volunteers. Listen! provides New Orleans' youth with an opportunity to use their talents in the literary, musical, visual, and media arts to inspire change. Focusing on the violence and education crises within our community, Listen! offers an opportunity for New Orleans' young people to form alliances for social activism, to voice their concerns, and to strategize for community betterment. All we ask is that the city come and listen. We partner with Scholastic, Inc. to give out 10,000 brand new books and also to provide literacy training for parents at the festival. We reach out to local schools to encourage student participation by way of performances and essay contests.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Bat Cloud

2013-09-02T00:00:00Z

BAT CLOUD is a project that aims to bring awareness and greater public visibility to bats as a critical part of our ecosystem. Bats serve as pollinators and ‘natural’ pesticides, assisting in the control of mosquito and other insect populations. Yet despite their ecological significance, bats are often overlooked or seen as pests in urban environments and subsequently exterminated. Further, since 2006, bats in the northeastern part of the United States have been dying in great numbers due to White Nose Syndrome. BAT CLOUD is an installation that aims to combat the aesthetics of disappearance and indifference. As such, its disposition is that of an urban ‘spectacle,’ tapping into strategies of publicity. The project is comprised of a hanging canopy of vessels, which from afar appears like a large shimmering cloud, hovering in the trees. Closer up, viewers from below would be able to see plants hanging from each vessel. At dusk, onlookers would hopefully be able to catch sight of bats or other wildlife emerging from the habitation vessels. Each vessel is formed in a way to allow bats to enter and inhabit its uppermost portion. The lower volume of each vessel is filled with soil and native plants. The vessels are also designed so that bat guano would collect in the soil-filled planting area, thus fertilizing the vegetation. The lowermost portion of each vessel is constructed in a way to allow for slow water drainage. BAT CLOUD is installed in the Tifft Nature Preserve, a park-like wooded setting developed on a former landfill in the industrial zone of Buffalo, New York, USA. Recently, I was selected to build and install a second iteration of BAT CLOUD in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as part of the 2014 International Architecture Biennale of Rotterdam (IABR 2014: http://iabr.nl/en), the theme of which is "Urban by Nature." After the exhibition in Rotterdam, my intention is to donate the BAT CLOUD project to an interested community in need.

Melbourne (Inactivo) – Mini Free Library

2013-09-02T00:00:00Z

To build a mini free library in front of the East Maryborough Community House. I had the blokes from the Men's Shed lined up to build the library, but they all have health problems at the moment and cannot build the library. I have the design for the library, which was done by the kids who use the East Maryborough Neighbourhood house, and the specs, from some local artists. Maryborough is the lowest socio economic council area in Victoria. Literacy is a basic right, and is so important. The mini free library will brighten the area up, give the residents a sense of pride and ownership (there is only one other mini free library in Victoria that I know of) and be a source of good quality, free books and magazines. The library will be "staffed" by volunteers Donations of books will come from locals, and will be topped up on whatever donations I can get my hands on.

Austin, TX – Citizen Node

2013-08-31T00:00:00Z

Citizen Node is an idea that arose in the aftermath of the "People's Filibuster" at the Texas Capitol in June and July of 2013. Social media and quick personal messaging were viewed by many to be an invaluable tool in trying to understand events as they unfolded. The fact that participants’ personal experiences and observations varied so widely from old-media reports that were released many hours or days after the event further reinforced the belief that on-the-ground information is a powerful tool that can be harnessed to create and maintain a body politic that votes for and supports policy that truly represents its beliefs and ideals. Towards that end, the Citizen Node kit aims to help by ensuring that people have on-going access to a means of communication and engagement in two ways: first, by providing various way of charging devices that may not carry enough charge to get them through the event otherwise; second, by providing supplemental network bandwidth to ensure access to the Internet even in crowds with heavy data usage. Volunteers will be entrusted with Citizen Node kits containing MiFi hotspots and charging devices for the common use of attendees at important civic and cultural events. Individuals given Citizen Node kits would have to agree to attend events they are dispatched to, obey all lawful orders of law enforcement officers while at events, and provide access to all people who meet the terms and conditions of the service, regardless of political affiliation, unless the Citizen Node volunteer believes that an individual is using the service to engage in overt criminal activity. The first Citizen Node Kit, "Molly," was named after the legendary journalist and political commentator Molly Ivins, who famously described Texas politics as "the finest form of free entertainment ever invented." Over the coming months, more Citizen Node kits will be assembled and tested by volunteers at various social and civic events, with the aim of being of service during the 2014 off-season campaign and election events, and during any periods of citizen activism during the 2015 Texas Legislature.

Denver, CO (Inactivo) – LaunchUR Labs Denver

2013-08-31T00:00:00Z

LaunchUR Labs Denver is the first entrepreneurial challenge of its kind in the area. We have a unique collaboration with coworking spaces, like Galvanize, as host, local startups, like Ubooly, posing a business challenge and 6 Denver based schools/nonprofits, like West Generation Academy, sending teams of their teens to solve the challenge. During the day over 36 teens will be work on modules based on design thinking, lean startup methods, and 21st century skills with guidance from mentors from the startup world as well as local entrepreneurial focused college students. Teens will embark on solving the challenge posed by the business case and then pitch their solution getting real time feedback from our online system. The winning team gets $500 to donate to their favorite nonprofit or school, all teens get a chance to apply for our monthly $250 micro-grant on our other learning platform LaunchUR Ignite. Our Labs are unique in that they: - are as hands on as it gets, even making finances come alive. - connecting ideation with real world business problems - put partnership and collaboration at the forefront as models for what work can and will be for teens. - utilize a low cost, easy to replicate, model to access as many future teen as possible.

San Antonio, TX – SATX Pedal Power

2013-08-30T00:00:00Z

SATX Pedal Power is using the renewable resource of pedaling to start a revolution. Without going too deep into the physics of it all, you pedal and AWESOME things happen! We are looking to change the norm of finding the closest electrical outlet or going for the gas can to make things work. Our project takes a bicycle, a generator bike stand and YOU to turn pedaling into power! You pedal, you power something. Our goal is to encourage local san antonians to venture out of their homes via bicycle or walking and enjoy the beautiful downtown skyline. How better to entice them out than to offer them an evening of movies, but with a twist. An outdoor movie venue powered by a bicycle generator and the viewers are doing the pedaling! We would also like to reach out to underprivileged communities and offer movie screenings at local schools or any underutilized local green spaces. The possibilities are endless with what can be powered. With our current system, we can supply most of the power needed to project a movie on a large screen. With more generators we could utilize several cyclists to generate energy, with which to power an entire venue. Our goals are to have events that are fully sustained by pedal power. Our past two showings people have been so excited to sign up to pedal the generator. Our events help to bring together the community and give them a sense of camaraderie amongst each other, a sense of contribution to the cause. We can take this as far as we dream, but we need to get the word out about this AWESOME project we are kicking off. We have had two showings already, with the attendance doubling from one week to the next. We are currently running movies every Thursday at the Main Plaza.

