Awesome Foundation - Projects

Newmarket – Maple Leaf P.S. & STEM MINDS: Youth in STEM

2017-11-28T00:00:00Z

As part of STEM MIND’s ongoing commitment to increasing access to STEM education, we are hoping to receive funding for STEM-based lunch time and in-class workshops in partnership with Maple Leaf Public School. Maple Leaf P.S. is a YRDSB school for grades K-8 that has been identified as a “Performance Plus” school; indicating that a great number of children and families who attend the school are living in poverty. As is recognized by the leading experts in STEM education, limited financial resources are one of the largest barriers to access quality STEM opportunities. It is the combined mission of Maple Leaf P.S. and STEM MINDS to ensure that all students, regardless of financial income, are able to participate in programs and opportunities that support and encourage their passions and growth. Through the provision of lunch time programs and in-class workshops, STEM MINDS and Maple Leaf P.S. will share their knowledge, skills, and resources to break down the barriers that low-income students face. Some opportunities for participants include: 1. STEAM Discovery: Each week participants will get to be hands-on in the world of STEM as they explore and build a variety of exciting projects that they get to keep! Along the way, participants will learn about design and construction and will explore key STEM concepts like electricity, motors, circuitry, and more! 2. LEGO Robotics & Coding: Participants will get the opportunity to learn another language; the language of programming! Through a variety of hands-on challenge-based activities participants will get to explore the world of coding through the LEGO EV3 robot. 3. 3D Printing: Participants will learn a whole new way of thinking in three dimensions and are sure to enjoy having their digital designs come to life with our 3D Printing program. Participants will explore the fundamental skills and concepts of 3D design as they create their own projects and have fun combining the world of art and STEM!

Tallahassee, FL (Non-active) – Computer Workshops for Formerly Incarcerated

2017-11-28T00:00:00Z

Formerly incarcerated Tallahasseeans do not have much exposure to new or changing technology. Many don’t know the parts of a computer. Some cannot type on keyboards or access the Internet. More and more services which help formerly incarcerated individuals to get their lives back on track are putting details of who they are and what they do online. This means accessing these services becomes harder and harder. Rescue Me Project Ministries, Inc (RMPM) recognizes their struggle. We are working to offer much-needed computer literacy workshops to Tallahassee’s formerly incarcerated individuals. We run three workshops; Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. Our workshops run three days a week for six weeks per level. Each student’s progress is measured through pre and post-tests at the end of each workshop. Every workshop is an opportunity for students to think about how computer competencies will positively impact their lives. As students progress through workshop challenges, they become more confident to deal with today’s competitive society. Our students’ achievements encourage even more students to sign up, but our space and equipment are limited. With funding from this grant, we will be able to “INSPIRE more lives, one day at a time.”

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – NYC Momentum Training

2017-11-27T00:00:00Z

NYC Momentum is an opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced, innovative organizers in the field who will share their learnings along with a synthesis of best practices from disciplines including social movements and the field of civil resistance, complex systems, decentralized networks, and strategic communications. While it may feel like the odds are stacked against us, social movements have repeatedly changed what was winnable, even in the grimmest of circumstances, from ending apartheid in South Africa to overthrowing dictators in Serbia. Now more than ever we need these tools to seize the moment and win a vision of justice now and for generations to come. In the past year, millions of newly activated and longtime activists alike have taken to the streets, protested at congressional offices, and joined local political organizations to resist the Trump administration. But after 10 months of near daily attacks on our rights and protections, many are growing increasingly disheartened, tired, or confused about what we do next. As the administration continues its relentless assault on our rights and protections, how do we sustain and grow our movements to seize and meet this moment, while not losing sight of our long-term vision? How do we keep engaging our people and calling them into courageous action, especially in discouraging times? What are the strategies we can and should be creating together and how can we learn from successful movements worldwide to support us?

Alaska (Non-active) – Alaska Dinosaurs Color and Learn Book

2017-11-27T00:00:00Z

Alaska, today, is a recognized hot spot for polar dinosaur research. Dinosaurs in Alaska? Yes! Surprisingly, 13-15 species of dinosaurs plus other strange, fascinating creatures inhabited our northern state during the Cretaceous Period, 66 to 144 million years ago. They stomped, flew, swam and died, from Wrangell Saint Elias National Park to Anvik, and from the Alaska Peninsula to the North Slope. Today, scientists and lay people are discovering abundant evidence of their presence. We believe that a “color and learn” book about “our” dinos has wonderful scientific and educational value and is most timely. The text would be written for young adults or for adults to read to children. The Back Story Kai and Sylas Reising, my sons, had a wonderful coloring book about Texas dinosaurs and they asked me to buy them a coloring book about Alaska dinosaurs. I scoured book stores, museum shops, libraries, and online web sites and found none so thought it would be exciting to create one. To help, I phoned my mother, Janet, who also lives in Alaska. She was equally excited. We studied scientific papers and books, watched quality movies, visited museums and talked with paleontologists, geologists and paleoartists. Research for the “color and learn” book is mostly complete, the draft text is being critiqued by Dr. Patrick Druckenmiller, University of Alaska Museum of the North paleontologist. I am working with a Seward high school student who is drafting sample illustrations to be considered for the book. Although Janet, Dr. Druckenmiller and I have volunteered our time, we cannot ask an artist to do so, thus this request to AWESOME. Currently, we estimate the coloring book at about 30 pages long. Most pages will be for coloring but a bit more information on the 4 endemic, named dinosaurs and background information about the Cretaceous and the three biggest fossil locations, the North Slope, Denali, and Talkeetna Mountains.

Northern Virginia (NOVA) (Non-active) – The Refugee Doll Project

2017-11-27T00:00:00Z

The Refugee Doll Project consists of dolls, books, lesson plans, and service projects to teach young children awareness and appreciation of refugees and immigrants. Our ultimate goal is to place this curriculum in all NOVA school systems. An immediate goal is to train NOVA parents to use the components of the project to teach empathy. The 18" doll, a repurposed American Girl doll/or knock-off, is symbol and motivation of this project. These dolls that represent countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Central America reflect the newly arrived communities in NOVA. Afterwards, it is our hope to give these dolls to schools and libraries in NOVA to be placed in circulation.

San Francisco, CA – Community Street Painting

2017-11-23T00:00:00Z

I am an artist living and working in the Mission District in San Francisco. As a practicing artist in this neighborhood, I have seen first hand the influx of people within the community shift with little to no interaction between diverse groups that call it home. I am proposing a street art project that will use Treat Street in between 20th and 21st streets in the Mission district as a platform for making a large scale community painting. Treat Street in between 20th and 21st streets, often called the 20th street corridor, is a slice of a larger problem that exists in the city of San Francisco. Inhabitants include families that have been living on it for fifty plus years as well as recent newcomers, students, florists, musicians, business owners, tech startups, restaurants, and artists. This block is capped on one end by John O’Connell high school and a family run grocery on the other. A community recreation center, art/music studios and start-ups lie in between. As a long time resident of this area, I see first hand a large amount of interaction between people within their own groups, but little to no exchanges among individual groups themselves. One of the reasons for this lack of interaction, is the resentment from long time residents towards wealthy newcomers and companies. There is animosity from locals because gentrification has raised rents, the cost of living and caused the eviction of over one thousand long time community members and families because they can not afford to live here anymore. I've been using my body to paint for the last seven years. Confined to my studio using different modes of transportation to move fluid paint that is sandwiched in between sheets of plastic film. The paint picks up the movement of my body as well as the texture of the surfaces below the barrier of the plastic sheets. Expanding my practice as a painter, this project would invite the community in which I am part of to paint together and bridge connection gap.

