Awesome Foundation - Proyectos

Whangarei (Inactivo) – Noice Cave

2013-10-07T00:00:00Z

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

Detroit, MI – Essence of Motown Literary Jam & Conference

2013-10-06T00:00:00Z

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

London (Inactivo) – In the Sticks

2013-10-06T00:00:00Z

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

Gloucester, MA – Glosta Lobsta

2013-10-04T00:00:00Z

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

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – International Online Opera

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z

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

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

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z

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

Sarnia (Inactivo) – HARK

2013-10-03T00:00:00Z

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

Rio de Janeiro (Inactivo) – Movimento in Absentia

2013-10-02T00:00:00Z

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

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

2013-10-02T00:00:00Z

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

Kitchener-Waterloo – Community Music School of Waterloo Region

2013-10-01T00:00:00Z

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

Miami, FL – Zine Machine

2013-10-01T00:00:00Z

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

Pittsburgh, PA – PittMesh Wireless Network

2013-09-30T00:00:00Z

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

Denver, CO (Inactivo) – READ TO ME

2013-09-30T00:00:00Z

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

San Antonio, TX – Mobile Om

2013-09-30T00:00:00Z

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

Berlin (Inactivo) – HacKIDemia- Berlin

2013-09-28T00:00:00Z

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

Washington, DC – Fair Trade Music DC

2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

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

Melbourne (Inactivo) – Growstuff

2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

Growstuff is a website to track and share data on home food production. I founded the project in 2012 and we had our public launch in July 2013. The software is open source and developed by me and a team of volunteers from around the world. We currently have over 500 members from 6 continents (none from Antarctica yet!) tracking what they're growing in their veggie gardens, but we want to expand to 50,000 worldwide over the next couple of years. Growstuff's different from most other food/gardening websites. Some of the things that make us special: * We're open source, because we believe that making our software available for free and being transparent is key to running an ethical business/social enterprise. * We release our data for free, under a Creative Commons license, to benefit other social enterprises, researchers, community groups, and local government. * Our software is built collaboratively with our community, and we invite everyone to take part. * We encourage, train, and mentor software developers from non-traditional backgrounds and marginalised/minority groups. But the important thing here -- and the way we measure Growstuff's success -- is that we want to get more people growing their own food and learning that there are alternatives to our unsustainable global food system. It doesn't matter if it's a twenty acre hobby farm or a pot of basil on the windowsill. Growing stuff, any amount of stuff, is empowering and worthwhile, and we think more people should have a go at it!

Portland, OR – Billboards O'Joy!

2013-09-25T00:00:00Z

I would like to put up 10 billboards in Portland with short, simple positive messages like this: "something wonderful is about to happen", "YOU are totally awesome...yes, YOU", "smile...more", "think positive", "one kind word can change the world", "be-YOU-tiful" and more. Here are billboards I put up with the help of local sponsors: http://thejoyteam.org/billboards/spring-2013-billboards/ I'd like to be able to keep one positive billboard up at all times. With $1,000 I can have a positive billboard up for 10 months.

Philadelphia, PA – New books for kids in need

2013-09-25T00:00:00Z

We have a very simple model. First Book - Philadelphia is the only source of new books for many children and is regarded as a precious resource by parents and literacy program directors in Philadelphia. Our Advisory Board, composed of citizens from a variety of professional backgrounds, meets regularly and identifies with programs from all over the Delaware Valley - including after-school programs, school classrooms, and summer reading camps - that meet our criteria for free books. We would select one of these deserving recipient groups to be our "Awesome Kids Read!" program and receive 400 new books, thanks to The Awesome Foundation. How awesome is that! Our Advisory Board liaison would stay connected with this recipient group, making a site visit when the books are delivered and confirming that "Awesome Kids Read!", thanks to The Awesome Foundation. We would also collect an evaluation at the end of the distribution period. The books would be selected by a literacy instructor for his or her group of children from The FIrst Book Marketplace, which is run by FIrst Book National and allows us to provide books from nearly every major publisher in the country. The instructor will choose the books and incorporate lessons to go with the books. At the end of the lessons, the books will go home with the kids and become their personal property.

