Awesome Foundation - Projects

Miami, FL – Made-Up Memories

2016-09-23T00:00:00Z

Made Up Memories is a generative workshop where people of all ages make their own fictional autobiographies. Think of it as a new way to teach history. Participants are presented with a series of facts on how ridiculous the notion of facts is. Memory is objective and this is an invitation to make up their own history. They go on a journey. Through a series of creative prompts, participants write, draw, and express their stories. The workshops can also be curated towards a specific theme. An archive would be presented where a participant can use it, re-interpret, remix it, and create his own version of history more relatable than any concrete objective factual history. Physically, the workshop is also an opportunity to get crafty. Participants can choose to express themselves and their fictional autobiography through a number of zines, or more accurately, paper toys. What is generated in the workshops will then be used to produce a publication. Made Up Memories, the book, will be a print of all the best, funniest, simplest, most insightful, "I remembers" that we find together. This is a cathartic experience where people shed skin, let go of past demons, and relate to each other fictionally in a way not possible through an imposed reality. .

Antigonish, NS (Non-active) – Sing-along with Coco Love Alcorn!!!

2016-09-23T00:00:00Z

Want a chance to sing with a chart-topping Canadian singer-songwriter? The Wandering Menstruals want to invite community members to take part in a singing workshop with Coco Love Alcorn where they will get a crash course in vocal layering and singing in harmony. Following the afternoon session, workshop participants will be invited to perform alongside Coco and the Menstruals in an evening concert.

Oahu, HI – Fern Elementary Basketball Program

2016-09-22T00:00:00Z

My project is the first basketball program at my elementary school.My school consists of mostly students of Chuukese, Marshallese, Filipino, Tongan and Samoan heritage. Many, live in poverty and are not involved in structured activities after school. Due to this, often our behavior in school can be very alarming. I would like to start a after school extracurricular activity where students could learn a number of skills that associate with doing better in school academically and socially. Here are my goals: Goal: To create and implement an upper grade (4-5) basketball program as an extracurricular activity as an opportunity for students to strive in multiple areas and skills. These include, but are not limited to: • Gaining an understanding that school is important to be able to participate in extracurricular activities. • Coming to school is essential • Respecting yourself, others and school are important • A positive attitude matters • Providing students the opportunity to promote individual and team skills. • To develop and experience a competitive feeling • To learn and practice good sportsmanship skills • To learn and understand why rules are important • Respecting others • To develop a sense of commitment to a team and yourself This project is just a start at my school, but my big picture goal is to unite the Kalihi district schools, so we can all have a basketball program and create an elementary basketball league for students to participate in and learn an array of skills, while living positive, healthy lifestyles.

Plano, TX (Non-active) – HappyHires Plano

2016-09-21T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is an organization named HappyHires! This was created to bring happiness back to the hiring process for under-served populations. Let's face it, finding a job is not always a fun process. It can be scary, stressful and can be lengthy. When someone is unemployed and has limited resources to find a job, this can cause unhappiness that may lead to unfavorable acts/situations (ex. depression, financial issues, family tension, crime, etc). This is when HappyHires comes in! We help those in need by providing quality services in basic education (ESL/GED/Civics), skills training, and personalized assistance in obtaining employment to help them become productive and self sufficient citizens in their community. I want to help those particularly in Plano, TX

Plano, TX (Non-active) – Murphy Middle School Outdoor Classroom

2016-09-21T00:00:00Z

As a scout of Troop 295, based in Plano, I am beginning to work on my Eagle Scout Project. My project will be based at Murphy Middle School in Murphy, Texas. I will be building an outdoor classroom that will provide an alternative learning environment for 6th-8th grade students. This outdoor classroom will consist of 6-8 benches placed and bolted into a square formation. This will give students the opportunity to face any direction. I will also provide a rolling whiteboard that can be kept inside, and rolled outside for use. This takes away the opportunity for graffiti. This outdoor classroom will give students a more fun and different way to learn, contrary to the normal classroom setting.

Gloucester, MA – Ghosts of Hammond Castle: Echoes From The Deep!

2016-09-20T00:00:00Z

The Folklore Theatre Company is proud to partner with Hammond Castle to produce a new kind of Halloween event - one dripping with local lore, without all the typical gore! Join historic legends such as Howard Blackburn, Judith Sargent Murray, Thomazine Younger, Blackbeard, and John Hays Hammond himself on an eerie Halloween tour of Gloucester's famed Hammond Castle. Elegantly macabre, this dramatic tour of the castle by candlelight will conjure images of shipwrecks, drownings, a deadly squall and a dank dungeon full of ghastly spirits and monsters from the deep! This event, running 6 performances 7-11pm Fridays & Saturdays, October 14-29 will be a major benefit to preserve and protect Hammond Castle and its important legacy. This volunteer project will to give a fresh take on the annual haunted castle, launch the "Ghosts of Hammond Castle" series (a different theme each year), raise awareness and interest in the museum and its important place in history, making Gloucester even more awesome in autumn! Many locals families and youth do not wish to go to Salem during October for various reasons. This will greatly enhance interest in Gloucester's ghostly history for locals and visitors alike!

Sydney – Uprock Urban Arts Festival

2016-09-20T00:00:00Z

The Uprock Park Jam will be an urban arts festival for the community of Canterbury / Bankstown incorporating a national breakdancing championship and a legal aerosol art display. The project aims to use hip hop as a medium of positive social change in a fun, safe and supportive environment. A breakdancing competition will be open to junior (under 18 year old) and senior competitors. The junior competition will give young people an opportunity to perform in public for the first time and build their skills, confidence and networks. Junior winners will receive a cash prize. The senior competitors (18-25 year olds) will compete for an opportunity to represent Australia at a World Breakdancing Championships in Taiwan in December. We anticipate that dancers will travel from across Australia to compete in the event. This means that local community members will have the opportunity to see some of the nation's best dancers in action at a local venue. International adjudicators (Lego Sam from Malaysia and Bboy Enoch from China) will facilitate the day's proceedings. A legal aerosol art display will also take place over several hours during the main proceedings. This will be a way of bringing art out of the gallery and back to the street. The medium is one that many people interested in hip hop can relate to and enjoy. Leading artists will be engaged to facilitate the live art display.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – CHIPPED

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

I‘m Joey Ally, the writer and director of CHIPPED, a short film selected for the American Film Institute Directing Workshop for Women. The story of CHIPPED came to me after reading a series of articles about the nail salon industry published last fall, including the Pulitzer Prize nominated NY Times expose ―Unvarnished. The coverage detailed rampant human rights abuses in an industry that thrives largely on the powerlessness of undocumented workers, many of whom are housed in tenements throughout five boroughs and taken in vans to remote suburban locations. I was horrified to discover racial caste systems and indentured labor in salons just like the ones I frequented when growing up in Connecticut, and living in Manhattan as an adult. Horrified to realize that it‘s happening somewhere, right now. Their treatment in the entertainment industry would have us believe all that concerns the women who staff these salons is mocking the clients at their pedicure chairs, but these are human beings with spouses, parents, children...they have better things to talk about than a regular‘s cellulite. CHIPPED was written to explore the interiors of these women‘s lives, through the lens of a uniquely female story. I told what is essentially a twisted take on the classic story of popular girl versus unpopular girl, but in the salon setting - the familiar highlighting the universality of the events through a day in the life of Korean, front-of-house manager SARAH, and Chinese, manicurist-in-training MIA. Despite the neo-realist tone and the darker themes at play, as with the bleakest moments of life, this film will balance tragedy with comedy. In CHIPPED, I‘ll be asking the audience to sit where these women sit, eat where they eat, and sleep where they sleep...or, many nights, where they lie sleepless, worried, and waiting for chances and changes that never come. I think if you laugh, cry, and cringe with someone your story becomes bound with theirs.