Pittsburgh, PA – Cupcakes & Culture Series

2013-08-30T00:00:00Z

I want to make Pittsburgh awesome by hosting a series of five events that will use cupcakes to bring the community together around diversity, specifically around Asian American culture. The events I am envisioning will collectively be called the Cupcakes & Culture Series, where education and entertainment will blend together into something fun, vibrant, and wonderfully enlightening for our city. My three main objectives/goals for the Cupcakes & Culture Series events are: 1) To bring the local Asian American community together, 2) To bring the wider Pittsburgh community in touch with the Asian American population and culture, and 3) To build retention of young diversity in Pittsburgh by enriching its multicultural atmosphere. Unlike the more traditional Asian cultural events that happen in Pittsburgh, my approach is to be as organic as possible while also focusing on a primary target audience of college-aged students and the young professional crowd (20s-40s). From what I have observed, Asian cultural events in Pittsburgh tend to primarily showcase traditional art or dance. These events are worthy and important but lack the fostering of any interaction and tend to perpetuate the portrayal of all Asians as being foreign. There is a huge lack of Asian-themed events that offer a strong pull for both younger Asian Americans and non-Asians to come together in a relaxing and fun environment to interact with one another in the celebration of Asian American culture. The Cupcakes & Culture Series will build a bridge for the college-aged and the older young professional crowd and the general Pittsburgh city to come together and learn more about the local and national Asian American identity. The five events will each be themed around a different element of Asian/Asian American culture and a Yummyholic cupcake flavor. Every event will feature free cupcakes, finger foods from Pittsburgh's finest Asian eateries, music/entertainment, and local Asian/diversity organizations.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactivo) – UNDIGITIZE.ME

2013-08-28T00:00:00Z

More times than none, we let technology run its course unhindered, relishing it, believing it to be innocuous. It's only much later that the pitfalls come to light, and by then we've grown fully-accustomed to using them on a regular basis. Our current digital devices are no exception. In this mobile era, with smartphone serving as an extension of the human hand, we are always connected, constantly bombarded with information, and this is only a local maxima. Smartphones serve to augment our productivity; they make us smarter and keep us constantly up-to-date. At the same time, however, smartphone use affects us in ways we would be wise not to ignore. A Stanford University survey on iPhone users among students showed that 75 percent admitted to falling asleep with their handhelds, and 69 percent said they were more likely to forget their wallet than their iPhones when leaving their home in the morning. This addiction is real. We've all been there: while having coffee with friends, at the table with our families, or in bed with our loved ones – we can't help noticing that some or all are looking at their handhelds. For this reason, a few months back, I came up with "UNDIGITIZE.ME" - a social venture that aims to reshape our relationship with the Smartphone. This project has three major objectives - (1) raising awareness to smartphone addiction and the ways by which it affects our lives; (2) calling on developers to create less addictive applications; and thirdly, bring people together and have them come up with ways of dealing with this addiction. The first move was actually a viral campaign we've whimsically titled “Phone Faced Down”, that seeks to alter some of our more deleterious smartphone habits. Each campaign item depicts people going about their day-to-day pursuits while their handhelds are visibly face down and unobtrusive. These photos were shared on Facebook and Instagram, and went viral immediately.

Boulder, CO (Inactivo) – Sources of Strength at Fairview High School

2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

Fairview High School in Boulder, CO, in concert with the BCPIP, piloted the Sources of Strength (SOS) program in the spring of 2013. SOS is an evidence-based, nationally recognized strength-based comprehensive wellness program that focuses on suicide prevention, but also impacts other issues such as substance abuse and violence. The program is based on a relational connections model that uses teams of peer leaders mentored by adult advisors to change peer social norms about help seeking and encourages students to individually assess and develop strengths in their life. In February SOS trained 12 adult advisors and 47 peer leaders at Fairview High School to create messages of Hope, Help, and Strength that impacted the entire school community. Examples of SOS activities at Fairview High included the following: Peer Leaders held an SOS week in March, focusing mainly on the messages, "There are Sources of Strength around us that can help us get through tough times" and "Break the codes of silence! Don't keep suicide a secret - tell a Trusted Adult" through posters, personal conversations, presentations, a video and manning a resource fair table for two days, impacting not only school staff and students, but also adults and youth in the community. In early May, the group put up posters and made presentations in school focusing on "There are Sources of Strength around us that can help us get through tough times." The results of our efforts, which were evaluated by the University of Rochester in conjunction with Sources of Strength, were quite positive. Two key markers of a successful Sources of Strength program were accomplished this first year: (a) student peer leaders adopted more positive coping norms, which prepares them to disseminate those norms to peers, and (b) peer leaders were engaged, had positive views about the intervention, and led activities to create a healthier school climate supporting positive coping and youth-adult connections.

Calgary, AB (Inactivo) – Linked - Crowdsourced 3D Printed Sculpture

2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

Engineering+Art: The world's first crowdsourced 3D printed sculpture. Our award-winning 3D printing startup has partnered with an internationally known artist to create this sculpture in Calgary. We currently have hundreds of people around the world 3D printing the pieces of our sculpture and mailing them to us. In September at Beakerhead and Maker Faire, we are assembling the vibrantly colored pieces to form a hanging chainmail mosaic to form an image or pattern. Each display will have a different visual associated with it. “Linked” will be the world’s first collaborative 3D sculpture, created by makers and hobbyists across the world. 3D printing is bringing open-source creativity to the physical world, and that's why we're making "Linked" - it's a celebration of the new-found power of the community. Our community has built the pieces but now we need to build a frame to hold the pieces together and to transport the sculpture from one venue to another. With Awesome Calgary's help, we can pay for the materials, art, and labour associated with this frame. It will need to scale so that we can continue to grow this sculpture. We want to transport this sculpture to many festivals. In 2014 we hope to display at the bay area Maker Faire, which is the center of the maker universe.

Montreal, QC (Inactivo) – Illuminons les pianos publiques

2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

Le concept des pianos publiques est de mettre à disposition un piano à l'extérieur que les passants peuvent utiliser à leur gré. J'aimerais personnellement agrémenter ce projet en créant une installation lumineuse interactive pour les différents pianos publiques. Le piano comporterait différents éléments lumineux, la couleur et l'intensité des lumières pourrait varier en fonction de ce qui est joué sur le piano. Ayant déjà réalisé différents projets de lumières interactives, je crois être en mesure de réaliser ce projet efficacement. Voici un prototype (très primitif) monté en une soirée pour vérifier que le concept est réalisable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_OLgq8k5to Et un exemple de lampe interactive que j'ai réalisé en 2010: http://vimeo.com/15996525 Je crois qu'agrémenter les pianos publiques de lumières interactives peut augmenter l'achalandage en plus d'embellir le paysage urbain. L'idée est aussi de rendre le piano plus accessible même à des gens ne sachant pas en jouer. Le public, même si'il est néophyte pourra ""jouer"" des lumières. Je pense que ça pourra attirer et intéresser particulièrement les enfants et possiblement leur donner le goût d'apprendre le piano. J'aimerais faire différents prototypes lumineux. Une première idée serait d'avoir une rangée de pots massons lumineux sur le dessus du piano. Si la personne joue dans les notes graves, les pots au dessus de ces notes s'illumineraient, si la personne joue dans les aigus, les pots vers la droite du clavier feraient de même. Une autre possibilité serait d'éclairer l'intérieur du piano ce qui permettrait de faire mieux comprendre le mécanisme.

Miami, FL – Wynwood Brewing Company Mural Project

2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – China's Magic Hospital

2013-08-26T00:00:00Z

Imagine you are 5 year old, sick and alone in a hospital 1000 miles away from your home, feels pretty miserable, but then the doors opens and magic happens. Childhood should be a time for magic, fun, adventure, unfortunately this can be easily depleted by illness , economic misfortune and tragedy. We desire to help children in their time of distress and try to restore some moments of a carefree childhood and boost the spirit. In August 2012 we even had help from the Harlem Globetrotters Basketball team to do that. We currently have four regular programs and four ad-hoc programs such as the Abracadabra program which magically fulfils a wish, outdoorsy day to visit exciting locations, the holiday gift giving for special occasions such as Xmas or Chinese New Year, and last but not least My Inner Olympics , our medal for bravery and encouragement.