London, ON (Inactivo) – The Vending Art Project

2013-09-24T00:00:00Z

The Vending Art Project would involve buying a vending machine (second hand) which would sell greeting cards made by local artists in the city of London. The project's purpose would be to support and encourage the arts in the city of London. The vending machine could feature up to 20 local artist's work. Cards would cost approximately $4.00-$5.00 to purchase from the vending machine. Potentially, each artist whose work is sold from the vending machine could write a short bio of themselves and their work and would be included in the sale of the card. This would allow each customer the opportunity to know who they are supporting in the London community by their purchase of their card. The first vending machine would potentially be placed at a retirement home where seniors could purchase cards for their friends and family while supporting local artist's work. In terms of promoting the opportunity to London artists, I would post a call for work on London's many artist networks including but not excluding the London Arts Council, London Fuse etc. Management of the vending machine would be handled by myself (ie. stock, repairs, community relations).

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Beauty And The Endangered Species

2013-09-23T00:00:00Z

I run a non-profit that is trying to reverse the decline of an endangered bird - a top order predator and also culturally important - in rural parts of Africa it is the rainbird, the thunderbird and is revered in traditional cultures. Me and my team work to remove threats, create awareness and also run the reintroduction programme for the species. Without conservation intervention it has been modelled the birds will be gone in less than 50 years. We are doing a lot of research - marking techniques, genetics, reintroduction biology, vocalisations and much more- also working with a number of local and international collaborators. I will use the money for an education roadshow throughout the eastern Cape Province - a province that has very little information known about the species and most are in very rural remote areas. I want to visit every tribal leader, school, clinic and beer house to talk to people - so not just gathering information but also spreading information. And I want to give out false eyelashes as part of this - they are cool (even in rural areas) and these birds have the most luscious lashes!

Boulder, CO (Inactivo) – Boulder Flood Relief

2013-09-23T00:00:00Z

Boulder Flood Relief is a local, boots on the ground, all-volunteer group organizing immediate relief for displaced and in need individuals. We are currently providing physical labor such as cleanup help for those affected by the flood.

Toronto – World's First Interactive Project Gallery by Kids

2013-09-21T00:00:00Z

[Maker Faire TO] Kids love showing off their projects, and people love seeing them! We plan on displaying kids projects in our front window, and want to do it in a crowd-sourced, interactive and awesome way! We'll display projects made in our shop, and also encourage kids from around the world to send us their projects. This will give them their first opportunity to display their projects to the world and see reactions. The MakerKids front store window will be set up with 9 squares in a 3x3 grid. The centre square will have an LCD touchscreen in it for controlling the display. It will use projected capacitive touch technology so that it will be interactive through the store window glass for people outside on the sidewalk. The 8 surrounding squares will contain projects. Each square will have LED lighting. The touchscreen will first allow visitors to select a project square to view. This will turn on the LED lighting for that square, and activate any electronics. If the project uses the SparkCore arduino-compatible board, the interface onscreen will allow them to control it. For example, a dinosaur robot with servo-controlled toothy grin would allow the visitor to make it bite. The SparkCore API is very simple, and the kid who built the project will be able to easily make their project controllable with the interface. A message will be displayed: "Like this project? Let the maker know! Send a tweet with the hashtag #MakerKidsWindowProject3 to @Maker_Kids and we'll forward it on to them! Don't forget to include a picture of your amazement! Another button next to each of the 8 projects will allow the visitor to view reactions to it. This will display the twitter feed for the matching hashtag. An accompanying web page on the MakerKids site will show a picture and the details of each of the 8 projects. If the project is SparkCore enabled, the visitor will be able to control it from the web page. Kids can view the reactions at the store and online

Oahu, HI – Recycling Containers for O`ahu Beach Parks

2013-09-20T00:00:00Z

B.E.A.C.H. is making wire recycling containers and these will be placed at beach parks on O`ahu. This is a "do it yourself" Hi5 recycling project where people can leave or take recyclables from the bins. The City and County of Honolulu recycling program has trained eight B.E.A.C.H. volunteers in how to make the wire bins and will provide the wire. B.E.A.C.H. has to provide all the tools and safety gear as well as a secure way to chain the bins at the beaches. B.E.A.C.H. will be holding recycling bin making workshops for volunteers starting in September 2013. This project will greatly improve the situation at beaches by providing much needed separate containers for recyclables. This will help prevent trash from ending up on the ground when people go through the trash container looking for recyclables and will provide everyone with a means to recycle when they are at beach parks. This project will encourage more people to recycle and will create a cleaner environment. Each wire recycling bin takes 1-2 hours to make. This project was featured on the "Going Green" segment of the KITV4 news on Monday 5th August, 2013 and on Hawai`i Public Radio on Monday 12th August, 2013. For links to these news stories, please visit: www.b-e-a-c-h.org Also the Star Advertiser is planning a feature story about B.E.A.C.H. and this project. B.E.A.C.H. volunteers will place the recycling containers at beach parks and will have educational booths at the beaches to educate the public about the new containers as well as checking them to ensure the project is going smoothly.