Tallahassee, FL (Non-active) – The Backpack Project

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

My name is Amy Garvin Rodgers and my 2 boys and I put together outreach bags with friends last year, and after handing those out, we realized that the recipients needed a place to put their items. It was also fall when we began, so I needed a bag to present jackets or blankets, and I kept thinking about what I might need if I was in these same shoes. I began asking for donations via Facebook, and also spent some of our own money to get started. After that, The Backpack Project was born. I have been able to put outreach bags and packs together with the help of the community. A lot of people have told me that they would not necessarily do this themselves, but have no problem donating items to the cause. I do not plan on becoming a non-profit, but may consider that in the future. Until then, we thank you for any items you donate. Lead with love.

New York City, NY – Piano in a Fishbowl

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

The Port Authority is the world's busiest bus terminal. Each day, this workhorse brings over 225,000 passengers into New York City. Nobody likes a commute but pianist and transportation advocate Adrian Untermyer thinks that a piano could make this one just a little bit better. The Terminal's South Building is home to "The Fishbowl", a vacant, glass-encased platform where the Operations Control Center once stood. It's prominent, visible to thousands, and the perfect place for a baby grand piano. Adrian is working to transform the Fishbowl into a performance space that will enhance the lives of those thousands of daily commuters. The piano will be provided by Sing For Hope, an organization that places pianos in parks and other public spaces around New York City, and the Awesome Foundation grant will support some of the more technical aspects of this project, like sound and lighting systems. With a proposed launch of October 2016, we are very excited to see what changes a little music will bring to this public New York space.

Philadelphia, PA – Help the Minor Threats get to SuperNationals

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

The Minor Threats Chess Club is made up of kids ages 3 through 15 from inner city Philadelphia. The club practices and competes year-round around Philadelphia and increasingly up and down the east coast.   While the MTCC has won many trophies over the years, we value learning and character development more than winning. Indeed, through chess, the kids have learned just as much about themselves and the world as they have about chess, and through our trips they have experienced a lot of “firsts”. It is my hope that these experiences will help them to develop into capable and confident young people who are unafraid to pursue their dreams. I want to take 20 Minor Threats to the SuperNationals VI Chess Championships in Nashville, TN in May.

Ottawa – Picturing the Past

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

September’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to the Bytown Museum’s Youth Council, to support the Council’s development of a permanent photo exhibit depicting 100 years of Ottawa’s youth. “Museums often overlook youth when depicting history,” explain the members of the Youth Council, “be it in wartime, farm life, urban life, or political decisions. Our goal is to bring attention to this ignored demographic group.” “Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today. If we can show youth that young people played a part in history, it will inspire them to do great things in the community.” The Youth Council plans to unveil the exhibit in early 2017. It will also be accompanied by a mini-feature on the Youth Council’s blog. The Bytown Museum Youth Council is made up of students from high schools, universities, and colleges across Ottawa who have come together to explore the city’s history. The current members are Rosalee Allen, Sophie Burgener, Sarah Cool-Fergus, Jessie Lang, Delany Leitch, Fan Li, Lilia Lockwood, Asmaa Mabrouk, Lindsay MacMillan, Tunmise Olatifede, Marielle Rochefort, Atae Sahmoudi, Julia Schwindt, Beatrix Shackleton, and Carson Turnbull. Their facilitator is Corrie Bouskill. [P3028: Photo courtesy of the Bytown Museum]

Pittsburgh, PA – Project Ignite

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

Project Ignite is a student run outreach organization at Carnegie Mellon University offering a project-based educational program for high school students in the greater Pittsburgh area. We provide a valuable opportunity for students to work in a team and gain hands-on experience planning and executing a project with funding for materials provided for each group. Our vision is that all students, regardless of socioeconomic standing or prior academic achievement, will have the opportunity to participate in the program. Our ultimate goals are to expose students to subject areas that they would otherwise be unable to explore, and to allow students to pursue a new or existing interest that they lack the knowledge and/or support to engage in on their own. Project Ignite is based on small group projects that are defined and driven by high school students, with guidance provided by our project advisors, who are volunteers from the CMU student body. We aim to have the high school students be in the driver's seat throughout the process. They will be the ones brainstorming possibilities, making plans, and doing the legwork to achieve a shared goal, while the project advisors act as mentors to challenge them and provide guidance when appropriate. For our 2015-2016 pilot program we had 37 high schoolers from the greater Pittsburgh area participate in 7 different projects with 18 Carnegie Mellon student project advisors. Projects included programming an iPhone app, building a hologram projector, constructing a minecraft server, and designing quadcopters. Our project showcase was wildly successful, and all 7 groups were able to present a completed project. Project Ignite was featured on the CMU homepage in May 2016, and garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from faculty and staff at CMU, local high schools, parents, and participants. This year, we are expanding our program to more high schools, and hope to be able to fund 10 student projects.

Boulder, CO (Non-active) – Troupe presents Rock Your Flow

2016-09-19T00:00:00Z

Troupe Therapy co-creates community with teenage youth who struggle with substance abuse, self-harm behaviors, mental illness, and homelessness through exploratory movement, dance, and multimedia performance based on proven therapy techniques. Our mission is to facilitate youth in the creation of their own art, building their self-esteem, mastery, joy, and hope for the future. Troupe's eight-week program, Rock Your Flow, engages youth participants in a creative journey to a final community presentation.Rock Your Flow uses cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness concepts integrated with movement classes, helping participants to release emotions and express themselves through dance, art and multi media performance. The program helps develop talent and confidence as youth collaborate closely with experienced artists. Our format includes eight breakdancing and choreography classes and eight artistic exploration classes with participating artist mentors. At the end of the eight weeks, participants and their mentors showcase their talents in a Rock Your Flow public performance. We are partnering with Justice High School, a charter school in the Boulder County School District. This school is designed for at risk youth disconnected from the traditional school system because of juvenile delinquency, drugs and alcohol, or other factors. The first class of the program, led by a master-level artist and school facilitators, explores core values, feelings, and behaviors through movement. The second class, taught by a master-level dancer and teacher, includes choreography for breakdancing, hip hop, and contemporary fusion. Teachers join participants on stage at the final performance, fostering a low-pressure and supportive environment. Not only does our program change negative behaviors, but it also impacts the whole community by building relationships with educators, artists, and the public. Through this work, we hope to create communities where our youth will thrive.

Adelaide – Endometriosis Awareness Adelaide

2016-09-17T00:00:00Z

It initially started when Endometriosis Australia approached me about organising a fundraising event in Adelaide on their behalf... After opting for a Gala Dinner things began to take off rapidly, and less than one month later things are in full swing. Though, I never thought an event would be enough. Knowing 1 in 10 women suffer this awful condition, yet most people aren't aware of it's existence, I hoped to open the eyes of more than those just attending. Myself and a friend, Mel, decided we would develop a publication also - a gallery of photos of local "endo sisters" each with a short story of their battles. Not only is this designed to be comforting to those with the diagnosis of endometriosis.. But assist others to understand the complications and hurdles we, as sufferers, must face daily.