Rio de Janeiro (Non-active) – Efeito Urbano e Hip Hop Feito o Efeito

2017-11-23T00:00:00Z

O Grupo Efeito Urbano foi fundado em 2011 por jovens artistas moradores da Providência, é a Primeira Companhia de Dança do Morro da Providência. Com o objetivo de utilizar a arte como uma ferramenta de integração social e motivacional para outros, em 2014 o Efeito Urbano cria o projeto Hip Hop Feito o Efeito onde os próprios dançarinos em formação da companhia seriam instrutores de outros jovens e crianças. As oficinas funcionam 3 vezes por semana com 2 aulas por dia, com 1 hora de duração cada aula.

New York City, NY – Jefferson Gates

2017-11-22T00:00:00Z

Superchief Arts Club will be serving up a nearly a block’s worth of curated murals in the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens. This exciting new project involves a collaboration with neighborhood businesses and local artists to create a series of more than 24 garage doors that line the block of Jefferson Avenue where the Superchief Arts Club has been operating a Community Center and Gallery since 2012. The completion of this work will increase pedestrian traffic, drive local commerce and add cultural vibrancy to the community. Superchief has a history of enabling new and avant garde artists to participate in the larger community. Since 2012, the gallery has been a driving force in the art world, and a venue that promotes emerging forms of art such as GIFs, CGI, and 3D printing, all while uplifting a new generation of visual and performative artists. The Queens space now serves as a community center and an incubator for disparate scenes and collectives. Recently, the group has become much more active with day-to-day activities open to the community and have found the borough of Queens to be a welcoming place not only to expand its space, but also the scope of what they do. They host events six nights each week for everything from gallery hours to the beautiful, immersive visuals at Bring Your Own Projector Night. Through all of their ventures, they seek to uphold their mission statement of supporting artists from disparate scenes and collectives, enabling them to participate in the larger community. Through all of their ventures, they seek to uphold their mission statement of **supporting artists from disparate scenes and collectives, enabling them to participate in the larger community**. --- September 2018 update from Rachel Kolarik: "So far, we have completed 5 out of the 7 gates for this year's portion of the project - your contribution has aided us in purchasing supplies for the murals by such notable artists as Kristin Liu Wong, Hugo Girl, Kashink, and Boy Kong!"

San Jose, CA – Renter's Rights Guide

2017-11-21T00:00:00Z

Renter's Rights Guide is an open source web application that informs San Jose renters about the laws and programs in place to protect them. In December 2016, we formed our team at Code for San Jose, a community of technologists and activists dedicated to solving problems through technology. Our team of volunteer developers, designers, and researchers were concerned with the affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area. We began prototyping and researching. We conducted user research and stakeholder interviews and learned that there is a shortage of affordable housing in the Bay Area; that there is a housing and jobs imbalance, that everyone looks for affordable housing -- from retail workers to teachers to administrators to tech workers, and that it is difficult to find information about affordable housing and navigating tenant issues such as evictions or rent increase. Three personas emerged from the interviews -- homeless individuals, individuals living in precarious situations such as getting evicted, and middle-income individuals who also struggled with finding affordable housing. From this research, we began developing the Renter's Rights Guide, an open source web application built with React and Rails. In September 2017, we launched the web application for San Jose renters to learn about tenant rights and resources. It featured 3 features: tenant rights, renter’s rights and resources. On the tenant rights page, users can simulate the tenant eviction process in the State of California through an interactive timeline. On the renter’s rights page, users can learn about the four local ordinances that affect San Jose residents and learn which residents are covered by what ordinances.    Recently we conducted usability testing and continued connecting with stakeholders e.g. the City of San Jose Housing Department, to understand how to improve the application. We will work on improving the UI/UX and translating the application.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Blank Noise / I Never Ask For It

2017-11-20T00:00:00Z

Blank Noise is a community of ‘Action Heroes’ / citizens and persons united to eradicate sexual and gender based violence. Blank Noise was initiated in 2003, in response to street harassment, at a time when the sexual violence in public spaces was considered a non issue and being dismissed off as 'teasing'. Blank Noise is built on the lived experiences of its Action Heroes. An Action Hero is anyone who steps into their power and agency to tackle sexual violence. Over the past decade, Blank Noise has designed a range of participatory actions , events, campaigns, committed to ending victim blame, shifting the environment of warnings and fear, by instilling ideas of trust and belonging. Select projects include, I Never Ask For It, Meet To Sleep, Talk To Me. I Never Ask For It invites women to become Action Heroes , by bringing a garment they wore when they experienced harassment or abuse. The garment is memory, witness and voice. Ten thousand garments will stand together in sites of public significance in 2021. We are motivated by what this would do a public memory to both build and experience. Meet To Sleep invites women to sleep in their public parks, and assert the right to trust and be defenceless. The action has taken place across India and Pakistan. Blank Noise is working to do this globally. Talk To Me, brings strangers together over tea and samosas, to talk for an hour, about anything except sexual violence. Conversations lead to possible connection, trust and empathy. The story of fear is replaced with trust. Action Heroes is from across 66 cities and towns, in India and globally, with an age ranging 14- 67 years. Blank Noise has created over 500 actions, taking shape across spaces from the streets, to conference rooms, the internet, classrooms, art venues, the mainstream media and a collective public memory. It is credited with 300 press reports, media mentions including from across 20 countries in ten languages.

Pittsburgh, PA – girlfx presents: Tea Time

2017-11-20T00:00:00Z

Tea Time is an after hours party alternative focused on music, tea, and community, hosted by creative collective girlFx. Tea Time shifts the nightlife emphasis from consuming alcohol to building relationships with one another, celebrating the arts with a glimpse into the technology that creates it. Tea time will take place at Dobra Tea, a bohemian-style tearoom located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. This space provides open-format cushioned seating, encouraging conversation and interaction with your neighbors. GirlFx will transform this daytime hangout into an after-hours venue featuring live and DJed ambient, atmospheric, and experimental electronic music in a relaxing environment. GirlFx would like to host this event 4-6 times annually. The price of admission will include different teas in the traditional Gong fu cha style and light fare, such as locally-made hummus and pita. Tea Time is a concept that first developed in Madison, WI in 2012, when a tea shop continued a monthly park party inside its doors. The Madison event coordinators provided a welcoming atmosphere described as, “resonant beats to move your body and heal your soul.” With Tea Time, guests will be able to steep in the music, much like leaves in their tea, becoming revived and engaged in the night. Tea Time is a place to slow down and to reconnect with the self and others; a chance to delight the senses and to open up with fellow Pittsburghers. The goal of Tea Time is to provide a social experience not bound to consuming alcohol, but one that will help to cultivate a sense of welcoming and community. It is also a platform for sonic artists to share their craft and love of music with an audience. This type of event has not been offered in Pittsburgh before, yet people of all walks of life are delighted and interested in this non-traditional after-hours event.