Newmarket – Raven Robotics

2013-09-19T00:00:00Z

Raven Robotics was launched 4 years ago by our current teacher and coach, Joseph Siconolfi. His hope was that by encouraging students to join a competitive atmosphere while learning more about STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Currently, his hopes are a reality as 12 of the most committed and dedicated students at Mulock spend an average of 2 hours a night 5 nights a week EVERY school week of the year in his classroom after class building robots for competitions, holding design meetings, holding scouting meeting, traveling to meet other teams and become allies with them so we can team up on other teams in competitions and even attending competitions we don't compete in to scout out our enemies. Although this is a very serious competition to those on the team, we always remember that we are there for fun and that whether we win or lose, we've done our best. The team is currently struggling to afford material costs for the robots (often many thousands of dollars) and we are also trying to expand our team by adding a new robot so that more students at Mulock can have the opportunity to learn in this fun environment. Our hope is that through community outreach (going to local events to advertise our cause), we can raise enough funds to continue Raven Robotics but with a $1000 grant, those dreams would instantly because a reality. If we win a tournament in the upcoming season, Raven Robotics will have the opportunity to represent Newmarket, Ontario and even Canada at the VEX robotics World Championship held in Anaheim, California. We are currently the only team in all of the York region district school board competing in these robotics competitions.

Ottawa – The End of Your Tale

2013-09-19T00:00:00Z

September's Awesome Ottawa award goes to Andrew Conte to support the production of a very personal film, The End of Your Tale, about death and dying. "Since my Dad passed away two years ago after having faced a terminal diagnosis," explains Andrew, "I've wondered how a 'right to die' option might have shaped the last days of his life with us. The investigation of my personal story has led me to the related examination of our death-phobic culture, and community fora where stories of living, dying, and eldership are being told." "Andy and Red from The Shawshank Redemption proposed to 'get busy living or get busy dying.' When you think about it, these are not mutually exclusive ways of being busy," says Andrew. "Investigating the inerwovenness of living and dying, my film will not only tell my own family's story, but also explore the deeper meaning of the dying with dignity policy debate. And it will seek community participation through interviews on what dying means to you, and how it has affected your life experience so far." "As constitutional rights for physician-assisted dying are to be challenged in the Supreme Court of Canada sometime in 2014, and as legislation has already been tabled in the National Assembly of Quebec as of June 2013," Andrew notes, "the timing for this investigation of how our culture shapes our experience with death and dying is of particular importance." Andrew is a writer and musician, as well as a recent graduate of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He keeps a blog at http://unbeauconte.wordpress.com.

Kingston – The Smile Team

2013-09-19T00:00:00Z

Imagine a group of boys wandering the streets in a pack. What is the first image that comes to your mind… is it that they might be up to no good? Au contraire – this group of boys wants to spread cheer and niceness. They want to make smiles, not frowns. The Awesome Superheroes of Kindness are born – aka the Smile Team! The boys are between 7 and 10 years old, they are from three different schools. Some speak English, some speak English and French; some are shy, some outgoing. The idea is to empower the boys to choose a voice for good, to see community workers as integral to our well-being, and people in need as equal members of our community, who all appreciate a reason to smile, who are connected to us in many ways thus forming our community. We want the boys to influence each other positively, to make good choices that make themselves and others proud and happy; to see that having different clothes or different living arrangements and different families does not mean someone isn't a member of our community with the same feelings as us. By creating an environment of caring and empathy, we hope to open their eyes to the bigger community they are a part of. Julie has made capes for them: a visible sign that everyone can recognize. No masks, though - this is not anonymous work. They have chosen their name - Smile Team! - they have fleshed out what they want to do as missions and they made Thank You cards and awesome badges to hand out. More crafts/creations to follow (we talked about making flowers at a future meeting). They will also collect some of their own clothes and toys for donation, perhaps organize a food drive in their respective neighbourhoods then come together and compare their results. In order to make this project easily reproducible, we will start a FB page to document the process and the missions. We would love inspire Smile Teams to form all around Kingston!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – You&Me