Northern Virginia (NOVA) (Non-active) – SCPS Community Bus - Reaching Into Our Community

2016-09-17T00:00:00Z

In an effort to better engage our diverse community, parents, and students, the Office of Communications and Community Engagement is spear-heading an effort to secure, design, and create a Parent, Community and Literacy Resource Bus. This bus will enable staff to take SCPS educational resources out into the communities to reach our parents and students where they are, rather than expecting them to always come to us. The vision for the bus is that it will become an easily recognizable part of SCPS and will be out in the community at a variety of school and community events, school sites, and various activities. With a growing population within Spotsylvania County, many of our residents with small children do not know where to start, where to go, or what to do when it comes to education. One goal of the bus is to go out into the neighborhood communities, including visiting hotels, where our students and parents live and to take them the information they need for school registration and preparing students to start school. In addition, the bus will be equipped with several laptops, a printer, and WiFi to allow parents to access online resources, and to begin the online school registration process, which they may not have at their home. The Office of Communications and Community Engagement has secured a bus from SCPS Transportation and working with SCPS Maintenance on a design for both the interior and exterior of the bus. The goal is to have the bus ready to unveil and put into use by Fall 2016. SCPS plans to use the bus in an attempt to encourage and increase both parent and community involvement by taking the bus out into various neighborhood communities: 1. To collaborate with Smart Beginnings to encourage parents to enroll students in Kindergarten in the Spring and early Summer prior to the first day of school; and 2. To offer parents resources to help with school readiness. The bus will have a sign-up schedule to go to various locations.

Miami, FL – Debate for Change

2016-09-16T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is to start a debate program in South Florida prisons as part of the existing organization, Exchange for Change. The pilot for this will be a semester-long course on argumentation and debate at Dade Correctional, a men’s prison. Through a combination of lectures, in-class activities, writing assignments and, of course, oral debates, the class will expose inmates to both the theory and practice of sound reasoning and persuasive communication. The project will have multiple benefits. For those students facing re-entry in the near future, it will provide practical and transferrable skills to aid in their transition into society and the workforce. For those students facing longer and/or life sentences, the class will be transformative for their daily lives in the prison, improving interpersonal communications with prison staff and fellow inmates, boosting conflict resolution and critical thinking, and serving to aid in their self-actualization. The debate program will be a boon for Miami in several ways. First, the program enriches the lives of participating inmates, who are still members of the Miami-Dade community though they reside behind bars. Second, this program will be transformative for its facilitators, offering fulfilling opportunities for civic engagement and breaking barriers between the “inside” and “outside” worlds of the criminal justice system. This will have further ripple effects when considering that one of the greatest civil rights issues of our day concerns the ways former prisoners are integrated into mainstream society, a problem that stems from a fundamental denial of the basic humanity of incarcerated folks. Finally, this program has a high potential of replicability. As it becomes implemented throughout, not just the state, but the country as well, it will further help elevate Miami’s stature and allow it to be known, not simply as a center for leisure and wealth, but also a hub for social innovation.

Kingston – Drop in theater's summer meals program

2016-09-16T00:00:00Z

Hi. Each week we put on a sort of soup kitchen dinner theater at the next church. 89 Colborne street at the back door. I approached next church about using their space for a drop in theater group about 4 months ago. My goal was to bring theater to those who might not have the opportunity to experience it due to social constraints. The church agreed to let me use their space free of charge as I am not charging a fee. I advertised at places like the mess at st Andrews and Marthas Table. Our group grew to about 12 or 14 people over two months and one of our actors reminded me that st Andrews church goes on vacation every July august and the first week in September. I asked next church if they would like to take up the slack and they said that they were not able to get a team together at the time but they were willing to put up the use of their venue if I could get st Andrews on board. St Andrews declined so I decided to fund it. We have just finished our seventh week. Each week we make around 80 meals and put on a short dinner show that we rehearse for Wednesdays Saturdays and a full dress on Sunday before the meal. After the dinner show we take a short break and then we open drop in theater which is open to the audience. We start with some charades and then skit kits etc... The whole idea is to get people participating and laughing. It's been incredible to watch people you might not expect to see up on stage growing into the experience. Poetry music comedy and skits were part of last week's show. Also last week three turkeys were donated by three different patrons as well as potatoes lightening the monetary load conciderably.

Ann Arbor, MI – The 48217

2016-09-15T00:00:00Z

Picture yourself driving down 75 south into southwest Detroit. You begin to cross the bridge. From left to right you see industry such as U.S Steel, Sever Stall, and Marathon oil refinery populate and cloud the skies above. Your nose begins to burn; a stench so horrible it’s almost burnt into your brain. You’re not entering the Twilight Zone. You are entering the most polluted zip code in the entire state of Michigan, the 48217. For months, I’ve been filming a documentary about Emma Lockridge, a neighborhood resident of Boynton, located directly in front of the refinery. Emma and other local residents fight back against their largest neighborhood polluter, Marathon Petroleum. With the neighborhood of Boynton in such close proximity to the refinery, the outcome takes a toll on the people’s health. Residents have an increased risk of Asthma, Kidney failure, and Cancer due to their prolonged exposure to the pollution. Emma Lockridge is living proof, having all three herself. Marathon’s Refinery acknowledged the horrible living conditions and bought out the community of Oakwood Heights, a predominantly Caucasian area. However, they’ve left many other neighborhoods, predominantly African American and Hispanic, without a way out. Most of the residents can’t afford to move, and those who attempt to sell their homes are offered little to nothing. As the refinery plans to expand, thus emitting more pollution into the community, Emma and residents fight year-round for buy outs and regulation on the Marathon refinery across the fence. This is a story that needs to be told. We need to bring awareness about how racial injustice and climate change are effecting the community of the 48217 at this very moment. People are growing sick and dying every day in this neighborhood, and they can’t afford to leave. Why did Marathon only buy out the one neighborhood? The residents of 48217 are no less deserving of a buy out than the people of Oakwood Heights.

Ann Arbor, MI – Reel N Wheel

2016-09-15T00:00:00Z

The “Reel N Wheel” is a mobile movie projector that comes equipped with all the movie essentials. A popcorn machine, cooler for drinks, projector and speakers. All that is needed is a surface to project onto. The purpose is to encourage people to host their own movie nights in our Detroit neighborhood, or use the cart for art projects that require projection. The “Reel N Wheel” has everything you might need for indoor or outdoor screening, including a battery so it can be operated in remote locations where power sources are not available. The only thing it does not have is a screen, to encourage Reel N Wheelers to bring the existing environment to life with moving images. It also can be attached to the back of a bike and rolled around the neighborhood.

Cass Clay – Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe: Granted

2016-09-15T00:00:00Z

The Heart-n-Soul Community Café is a place where all are welcome to enjoy with dignity a local, healthy and delicious meal. Our mission is to partner with the community to eliminate hunger and food insecurity with a community café. At the café guests can pay the suggested price for a meal, they can pay more than the suggested price in order to "pay it forward" to help a neighbor who may paying less than suggested price. Guests can pay what they can afford and if they are unable to pay they can volunteer in exchange for a meal . Using this model allows us to bring people of varying backgrounds together to share a meal and build community. We want to have two pop up community cafes this Fall. One in Moorhead and another location to be determined. We serve local food that is in season and volunteers share their talents serving and cooking the healthy delicious meal. We are in the process of having volunteers to help us harvest the food from our local farmers and then have them help prepare a meal and serve, This Fall we will share ideas on how to prepare healthy local food at our current downtown pop up location or at a commercial kitchen. This would also be a pay what you can model. We will partner with local agencies and post on our Facebook page to encourage attendance. The AWESOME grant will be used to help Heart-n-Soul Community Café spread out within our community to address food insecurity so all may eat healthy local food no matter their means. .