Open Web (Inactivo) – International Word of the Day

2013-08-26T00:00:00Z

Traveling the world for studies and work, I was very lucky to learn many languages and I am currently fluent in 5 (Italian, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish). I have always thought that speaking foreign languages was a great way to understand different cultures. On the other hand, not everyone has the chance to travel the world. So I have started a facebook community almost as a game about a month ago: www.facebook.com/fivelanguages . The idea is simple: every day I post an image and the word associated to it translated into 6 languages (I have added German to my list so that I can learn a new word per day as well!). The community has gotten a lot of engagement and I reached almost 15,000 fans (and growing)! Some members are adding translations in other languages ranging from Greek to Japanese to Russian. Some others are providing me with translations in local dialects. All are writing amazing feedback! I have decided to extend this communities to other social networks such as twitter and tumblr (www.internationwordoftheday.com). I have now decided to create a game, which is still in development: http://quiz.internationalwordoftheday.com because I believe that learning has also to be fun. My vision is that people of all ages should be able to be continuously learning, no matter what their education level or social status is. I believe in the concept of school for life as, even I am not a student anymore, what gets me thrilled is learning new things. Whilst I enjoy unstructured and informal learning, I also truly appreciate the idea of having something small and simple I know I will be learning every day. Eventually I would like to expand this concept across multiple disciplines but there is still a lot to be done to make this international word of the day community truly awesome and I want to keep on working until I can teach (and learn) a lot more languages in the most effective way!

Rio de Janeiro (Inactivo) – Favela Painting

2013-08-25T00:00:00Z

Our dream has always been to paint an entire community in Rio de Janeiro. Currently we are setting up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to return to Brazil and involve a whole group of youth, train them and then employ them. They will completely transform their own community, involved in every step of the proces, including the design. Everything will be filmed, blogged and eventually a documentary will be made. We hope to be able to start by the end of this year and have an ongoing presence to long after the World cup and Olympics are over. The idea is to try to make the project self sustainable by introducing economic elements like creating our own project merchandise and one day even create our own brand of paint. the revenue would be used to support the ongoing project! *This awesome project is raising funds via kickstarter - Support it here:* http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1953408692/painting-an-entire-favela-in-rio-de-janeiro

Oahu, HI – Papakolea Mural Project

2013-08-24T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project starts off with two art workshops that we hope will bring the community of Papakolea together. The first workshop will be painting recycled cans, and the other workshop will be painting hats. The workshops will help us fundraise for a mural we want to paint at their community center. The children of the community can bring out their artistic side for a day and it only cost $3-5. Our main audience goal is children/teens because they currently do not have an artistic outlet that they can utilize. The mural we are planning to paint will bring light to the community and let the kids in the neighborhood have an outlet for art and an oasis for the communities rich history. With every mural we paint we want to display a story, and for the Papakolea Mural we met with community leaders, and Kapuna’s to learn stories and the history of there home. One main thing that we are going to display in the mural is the power and love for the Women of Papakolea, because that is something that is very strong and prevalent in there history and current day. In the ancient Hawaiian days Papakolea was something called a City of refuge, where if you committed a serious crime such as murder and ran from the authorities or Ali’i and you made it to Papakolea you would be ridded of your crime. The community leaders of current day Papakolea still believe in Papakolea being a safe place for there community, a place of love and aloha. And we also want to display that message through our art. When meeting with the Papakolea Community members we learned that the younger generations of Papakolea are increasingly loosing touch with the history of there neighborhood and we want the mural to be a daily reminder of there roots and there history. Also by doing this wall we are not only giving the youth a creative outlet but it can show the community that street art is another medium and not vandalism. We want to inspire the kids and grown ups of Papakolea with our project.

Newmarket – The Career Exploration Club

2013-08-21T00:00:00Z

The Career Exploration Club provides step-by-step career exploration, guidance & coaching to youth in High School who are unsure what career path is right for them. Deciding on a career path & University/College program is difficult. Picking the wrong program through trial & error can lead to program changes that cost students more time in school, and over of $15,000 in additional costs for tuition, housing, transportation, books, & food per extra year. Our program facilitates early career exploration & planning to help youth find careers that match who they are. It is effective & greatly increases their confidence. Our career exploration process is structured, hands-on, comprehensive, and unique. It includes 6 steps designed to help a student go from saying “I don’t know what I want to do or what program to take in University/College”, to saying “These are my interests & strengths; this is the right career path for me; this is the education I need; and this is my plan to get there.” Our program helps students decide on their career path early, removing the costly alternative of career trial-and-error. Through interactive workshops, exercises & discussions in each of the 6 major steps, students: 1) Discover who they are (e.g. interests & academic strengths) 2) Explore & research different careers 3) Select and 4) Test-drive top careers 5) Develop a career plan from A - Z including post-secondary institution & program research, help with the application, exploring financial options etc. 6) Learn life skills to be better prepared for post-secondary such as budgeting, study habits etc. They also learn to strategically position themselves to get employment as soon as they graduate. By investing in career exploration, youth are more likely to find a career path that they like, are good at, & will enjoy. They’re more likely to break into the job market easier, & stay in their chosen career long enough to recover their investment and succeed.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Community Garden Yields Wellness for Alabamians

2013-08-19T00:00:00Z

Seattle, WA – Artesian well water to food gardens

2013-08-18T00:00:00Z

An artesian was discovered on the community garden property and now we need to develop the capability to irrigate the gardens.

Ottawa – Ottawa Past & Present

2013-08-15T00:00:00Z

August's Awesome Ottawa award goes to Alexandre Laquerre to support the continued development of Ottawa Past & Present, a website which juxtaposes urban archival photos against ones taken in the present day. By dragging a slider back and forth, viewers can closely compare how a particular spot once looked with Alexandre's recreation of the original shot. "With the site," explains Alexandre, "I want to show how Ottawa has evolved (or regressed) over the last 100 years. I question the decisions what were made and shaped the Ottawa that we know today. To have the most impact," he continues, "I try to be as accurate as I can between the original archival photo and the one I shoot. It is not a particularly verbose site, but I think the comparisons speak for themselves." Alexandre currently has more than 300 comparisons on the fully bilingual website, and shoots new ones weekly. The award from Awesome Ottawa will help pay the fees for accessing photos from the City of Ottawa's archives, and also offset part of the cost of a tilt-shift lens, which will allow him to more faithfully recreate the composition of some of the archive photos. Alexandre is an engineer working in nanotechnology, and moved from Quebec City to Ottawa in 2006. "I have a real passion for urbanism and photography," he says. "I live downtown. I am not a fan of the suburbs."

Sydney – Laneway Learning Sydney

2013-08-14T00:00:00Z

Laneway Learning hosts cheap, fun classes in anything and everything. We started in Sydney 2 weeks ago at Cowbell 808, a cafe on Bourke Street in Surry Hills. Last Wednesday our classes were "Pottery: Meditate on a Pinch Cup", and "A Bad Dancers' Guide to the Dance Floor". Below I'll tell you why this is an awesome project, but first take a look at our Melbourne chapter to see the aspirations I have for Sydney (www.lanewaylearning.com). We'll host classes in different venues across Sydney's community hubs (next place to open will be in Bondi, then Marrickville) that care about their community's culture, not just their business. A bigger dream: check out the 'Spectacular' tab. Imagine something like that, partnered with other great community organisations and the City of Sydney, at a place like The Grounds of Alexandria... THAT would be amazing! So, (only some) reasons this is awesome: - The current options for learning new stuff are limited. Either you make a huge life change and go back to uni, or you brave night school -- week in week out, classrooms with harsh lighting and cold plastic, other tired, hungry people you never really talk to. Ugh. Our 'classrooms' are places you like spending time in anyway -- cafes and bars. They're near your work or local community. I like to think of it this way: deciding to learn something new should be as simple and spontaneous as deciding to go see a movie. You commit just one night, and take on a longer course if it sparks your interest. (Rather than sign up for 6 weeks before even trying it, and spending 300 bucks). - We intentionally don't have a devoted space. A good thing, because: it lets me keep our costs as lean and flexible as possible (so classes usually only cost students $12); we become part of a community’s existing culture and community; we can reach more students more quickly; and using otherwise unused space is environmentally responsible and has a great impact on street life and ‘vibe’.