Utrecht – WHATCHAMACALLIT

2017-11-20T00:00:00Z

WHATCHAMACALLIT, een verbastering van What you may call it, is een platform voor cultuur, hedendaagse kunst en ontwerp. In december liet het wier weken lang Utrechters ontdekken en ervaren. Hoe? Door een groot en divers scala van evenementen aan te bieden onder een dak. Variërend van modeshows, tentoonstellingen, diners, filmavonden en veel meer. WHATCHAMACALLIT is een creatieve vrijplaats, die ruimte biedt voor verbindingen en samenwerking tussen vernieuwende ontwerpers, artiesten, makers en liefhebbers. Whatchamacallit is een concept en laat zich niet beperken door muren van een pand. Whatchamacallit kan zich altijd doorontwikkelen op verschillende locaties in Utrecht. Hierdoor is het niet gebonden aan tijd en regels.

Boulder, CO (Non-active) – Vagina China

2017-11-20T00:00:00Z

Our project is a large scale ceramic exhibition called “Vagina China.” Our mission is to make art that celebrates the vulva by demystifying it, and to bring light, awareness, and conversation about this part of the female body, as it is often objectified but rarely reflected upon and honored. This project embodies a new approach to collective artistic exploration by inviting all people who identify as a women in the community to explore and share their own deep truths through small-group studio ceremonies. In a desire to represent the collective effort of all women involved, we are operating under the name “The Women's Art League” We are creating 13 different collections of handmade ceramic plates, each referencing classical pottery patterns and adorned with cast vulvas. The plates will be both works of art, and also an entry point into a larger cultural conversations, exploring current issues that impact women today. Each set will be configured on the wall in a unique and arrangement relevant to the style and message. We are making 13 sets because it is the number of the divine feminine. We’ve developed a unique and innovative way to engage participants in the art making process that has become integral to our endeavor. We are holding “casting ceremonies,” in which we gather a group of a dozen women at a time for a night of rituals, art making, sharing in circle, and casting vulvas. The ceremonies are community building, free, and empowering. The castings are anonymous and private. Many of the women who are drawn to our project also understand our reference to the landmark installation, “The Dinner Party,” by Judy Chicago, in 1979. Ms. Chicago has invited us to discuss our project at the Brooklyn Museum on January 16, 2018 and how it fits into the continuum her work, and the recent discovery of the "Famous Women Dinner Service” by Bloomsbury artist, Vanessa Bell. Our discussion will be included in a British documentary about this lineage.

Ottawa – Newcomer Reads

2017-11-19T00:00:00Z

November’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Abdulnour Sakhniya, a Syrian newcomer to Canada, to put on a reading competition for youth from the newcomer community. “Coming from a newcomer and refugee background,” explains Abdulnour, “I have found that many in my community are lacking in literacy. With many of our parents illiterate,” he continues, “there is a huge need for a literacy project. I feel if I start with kids I can slowly build my dream of illiteracy-free within all demographics of the newcomer community.” With the collaboration of the Ottawa Public Library and Capital Welcomes, a list of books will be drawn up that are easy for newcomers to read. Youth who read a certain number of books over the summer will receive prizes, and whoever reads the most books will get a grand prize. Support will also be offered to help with reading and for youth to share their experiences. Abdulnour, who is 19, is going to school to pursue his dream of being a commercial airline pilot. He also works with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants as a youth social worker and sits on the board of Capital Welcomes.

Kingston – Rideau Heights Junior Roller Derby

2017-11-18T00:00:00Z

RHJRD is the passion project of Kingston Derby Girls' co-founders Skate at Home Mom and LaVallee of the Dolls, along with KDG alumni skater Mr. Kristi. Our inaugural project: a 12-week Intro to Roller Derby camp for girls ages 8-12, living in the Rideau Heights area. We will provide a unique, fun, accessible sport experience in Kingston's north end, starting in early 2018. Derby is an incredible world - beyond providing the obvious physical fitness, it teaches sportsmanship, self-esteem, and a sense of community like no other sport. We want to bring all of this to kids in this community, but the cost of playing the sport can be prohibitive, so we want to offer this small-scale pilot project at no cost for participants. There are many expenses associated with playing roller derby - we are already well on our way to accumulating the equipment that we need. Through crowdfunding and donations of gear, we are already able to offer 6-7 skaters the ability to lace up with us. We hope to get 10-15 skaters involved in this camp, and are confident that we will succeed in filling our "locker room" to make this possible. Derby has changed all of our lives in one way or another and we want to bring all of the empowerment, skill and fitness that we got from playing this sport to kids that may not have the resources to participate otherwise. We all have a connection to this community in one way or another and feel strongly about launching Kingston's first junior derby venture in this neighbourhood.

Antigonish, NS (Non-active) – Prosthetic skin for amputees

2017-11-17T00:00:00Z

The problem for this project to solve is for amputees. Presently most prosthetic limbs have a latex polyfoam covering that breaks down requiring the unit to be replaced every six months to a year. The piece does not look pleasing or even human drawing the attention of people making the amputee feel different and uncomfortable. This makes for a damning case for mental health. The project im proposing is making realistic skins for amputees. This would be a silicone covering that matches the skin color of the user. This would include hair and nails on the piece that would make the user look like they had not lost a limb but was wearing a knee brace. The item is made from medical grade silicone it can be tinted to the users skin tone and even tattooed. With this product im positive that the above mentioned problems will be aleviated allowing the amputee to lead a more normal life.

Philadelphia, PA – The Portable Camera Obscura

2017-11-17T00:00:00Z

The Portable Camera Obscura is a single-day pop-up exhibition that will travel to four different Philadelphia city parks during the spring and summer of 2018. Free and open to the public for exploration, the exhibition will consist of a temporary “room” constructed of PVC and blackout fabric that can be entered by viewers. Completely dark except for a small hole in one of the panels, the room will appear empty until the viewers’ eyes adjust, and then slowly reveal the view of the outside world projected on the wall across from the hole. Through the “magic” of optics, the image will appear upside down, but its reality will be apparent. Once adjusted, the participants can remain in the room and experience life moving outside of them from the perspective of the camera. In this digital age of distraction, we are met with fewer and fewer opportunities to engage with the world around us in real time. The goal of The Portable Camera Obscura is simple: to encourage members of Philadelphia communities to be present in their environment, observing their surroundings through the active “seeing” that the camera encourages. To assess the outcome, participants will be encouraged to share their experiences both in real time and using social media. A stack of post-it notes with the question, “What did you see?” will be available for participants to write on and post on an outer wall of the obscura. Viewers will also be encouraged to share their reactions on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #ObscuraPHL. Through these exchanges, I hope to foster dialog about the experience of seeing as well as a new appreciation of the spaces we inhabit together.

Oahu, HI – Lemonade Stand - Project Based Unit

2017-11-17T00:00:00Z

The 4th and 5th grade students at Kamalani Academy will engage in a Project Based Unit of Study centered around a Lemonade Stand Project; an awesome way to teach Math and Language Arts standards! We would like to kickoff the unit with a field trip tour of Waimea Valley – “Take Care of the Land that Sustains Us.” During this 3 hour tour, our students will learn about the relationship between land and people and learn about Hawaiian plants and fruits. On another day, we will have a representative from Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade, a local business in our community of Wahiawa, come talk to our classes about how a business is run, specifically one that sells lemonade. Then we will continue our unit in the classroom, which will include reading The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, math activities involving creating and following a budget, measurement, fractions, graphing, and analyzing data. Then students will use all of this knowledge to actually make lemonade. We would like to incorporate native fruits as options for small groups to experiment with and create flavored lemonade. Each group of students (about 4) will work together to decide on one lemonade flavor and then market it, which will include creating a name for their lemonade recipe, musical jingle, I-movie commercial and creating an advertisement poster. For our culminating activity, every group will have a Lemonade Stand set up on our school campus, and we will invite other students, staff, family and community members to stop by and try the different lemonades. They will be able to purchase 4 tickets for $1, and the tickets will be used to purchase a Dixie cup of lemonade from a stand of their choice. After this activity, we will count the tickets and graph the results. We will also discuss ways people can make a difference in their community and help others. Then as a group we will vote to donate all the proceeds to a local charity/good cause.