Ann Arbor, MI – ÆPEX Access

2016-09-15T00:00:00Z

ÆPEX Contemporary Performance proposes using the Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation’s support to launch “ÆPEX Access” a public art endeavor that augments our typical concert presentations with free, simulcast viewing stations across downtown Ann Arbor. With funds from the Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation, we will debut this concept during our October 14th concert at Ann Arbor’s First United Methodist Church, and test it for future applications. ÆPEX Access will use social media applications, such as ‘Periscope’, to broadcast this concert at least three sites chosen for their physical accessibility and technological capabilities. For example, at least one site will be outdoors, which will require new equipment and staff. However, we will also choose sites that already have video and sound systems, and that are known for hosting viewing events, such as the theater at the downtown Ann Arbor Public Library. ÆPEX Contemporary Performance will promote ÆPEX Access, but also anticipates this initiative will generate spontaneous interactions with this concert. The goal of ÆPEX Access is making our performances more accessible to Ann Arbor’s art- and music-loving public. Not only will ÆPEX Access help our October 14th concert reach listeners beyond its physical boundaries, it will also intensify the listening experience for our audience at the church, as they will know others across Ann Arbor are enjoying the same performance. We are confident ÆPEX Access, will yield a communal art experience impossible to achieve by traditional means. ÆPEX Access will give hundreds of people in the Ann Arbor community a chance to experience ÆPEX Contemporary Performance’s world-class concert production at no cost, simply by taking a walk, or by making a regular visit to their favorite local establishment. By making the world’s best newly composed music public, ÆPEX Access holds the potential to facilitate countless meaningful and unexpected art interactions for people across downtown Ann Arbor.

Chicago, IL – Floating Museum

2016-09-15T00:00:00Z

Floating Museum is designed to challenge traditional ideas of museums and blends creative place-making, activism and exhibition design. The intent is to provide a platform for dialogue, artist interventions, accessibility and community engagement. Architecture becomes the medium for exchange and a flexible site for programming by using a structural interpretation of the concept of the DuSable Museum of African American History that moves to various locations in Chicago, eventually floating down the Chicago River.Floating Museum is building its first physical structure in Calumet Park right now and will open for programming in September. We're applying for the Awesome Foundation Grant to help us fundraise for our 2nd project phase-- a Chicago river float in summer of 2017. We are excited to bring Chicago its first Floating Museum! Our project is dedicated to bringing art, cultural programming, performances and more to untraditional art venues and a wide range of neighborhoods. This summer we've been working in three neighborhoods in partnership with the Chicago Park District-- Austin Town Hall, Calumet Park and West Pullman Park. We are prototyping our project ideas from programming to engineering so we can build on our outcomes this summer and expand. Our project team is made up of artists Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Faheem Majeed and architect Andrew Schachman.

Boston, MA – Gnomon: animated shade

2016-09-14T00:00:00Z

A gnomon is a structure that casts a meaningful shadow, for example, the blade of a sundial or the tip of an obelisk. In the original Greek, "gnomon" means "one who discerns or examines". It is a 6000+ year-old technology. To update it for the 21st century, we came up with a way to CNC-machine a double gnomon so that instead of casting a static black-and-white silhouette, it produces a dynamic (=animated) continuous-tone (=greyscale) image. We just shipped a 15' interactive sculpture to Burning Man in which 2-4 people ride on swings to activate a gnomon. The gnomon casts an animated image of a skull, which turns to look at each participant as they swing forward toward it (see project videos on website). This sculpture will be exhibited on the Kendall Square plaza when it comes back from the playa. We'll have docents around to offer rides to the public and explain the technology and its connection to ancient art and architecture. For that, we'd like to cut additional gnomon animations to swap into the sculpture -- skulls play well at Burning Man; but for Cambridge we'd like to have some more locally resonant designs. In particular, we hope to use this opportunity to show the art form's versatility to representatives from the city, in support of a proposal to put gnomon-style animated shade screens into public amenities such as the roofs of bus-stop shelters and shade-structures in parks.

Asheville, NC (Non-active) – Rights Of Passage Adventure Weekend

2016-09-13T00:00:00Z

For millennia, cultures around the world have marked boys’ transition into manhood with rites of passage. These rites provided a framework within which boys were empowered to marry freedom with personal responsibility, to take on roles of accountability within their societies and to authentically realize their adulthood. These rites were integral to sustainable communities., and yet most of the world today has seen their disappearance. The omission has created societies of uninitiated men who are suffering from high rates of depression, anger and is contributing to rising rates of violent crime, gang membership, drug use and fatherless homes.. Attempting to occupy the void, boys incorporate fictitious expressions of masculinity that often include violence, materialism, misogyny and domination. Journeymen Asheville’s mission is to serve as a local chapter for the remediation of this widespread societal illness—to offer mentorship and rites of passage opportunities to at-risk boys that support their transformation to becoming men of integrity. The Rights Of Passage Adventure Weekend (ROPAW) is a two day and two night event held in a natural setting, where boys are guided through a challenging journey of self-discovery during which they are given the opportunity to let go of old patterns that no longer serve them while taking a creative role in declaring what they want to live for and what kind of men they want to be. Through physical, mental and emotional tests, these boys—or “Journeymen”—discover inner resources that they may not have been aware of. We strongly believe that this program is needed now more than ever. Social/political/environmental struggles point to a global displacement of the young male psyche which can be healed best through holistic approaches that incorporate psychological, spiritual and social elements. ROPAW empowers at-risk boys at a critical time in their life, posing a salient potential to transform both the initiates and their communities.

Seattle, WA – Odd Babes Presents

2016-09-13T00:00:00Z

In 2013 I applied to the Awesome Foundation for a project called the Comedy Womb, a comedy showed aimed at getting more women to comedy. I didn't get the grant, but we did get $400 from the Awesome Foundation after a pitch off at your anniversary party. The Comedy Womb went on to become one of the best and most well known shows in Seattle. I handed it over after nearly three years to a group of feminists who are now running the Comedy Nest, a comedy space with the same hate-free guidelines, and a goal of diversifying Seattle comedy. This new project is one by me and two women to extend the dream of having Seattle be a space for stand up comedy that has a diversity of voices and also contributes to a culture of inclusivity, and positive action. The Odd Babes (myself, Aisha Farhoud and Shannon Koyano) are going to have a monthly stand up comedy show to bring in national headliners and pay them while putting the locals who have been working hard these past four years and need a place to do longer sets in front of professional comedians and the audiences that we built in the last four years who won't go to comedy clubs because the environment can be so degrading and toxic. There are large scale shows in Seattle that bring in big comics, but they rarely put up the locals we'd like to see on stage. Odd Babes Presents will change that, and hope to get money in the hands of comics, and use local venues such as the Royal Room in Columbia City, to help to build a thoughtful comedy community. We believe strongly that Seattle could have one of the best and most progressive comedy scenes in the country. This is how we want to help make that a reality.