London (Inactivo) – Money No Object

2013-08-13T00:00:00Z

‘Money No Object’ uses new wearable technologies in order to bring humans closer together, for the benefit of the whole community. Adopting a broad line of enquiry, this project questions prevailing concepts of value, and playfully explores alternative economic ideas. For example, 'Money No Object', considers a new significance for material and physical currencies in an increasingly immaterial world, where smart payment transactions are imperceptible, but human emotions, creativity and culture, remain something that money can’t buy. Alongside sex and war, physical money has been a constant in human history. But coins, cash and credit cards, are arguably obsolete now that digital representations of currency are beginning to substitute these material objects. Yet trading still relies on trust. So how can we trust what we cannot tangibly experience, what we can no longer touch, see, smell or hear? 'Money No Object' has re-imagined the designed object of money, exploring what could happen if financial transactions offered a different kind of value proposition, and in a new creative economy, could trigger invaluable and enriching points of exchange. Watch a six minute video illustrating 'Money No Object' here: https://vimeo.com/64412606 Wired magazine loved the project here: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/13/money-hugs Heidi Hinder was awarded one of three Craft + Technology research residencies, in order to develop this proposal for exploring the Internet of Things; smart technology embedded into everyday objects. Supported by the Crafts Council and Bristol’s Watershed Media Centre for three months, Heidi researched the far-reaching themes of money and value in ‘Money No Object’, producing innovative new work at the dynamic intersection of material making and digital interaction. She now plans to take this project further by introducing it to a museum ecosystem as an entertaining method of fun(d)-raising. Thanks for reading!

Chicago, IL – Love Life Balloons (Johnny's Red Balloon Project)

2013-08-13T00:00:00Z

I started this thing where I walk around with big balloons and give them to people. While building a brand called LoveLife, I needed a way to say hello to people and make a memorable moment. The red balloon would become my thing, the result is a genuine human interaction that gives me an exhilarating feeling leaving them with a universal gift of happiness and a joyful spirit. For a while it was just me wandering around being a one man ballooning machine, but of recent I've been able to recruit some teams and the project is really beginning to take shape and rise to new heights. But it's also getting more expensive. On each balloon I handwrite and attach a uniquely positive message. The back of each tag explains the project and gives instructions on how to share the joy - and also how letting go makes litter (because being responsible is awesome. Hey now!) Often times the balloon will travel throughout the day and change hands multiple times. Later, I'll then search through the shared photos, connect with someone and send a package full of good things for helping us spread our message. It's a lot of fun and pushes me way outside of my comfort zone. I’ve been told by people it makes their day and I’ve seen first hand countless people - worries running through their heads, staring at their shoes - look up and give the big o’l balloon a pure and simple smile. The balloon is a reminder that there are still good things in the world, the smiles are my reminder to keep it going.

New York City, NY – Climate Models Calendar

2013-08-12T00:00:00Z

My Columbia University colleague, Francesco Fiondella, and I are designing and producing a Climate Models Calendar, based on climate scientists, their data and its importance. We work alongside some of the world’s most renowned climate scientists, from those examining and mapping ancient beaches around the world to predict how high sea level may rise as the planet warms, to others who are improving the very models that tell us how rainfall and temperature patterns will shift in the coming decades. They are all eager to engage the public and share their work. Photography is a powerful medium that instantly connects subject and viewer. Our Climate Models calendar project brings climate research into the realm of the everyday public. The photographs break barriers between scientists and non-scientists -- literally bringing a face to this important research. Most of what the public knows about climate science comes from distillations of scientific papers. The people behind these papers, their passion and their everyday working environments are rarely seen. In collaboration with Jordan Matter, a NYT bestselling photographer (Dancers Among Us), our Climate Models project will create powerful and compelling portraits of the researchers. Each month, the calendar features one of these renowned climate scientists, in a portrayal of their interests and work (think something like a NYC Firefighters Calendar, but with much less skin)! Overlayed on each photo is a stat-box with climate information, such as the scientists' favorite dataset, chart or climate phenomenon. The calendar will also include dates of extreme weather/climate events that live in infamy (i.e. Hurricane Sandy), dates of key scientific meetings... and more. The calendar will increase awareness of climate change and its impacts by facilitating understanding of climate research: Who’s doing it? Why? Where? And what are they learning? We imagine the calendar audience to be the public and scientists alike.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Twistedly Dandified

2013-08-12T00:00:00Z

My larger work, being made up of mobile suedo-architecture, fits into the genre of architectural intervention, which includes wonders as diverse as Barnum and Bailey’s Circus to Chip Lord’s Ant Farm. As the world continues to move into the built urban environment, and the current generation tries to find its place in the world, this field is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. My project, Twistedly Dandified, brings together ideas from formal sculpture, the automobile, playgrounds, the circus, and Robinson Crusoe. Recently, I found a surplus supply of seatbelt webbing, and have been weaving this webbing at a modest scale. As a material, seatbelts are protective, strong, and colorful. When woven this strapping not only creates simple textile patterning, but a large sturdy surface, allowing the viewer to climb and explore the object. I am proposing to create 5 or 6 small woven rooms. For each room, I will make large spherical aluminum structures for the seatbelt material to be woven onto, articulating a conical basket large enough for an adult to comfortably stand in. These rooms will provide an alien environment ripe for exploration, in which the viewer might return to a childhood curiosity and children can run wild. I have been constantly reminded of a quote from Richard Dattner, who explored the playground as the connection point between humans; he states that playgrounds exist “Between the world of fantasy and the world of reality, between the world of intuition and the world of logical things, and between the world of solitary play and the world of social cooperation and mutual understanding.” Twistedly Dandified consists of 6 large-scale, interactive objects that entice participation from the public. It’s a large, colorful-tactile installation, which will undoubtedly draw the attention of anyone who sees it; taking on the role of an architectural intervention, to conceptually connect ‘high art’, architecture, playgrounds and participatory installations.

Portland, OR – Piano! Push Play!

2013-08-11T00:00:00Z

I will organize and execute a 2 week public installation of 5 pianos placed at various community spaces in downtown Portland. Our 5 locations are Pioneer Courthouse Square, PSU's Urban Plaza, PGE park, Salmon Fountain at the Waterfront and 13th and Burnside; the original location of Piano! Push Play!. During this period, July 22nd-August 2nd, the public will have access to these pianos from 9am-9pm to play for themselves and others. We will be having local artists paint each piano to go along with the essence of each specific location. I will also be curating one scheduled concert at each piano throughout this 2 week period that will include a variety of performers/groups that can highlight the diversity of piano music as well as showcase just how much magic a real piano can bring to a live music ensemble. At the end of the project each piano will be donated to students that can't afford their own instrument as well as community spaces that would love such a gift. Continuing this project I now understand that almost everyone has a connection to the piano. Maybe they studied when they were younger, maybe someone in their family played, maybe there was one in the home growing up or perhaps they've just always wanted to learn to play themselves. Piano! Push Play! has shown me that when put into close proximity to someone playing this instrument everybody stops to listen and conventional ideas of who a piano music listener is go out the window. People of every style, means, age and attitude can't help but enjoy themselves during one of our concerts. I am lucky enough to be able to play the piano and want to extend more performance opportunities to the larger musical community. Music only exists as it is somehow performed and for us pianists its a bit harder to play for others than most instrumentalists. I want to change that.