2013-09-16T00:00:00Z

You & Me... Europe is an extension and expansion of You &Me... Tara's House - Created by Tara Rynders premiering on the 10th of April 2010. You & Me... Provides an intimate, evening-length interdisciplinary dance performance to an audience interested in alternative live art that incorporates local talent, one-on-one performances and site-specific stage. It creates an experience that cultivates interactions with the audience without losing the integrity of high-art performance, resulting in a full embodiment of art, where the roles of performer and audience coexist and merge within the same shared space. The core of the performance identifies, understands, and encapsulates the role of intimacy in a socio-political community that is conscious of the presence and, or absence of intimacy within and between the community's members. As a member of You & Me I have created a one-on-one performance titled "Happy Mourning". This 10 minute performance gives the audience a chance to discuss a person or thing which they have lost. Creating a safe-space, the audience feel comfortable sharing their story with me. Once the person or thing lost is talked about, we then proceed to create a small movement phrase - usually gestural - that embodies their loss through a personalized dance. We repeat this dance together until the audience member recalls the movement without my assistance. before leaving the space, the audience creates a paper sculpture of the person or thing they are mourning, and places it on a wall - where others have mourned as well. They create an artifact and leave with one. I have performed this piece in San Francisco and Reno and am looking forward to extending the experience to a European audience, as each culture mourns in its own unique way. My goal is to adapt Happy mourning to each culture, and to discover similarities and differences between them, if any exist.

Seattle, WA – Eyes From The Streets

2013-09-13T00:00:00Z

## Purpose The purpose of this project is to help serve as a bridge between homeless youth and the "general" public. By bringing these two communities together, I hope to create an environment where both sides can learn about and from each other, candid conversation can occur, and ideas for action can be generated. ## Summary 1. Portraits of youth 2. Photos taken by youth 3. Exhibition with a combination of photography, zines (written work), and talks ## Portraits of youth I would like to create portraits of willing youth aged 18-25. In doing so, I hope to put names and faces together, to un-anonymize a group of people who are often denied an individual identity. I will be working with UDYC who hires homeless youth to create zines. ## Photos taken by youth Each youth will be given a disposable camera to take with them through their six weeks of the Zine project. They are free to take pictures of anything that helps them share their story. If they want, we can provide prompts to help organize their thoughts and themes. At the end of the six weeks, I'll collect the cameras, develop them, print, and frame them for exhibition. The youth will get a copy of the prints as well as all of the original files for them to have and use anyway they wish. ## Exhibition When the photographs are prepared, I hope to find a location that will allow us to showcase our work for at least 30 days. For the opening, I would like to invite the participating youth to speak about their work and the inspirations and stories behind them. I have relationships at The HUB, BGI, and others that can serve as a backup locations to a standing gallery. Also, this might be a good venue to sell the zines and spread the work UDYC is doing with the Zine project.

Sydney – Re:make

2013-09-12T00:00:00Z

Re:make has a mission: to rescue unloved and discarded art projects and give them a new life, with the help of a group of Sydney artists. The transformed artworks will be exhibited and offered for sale, with the proceeds going towards establishing an art workshop program at East Sydney High School. Every day artworks people have spent hours of work on are discarded, tossed out on the street with rusted woks and broken clothes racks, destined to become landfill. The Re:make team have been collecting unloved landscapes, discarded portraits and rejected still life compositions from the streets of Sydney. From our collection we're picking 12 artworks and approaching emerging and established artists working in a variety of mediums, from painting, sculpture, millinery and photography, to remake them however they wish. Leading up to the exhibition, the Re:make blog will reveal the process of transforming the original pieces at all stages: from the original rescued artwork, to the artist's process working with it, to the finished piece. The works will be exhibited in early 2014 - we have approached the Rocks Pop Up for a potential venue, and aim to exhibit the works in a gallery or pop up space around the Sydney CBD. All profits from the sale of the artworks will fund an art workshop program for East Sydney High School. This school provides education and support for young people who aren't able to access mainstream schooling. The workshop program will involve Sydney artists conducting workshops for the students. Their website is: http://eshigh.com/ We're aiming for this project to be fun and fresh take on the concept of reuse, highlighting its creative potential. We love the element of chance involved in finding these artworks on Sydney streets, and look forward to seeing them transformed by artists in ways we couldn't have imagined.