Philadelphia, PA – Project Fighting Chance

2017-11-17T00:00:00Z

OK now THIS is awesome. No dinosaurs, sorry! A group of nurses at Temple University Hospital's ED got together w/ a Temple ED doc and combat veteran, and the Temple Trauma outreach coordinator. Project Fighting Chance was born out of a cry from the community to help all ages with what to do when stuff hits the fan. The 24th and 25th district of Philly is riddled w/ gun violence and Temple sits in it. No wonder we are the busiest Level I Trauma Center in the state for penetrating trauma. With multiple other university level I trauma centers in the immediate area....it happens here in Temple's footprint. Our team volunteers their time to go into the community and teach medical care and tactical maneuvers to community members within these districts. We've held numerous training sessions and are growing in demand. We started at 12th and Cambria with the help of the local street council there made up of the area citizens. Crime, awareness, gun violence has taken a 180 since we've started. We can't take all credit but day one, over a year ago, we had to be escorted on the grounds by the community leaders. A few months ago on our last event there, I was having a conversation with another PFC leader at 10pm in the middle of the street which was unheard of on day one. We have the blessing of Temple Hospital and Temple legal, and the 24th and 25th police districts to teach our curriculum which consists of basic gun shot/stabbing victim knowledge, personal safety, care under fire, volunteering to help, tourniquet application, improvised bandage use, tactical positioning and carry maneuvers, scene safety and prep for EMS/police arrival. We go through informational session, interactive sessions, then we put it all together in action in a mock shooting. Its informative, engaging, and we make it fun. Check this out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/temple-university-hospital-gun-violence-fighting-chance_us_579a4777e4b01180b5323657

San Antonio, TX – Latched

2017-11-17T00:00:00Z

Latched is a 5013c non-profit organization that was founded in 2017 by two Registered Nurses specialized as Lactation Consultants. Created from a lack of existing services to support cultural diversity and various generations, we wanted to give moms a positive place where they are empowered instead of judged. We hope to increase breastfeeding rates by offering affordable in home lactation services by standard fee and sliding scale. Regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic class every mother will have the option of this support to come to her in the comfort of her home. Although there are services within the San Antonio community such as WIC or Baby Café, we have found that women of color in particular are not utilizing these services. Our goal is to increase awareness and support to all breastfeeding mothers but with African American women as a priority. Latched is not only empowering moms, it is also changing the community perception on why it is important to support a breastfeeding mother. Latched having lactation professionals of color allows promotion of equity and cultural competence within the lactation profession, as representation to reflect the target community. Providing support gives a mother and her child an opportunity for a better wellbeing and future leading to a healthier society.

Birmingham, AL (Non-active) – OAA Community Engagement

2017-11-17T00:00:00Z

The Engagement was designed to help formerly incarcerated persons participate in the restoration needed in crime infested, low income communities in the Greater Birmingham area. The Offender Alumni Association started the process by adopting the Titusville community in March 2016. For us restoration of communities would involve three things; dedication,building relationships and hard work. We believe that if we can invest in building people, they will invest in rebuilding their "community." The initiation of this process started with providing lawn services to the elderly, disabled residents free of charge. This work is performed by formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. This was to create a non-threatening presence to the residents, ensuring that we were there to help them. The second phase, the relationship building, started with an introduction the group and purpose in March 2017. We immediately implement our ideas to get the youth involve by hosting the first Youth Career Readiness Initiative for those 14-17 in the Titusville community who were in danger of failing in school, had parents who are incarcerated, and siblings that had been involved with the Birmingham VRI, and yet these youth were still actively trying to live meaningful lives without proper influence or support in their efforts. This project was coordinated June -September. It gave OAA the room to build relationship over the summer months and once school started, the ability to check to see where the youth are so that even as the funding end we can follow-up and offer any assistance necessary for the youth to succeed. We are currently looking to strengthen our efforts by creation of a resource hub. This community space will offer youth a place to study ( math and reading camps), kids will receive a light snack before returning home, community support meetings and resource guides that assist residents in rising above their current situation. This is a hand up methodology.

Glasgow – Braw Wee Traders at the Barras

2017-11-16T00:00:00Z

We want to run a pilot for of our Braw Wee Traders project, which will recruit two local lassies from the Calton Area of Glasgow to make/ or source their own products and become Barras Traders. The project ties in with a partnership project with Rock Regen CIC and Glasgow Furniture Collective supported by Glasgow City Council's Stalled Spaces funding - 'Be a Barras Trader'. And our overall aim of supporting the regeneration of the local area. The Braw Wee Traders project is something we've been aiming to do for the past couple of years & we are now in a position to take it forward with help. The overall aim is to support the regeneration of the Barras and Calton area through training and support of local people to create their own opportunities. The project will achieve the following outcomes: Support two young females from the local area to develop their own businesses within the area that they live within with support of an experienced local business. Support the regeneration of the Barras market through introducing new market traders, with unique products that will encourage new shoppers to the area and ensure that existing shoppers continue to return. We want to take on two trainee traders at the same time so that they can support each other in their journey to becoming traders, It is hoped that they will initially share the one stall or have stalls beside each other, which will increase the likelihood for them to carry on with being stall holders. Activity 8 full-day training days with the team at Braw Wee Emporium in making stock/ sourcing products; retail display; customer service; developing their branding & marketing material; social media development; retail admin (card payments, cash management, packaging materials, etc.). 4 days trading at the Barras Market with subsided stalls with support from the Braw Wee team. Braw Wee will support them with promoting them through our own mailing lists, social media sites and business/ community networks.

Chicago, IL – Refugee Education & Adventure CHallenge (REACH)

2017-11-15T00:00:00Z

REACH recruits at-risk refugee adolescents who have escaped violence in their home countries and arrived to the U.S. within the last 5 years. REACH helps integrate newcomers into the social fabric of the areas in which they are being resettled. Our programs focus on developing social capital, which helps shift the marginal status that is often held by refugee youth and their families. REACH provides refugee youth & their families with experiential learning opportunities focused on STEAM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, & Math) education and adventure sports. Our mission is to inspire leadership, academic success, and connections among refugee youth through active dynamic learning outside the traditional classroom. Short-term objectives are to build leadership skills; enhance outdoor experience; reduce youth isolation; expand family activities; build practical STEAM skills; & provide career development. REACH is unique in its focus on breaking down social, economic, & place-based barriers with experiential learning & adventure therapy methods. Our vision is to build a sense of space & learning through an engaged network of refugee youth, their families, and adult mentors. REACH program participants focus on gaining skills in English language proficiency, interpersonal dynamics, teambuilding, leadership, STEAM education (i.e., living organisms, stream ecology, nature photography, urban habitats, sustainable cities), service learning, & outdoor adventure sports like paddling, biking, hiking, climbing, cross-country skiing, snow tubing, ice skating, & camping. In the past 2 summers, we engaged 60 refugee boys in Summer Adventure Camps including: day camp sessions with kayaking, climbing, hiking, forest restoration work, & team building; overnight camping trips to local state parks; & family picnics/award ceremonies. Currently, REACH has no paid staff and is run entirely through volunteer efforts and private donations.