San Francisco, CA – The Mobile Wishing Well

2013-08-07T00:00:00Z

Join artists Erin Colleen Johnson and Kari Marboe on October 27th, 2013 for the debut of their MOBILE WISHING WELL on the Sunday Street Richmond route! Sunday Streets closes stretches of city streets to automobile traffic, and opens them to people for several hours so participants can enjoy a large, temporary, public space where they can bike, walk, run, dance, and partake in art projects like this one. Historically, the wishing well comes from European folklore and was based on the idea that water was a portal to deities who, if given a small gift, would grant a wish. As the caster-footed well rolls from one end of the route to the other from 11am-4pm community members are invited to participate by making a wish using the Mobile Wishing Well’s coins and discussing wish making traditions. What will you wish for? Learn more! Sunday Streets - http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/ Kari Marboe - www.karimarboe.com Erin Colleen Johnson - www.erincolleenjohnson.com

New Orleans, LA (Inactivo) – Giving transit riders the seat they deserve

2013-08-07T00:00:00Z

7,000 people transfer between 20 RTA, JeT and LA Swift bus and streetcar lines at Elks Place & Tulane Ave in the CBD every day, making this intersection the busiest transit transfer point in the region. New Orleans transit system is designed so that all lines meet in the CBD; so if you’re travelling beyond Canal Street on bus or streetcar, you’re going to have to transfer. We surveyed close to 300 riders at the transfer station in November 2012 and learned that more than 40% of riders wait at the transfer point for 45 minutes or longer to make their transfer. The number of riders transferring coupled with the long waits make even more surprising that there are no public restrooms, no route maps, no shelter and very few places for riders to sit at this critical transfer point. Most cities across the country invest in infrastructure to create robust, easy to navigate, pedestrian friendly, comfortable environments to serve riders at their bustling central transit hubs. Typical transfer stations contain climate controlled indoor or large covered outdoor waiting areas with plenty of seating, ticketing kiosks, water fountains, vending or retail, bike storage, public restrooms, and real-time arrival signs in addition to clear and easy to understand route maps and schedules. We want to make decision-makers in New Orleans realize the opportunity that exists to invest in a true CBD transfer station that provides basic comforts to current riders and encourages new ridership from tourists and residents who typically drive. Imagine the message that we could send to decision-makers if just for one day we gave riders a place to sit. Ride proposes to use Awesome Foundation funding to empower transit riders to host a day of action, placing hundreds of chairs out for riders to take a seat while they wait. The day of action will coincide with the release of a report detailing our rider survey findings, and recommendations for creating a true CBD transfer station.

Boston, MA – Belly Traveling Feast Show

2013-08-06T00:00:00Z

A month ago myself and a couple friends opened a pop up restaurant and cinema in a trash alley next to my Cambridge apartment. It runs every Sunday (Sundays are trash days) and hosts around 15- 20 people a night, though we would like to grow that number. I've been thinking about this idea for the past year, immersed as I was in the delicious ingredients of area farmers markets, and and lacking the capital to take over a commercial kitchen, or professional kitchen experience, I decided that my alleyway would be good enough. We serve 3-4 courses and show a schlocky flick. It's BYOB and pay whatevs. English Major Nerd Time: "Belly" refers to the idea of Carnival and the grotesque. In Medieval Europe the Carnival was a subversion of the hierarchy of the crown and church. During Carnival periods, always tied to a religious holiday, the hierarchy was reversed, it was the layman's holiday, the church and nobility were spoofed. There was no ceremony, only an immersive and democratic celebration led by no one. Instead of Virtue, sins were celebrated, sins like gluttony and lust. This reversal was symbolized by the lower half of the body, the parts dedicated to bodily functions instead of the head, where the crown and miter held their place. The belly was the most revered during these Carnivals as the true soul of the people. Hence our name. Our philosophy is irreverence to an exclusionary restaurant culture. We have no shining kitchen, just an alleyway. We haven't been trained in a culinary school, we're only laymen. Our blasphemy isn't negative however, it's a celebration of food, a comedic nod to the mishmosh of traditions we grew up with in the city, the trends that make up the food scene today, and our culinary heroes. We have a commitment to using as many local ingredients as possible and bringing to you a unique and thrilling experience. It's more than just dinner and a movie, Belly is an interactive experience whose whole is greater than it's ingredients.

Baltimore, MD – Code in the Schools: Game Contest

2013-08-06T00:00:00Z

A video game development course using the Construct 2 engine. Students will learn the fundamentals of computer programming and game design while creating their own unique games. The completed games will be made available for downloading onto mobile devices. At the end of the course the video games will be judged by professional developers in the games industry. The students will showcase their entries at a Baltimore Innovation Week event (September 20-28) held at the Digital Harbor Foundation in Federal Hill. This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to code, create their own game, and meet people from the industry, Creating a downloadable game is a great way to build the students' excitement for learning computer programming, and the students will leave the course with a concrete accomplishment to show college admissions officers and future employers. Additionally, showcasing the talents of these students during Baltimore Innovation Week will help bring to public attention the disparity of access to computer programming courses between city school students' and their county and private school counterparts. By our estimates less than 4% of Baltimore City public school students have access to a programming class in school. We also want to highlight the growing need for computer programmers. Code.org estimates that by 2020 there will be 1,000,000 more jobs than computer science graduates. By teaching Baltimore's students to code we can help address this gap, grow the tech industry in this region, and improve the lives of the students themselves.

Boston, MA – MAKE it: East Boston’s Bicycle Rack

2013-08-06T00:00:00Z

MAKE it: East Boston’s Bicycle Rack, Mural & Community Ideas Chalkboard Late August 2013 Central Square area in East Boston Incorporating both high- and low-tech tools, MAKE IT hopes to bring the Maker’s Movement to the streets of East Boston. Through tactile, hands-on activities, this ½ day event will bring artists and community members together to collectively prototype a new bicycle station to actively support walking and cycling in East Boston. Combining high-tech tools (3D printer, vinyl cutter) and “lo-fi” materials (cardboard, sidewalk chalk, duct tape, etc), this event is an opportunity to pilot participatory urban design with new mediums. We are working with community groups from East Boston on this event. Bicycle Rack Prototyping & Fabrication This one day prototyping “studio” would co-create East Boston’s bicycle rack. East Boston artists will have a designated amount of time to build their own bike rack. One selected bike rack will be professionally fabricated and installed in the designated parcel later in the fall. Mural on Roof of Bicycle Shed A second, younger group of East Bostonians will paint their own mural on the ceiling of the bicycle rack shelter. Community Ideas Chalkboard Painting the exterior wall of the adjacent building with blackboard paint, we'll create a community chalkboard. We'll ask "MAKE IT” participants to create, write, and draw whatever inspires them.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Green Graffiti - Moss Murals for Montessori

2013-08-05T00:00:00Z

For the past 8 years, NEIM has provided educational programming for preschool and grade-school aged kids. After relocating almost yearly and experiencing a subsequent lack of stability in programming, we entered into a rental agreement with a purchase option at our current location 2 years ago. We are now situated in Decorah’s vibrant downtown, enabling our children to feel a part of the community and allowing them to visit local businesses. Our downtown location has one drawback, however, our outdoor playground is a former empty lot. We've improved the space with willow structures and garden beds, but nothing has been done about the sad retaining wall that forms the northwest side of the playground. That's where the moss comes in! With the help of Art Education students at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa we will invite the kids back to school for a mid-summer moss painting party. Kids will learn a bit about moss and how it grows. Then with supervision they'll make the "moss paint" (a blended concoction of moss, buttermilk, and sugar). Together they will paint the sad gray, cinder-block wall, turning it into a fantastic natural backdrop for the kids' boundless imagination. We can't wait.