Liverpool (Inactivo) – Synaesthesia Feast

2013-09-11T00:00:00Z

The Synaesthesia Feast will take place on the week commencing the 19th of September. The Synaesthesia Feast does not just intend to satisfy the taste buds, but to interact each course with audio and visuals to create a holistic feast of the senses. Synaesthesia is defined as a sensation usually found in one sense modality that occurs when another sense modality is stimulated. Resent research has found that although not every person has synaesthesia, most individuals can make associations between stimulants in different sense modalities. For example most people will associate the taste of a lemon with a high-pitched sound, spiky font and bright white colour. The synaesthesia feast draws upon these associations to create a multidimensional experience that is part experiment part artistic endeavour. It aims to enhance the experience of music, food and visuals through the integration of the senses. We are working alongside FACT to produce the event in their Gallery One space. A small group of visual artists, musicians and chefs, meet up once a week to create a truly multisensory and interactive experience. The feast will consist of four courses of food with music and visuals to compliment each one. We recently did a tester session at the Camp and Furnace. We made three different bites of food and had a piece of music to match each one. We then asked people to give us feedback on the taster. ‘The wild wirring in my ears oddly sounds just like the spicy stabbing in my mouth. Helicopter blades - burning. Totally different but similar.’ ‘Music made the popcorn seem like it had a crackly texture.’ ‘Vegetable popcorn! Ooh I felt a pop in my mouth.’ ‘The deeper tones of the music made me focus more on the richer flavour of the cake. I felt as if the room vibrated under the bass which detracted from the food.‘

Liverpool (Inactivo) – Beerdfest

2013-09-11T00:00:00Z

I invented Beerdfest last year. Beer, music and beards. What's not to love? I have a beard blog (www.tashwags.blogspot.com) and I thought it about time we celebrated the local talent. I made all the posters at home, enlisted friends help for manpower and convinced Camp & Furnace to host the eve. I made national radio and press with my newly discovered flair for PR haha Over 100 people turned up and it was properly awesome... Beerdfest 2.0 is November29th and I want to up the awesomeness with more music, more marketing and a credible big name judge!

Oahu, HI – Adopt a GSA

2013-09-11T00:00:00Z

One of the biggest challenges GSAs report in sustaining their club is really a simple one - food and supplies. Most of our GSAs meet during the lunch hour, so being able to offer pizza for students attending is a huge incentive for both new and existing members. Supplies for activities and outings are also key. Currently, almost all of our GSAs have no source of funding for their clubs other than GSA Hawaii's adoption program. For just $500 per year, anyone can adopt one of the GSAs in GSA Hawaii's network. 100% of the money is for the GSA to spend on food, supplies and outings for their club. GSA Hawaii manages the money simply to make sure all the funds are going to benefit the students, and GSA Hawaii takes no administrative cut of the donations.

Vancouver, BC (Inactivo) – The Rain Barrel Project

2013-09-10T00:00:00Z

The World In A Garden. We are converting 55 gallon empty food barrels (donated by LUSH) into rain barrels that are designed by local artists from Emily Carr. We are planning to convert 250 barrels that will be placed in private yards, school gardens and public spaces in order to engage the community and monitor how the presence of the rain barrels will effect the water use/consumption Vancouverites. Our goal is to educate through community events and to save a minimum of 1300 gallons (4921 litres) for every 55 gallon barrel sold. With a sale of 250 barrels. We can save an estimated 325,000 gallons (1,231,750 liters) of water! An average of 1300 gallons of water is saved in the summer season when using a 55 gallon barrel. Proceeds will fund The World In A Garden's youth education programs. It is imperative for Vancouver to start diverting our water from sewage systems where the rain water picks up toxins from impermeable surfaces and carries them into our fragile water ways like streams, rivers and the ocean. We know this is an action based and community engaging solution that can help us all make better choices and think about how we use our water to grow food, garden, wash cars and more.