Washington, DC – Awesome Weekend

2017-11-15T00:00:00Z

The DC Chapter of the Awesome Foundation is participating in Awesome Weekend, a global event from Awesome Foundation chapters around the world on Dec. 9-10, giving random nano-grants of $5-10 to people in the community to make their day more awesome and spread cheer. DC's grant giving location and time will remain secret, but stay tuned to our social media accounts to learn more! Global Awesome Chapters currently participating in the Awesome Weekend giving campaign include: * Chicago, US * Liverpool, England * Kingston, Canada * Sarnia, Canada * Orlando, US * San Antonio, US * Washington, DC, US * Ottawa, Canada * Glasgow, Scotland * Belo Horizonte, Brazil Follow Awesome Weekend locally at #awesomedc and globally at #awesomeweekend!

Cass Clay – Cradle Me Care

2017-11-15T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is a student-led nonprofit organization aimed at reducing SIDS. Every year 3,500 infants die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). About a quarter of those is from suffocation and strangulation related to improper sleeping environments. Having a proper baby bed is the very first step in raising a child. It is essential that infants under the age of 12 months sleep by themselves in a crib/ bassinet.The goal of Cradle Me Care is to provide safe and comfortable sleeping situation for families who are financially struggling to provide for their newborn. Cradle Me Care will use the money to buy baby bassinets, clothing, and informational resources for families struggling to provide for their infant. We want to make sure that as many babies as possible have the basic necessities to survive early childhood.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Project Peaceful Warriors

2017-11-13T00:00:00Z

Project Peaceful Warriors is a non-profit organization located in New Orleans, LA. Our mission is to provide trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness programming to schools — providing students and educators with tools to reduce stress and anxiety, combat burnout, and lead happier and healthier lives. To accomplish this goal, we partner with schools, community centers, local yoga studios, and other organizations. In New Orleans (NOLA), our students experience trauma at a shockingly disproportionate rate compared the rest of the country. According to the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies (IWES) “In That Number” Campaign (2015) which surveyed New Orleans youth ages 11-15, 54 percent of youth in New Orleans have lost someone close to them, to murder; 40 percent have seen someone shot, stabbed, or beaten; and 29 percent worry about not being loved. The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder rate among NOLA youth is four times the rate of the national average (IWES, 2015). As their educators, we cannot change the circumstances or violent communities that they live in, but we can give them tools so they can change how they handle them. Our job is to give them the tools to grow as impactful members of the community so we can all find empowerment through peace. To create safe and healthy learning environments in schools, we believe in creating a culture shift using the tools of yoga, mindfulness, and self-care for students and for educators. We believe that such an approach encompasses, supports, and equips the whole school with valuable tools and experiences that they can use to address trauma, which reduces and prevents negative impact on teachers and students. In addition to helping heal youth trauma through small group classes, we aim to empower teachers to bring yoga and mindfulness into their classrooms in order to decrease classroom distractions, bullying, reduce student anxiety, and burnout.

Sydney – Inner West Tool Library

2017-11-13T00:00:00Z

Did you know that the average drill is used for less than 15 minutes in its lifetime? The concept of a tool library is much like a book lending library, except lending out tools instead of books. Once a member, you can browse the collection either online or at the library, and loan out the tools you need. Why a tool library? Save money and space : once a member, individuals have access to hundreds of tools, allowing them to borrow them rather spending the money on new tools, then needing to store them. Share skills : a space for learning how to use tools, and sharing ideas and tips. Protect the Environment : Sharing reduces the number of new tools made, and the resources needed to produce them. Community building : Meeting place for neighbours, open space for discussing projects and helping each other out. Last year I did a workshop to build outdoor furniture from recycled timber. The day was great, especially learning how easy it is to build basic furniture - as long as you have the tools to do it, or money to buy them. I do not have either. Through my interest in the share economy, I had heard of a tool library in the past, so started to do some serious research. I discovered there are hundreds established in North America and Europe, and decided there should be one in Sydney! So far there are only 2 in Australia (Melbourne and Katoomba), so OZ is pretty new to the game. The plan is to hold workshops as well, empowering the community to learn how to use power tools and be able to do their own home renovations or creative work. It will be a NFP. Since making a Facebook page to gauge interest from the community, I’ve had over 200 people like the page, and continue to receive positive comments, offering support, donations of tools and interest to get involved. I’m holding a meeting on July 20th in hopes to gather some of these like-minded people together and create a core Tool Library team.

Paris (Non-active) – Le Filon

2017-11-13T00:00:00Z

Le Filon est né de la volonté de co-construire un lieu avec les femmes de la rue. Les femmes représentent aujourd'hui un tiers des personnes sans domicile fixe, cependant aujourd'hui il n'existe quasiment pas de structure dédiée. Nous pensons que les femmes de la rue sont une richesse pour la société. Parce qu'il est important qu'elles aussi en aient conscience, nous avons décidé de créer et faire vivre avec elles un lieu bienveillant et accueillant. Ce lieu, au cœur du quartier des Batignolles, est ouvert 5 jours par semaine, de 9h à 15h (jusque 14h le dimanche). Notre mission est dans un premier temps d'accueillir et d'écouter les femmes afin de comprendre leurs difficultés et leurs problèmes. De ce travail d'accueil et d'écoute peuvent ressortir des demandes et des besoins à partir desquels nous orientons les femmes vers les partenaires de notre réseau pour répondre à leurs besoins (hébergement, soins, alphabétisation, emplois etc...) et nous les accompagnons physiquement et psychologiquement dans leurs démarches. Notre idée est d'être la boussole et le repère de ces femmes. Le Filon is a safe place co-constructed by and for homeless women. Women represent over a third of the homeless people, but there are no structures specially dedicated to them. We think that homeless women are a richness for the community. Because it's important for them to be aware of it, we have decided to create a welcoming where they can live. In the 17th arrondissement of Paris, this place is open 5 days a week. Our mission is to welcome these women, to listen to their problems.

Asheville, NC (Non-active) – Hex

2017-11-13T00:00:00Z

Hex is a bi-monthly dance party event that is always benefiting a different local organization. Hex was birthed out of a deep dissatisfaction for the current state of things in our country, and wanting to find a way to raise money as well as have fun and not get stuck in the despair of it all. So far, there have been 3 events- all at the Mothlight. The first one benefitted OurVOICE, the second Transmission Prison Project, the 3rd was for Justice for All Project (part of Pisgah Legal), and the upcoming one on October 27th is for CIMA. Each event highlights 3 local DJ's and a local performer, aiming towards including people of color, women, and gender non-conforming folks as primary people on the stage. Each event charges $5 at the door, with all of the proceeds going to the organization being benefitted.