Prince Edward County, ON (Non-active) – Feast - the County Free Food Festival

2016-09-12T00:00:00Z

Imagine the most inclusive, accessible day of celebrating food possible – a day of free food, information sharing and inspiration towards the goal of a sustainably well fed community! My idea is to organize two free food festivals: one in August and one in January (when many people especially struggle with access to food). Exact dates to be determined. This would be a “food for everybody” event, with a focus on tasty, inexpensive, healthy food and on education, including a gathering of all community food resources. The summer festival would be held both outdoors and indoors in Benson Park and the Picton Town Hall across the street. The fall event could be in Wellington, venue to be determined. What might there be at this festival? -Free food sampling (donated by restaurants, food purveyors and farmers) - workshops and roundtables on, for example, stretching food dollars, cooking skills, great kid’s school lunch ideas, etc. - cooking demos with recipe cost breakdowns - mini-mart where people could come and “shop” for free (a kind of art installation free store) - speaker’s corner video booth for people to have their say about food (especially their struggles with it) - children’s snack-making bar - kitchen equipment swap table - cookbook swap table - recipe exchange wall - hourly draws for food gift cards from local grocers An important component would be having local food resources information booths, hopefully with interactive activities like questionnaires or quizzes. Food banks, Food to Share, Fresh for All, the health unit, The Hub, Slow Food, The Good Food Box Program, Food for Learning, County Orchard project and other helpful folks would all be invited. A number of people have already committed to helping with this great community builder. Moreover, some people who struggle with access to healthy food are also interested in being involved. To be held on a weekday, from 12 noon to 9pm to allow the largest number of community residents to participate.

Prince Edward County, ON (Non-active) – The Incredible Edible Shed

2016-09-12T00:00:00Z

Have you heard?! The municipality has provided land at Delhi park and a one-time seed grant to begin a resource and demonstration community garden to inspire and support the proliferation of community gardens in neighbourhoods throughout the County. The garden in Picton will be a place for the whole community to come together to learn about innovative organic community gardening practices. It will showcase different models of community gardens (Allotments, communal, free to pick etc), and provide the benefits that community gardens are known to provide: -A sense of community, friendship and improved health through gardening -Access to healthy food for food banks and other local food groups -A pesticide free environment, water conservation, composting -Learning opportunities for novice and experienced gardeners. -A chance for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy an activity together. But lots of towns have community gardens- we think ours need to be unique and AWESOME. Which is why we are asking Awesome PEC and Slow Food to help us build THE INCREDIBLE EDIBLE SHED! The Incredible Edible Shed will will be a straw bale structure built by the community, for the community. The shed will itself be a demonstration of sustainable natural building techniques (strawbale, cordwood, living roof etc.) and will be built by volunteers facilitated by local teacher, and graduate of Fleming College's Sustainable Building Design and Construction program, Keri Nelson. Natural building methods like this are great for community buildings, not only for their small ecological footprint but also because it's really easy for volunteers of all ages to build. But Will it Really Be Edible? The building will in fact incorporate vertical veggie gardens and a shaded patio (to serve community meals/get out of sun). The Incredible Edible Shed will be open to passersby to help themselves to whatever is ready for picking. Oh, and it will store our tools too!

Prince Edward County, ON (Non-active) – Prince Edward County Pet Food Bank

2016-09-12T00:00:00Z

Open since 2013. Created to support pet owners in time of short term financial crisis. Solely operated by volunteers and donations.

Rio de Janeiro (Non-active) – Rádio Memória - Lembranças musicais e seus afetos

2016-09-08T00:00:00Z

O projeto Rádio Memória foi elaborado a partir da constatação do pequeno número de projetos e oficinas voltados para a faixa etária a partir dos 60 anos e da percepção da necessidade de uma oferta mais expressiva de atividades e vivências direcionadas para a manutenção da saúde física e mental desse grupo específico. A Terceira Idade é uma época da vida onde as memórias individuais e coletivas gradualmente começam a se esvair, pois as atribulações e responsabilidades da vida cotidiana diminuem sensivelmente e uma maior fragilidade da saúde física acaba por inibir a participação constante em atividades sociais, fazendo com que a ociosidade aumente e a solidão, por fim, se instale. Esse processo gradativo de afastamento social e o esmaecimento de sentido e significado da existência possibilitam e estimulam o surgimento de diversas enfermidades características dessa faixa etária como o Alzheimer, o Parkinson e diversos outros processos demenciais e depressivos. Baseado nisso, o principal objetivo deste projeto é auxiliar no resgate da autoestima e da autovalorização do sujeito, propiciando momentos vívidos de reconstrução dos afetos e o despertar da alegria de viver, a partir da elaboração de uma trilha sonora cronológica, criada coletivamente a cada encontro. Letras de música, representativas de determinadas épocas, servirão de base para o reforço da teia da memória e, a partir delas, será desenvolvido o trabalho conjunto de resgate e socialização das lembranças individuais e coletivas de cada etapa da vida. O projeto Rádio Memória pretende estabelecer um espaço abrangente de representatividade e reafirmação da Terceira Idade, onde seja possível trocar e reafirmar memórias, afetos, significados e sentidos individuais e coletivos, a partir de uma escuta empática do facilitador e dos participantes e da autonomia para co-criar novas possibilidades de estar no mundo e se expressar enquanto sujeitos de suas próprias histórias.

Singapore – Solve Education!

2016-09-07T00:00:00Z

Most of the modern creations are coming from the economy based on knowledge. In a knowledge-based economy, we need knowledge, but it is difficult to attain knowledge without education. Solve Education! (SE!) is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to make high quality education accessible to everyone. Our target beneficiaries are people who do not have access to schools or quality education. The 2016 UNESCO report shows that 263million children and youth are out of school. 100.8million of them live in Southern Asia. 62million of them live in conflict areas. (http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/oosc-data-release-2016.aspx) On top of children and adolescents, there are also close to 800million adults who are illiterate. To add to the numbers, there are a significant number of children in school who are not receiving quality education, particularly in rural areas. Using the current approach of building brick-and-mortar schools, it will cost an extra $40 billion to provide 12 years of education to everyone in low and lower-middle income countries. In recent years, the education aid funding from donor countries has decreased. (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002322/232205e.pdf) With this challenge in mind, SE! aims to revolutionize the delivery of education through gamification and artificial intelligence. Leveraging on technology, SE! will be able to deliver quality education to everyone in low and lower-middle income countries in an extremely cost efficient way, in form of an education game that runs on low end android devices with intermittent internet connectivity. SE! will be an open platform for content providers like universities, teachers, outsourcing companies to upload their content. The content will be fed into the games of the users, as they learn through playing. The game will be free to play for all users. The game is currently in the closed beta stage.

San Francisco, CA – Mobility Scooter Cruise Control Circuit!

2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

Please see the videos I made for this project here: https://youtu.be/cJlvoGe_nG0, and here: https://youtu.be/ayKPxF8_fws This project is designed to help persons with disabilities who: a) have trouble walking and need a mobility scooter assistive device and b) have arthritis, carpal tunnel, or other hand / arm disabilities. It is a hack I implemented in my own mobility scooter out of sheer necessity many years ago and has since grown in popularity among the my friends with disabilities (aka my crip fam): It's a simple Cruise Control Hack! I have been using a purely mechanical version for years and have designed this new board using 74 digital logic. The entire thing should cost <$10 and will prove a wonderful alternative for those people wanting to explore the world, live, work, and play but are currently thwarted by the limited use scooters on the market. The idea is simple: install this board between the throttle potentiometer and the CPU as well as the 'key' signal which turns the mobility scooter on. It will switch between a 'dummy load' couple of rheostats that have the throttle at 'full speed' All mobility scooters on the market have an addition knob for speed control which can then be used instead of the painful squeezing of the handle bars. The entire thing turns on and off with a giant button, and a second cutoff button can be installed for safety. The circuit uses about .40 cents worth of ICs. They are: 2x 74HC053, 1x 74HC14, and 1x &4HC74 Then there are: 2x Trim Potentiometers, 2x LEDs, and 2x Buttons I have also been testing and thinking a lot about safety implementation. I hope to invest more R&D into a suitable proximity sensor setup so the cruise control circuit will automatically cut off the motor before running into something. This is very feasible, though there are many different sensors I would love to test out, such as the fancy long-range models that Sharp makes, like here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sharp-2Y0A700-F-GP2Y0A700K0F-100-550-cm-Long-Distance-Measuring-IR-Sensor-/112010051152?var=&hash=item1a1451be50:m:mATKXM-UHKD-v4UMgpXyP5w It's a remarkably low-cost design with people's low budget (living on disability welfare) kept firmly in mind. hella crips gonna be driving around more! and in less pain. I mean, I think thats a lotta awesome!