Washington, DC – Radio CPR Transmitter Repair

2013-08-02T00:00:00Z

Radio CPR needs to repair its transmitter, the piece of equipment we need to broadcast throughout the neighborhood. Currently, we are running on a backup transmitter that has much less power, so Radio CPR can only be heard in a much smaller range. To fix the transmitter, we will need to send it back to the manufacturer for repair. The total cost is estimated at about $700, including the repair expenses and shipment expenses. The project is awesome because it will bring revitalization to Radio CPR and the surrounding community. With the cost of our transmitter taken care of, we can focus on allocating funds for recurring expenses, such as a high speed internet connection. This will free up our resources to work on other projects. It will also lift our spirits, as more of our friends, family and neighbors will be able to hear our shows. Radio CPR is an entirely volunteer-led effort. Community members have been donating their time for 14 years. That's something like 100,00 hours of people power that have been put into the station. With such a compelling legacy, it remains imperative that people in Mt. Pleasant have an outlet that reflects their wants, needs, and desires. Having a transmitter that works properly is one of the pre-conditions for amplifying the voices in our community. We hope you have heard of Radio CPR and want to see it continue to thrive in Mt. Pleasant. Please visit our website at radiocpr.tumblr.com. We appreciate any support you can provide!

Liverpool (Inactivo) – Ukuloopeaz Summer Club

2013-08-01T00:00:00Z

I would like to start up a children's version of Ukulele Club aptly named Ukuloopeaz, and incorporate a number of other creative media activities such as song writing, audio recording and performance skills. With the summer holidays fast approaching and parents scratching their heads thinking of things to keep their little treasures occupied, I would like to run a pilot club during the summer over a 4 week period at 5 hours per day, 3 days per week starting the last week in July or the first week in August. I have access to a fully equipped childcare facility and 4 ukuleles and a range of mini percussive instruments and 6 kazoos. I would be able to enrol 12 Ukuloopeaz aged between 8 - 14. I am currently in the midst of setting up a website which will be incorporated into a non for profit organisation if the the pilot project is successful. For now we have a tumblr account which will be used to blog the process of activities, therefore creating a fully accessible evaluation process.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactivo) – תערוכת צילומים של עובדי ועובדות קבלן

2013-08-01T00:00:00Z

This exhibition will fature photographs of a variety of contract workers in Israel and with our help, will travel the country in order to bring more attention and raise awareness to the issues surrounding contract work in Israel. We love this project because we support direct employment and because, have you seen the brilliant photographs?!

Sarnia (Inactivo) – Space Scapes

2013-08-01T00:00:00Z

As an artist I have come up with an awesome idea to bring our community together and celebrate a local hero's creative interpretation of our complex universe. During his time as Commander of the International Space Station. local hero Chris Hadfield took the opportunity to capture the beauty of Earth from the depths of space. The result was breath taking landscapes of vibrant colours and vivid textures. These stunning photographs have inspired me to create a series of body paintings representing the beautiful images that Commander Hadfield captured. My plan is to body paint models to camouflage into the photos that were taken from space and then have them printed and displayed at an art show which will feature a live body painting so that everyone can witness the creative process. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of both the originals and prints will go to a charity in need within our community. The main piece will be the photograph that Chris Hadfield took of Sarnia from space.

San Antonio, TX – wabiStory

2013-07-31T00:00:00Z

wabiStory is an experiment in a new kind of placemaking. The app allows selected authors, artists, and musicians to leave small (90 second) recordings in physical locations for other people to find. This platform empowers artists to engage in a vital, uniquely concrete dialog about the significance of place. Fiction writers can record stories that add layers of narrative to a vacant building; poets can leave verse in a forgotten corner of an old park; songwriters can lay ballads down on a street corner. Andrew Porter (fiction), Mark Menjivar (social practice artist), and myself (poetry) have completed projects already. New projects by Jenny Browne (poetry), Nicolette Good (music), and Pak Sheung Chuen (conceptual artist) will begin soon. I plan to organize public bike tours of sites in and around downtown, with the contributors when possible. Contributors record their work through the app while standing in a place that they find meaningful (wabiStory sets no limitations on site locations). Once the recording is uploaded, it can only be accessed by other people standing in the same location. When users listen to these pieces, they are connected to the author not just through the work, but through the physical presence of place. Each site created by a contributor can hold numerous recordings, by one or more authors. The app shows users a list of nearby sites, and provides a map for each one with a suggested route. Users can also follow authors or sites to easily see when new recordings of interest have been added. Contributors join wabiStory by invitation, so that a collection of high-quality work across multiple disciplines will draw curious listeners into the city's unique places. It's part geocaching, part literary magazine, part site-specific installation. Currently, wabiStory is available for free in Apple's App Store, and as a cross-platform web app. A version for Android is being tested and should be released later this year.

Miami, FL – BuskerFest!

2013-07-30T00:00:00Z

BuskerFest! is to be a special night of music, food and discovery in downtown Miami. From 5 - 11pm on a future Friday evening, local bands from all over South Florida will be performing sets at each of the eight downtown Metromover stations. Attendees will hop from station to station and revel in the diversity of both the local music scene and historic downtown Miami! To help navigate the various music and food offerings at each location we will supply a mobile app, as well as a physical passport for those without smartphones. The mobile app and passport will contain detailed map information and also allow for checking-in (or stamps for the passport). At the end of the night, attendees with the most check-ins will be entered into a drawing for prizes offered from local restaurants and businesses - further encouraging locals to return and enjoy the downtown area. To source musicians for the project we plan on working with local music outreach programs such as Guitars Over Guns, the Overtown Music Project and the University of Miami. We have also begun discussions with the MPA and DDA to garner support and define logistics for making it happen. BuskerFest! will be a true collaboration between the city, the government and the people who live and work here!

Miami, FL – PhotoMetro

2013-07-30T00:00:00Z

PHOTOMETRO. Public transit should be a welcoming experience that helps people learn about and explore Miami. PhotoMetro is a public art competition and exhibition designed to help make that possible. It will highlight the awesome places, beautiful spaces and experiences located around the stops on Miami-Dade’s MetroRail. HOW IT WILL WORK. We’ll start the project by launching a public art contest focused on capturing beauty in the areas around MetroRail—nearby places, interesting views, the stations and system itself. Any artist using any publicly displayable medium can enter. Through an outreach campaign and website, we’ll ask the public to vote on their favorite entries. The winning entries will be shown in a public exhibition at the end of the contest, and (pending the relevant authorities’ participation) around the MetroRail system. WHY WE LIKE THIS IDEA. It’s frighteningly easy for riding public transit to become a monotonous experience—particularly when it’s part of your routine—and the lackluster design of most transit systems doens’t help. But MetroRail takes tens of thousands of Miamians past an array of truly awesome places on a daily basis. We should be reminded of that, always; we should appreciate and make use of the diversity of experiences available on a single local train. A public art project allows us to reach at that goal through an open creative process anyone can join. RISKS & CHALLENGES. For this project to be its most awesome self, we need the goodwill of the relevant authorities managing the MetroRail (or MetroMover) system. We’re already working on that, and are optimistic, but we can still produce a fantastic project even if we can’t display the winning entries on the system itself. WHY WE CAN GET IT DONE. Our team has a diverse background in the skills we’ll need to complete this project, from event logistics to art to managing contests. We’ll also have the support of the larger WhereBy.Us membership.