San Francisco, CA – 34 Trinity Arts & News

2017-11-09T00:00:00Z

34 Trinity Arts and News respectfully requests support for its launch and first year of operations as a radical newsstand, art gallery, and book stall in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District. Operating from a small storefront space at 34 Trinity Place, the project will carry used books focused on art, culture, history, theory, and the Bay Area; show local visual art, particularly photography, political posters/prints, and installations; sell poetry chapbooks, zines/comics, and other visual arts-oriented publications; and stock independent local news, such as San Francisco Public Press, San Francisco Bay View, and El Tecolote. The 34 Trinity Arts & News collective was founded in summer 2017 in response to the imminent retirement of Rick Wilkinson, former proprietor of the beloved G.F. Wilkinson Books at 34 Trinity Place. Collective members had been regular patrons of the book stall, and learned from Wilkinson that the landlord was considering converting the space to ATM’s after he moved out. Thus, the 34 Trinity Arts & News collective was formed as an act of resistance--however modest--against the ongoing conversion of San Francisco cultural space to ultra-commercial uses. In particular, we intend this space to be a venue to support the political and artistic contributions of San Francisco natives, residents, working class people, and people of color -- emphasizing the work of those who are being displaced amidst the current onslaught of gentrification and hyper-development. We are inspired by similar projects throughout the Bay Area, such as Wolfman Books, Bound Together, and Adobe Books, and also hope to operate in the tradition of San Francisco spaces that have been lost, such as Marcus Books, Adolph Gasser Photography, and New Langton Arts. Our audience will consist of longtime G.F. Wilkinson fans, downtown workers interested in visual and literary arts, and others drawn by the development of a “new” space in the tradition of radical San Francisco.

Liverpool (Non-active) – Head Cluster

2017-11-07T00:00:00Z

The project is a collection of Head Busts on plinths in a semi-dark environment. Each head is sensitive to sound and movement. In effect they will respond and interact to the sound and movement of spectators viewing the installation. Each head will become illuminated when it becomes stimulated like a performer under the spotlight. The heads use animatronics to move, speak and interact with their audience. Each head will be developed and personalised by different artists across Liverpool. Thus the visual and emotional response from each head will be very different. Viewers may well invoke a cacophony of interactions between the heads.

South Bend, IN – Fall Leadership Retreat

2017-11-06T00:00:00Z

In 2015, I had the awesome experience of spending a weekend retreat camping at Camp Friedenswald with a handful of urban, at-risk youth. At first, they were all trepidatious about the occasion inquiring about the bugs, the food, and getting their hair wet among other trivial concerns. Most of these young ladies had never been camping or too far outside of their South Bend neighborhoods. The focus of this retreat was leadership development and goal-setting for the upcoming school year. Not only were students able to participate in several leadership and teamwork activities, testing their ability to cooperate and communicate, but these young ladies also had an opportunity to assess their future goals and fears in an environment free from judgment and ridicule. Many of these young ladies, had personal breakthroughs in regard to their personal and educational goals. To my surprise, these young ladies had never had the opportunity to dream their wildest dreams because, simply, no one bothered to ask them or expected them to do much. These resilient young ladies jointly had experienced more adversity than most adults I know; including the death or incarceration of a parent, teenage homelessness and physical and/or sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted adult. But what became more evident through this retreat than their adversity was their capacity to still have hope and dreams for their future. The young ladies who attended this trip shared their awesome experiences with their peers and have endeavored to plan another summer retreat. This idea is not awesome in the innovative way that you might expect, but what’s awesome about it is the fact that it’s student-led. Which is evidence to the fact that even the students we label as troublesome or difficult have the capacity to be leaders within their schools and neighborhoods. This awesome idea is about supporting and encouraging that innate potential toward the betterment and future of South Bend!

South Bend, IN – All Over Creations Bakery

2017-11-06T00:00:00Z

I am a new business owner in the Michiana/ South Michigan area. I'm in the process of trying to bring the latest trends of cake decorating to the area. I'm developing my skills in cake mapping, sugar art and cake sculpting.

Ann Arbor, MI – Sustainability by Design: A School Bus Conversion

2017-11-06T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is to convert a school bus into a transportable living space to convey themes of sustainability and living a creative lifestyle. I’ll be using it to volunteer on farms and for non-profits both in Ann Arbor and across the United States. The bus will have a formal audience at a curated exhibition in April; there will also be an informal audience on the road. The sheer size of the bus alone will allow it to play a relatively humble, self-promotional role. Instead of making work about sustainability and a creative lifestyle, my work aims to embody these themes while serving a utility. Phase #1 is purchasing a used school bus. Phase #2 is gutting and insulating the bus. Phase #3 is designing and planning the interior construction of bus. It will contain custom built furnishings. The exterior will have a space for an outdoor shower head and curtain, and a platform on the roof. I also plan to incorporate patterns of translucent vinyl on the windows of the bus, for aesthetic and privacy. Phase #4 is the building process. I will be sourcing as much material as possible from recycle and reuse centers, scrap material, and free material. My process is as important as the end product; I’m expecting to learn the most from the hands-on, design/build process, but the converted bus will be the fruit of the labor, and what others will ultimately view and experience at the exhibition in April, and on the road. I will gain a greater understanding of large-scale designing and building and develop a more sustainable and responsible creative process. Others will see, by example, what it means to reuse material, and what it means to live a creative, sustainable lifestyle. Just as I will assess and use the material resources around me, I will also assess and use the people around me. Using what’s around will be a prevailing theme in my project.

Northampton, MA (Non-active) – On-The-Spot Poetry

2017-11-05T00:00:00Z

I want to bring some wordy wonder to downtown Northampton! My vision involves setting up a typewriter and table downtown and doing two things: composing original poems on the spot for people, or helping them compose their OWN poems on the spot. I'm a writer and teacher, and I've wanted to do this for awhile. I'd pick some of the last gorgeous fall days we have coming up, and an additional one for Bag Day on November 20, when the streets are full of enthusiastic holiday shoppers. I think poems could make it more fun and magical.

Boston, MA – Creative Boat Art for 75 Fifth Grade Students

2017-11-05T00:00:00Z

It is a tradition for all students in the 5th grade at the Haley Pilot School to build wooden boats. Building boats allows students to apply their classroom STEM skills. My students are very excited to use tools and learn to paddle on Jamaica Pond! The 5th grade students keep telling me that after working so hard to build, they want to be able to paint their boats with creative designs. An Awesome grant would help us to buy paint and hire a local Visiting Artist so that all 75 fifth grade students next year could express their ideas about the world by painting the boats they have built. After painting their boats, students will launch them on Jamaica Pond and learn to paddle. Then the canoes will be exhibited in the school lobby, at the Jamaica Plain Library, Jamaica Pond, and other public spaces around Boston. Students will create written pieces about the building process and their boat-art to exhibit alongside their boats. Creative Boat Art would add an arts and humanities piece to the existing Boat Building curriculum, so that the project would become truly interdisciplinary, and hit all the state standards through an exciting, hands-on project.

Boston, MA – Youth Spoken Word Poetry Leaders Program

2017-11-05T00:00:00Z

For many years, Boston has enjoyed one of the richest poetry slam and spoken word poetry scenes in the country. Great right? Only problem is that all the shows are 21 and 18 plus only. Our organization Mass LEAP (started as a collective, but now a non-profit) has been grinding for the past 6 years to develop more opportunities for young people to pursue spoken word poetry, not only for the art, but for the community and social change that this art promotes. We've done this by establishing an annual festival called Louder than a Bomb Massachusetts (last year we brought over 300 teens together for a month long festival where young people from over 40 school communities write together, attend performances and listen to one another's stories through the poetry slam competitions. Now there's a ton more interest, yet not enough consistent safe spaces for young people to gather throughout the year. Last year we piloted a new program called "Youth Spoken Word Leaders" where we selected 5 teens to receive paid mentoring, while they learned about organizing, managed their own monthly writing workshop and open mic series. It was a great success, with hundreds of youth attending these events out of our offices at Makeshift Boston (Columbus Ave, South End) throughout the year. We very much wish to continue the program past year one, but need a little more community support. As we build our organizational capacity to keep the festival going, provide free professional development opportunities and keep the lights on, we seek sponsors and partners in order to ensure that we can continue to train and PAY young people to take on the work of service their peers. Our vision is for this program to exist in every urban center of Massachusetts, but we need to stabilize the program in Boston first. We had one year of national support to incubate this project, but currently do not have the funding to continue. You all should see how incredible these youth open mics are!