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – MotherCoders Solidarity Scholarship for Queer Moms

2016-09-05T00:00:00Z

MotherCoders is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to on-ramping women with kids to careers in technology so they can thrive in a digital economy. Through our signature tech orientation program, MotherCoders has helped mothers gain the technical skills, industry knowledge, and peer and professional support they need to confidently advance toward new careers in tech. With a part-time schedule, on-site childcare, and a non-profit model, the MotherCoders tech orientation program is truly one of a kind in the technology training and workforce development landscape. We just rolled out a scholarship for queer moms to participate in our program for free (normally $3,000 with on-site childcare). This scholarship is something that had already been in the works with Women Catalysts and Lesbians Who Tech prior to the mass shooting in Orlando, FL this past Sunday. However, given what's happened, we feel it's more important than ever that we support the LGBTQ community by helping queer moms and their families. In addition to a gender wage gap and a motherhood penalty, queer moms also face homophobia and transphobia. We started this scholarship to show our commitment to helping all moms thrive in the new economy, regardless of sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, class, and age so long as they identify as being women in a way that's meaningful to them and are caring for at least 1 child age 17 and under.

Sarnia (Non-active) – Cyber Seniors

2016-09-04T00:00:00Z

For a quick overview of this project, please watch either of these youtube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ov1Ue_vWoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6ANQ_jEOgM Here's how the program will work: 1. Recruit students from local high school with the lure of volunteer hours 2. Partner with Fair Winds Lodge to recruit seniors who would like to learn to use the internet and social media. (partnerships with Northern & Fair Winds already established) 3. Match students with the seniors and run a program once a week for 8 weeks at Fair Winds where students will teach and guide the seniors to use the internet. 4. Provide a front-end training session for the students providing learning materials, teaching methods, and tips. 5. The program will first teach internet connection (wifi), safety, and source credibility, and then move onto google searches, open an email account, Facebook and Instagram, Skype, and Youtube. I will create the curriculum and make learning guides for participant use. That's the official curriculum. But the real glory is in the hidden curriculum. This is a win-win situation. Benefits to Seniors: • Ability to communicate with their family and friends, see pictures posted on Facebook • Follow their interests on youtube or through google searches • Learn things by self-research • Create a bond with a teenager to learn more about that generation Benefits to Students: • Volunteer hours • Valuable experience teaching, mentoring and working with seniors • Learn valuable old-fashioned communication and soft skills • Learn about a past generation Time Frame • Start recruiting participants in September during the second week of school. • A police check is required so we want to get those started as soon as possible as there is usually a backlog in September • Planning for program to start in October and run for 8 weeks

Oakland, CA (Non-active) – 7TH ANNUAL EAST BAY ALTERNATIVE BOOK AND ZINE FEST

2016-09-02T00:00:00Z

The East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest (EBABZ) is an annual celebration of the accessible and independent publications known as 'zines'. This 8-hour event encourages the Public, Berkeley City College (BCC) Students and Faculty to engage in a marketplace forum , tabling personal and collaborative projects. Zines have become a cornerstone in alternative information share, EBABZ fosters empowerment through artistic professionalism alongside +100 writers and artists, workshops and speakers, traditionally hosted for the past six years at BCC. Now in our seventh year, EBABZ still operates as an all-volunteer based organization, dedicated to maintaining a platform prioritizing alternative education for and by our Youth, LGBTQ identities, people of color, and other underrepresented communities. The relationships strengthened between the significant population of zine makers with the Oakland Public Library, Bay Area non-profits, Alameda County public schools, and other community groups have ties in the community have been upheld and will continue to be exercised by EBABZ.

Annapolis, NS (Non-active) – Young Company Fall Theatre Series

2016-09-02T00:00:00Z

“I want to be involved in a production!” – These are the words of a young, budding thespian who attended a workshop on improvisation earlier this summer. Throughout July and August, those aged 10-18 were invited to take part in Young Company Theatre Days: The Place to Act Out!, a workshop series where community leaders shared their theatre arts expertise and enthusiasm with young participants. Our organization, Young Company Productions (YCP) hosted nine free workshops in Annapolis Royal on a variety of topics ranging from The Art of Auditioning to Scriptwriting and a backstage tour of King’s Theatre. This series was the first in what we hope will be a resurgence in young people’s involvement in theatre in our community. With another school year around the corner, we want to build on the momentum of our summer program by offering a series of theatre sessions this fall. Our Awesome project will provide 8 weeks of drama workshop sessions for teens and pre-teens, under the Young Company banner and will include a final production open to parents and community members. The Awesome funding ensures that the workshops will remain free and accessible for all participants.

North Minneapolis, MN – North Side 'Zine

2016-09-01T00:00:00Z

I would like to collect poetry, stories,art, etc from Northside residents and put it in a zine format and distribute it for free. The purpose of the project is to showcase the beautiful talent that we have in North Mpls. I would like to have a couple of days or events where people can come and create art.

Atlanta, GA (Non-active) – Ba'beez 'R US - Self Esteem Dolls for Girls

2016-09-01T00:00:00Z

Ba'beez R' Us is an initiative that uses handmade art dolls to boost the self esteem of a diverse population of young girls who do not fit the idealogy of beauty, according to the status quo. We live in a society that overlooks the wide spectrum of beautiful. Often, it is young girls, who do not fit the mold of what is socially accepted, who are most affected. In addition to being under-recognized, they are teased and body shamed for their own unique form of pretty. Many times, the result is that they do not see themselves. The doll-making workshop reinforces positive self image in young girls of all orientation, race and ethnicity, who may have insecurities about their own physical appearance (e.g., having alopecia or short hair, freckles, buck-teeth, overweight, skinny, albino, over-development). The project goal is to provide a safe space for discourse that will change this narrative.

Orlando, FL – Beautified Electrical Boxes

2016-09-01T00:00:00Z

We are hoping to secure funds to paint additional electrical boxes in the community. This project adds curb appeal to what is otherwise a bit of an eyesore to the community. The painted boxes draw attention in a good way and brighten up the area while showcasing the talents of local artists. The painted boxes could potentially help the value of homes in the area while also discouraging graffiti.

Minas Gerais (Non-active) – Arquitetura na Periferia

2016-08-31T00:00:00Z

O projeto visa a melhoria da moradia de mulheres moradoras das periferias, por meio de um processo onde são apresentadas às práticas e técnicas de projeto e planejamento de obras e recebem um microfinanciamento para que conduzam com autonomia e sem desperdícios as reformas de suas casas. Mais do que oferecer um produto, buscamos favorecer a autonomia das participantes, ampliando sua capacidade de análise, discussão, prospecção, planejamento e cooperação, o que por fim leva a um aumento de sua autoestima e confiança. O projeto possui as seguintes premissas básicas: Todas as atividades são realizadas em GRUPO, assim é possível que as participantes se ajudem, se incentivem e criem laços de confiança; As participantes são exclusivamente MULHERES - a proposta visa contribuir para a inclusão da mulher no âmbito das decisões acerca da construção do espaço de moradia, área atualmente dominada pelos homens; Criação de uma POUPANÇA conjunta que será utilizada na compra de materiais e na contratação de serviços para realização das obras; MICROFINANCIAMENTO - cada participante recebe uma pequena quantia em dinheiro para complementar a poupança e cobrir os gastos com as obras; AUTOGESTÃO – o processo é gerido pelas próprias participantes, assim tornam-se para além de beneficiárias, protagonistas nesse processo; ABRANGÊNCIA - a proposta envolve todas as etapas da melhoria da casa, desde a concepção do projeto, o planejamento e a execução da obra e o seu financiamento; NEGÓCIO SOCIAL - a proposta consiste em um modelo de negócio social que pode ser ampliado com a criação de novos grupos de mulheres, na medida em que o dinheiro do microfinanciamento é recolhido.