Cincinnati, OH (Inactivo) – Dining With Dots

2013-07-30T00:00:00Z

People who are blind or visually impaired have a difficult time getting around, not to mention finding buildings, businesses or street crossings that meet their accessibility specifications. They also may have a difficult time accessing books, newspapers, magazines, maps, signage, restaurant menus, and other materials that cater to their vision needs. My project will address the combination of both of those necessities while utilizing the resources that are made available to me as an intern at Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Clovernook Center has been a braille printing powerhouse for over 100 years and distributes braille materials all over the world. From printing books and magazines commissioned by the National Library Service to producing menus of local restaurants such as La Rosa’s and Montgomery Inn, Clovernook Center and its employees work hard to circulate braille and large print materials both locally and across the globe. Dining with Dots will collect menus from ten of the most popular restaurants throughout the Greater Cincinnati area and print them in braille to be shared and used when blind and visually impaired patrons dine at their establishments. There are over 30,000 people in the Greater Cincinnati area who are blind or who have a visual impairment, and by providing menus to these great local restaurants, we will open up doors to those who have previously been unable to frequent these eateries. The purpose of this project is twofold: first, to spread awareness across Greater Cincinnati of the various accessibility needs that must be met for our blind or visually impaired neighbors. Second, to foster a partnership between local restaurants and Clovernook Center, as well as with Awesome Foundation, to share knowledge and mindfulness of disability awareness across the Greater Cincinnati region.

Detroit, MI – Detroit Mom and Pop Shop

2013-07-30T00:00:00Z

Detroit's Mom and Pop Shop will serve an online showcase for community business our website. I plan to structure the website with news video blogs that shares the good news about small businesses. The website will have specialized directory that allows viewers to find and rate business. Example: http://www.youtube.com/user/detroitmomandpopshop

Austin, TX – A Dance to Remember

2013-07-30T00:00:00Z

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.” —George Bernard Shaw CASACA, the Capital Area Social & Activity Coordinators Association, supports life enrichment activities for over 60 long-term care facilities in Austin. "'Play' may not be most people’s first thought about nursing homes," says Maggie Gallant, CASACA's vice president, "but our residents refuse to be limited by their age or their physical impairments." Gallant says the annual dances put on by CASACA give adult residents in long term care a chance to socialize, reminisce and show off on the dance floor. And, adds Gallant, "They tell these residents that they have not been forgotten about — that they are still part of our community and are still respected." Ms. Gallant knows the difficulties in justifying the allocation of funds to the extended care community. "Often we're told 'they’ve already lived their lives and we need to focus on the future'. These residents never planned to end their days living in a nursing home. But they don't want our pity. They want to stay connected to the community that they helped to create. They want to remain active, have fun and prove that getting old doesn't mean giving up." CASACA's events give the elderly the chance to do just that. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of dances, CASACA is planning "A Dance to Remember" in October 2013. Held at a venue that’s worth dressing up for, there will be dance cards, attentive volunteer dance partners, a live band, and — by popular request, the first-ever dance-off. Gallant expects at least 100 residents to attend, and the $1000 grant from the Austin Awesome Foundation will allow CASACA to put on a truly special and memorable event. Gallant says that one of the most profound moments she's witnessed at the dances was with Cathie, a resident with dementia, who had barely spoken in months, singing all the words to the song "Tennessee Waltz." So is it possible to still do the Jitterbug, the Cha Cha or the Stroll when you’re in a wheelchair? In the words of a ninety-year-old at last year’s dance, “Honey, step out of my way and watch this."

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Ethiopia’s AIDS Education Circus

2013-07-29T00:00:00Z

Action for Youth and Community Change (AYCC) isn’t just a project, it’s a community! In 1998 children in Awassa, Ethiopia began to practice circus, drawing audiences into spectacular worlds. The reality of their daily lives was sobering: many were hungry and unable to afford an education. Some had lost family members to AIDS or Ethiopia’s turbulent history. Years pass, our reputation grows. Muscles strengthen with daredevil stunts, circus toys fade with use. In 2002 we created our first performance promoting HIV/AIDS awareness. It was a topic close to many hearts and performed with uncommon insight, creativity and skill. AIDS Education Circus was born. Touring as One Love, we spread awareness across Ethiopia bringing a unique perspective to life-saving messages with works on topics as diverse and challenging as FGM, land mines and addiction. Our skills are recognized by impressive numbers of NGOs and IGOs.

Ottawa – Firefly

2013-07-29T00:00:00Z

July's Awesome Ottawa award goes to Mark Stephenson, Michael Grant, and Darcy White, to support the development of a social game they are calling "Firefly." Participants will wear an interactive pendant the three are designing, and navigate through various locations at this year's Nuit Blanche, as well as other local events. "Collectively, the participants become the visual expression of the work of art," explains Mark. "Their patterns of movement and social interaction create a spectacle of light and data." Participants will need to keep the fireflies healthy, while "unlocking" patterns and colours, Mark continues. "Fireflies are social. Don’t let them get lonely and sick. And pendants remember the other fireflies they meet, so participants can find out afterward how social a firefly they were." Mark, Michael, and Darcy together have backgrounds in art, design, technology, the web, and engineering, as well as a shared interest in making and hacking with technology and a fascination in social interactions. The pendants will be built on the Arduino platform, so that after the event they can be repurposed and hacked, and the technology and software will be released to the open source community. Mark, Michael, and Darcy also intend to organize community events to help build the pendants and share skills.

London, ON (Inactivo) – Rolling Up Fun

2013-07-23T00:00:00Z

Katamari Damacy is a cult-favourite videogame from 2004. The game challenges players to roll around a magical ball called a Katamari. Everything the ball rolls over sticks to it, and as you play it grows bigger and bigger like a snowball. With crazy music, a unique art style, and quirky humour, the game is my all-time favourite. I want to share it with people in a fun and accessible way. The craziest, most awesome way I could think of to get people involved in the game was to let them actually roll around a big ball. With some research, ingenuity and lots of help from smart people, I designed the world’s first life-size Katamari controller. The controller would use a yoga ball mounted on industrial casters. With some electronic wizardry, optical mice would replace the game’s control sticks. In June, we debuted a rough prototype of the Katamari at Nuit Blanche and people’s reaction was amazing. Giant grins came over their faces as they discovered the joy of rolling around a big ball of fun. The project was picked up by dozens of websites around the world, and our YouTube video has over 100,000 views. It was touch and go to get this test version working in time, but even so it proved to incredibly intuitive and a ton of fun. I want to make the Katamari fully functional and share this fun with more people at events around London. Although our test proved the controller can work, it needs some serious help to be awesome enough to take to future events. The prototype controller is clunky, buggy and difficult to set up and tear down. We have collected feedback from people who tried it at Nuit Blanche, and from the hundreds of comments posted online. We have solid plans to make the device more responsive, reliable and portable. My goal is to have a complete Katamari to debut in September at Project Play (a charity gaming festival), and to take it to other London events like DIGG, Grickle Grass, etc. Everyone should have a chance to roll a Katamari!

Boulder, CO (Inactivo) – LaunchUR Ignite

2013-07-23T00:00:00Z

Emily Friedberg, whom I worked with at GIVEO, encouraged me to apply. LaunchUR Ignite™ is a new, unique online community dedicated to teens where they can find: 1. new youth venture resources, links, videos and job readiness tips 2. share their business profile with their friends and family (Fb, Tw, etc), 3. connect and learn from other like minded, teen-preneurs throughout the US 4. apply for micro-grants up to $250 to start their business ventures But every grantee must pay their award "forward" not back - by volunteering their time or donating their business product/service in their community! LaunchUR Ignite™ celebrates teen-preneurs - their dreams, their potential, their experience, whether they succeed or fail ... and try again! No one else in the US is currently offering this community to aspiring teen-preneurs! Too many of our teens today are not getting a real-world entrepreneur experience that is essential to build 21st century and job-readiness skills! At best, they have had to sit through a boring Junior Achievement course taught by an adult. Some might be lucky enough to be involved in a business after school club like Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) or summer camp like Biz Girls Camp or YWCA that help teens build business plans ... but very few among them get funded to launch their business idea. High school teachers, camp counselors and after school program managers are also looking for experiential learning opportunities like LaunchUR Ignite™ that are peer-driven and social media oriented for teens they support. Our platform also gives these educators a valuable learning resource that is NOT burdensome, overwhelming and time consuming to use.