Northampton, MA (Non-active) – Secret Comedy Show

2017-11-05T00:00:00Z

I would like to set up a comedy show at a small venue like the Iconica Social Club in Northampton. In the wake of the show we give clues to it location. with flyers and videos or radio ads. I use an app call Live Portrait and when you point your phone at the picture it plays a video. The draw is that we have one exciting headliner that everyone wants to see, but the adventure would be in figuring out where it is and playing along.

Adelaide – Tools for primary school STEM with a difference

2017-11-04T00:00:00Z

A STEM program with a difference working with students who may have poor classroom engagement, challenging behaviours, ASD and/or disability. With a tiny budget, and the help of an ex-manufacturing professional who joined the school's ranks as a School Support Officer SSO in mid-2016. We have been able to develop some inspiring projects for students from Rocket launchers to electric billy karts, raspberry pi computing, robots and electric cardboard racers. See our youtube channel, link on our project webpage. Our SSO supporting teachers to provide hands-on STEM activities in the classroom from reception to year 7, including junior primary and primary special class. This also includes providing a range of interesting/alternative hands-on STEM activities for small groups of students who may experience high levels of absenteeism, challenging behaviour, or low classroom participation.

Singapore – Nong Bo Art House

2017-11-03T00:00:00Z

Hello! My name is Yen Lin, and I am a visual artist in Singapore who has teamed up with a Thai artist called Maitree Siriboon, to create an artist residency-cum-homestay in his village hometown, Nong Bo, in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. We plan to use the arts to open up his village to the "global village" (i.e. the rest of the world), and this Nong Bo Art House residency is the beginning! We wish to develop this abandoned traditional Isaan wooden house into a habitable homestay with an attached art studio space. We then wish to alternate housing local village artists (from Isaan) and international artists (from overseas), and provide a platform where we can use art to engage conversation with the local villagers, and create something spectacular -- a sustainable intercultural experience that no one will forget. This project also supports Maitree's dream of turning his village into a center for arts and culture, which will invigorate this medium-sized village of 1500 families, and provide it with a new source of financial income (be it through increased tourist dollar or funds raised through art), as the traditional farming culture in the village is increasingly threatened by wider political and economic forces within Thailand. Each artist who stays (for a period of 1-3 months) will also be requested to donate one work to Nong Bo Art House, which can then be exhibited/sold in yearly fund-raiser shows, to keep the residency self-sustaining. As a city girl born and bred in Singapore for the last 27 years, and Maitree himself being a village boy who has then lived and worked in Bangkok for the past 20 years, we are fascinated by the interplay of rural and urban culture, and wish to play our part to bridge the gap between the two worlds. There is so much to learn and to understand about those who seem to be on the "other side of the fence"! We hope to use the arts, through this project, to enrich minds and hearts through meaningful collaboration. :)

Oakland, CA (Non-active) – Haircuts with Heart

2017-11-02T00:00:00Z

Haircuts with Heart respectfully requests a $1000 grant for our Bay Area Community Outreach Project. As a new, Oakland-based nonprofit organization, Haircuts with Heart believes the simple gesture of a haircut can help restore a sense of dignity. We host free haircut events in a buoyant, caring, respectful manner to local community members in need. We access our guests -- Elders, Homeless, Unhoused, Veterans, Women and Youth -- through partner hosts such as Operation Dignity, Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center, Berkeley Food and Housing Project, Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficency and Alameda Boys & Girls Club. Our organization is comprised of professional stylists, barbers, makeup artists, nail technicians and salon owners adept in all hair textures who wish to give back to their community.

Atlanta, GA (Non-active) – H.O.P.E. - Helping Our Precious Elders

2017-11-01T00:00:00Z

Because seniors 50+ have given so much to so many, Our Time 21st Century Seniors, Inc. (OT) aims to give back to this deserving, and often forgotten community for their work ethic, great customer service skills, and putting aside their dreams as they raised families and grew large corporations. Many seniors are lonely, tired, sick, and bewildered by the lack of choices available to them once they retire. However, OT is here to provide workshops in computer literacy, ink art, sewing, piano, theatre, and many more, so that their days are constructively spent. We also want to attend to the entire person -- mind, body, and spirit, so that self-esteem is rebuilt and independence -- if lost -- is regained.

Melbourne (Non-active) – An awesome VIP Day for Melbourne's homeless

2017-11-01T00:00:00Z

DINOSAURS DINOSAURS DINOSAURS HoMie requests $1,000 from The Awesome Foundation to enable us to run one 'VIP Shopping Day' for Melburnians experiencing hardship and homelessness. This VIP shopping day will support and engage with 20 Melbournians experiencing homelessness who will be invited to shop for free at The HoMie Street Store (2/296 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) as ‘VIP Customers’. VIP Shopping Days aim to increase social inclusion, connectedness and confidence for Melbourne's most marginalised and vulnerable people. VIP Shopping Days also bring VIP Clients into the HoMie Support Network, where they can access and request further support from organisations in our network should they require it. By bringing homeless clients into the HoMie program, we hope to foster trust and a connection to the HoMie brand, so that they may choose to undertake further training with Homeless of Melbourne in the future. HoMie VIP days are also widely publicised on our social media channels (HoMie Street Store - 15,000 followers; and Homeless of Melbourne - 50,000 followers). By covering the VIP Shopping Days and their benefit to the homeless community, we are able to raise awareness in the broader population with regards to issues facing Melbourne's homeless community, and give HoMie customers a tangible way of giving back (just by purchasing cool clothing or volunteering with HoMie).

San Jose, CA – 2017 Overfelt High School Hip Hop Workshop

2017-11-01T00:00:00Z

Nearly one in four students in San José are at risk for dropping out of high school. Students who drop out are eight times more likely to be incarcerated and three times more likely to be unemployed (Sum et al. 2009). To address this issue, City Year San José provides academic and socio-emotional support at K-12 schools in East San José’s underserved neighborhoods. At Overfelt High School, City Year members work in classrooms all day, and we tutor students after school. The result? Ninety-four percent of the students who receive math and literacy tutoring from City Year improve on state assessments, and 95% of teachers report that City Year increases overall academic performance. City Year has proven to be valuable to East San José, and we want to reach and retain as many students as possible. In order to radically engage youth of color academically and emotionally, effective urban educators argue schools must start using Hip Hop as a learning tool. This year, we will host the Hip Hop Workshop to 1) increase attendance rates in our after-school tutoring program and 2) supplement our socio-emotional learning curriculum (overcomingobstacles.org). We will hold our workshops monthly in our after-school program where well-known Bay Area Hip Hop artists will 1) perform their music and 2) present about several topics––self-love, resilience, mentorship, racial identity, social entrepreneurship, and college/career readiness. Here, students will be able to ask the artists questions, participate in activities, and develop new skillsets and mindsets about their lives and education. We estimate the program will impact 300 ninth through twelfth grade students. After the first two performances, students will be able to attend the workshops if they attend 90% of their scheduled tutoring sessions, which will serve as an incentive for students to attend tutoring regularly.