Melbourne (Non-active) – Complimentary Caravan

2016-08-31T00:00:00Z

Firstly, I should let you know that I am as serious as a dinosaur! Complimentary Caravan is my latest community arts project. It provides people with a space to consider what it is to give and also receive a compliment. I tested out this idea at the Castlemaine Village Festival in June and got a great response. A week before the event, I recorded ‘compliments’ at the local library from passersby who were asked to contribute a spoken compliment about someone they admire. The result was a beautiful ten minute soundtrack of heartfelt words of admiration and gratitude - overflowing with sincerity as they were all spoken about a real person. Written compliments were also collected through a local community Facebook group. I wrapped up these printed compliments with a pistachio nut - bonbon style! A ‘complimentary nut’! (I couldn’t resist that joke!) On the the day of the event, I set up in a caravan and welcomed guests to snuggle inside and soak up the soundtrack. It was a very touching experience for listeners with several people admitting to crying (happy tears!) while listening. Hearing the compliments has an interesting effect on people. Even though you know the compliments are not for you, you can still enjoy them as if they are. I am now fine-tuning this idea and approaching councils and festivals (Melbourne and regional Victoria) about creating a Complimentary Caravan for different events. The emphasis will always be on working with compliments collected from that local community. It could work with the general public or could also focus on a particular sector of the community - e.g. disengaged teenagers; school students, etc. At lot of research has been done on the benefits of compliments and I am interested in the mental health aspect of this work as well as seeing it as an ‘arts project’. I have designed a small caravan on a 6x4trailer that is currently being built by a friend. I will paint it and add comfortable seating, lighting and speakers.

Stockholm (Non-active) – Sopköket

2016-08-31T00:00:00Z

Sopköket creates supply chains without waste. They turn surplus food into delicious meals sold to businesses and customers. Oh, they also employe marginalized groups (focus newly arrived refugees), operate in otherwise unutilized kitchens and take usage of many types of resource waste. Awesome ey? Buying their meals, as a company ordering catering or as a consumer, you contribute to a sustainable environment without waste. Today food waste stands for 10 % of the worlds entire CO2 emissions = 1,3 billion tons of food. At the same time Sweden and Europe has faced it's largest immigration stream in a long time, with great difficulty integrating these newly arrived people in an efficient and sustainable way. Also, a big waste contributor is the resource waste of furniture and utensil retailers. As well as the many kitchens which stands out of use several hours a day. Through different partnerships and collaborations cross industries, Sopköket helps reducing waste in all forms listed above, focusing mainly on providing healthy meals made out of surplus food. Relying on these kinds of unutilized resources, available everywhere, makes this project very scalable. Collaboration is key in the fight against waste.

Jumbos (Non-active) – Public Harmony

2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

Public Harmony is a new Tufts student group that unites music and service, bringing Tufts musicians into the community to perform at venues including assisted living facilities and shelters in Tufts’ surrounding communities. Last spring, our pilot group performed twice at St. Francis House, Boston’s largest day shelter, and once at The Women’s Lunch Place, a women’s shelter in Downtown Boston. During the coming year, we will continue to offer concerts at these venues, as well as others, increasing access to live music where opportunity is limited and offering Tufts students the chance to collaborate and perform with like-minded peers. We have submitted the "New Student Organization Application Form" and look forward to meeting with Tufts Community Union-Judiciary in the fall to gain official recognition by the university. Our pilot group included ten musicians specializing in voice, cello, piano, and guitar, and already, we have gathered the names and email addresses of over 75 students interested in joining us in the coming year. Public Harmony not only addresses a need for students wishing to continue to make music at the college level in a meaningful and rewarding way but also fosters community, bringing volunteers together for dress rehearsals, meetings, and performances, all with the purpose of spreading joy through song in the Greater Boston area.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Black Women in Medicine

2016-08-29T00:00:00Z

Black Women in Medicine honors Black women doctors around the country who work diligently in all facets of medicine. By telling the stories of women who have persevered in medical fields, in part by overcoming barriers linked to race and gender, the film provides audiences with visions of success and fuel for self-actualization. Showcasing the most dynamic collection of stories of Black women in medicine ever assembled, this film is designed to inspire minority youth to enter the field of medicine despite challenges they may face. Approximately one in four persons currently living in the U.S. is Black, and the number is steadily increasing. By contrast, Blacks represent only 4.5% of the physician workforce under 40. The percentage of female minority doctors is even smaller. As minority doctors are more likely to provide care to minority, undeserved, and disadvantaged communities, their under-representation is a problem with potentially fatal consequences. Barriers separating youth of color from careers in medicine must be addressed if we are to foster a medical workforce that better reflects the diversity of the society it serves. Black Women in Medicine amplifies the stories of trailblazing women and brings them within reach of those who most need to hear them. As we follow these stories, we journey through America’s sociopolitical evolution concerning gender equality and cultural diversification of professions. These narratives tell stories of excellence and perseverance that engage, inspire and motivate, planting seeds of aspiration in the minds of future doctors. As former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders says in the film, "You can't be what you can't see." Black Women in Medicine replaces negative imagery – mainstream media’s false and debasing historical narrative regarding race, ethnicity, gender and character – with positive images of successful Black female doctors.

Alaska (Non-active) – Central Urban Farm

2016-08-29T00:00:00Z

My original question was: can Anchorage be sustainable? I really don't think it can, Alaskans are so independent and in Anchorage, like most other cities in America I'm told, people don't talk to their neighbors. Coming from Fairbanks it was a little foreign for me. Instead of bemoaning the fact, I began to organize an urban sustainability course (aka permaculture) in Anchorage. I got Lisa DePiano, from U.Mass Amherst to come and teach it with me. The amazing thing was that Central Lutheran Church at 15th and Cordova agreed to allow us to turn their property into an urban farm during the course. As it happens they have many, many homeless folks that hang out there and are welcomed on the property. Having a farm there, the congregation said, would just allow them or anyone else to come by and get food as they need it. We just finished phase one on Saturday night: the 7,000 sq. foot food forest. Phase two will begin next summer with building the annual garden beds. Phase three will be honey bees and a composting business. My favorite quote from Saturday was from Tony Knowles, "That doesn't look like MY garden." What we would like are some interpretive signs. Most people haven't seen berms and swales, they don't know what Good King Henry is or how good it tastes. So signs would be great, but... Maybe more importantly we are trying to figure out fencing, so that the moose don't turn it into their private munching grounds. Maybe small fences to keep moose out, but make sure the homeless don't feel fenced out.