Calgary, AB (Inactivo) – Bikes for Needy Kids

2013-07-23T00:00:00Z

The Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance will be holding our 4th Annual Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day at the newly announced Fish Creek Mountain Bike Skills Park in late August. This will be the grand opening of the park and will prove to be the biggest event to date. Through a partnership with Spawn Cycles, a local Calgary company that builds quality children's bikes, we will have test bikes on site for kids that do not have one and will be able to purchase up to four bikes for very deserving kids. The $1,000 will go towards the purchase of four or more children's bikes, at wholesale cost, from Spawn Cycles. The winners of the bikes will be chosen from kids who come to the event who are clearly in need of a new bike because of size, quality or finances. We really want to the winners to be surprised, not enter a draw to win one whether they need it or not.

Connecticut (Inactivo) – Engineering Students Making a Difference

2013-07-22T00:00:00Z

Central Connecticut State University students have partnered with a nonprofit agency to benefit the disadvantaged and disabled. Working with Chariots of Hope, a nonprofit located in Bloomfield, students from Michele Dischino’s Introduction to Engineering course have refurbished wheelchairs that are being donated to individuals who have no means of obtaining them. Students used their problem-solving skills to repair the wheelchairs, which were no longer being used and were in disrepair. “Each wheelchair was different,” said Dischino. “The students had to figure out what needed to be done to make each chair functional. Some chairs had missing parts, and all of them needed cleaning and general refurbishment. It was a problem-solving project in a socially meaningful and hands-on way.” Using their engineering skills, along with some parts from other unused wheelchairs, the students successfully completed the challenge and presented their projects to Paul Bobbitt, a Chariots of Hope board member, who then transported the refurbished chairs back to the Bloomfield facility for distribution. “I've always been one to help out people in need, and this is such a good cause,” said CCSU student Michaela Melillo, who participated in the project. “Life is so hard for people without mobility, and it’s satisfying knowing how much of a difference these wheelchairs will make for them.” Chariots of Hope estimates that there are 18 million bedridden people worldwide. Wheelchairs are a luxury in some poor countries, yet countless sit idle in the U.S. “Our mission is to provide mobility to disadvantaged persons, so they can have a better quality of life and participate in community activities and services,” Bobbitt said. “Our thanks to these CCSU students for their support. “We have been in this recycling activity for 12 years,” he added, “knowing that each chair has two lives - the person it served and the one it goes to help.”

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Permaculture Learning Garden Food Identification

2013-07-22T00:00:00Z

We have developed a permaculture learning garden in Las Vegas, the first of its kind. Using permaculture design, we shaped a 5300 sq ft space to accept and retain any rainfall we get in our arid region, forming sunken growing beds and swales. We've used organic matter and nitrogen-fixing plants to improve the soil on site instead of importing more. We redirect chipped christmas trees to our site for mulch and collect coffee grounds and food scraps from the community to make compost. The plants we selected for our site are all food producing and/or serve mutliple purpose within the ecosystem we are creating. For example, we planted mesquite trees because they add nitrogen to the soil, give dappled shade and produce many pods that can be ground into a protein-rich flour. The fruit and nut trees we planted take very little water and love the heat (very important in our desert climate), like most of our plants. Many plants serve multiple purposes and are either perennial or easily self-seeded. This design has allowed us to spend most of our time harvesting instead of continually planting annual seeds. We've reused or recycled materials to build potting benches and seats from pallets, a shade structure from wooden trellising and palm fronds, as well as cob benches made from sand, clay and straw. We educate our dryland community about sustainable living by holding weekly workshops at the garden and leading tours. Our Mesquite Pancake Breakfast in October highlights food grown at our garden. We will be hosting Brad Lancaster in a few weeks for a discussion on water harvesting as well as many guests in the fall for alternative building workshops. We share our food, seeds and knowledge to build a stronger, healthier community.

LA South Bay, CA (Inactivo) – Operation Orphanage Paradigm Shift

2013-07-20T00:00:00Z

I have a crazy talented muralist and a budding documentary filmmaker and we want to make a beautiful mural on a big wall in the neighborhood of one of the ten orphanages in Tijuana that Corazon de Vida supports. We want to get the community involved, we want the kids at the orphanage to get involved, we want to transform the image of the orphanage into something to be proud of, we want the community to see it and be proud of it. Because now, orphanages are stigmatized, many people look down on the kids or look away. We want the kids to be represented as angels, forged through adversity, testaments to the resiliency and beauty of the human condition, these kids are transforming suffering into joy daily, their battle lies within. We want to alleviate some of the battle outside. We want to introduce the children into the neighborhood as a lasting and vital piece of the community, country, and world. We will be documenting it and then promoting it as a story to garner fundraising attention for the orphanage!

LA South Bay, CA (Inactivo) – The Donuts

2013-07-20T00:00:00Z

What started off as an endeavor to keep our UC Irvine community connected, The Donuts has slowly grown into a grassroots movement of mobilizing our generation to raise awareness, spark meaningful dialogue, and participate in impactful work. We first began building the community through monthly art & music events, in which local members and friends of friends would showcase their creativity. From photographers to DJs, dancers to comedians, The Donuts hosted Jelly-Filled Fridays to provide a platform for the community to support one another's passions and aspirations. Through these events we were able to raise about $4,000; funds we've been using towards executing various social & community initiatives like our Thanksgiving Homeless Drive in Long Beach, picnic at the park, booth at the Brewery Artwalk in LA, and most recent Skid Row Homeless Water Drive. Through these types of "get-togethers", we've been hoping to inspire our community and network to serve the needs of those less-fortunate, believe in a greater purpose, and live empowered lives.

Vancouver, BC (Inactivo) – MakerMobile does Arduinos!

2013-07-19T00:00:00Z

MakerMobile is a literally a 'Workshop on Wheels' which means it is not limited to a specific neighbourhood or population. With the high cost of commercial space in Vancouver, a mobile classroom allows information to reach a larger audience. The MakerMobile challenges what a classroom or learning environment can look like & seeks to demonstrate to young people the idea that if you imagine it, you can make it! MakerMobile is a partner with Vancouver Hackspace & Vancouver Maker Foundation. Part of our partnerships with Vancouver Maker Foundation, involves hosting bi-monthly "Maker Education Initiative" meetups@ Mozilla. These meetups connect parents, PAC leaders, curriculum developers, Artists, Librarians and Teachers with one another and provide a space to brainstorm new ideas and future projects in order to grow our local Maker community and put Vancouver on the map as a ‘maker mecca’. The Maker Mobile team has been invited to present at the BCLA Librarians conference, has hosted two workshops at the Vancouver Hackspace (VHS), is currently running an activity tent using Squishy Circuits to teach kids about electricity at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival & are hosting a fundraiser at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire this June. Additionally, we have received expressions of interest in our teaching model & curriculum from local libraries (Surrey and Central branch), PACs and homeschooling networks. So far, the MakerMobile truck itself has been donated & the entire conversion of the truck to date has been accomplished without loans, grants or seed money. All materials have been supplied by participants & generous donations from friends & local businesses. Although the space is modest, we are currently able to begin teaching basic courses in specific areas.