New York City, NY – The Love Motel for Insects: Anax Junios Variation

2013-09-10T00:00:00Z

The Love Motel for Insects: Anax Junios Variation will be on display as part of Notched Bodies: Insects in Contemporary Art, on view September 13 – November 13, 2013. It will be located outside of Central Park Zoo next to the Arsenal Gallery at 64th Street and Fifth Avenue (inside the park). Opening reception: Thursday, September 12, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Since 2001, Love Motel for Insects has been an ongoing series of interactive public outdoor artwork that is both an art piece and a life science project. The works use ultraviolet lights on enormous sculptural canvases to attract insects. The arthropods visit (unharmed) and the public watches and have the chance to learn about these amazing creatures. This is combined with Eco-Actions, where people help to collect scientific data on urban species. Produced around the world (Asia, Europe, Central and North America so far), the Love Motels have become the backdrops for trans-species community events such as eco-festivals, green graffiti jams, environmental rallies, citizen science investigations, musical events and even pheromone paintings created by the bugs themselves. Why love bugs? Insects are one of the least understood and under appreciated groups of animals. Yet, the majority of our food crops rely on insect pollination. Countless ecosystems would collapse in their absence. Recent demise in bee populations and Monarch die-offs have attracted public attention but still how many of us have taken the time to look closely at these remarkable creatures? My sculpture in Central Park will create this opportunity!

Detroit, MI – Neighbors Building Brightmoor newsletters

2013-09-09T00:00:00Z

Neighbors Building Brightmoor publishes a 4-page, full color, monthly newsletter that spotlights good news in the neighborhood (block clean-ups, new gardens, children's activities) and shares information about resources and upcoming local events (kids' art event, teen night, NBB meetings, safety patrol dates, and so on). In addition, one recurring column profiles a neighborhood teenager who is a positive role model for other youth, and every month we publish a contact list of our block captains. The newsletter is an important vehicle for sharing information about local happenings, and because we hand deliver them to over 400 houses in our target area, it is also a way for our organization to maintain personal connections with neighbors. While we do publish an electronic edition of the newsletter, we believe that distributing a print version is critical in our neighborhood where many people lack at home internet access or simply aren't interested in it.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactivo) – Coconut Climbers

2013-09-09T00:00:00Z

In this project, 50 economically backward and vulnerable women between the age group of 20 to 35 will be identified. They will be formed as Women Livelihood Groups (WLG) and given orientation on importance of coconut trees and opportunities of livelihoods from coconut trees. The women from WLGs will be given intensive training on coconut tree climbing with the help of climbing machine for 10 days in two phases. Once they develop confidence, they will be encouraged to take up coconut tree climbing activity for their livelihoods. They will be involved as peer groups in promotion of coconut trees in Kanyakumari District. Machines will be procured by WLG through revolving fund assistance by CREDSO and the women using the machine for their livelihoods should repay the revolving fund. This revolving fund will be utilized for promoting coconut based micro enterprise activities.

Los Angeles, CA – mictlam murals restoration project

2013-09-09T00:00:00Z

(Mictlan Murals) began painting murals to help stop Gang Graffiti in our community, raised in Aliso Village Housing Projects, and Estrada Courts Housing Projects, Mictlan Murals was created due to the need for unity in the community and the pain of loosing friends and family to gang violence.We made art that show our common ground as people, Involving the local youth in the creation process and putting images that project culture, family values, respect, knowledge of self and pride which we hoped would raise our self esteem as a people and community. Many of the murals lasted over 8 years without being vandalized at minimum 5 years, but everything changed around 2003, community artists started losing all public and private funding, when the country entered into War with Iraq and the economy collapsed, as a result there was no consistency in maintaining a relationship with the youth and the murals in the most neglected areas in our community. A new generation of youth grew up without having direct contact with the murals; without the continued oral tradition and maintenance of the messages on the walls, for many youth the walls loose relevance and some fell like disrespecting them because they don’t have a connection to it anymore. We can't blame the youth! We have started a restoration project to introduced the community to these murals, to restore the most damaged of walls. Some of them are tagged, others have been damaged by the elements. The main objective is to introduced community youth to murals, to show them how to tell their stories and have ownership of the painting on the walls. They are learning how to properly clean up and restore a mural as well as designing and drawing and painting of the murals. Out of 15 murals So far 3 murals have been restored. Murals tell the story of a place in time. Its the story of us all and those murals need to be restored and new murals need to be painted and that's what we are doing in LA.