Washington, DC – NHDA Youth and Young Adult Hand Dance Symposium

2016-08-29T00:00:00Z

The National Hand Dance Association is sponsoring its 2nd Youth and Young Adult Hand Dance Symposium on Saturday, October 29, 2016, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, 2730 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, Washington, DC. The event is FREE and opened to youth and young adults from ages 10 years old to 25 years old. Priority registration will be given to youth residents of Ward 7 and Ward 8. These are neighborhoods that need positive activities for its underserved youth and for youth who may not have access to the arts. This symposium gives voice to the young generation of hand dancers who are making this 60 year old social dance tradition, their own. Hand Dance is a contemporary swing style partner dance and is the Official Dance of the District of Columbia by Resolution of the DC Council. The Youth and Young Adult Hand Dance Symposium will host a number of workshops in introducing young people to hand dance and support the growth of those who hand dance. It is important to continue the legacy of Hand Dance by cultivating a new generation of young dancers. One day workshops will include hand dance classes for the youth and their parents, a workshop in dance floor etiquette as the dance encourages positive social growth and development, a hand dance music appreciation workshop, a group discussion forum on the opinions of this new generation. Our newest workshop will be a workshop "So You Want To Be A DJ?" Our goal is to cultivate a new and younger generation of hand dance DJs, as the current hand dance DJs are older and out of tune with the new and contemporary music that young hand dancers prefer. This hands on workshop will be open young people ages 16-25. The workshop will be taught by 2 seasoned hand dance DJs as instructors for the topics 1) Introduction to DJ gear and equipment, 2) Understanding Hand Dance music (R&B, Pop, Caribbean, International, Country, Techno-pop, etc) and 3) playing for a hand dance social event

Newcastle – Frontline Yoga-trauma aware yoga for the frontline

2016-08-26T00:00:00Z

Frontline Yoga offers free trauma aware classes for police, paramedics, firefighters, defence people, hospital staff and a number of other industries. Classes are also offered for the frontline support network such as friends and family. Classes are taught in a very specific manner to ensure conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression and trauma are not worsened. Class guidelines are based on empirical studies and research done into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), neurological function and response and how Yoga can help manage the symptoms. Over the last 3 years the association's founder has been volunteering her particular style of Yoga on RAAF bases, with Soldier On as well as a number of other venues. Feedback has been very encouraging, some of the participants report better sleep, a sense of calm and peace as well as gaining a sense of support and community. Word has spread and now teachers all over Australia want to offer a similar service in their community. Several ex-military turned Yoga teachers, experienced Yoga teachers and professionals have come together to create a comprehensive instructional package so that we can train other Yoga teachers to offer a Frontline class in their community.

Antigonish, NS (Non-active) – ZUCCHINIFEST ANTIGONISH

2016-08-25T00:00:00Z

It seems strange that a town like Antigonish doesn't have one of those festivals devoted to an abundantly produced local fruit or vegetable. And in keeping with our community's quirky and fun population, why not embrace the produce that overgrows and overflows every late summer / early fall -- so much so that a local myth prevails that if you leave your car doors unlocked at that time of year you will find yourself with gifted zucchini? I've already got the community group Cultural Connections Antigonish interested in this project (they are thinking of giving their September community potluck a zucchini theme) and I have no doubt I can get local restaurants to participate in creating zucchini specials to serve over the course of a week in September... For this first year, I want to keep it manageable and grass-roots (not necessarily creating separate events but encouraging businesses and organizations to integrate the festival into their regular activities in creative ways), but if it goes well it would be great to build on it in future years. The only actual event I am committed to organizing myself is a Zucchini-Boat-Making Workshop!

Antigonish, NS (Non-active) – An International Evening with Coady Students 2016

2016-08-25T00:00:00Z

We are more than 40 participants from different 18 countries around the world, which is a diverse group comprised on various cultures, languages, traditions and customs. This project will give an opportunity to the participants and Antigonish community to come together and share each other’s culture, music, dance and food. It will provide space to share participant's experience living in Antigonish with local community; moreover it will also help community members to understand the global culture and people from different communities. The international evening is to celebrate the diversity within our group and community. The evening will have three main attractions - food, dance and music. Students will prepare their local food dishes from their countries; students will perform on sorts of songs and music i.e. - Indian dance, African dance etc. For the decorations, different country’s flags will be used and dress code for the evening will be local outfits using traditional cloth. We can book Coady garden for this activity.

Newmarket – Senior Cadet FTX Weekend

2016-08-23T00:00:00Z

The Seniors of 94 Air Cadets play a vital role in the effective functioning of the squadron. Senior cadets are 15 years old and up, and are in a minimum of Proficiency Level 4. Their longstanding commitment to the cadet program is rewarded as they are given more responsibility and leadership roles, such as teaching classes, leading the Pipe and Drum Band, and the Drill Team. All cadets give back to their community, by participating in Remembrance Day ceremonies, and other community service activities, including working with local veterans groups such as the Newmarket and Bradford branches of the Royal Canadian Legion. However, the Seniors also take part in the annual Remembrance Day Overnight Vigil at the Newmarket Cenotaph, and taking on supervisory roles with younger cadets at these and other activities. To start off each training year, the Seniors of 94 Squadron meet for a full weekend to refresh their survival skills, set goals for the year, learn new instructional techniques, and have a bit of fun at the same time.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Free Water Safety and Basic Swimming Skills album

2016-08-22T00:00:00Z

Magical Music for Life Foundation has identified the need for accessible and easily teachable water safety education for not only all young children, but especially for children diagnosed with autism and other special needs. After the success of our free downloadable basic life skills album, “A Day in the Life of a Child,” we were asked to write an album of songs that will help teach water safety skills. The music we write is what is referred to as “earworms.” The music is fun with catchy lyrics which stay in one’s head. This is perfect for teaching skills that you want to become automatic with children. As with our other albums, we use children from our singing groups to record the music we write, because children identify with the children singing and as a result, respond to and remember it better. Our goal is to have the album of 12 - 15 songs completed for Water Safety Awareness month in May 2017. This includes composition, arranging, rehearsing, orchestrations, printing scores/music, recording, mixing, mastering, and production of the CD for free download and distribution. After final production, we will be contacting numerous agencies and organizations serving young children with autism and special needs, as well as other organizations serving normally developing children, to inform them that this music is available as a free download. Also, we will offer to send free CDs to the organizations. With drowning ranked as the leading cause of death in typical children under the age of five and under the age of 14 for children with autism, this album not only will save lives, but also help lower the number of children with permanent disabilities. As statistics show, for every drowning death there are 15 emergency room admissions resulting in brain related injuries. With over 16 years of experience of writing music for children, Magical Music is confident and excited for another opportunity to use music to better and save the lives of children.

Ottawa – CSArt Ottawa Community Launch

2016-08-22T00:00:00Z

August’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Megan Piercey Monafu to support the launch of CSArt Ottawa, a community-supported art start-up inspired by the “farm box” model of community-supported agriculture. “Patrons purchase a subscription at the beginning of the season,” Megan explains, “which goes toward supporting the season’s artists as they create work especially for the subscribers. Then, throughout the season, the subscribers receive a share of the artistic harvest. This year, subscribers will receive tickets for two to a music concert, tickets for two to a theatre piece, a painting, a piece of ceramic art, a book of poetry, and a meal for two, as well as opportunities to get to know our artists.” “We're focused on getting the best of Ottawa art to Ottawa audiences, and creating community while doing it,” Megan continues, “so to kick off our season we're holding an event that is both for subscribers and community members. We're partnering with Bar Robo for a Saturday afternoon, family-friendly event where people can meet our artists and have a good time. Members of the PepTides will play some sweet tunes, THUNK! Theatre will get people involved in a pop-up performance, and Chris Turnbull will give away her beautiful poetry. This will result in a party that supports our initiative, supports new business Bar Robo, and gives art away to as many passers by as possible.” Megan is a playwright, director and facilitator, with a particular focus on community building and social activism.