Los Angeles, CA – The Silver Lake Chorus

2013-09-09T00:00:00Z

We are a co-ed group of 20 Angelenos who came together to share of a love of singing and a desire to share that love with the masses. We think huge, uplifting harmonies and intimate, soul searching melodies should not be confined to churches, opera houses, or schools, but should be in bars and cafes and daily life as well. We're currently trying to wrap up our first album so we can share the music with people who can't make it to our shows in LA. We meet once a week in an abandoned church to sing together, and try to perform for the community once every six weeks or so. During the day our members are accountants, waiters, writers, book store managers, architecture students, college counselors, and masseuses, but when we're together we're just twenty people who really love to sing. We've performed at dive bars, rock clubs, cafes, street festivals, weddings, churches, and colleges. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K95_UZvvKZk

San Francisco, CA – Poetry with Elders

2013-09-05T00:00:00Z

much to the dismay of myself and my elder students (who range in age from 55-97!), the institute on aging has cut all my teaching contracts for the fall. that means the 3 sites and 40+ seniors will no longer have the opportunity to meet with me on a weekly basis to learn and practice the art and joy of writing poetry. here's the thing about the way we approach what we do: nothing rhymes (boring!) and if you can't hold a pencil (most people can't) no problem! all you need to do to be a poet is be in the room, see what you see, imagine what you imagine, think what you think, speak up when you feel moved, or, if you can't speak, then a gesture of any kind suffices. if you don't remember what we just talked about 5 minutes before, no worries. we'll say it again. or we'll change it. we'll make sure you get to be you as we create poems and explore words together. my goal is to give students a place to freely express, to become something they'd never become (an ocean, a puff of fog, a letter enclosed inside their mother's pocket). poetry is not just a genre made up of rules and forms and terms you need to learn and remember. poetry is an act of discovering things about yourself you did not know (see especially how your imagination works). poetry is a place you can forget about what ails you for 1.5 hours a week or write about it if you need. poetry is a community of other people like you, people who become not just fellow writers but friends. poetry is an act of spontaneous utterance--say something and i write it down. someone says something more and that gets written down too. we revise as we go. we have big ideas and small. we laugh, a lot. and we end every class with a rousing round of applause. you see, we're not just writing poetry, we're using our minds and our hearts. we're creating a space where we feel like we're alive and seen. a place where we belong in a world in which we've become so invisible. and we feel oh so proud of ourselves. and it's priceless.

Sarnia (Inactivo) – Dîner en Blanc

2013-09-05T00:00:00Z

I have recently attended Dîner en Blanc in Montréal and I wish to bring this awesome event to Sarnia next year as part of our Centennial celebrations and to continue on a yearly basis afterwards. Launched with just a handful of friends by François Pasquier over 25 years ago, Paris' Dîner en Blanc now assembles nearly 15,000 people each year in Paris alone. Dîner en Blanc is a non-profit organization based in Montréal that now has about 40 cities world- wide participating. At the last minute, the location is given to thousands of invitees who have been patiently waiting to learn the “Dîner en Blanc's” secret place. The event is open to any couple but due to logistics at the locations, a cap is always put on the number. The attendees arrive, dressed all in white, and conducting themselves with the greatest decorum, elegance, and etiquette, all meet for a mass “chic picnic” in an outdoor public space. Everyone sets up their folding table and chairs, white table cloth, centerpiece, candles, real china and wine glasses and lays out their dinner for the evening within 15 minutes. In Montréal this year, 5,200 attended. A choice is given to bring your own food or buy from the partnering caterer (I have one in mind). At 7:30 everyone waves their cloth napkin and the evening starts with a background of beautiful music. You have an hour and a half for dinner. At 9:00, everyone light the sparklers and pops their balloon which gives a fireworks effect. The DJ then changes the mood with the music we can dance to. The evening closes at 11:00 pm. Everyone packs up their belongings and puts their garbage in the white bag they brought and takes it all home. We leave the location as we found it. There is also entertainment such as musicians, and an opportunity to have a professional photo taken for the hat contest. Words cannot describe what I felt that evening in Montréal but enchanting and magical come close. This event truly warms your heart.

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.