Washington, DC – All One City Meetups

2017-10-31T00:00:00Z

Greetings! It's Justin from Funk Parade. Our first iteration was possible with your generous support. We've learned some remarkable truths over the past few years. And we want to put them to work helping those many groups make their own dream projects come true, with your help. Here's what we've learned. First: if your community is diverse enough, needs and resources become indistinguishable. Here's what we mean: A group of musicians share the same needs - Money. Patrons. Space to practice, teach or perform. But as part of a diverse group, those needs become resources. A developer may need to activate vacant space, so a musician's need for rehearsal or teaching space becomes a resource for them. A restaurant may seek curatorial help booking weekly music nights, so the musicians' need for patrons and money becomes a resource for them. Second: When needs and resources merge, it liberates civic entrepreneurs and artists from their old reliance on institutions -- government agencies, big foundations or corporate sponsors. We discover resources in our own communities, simply by connecting people. Third: We're good at throwing Funk Parades, but we're great at connecting people. We've been playing "switchboard" for our stakeholders, connecting muralists with empty walls, civic entrepreneurs with potential backers, businesses with musicians, city agencies with advice and experts. With your help we want to launch a new initiative, the All One City network, to convene our stakeholders and recruit others to be part of a new, symbiotic civic engagement network. It will be built on shared beliefs that a city should have robust arts and culture, affordable housing, functional transit, access to quality healthcare and food, and public safety. And above all, an tightly-woven civic fabric which does not allow social boundaries to prevent us from building a diverse and respectful city together.

Disability – #ADAPTandRESIST

2017-10-31T00:00:00Z

We will build on our success in advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, and create a new initiative – a Rapid Response Team – allowing us to significantly enhance our reach and impact. In the current political environment, our rights are constantly under attack. We need to be more proactive, and have the resources allowing us to respond to the immediate needs of the people. In creating a rapid response team, we would be delivering expertise, in the form of advocacy, to the doorstep of the representatives and legislators who need our help in comprehending the issues, whenever necessary. ADAPT, a grassroots, disability rights group that conducts non-violent civil disobedience, used its decades of experience with direct action to highlight the threat of Medicaid cuts to the Disability Community. This campaign was instrumental, through July, in defeating the Medicaid cuts and repeal of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) in the US Senate. In the five weeks between June 22 and July 28, ADAPT conducted a campaign to save Medicaid and community-based services from massive cuts, averaging three protests each day. Our collective action outside Senator McConnell’s office became the catalyst for progressive organizations opposed to the repeal of the ACA. Two weeks ago, we protested both inside the Senate Finance Hearing Room and in the hall, where over 115 ADAPTers were arrested as we opposed the Graham-Cassidy bill. Shortly after our protest, the bill was pulled. ADAPT was able to strongly respond because we planned this months in advance, and the action happened to coincide with the timing on the bill. Otherwise, we would have had to find a way to rapidly respond, with no budget and no travel plans. I would use my status within ADAPT to become the leader of our newly-created rapid response team, in responding more efficiently and effectively to the needs of our constituency. Rather than planning months in advance, we would reduce our horizons to days. What our grantee is saying: The Awesome Foundation Award allows us to involve more members of our community by forming a Rapid Response Team. In doing so we can protect the life and liberty of so many people with disabilities. Without this award, this would not have been possible. What our trustees are saying: I voted for #ADAPTandRESIST as the scale of the impact is huge and systemic. Image description: Group of people with disabilities protesting to save Medicaid in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington D.C.

Washington, DC – Prescription Ey

2017-10-30T00:00:00Z

The Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington's (POB) eyeglasses clinic provides new eyeglasses to low-income and homeless persons in Washington, DC who need eyeglasses but cannot afford to pay for them. POB's eyeglasses clinic provides the new eyeglasses at a nominal cost. This project aims to provide completely free eyeglasses to those most in-need, including homeless and those with very limited incomes. Typically, eyeglasses cost $35 per pair. Those who are unable to pay the nominal eyeglasses fee, work with our staff to discuss a sliding scale based on financial capabilities. We do not want to deny eyeglasses to anyone based on their income.

New York City, NY – Syrian Refugee Graphic Mini-Narratives

2017-10-30T00:00:00Z

Chris Russell (illustrator) and Patrick Hilsman (journalist) are working on a collection of graphic essays about the Syrian refugee crisis, told through the eyes of individual survivors. The essays will likely become a book, in the tradition of graphic novels such as Art Spiegelman’s _Maus_ and Marjane Satrapi’s _Persepolis_. Each essay is told in memoir form, with text taken directly from interviews with Syrian individuals who have been uprooted and forced to flee by the most destructive conflict of the 21st century. Over the course of six years, the Syrian conflict has escalated from a peaceful uprising to a war that dragged in superpowers and set off global consequences felt across the world. By asking individual Syrians who have been forced to flee to speak in their own words from a variety of perspectives, we allow each story to be a different window into the origins of the Syrian revolution and the descent into civil war and the refugee crisis. _We hope our project will shine a fresh light on the refugee crisis for a new audience, and that it will serve as an educational tool on the roots of conflict and the dangers refugees face._

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – CHOOSE

2017-10-30T00:00:00Z

In October 2016, I self-published the second edition of The Classroom Index—a 224-page racial literacy textbook with a sponsorship from the Princeton University Department of African American Studies and the Princeton Education Foundation, selling 500 copies to 15 states nationwide. The Classroom Index is, foremost, a rich collection of stories from across the nation, aimed at sparking dialogue about race in classrooms. For the teacher, The Classroom Index greatly simplifies the often daunting task of initiating meaningful conversations about race. The textbook has a collection of interviews, combined with the discussion points, that connect a modern context to any historical event, increase participation and interest, and spark compassion as individuals put a topic or event to a real face and story. Each story in the textbook consists of an interview, a photograph of the interviewee, and discussion points that support, refute, or qualify the story with historical or contemporary events and research. The list of tags and corresponding stories makes it simple to choose content relevant to the themes of an educator’s existing lesson plan. Furthermore, stories are color-coded to indicate appropriate age and grade levels—including elementary, middle, and high school. To use this historical/sociological toolkit, first, the teacher picks out a tag related to her lesson plan from the index in the beginning of the textbook. Next, she flips to the corresponding page number next to the tag where a related interview awaits. Not only is finding the interview a speedy process, using it also does not take time away from the teacher’s lesson plan. Since the interview is linked to the lesson plan by theme, it is meant to act as a supplement by simply adding on to the subject at hand. Therefore, the teacher can teach about race while staying on topic with the curriculum. My dream is to make The Classroom Index the leading K-12 social-justice education tool in classrooms nationwide.

Utrecht – Sterrenkijken

2017-10-30T00:00:00Z

“Net als veel andere mensen kijk ik graag naar de sterren. Bij voorkeur vanaf een berg van waar de sterrenhemel overweldigend is. Nu zie ik in Utrecht de mogelijkheid om op een “berg” zonder lantaarnpalen, met minimale lichtvervuiling, toch af en toe naar de sterren te kunnen kijken. De berg ligt in een park, dus lantaarnpalen zijn niet dik gezaaid en staan niet al te dichtbij. Je kunt daar met enige tientallen mensen op de grond zitten of liggen. Er is slechts één klein probleem. De gemeente heeft midden op de berg een lantaarnpaal geplaatst...” Was getekend: Claas Hille. Zijn oplossing? Een schakelaar op de lantaarnpaal om een paar minuten zonder lichtvervuiling naar de sterren te kunnen kijken. Helemaal passend in de Utrechtse sterrenkundetraditie. En een te gek idee. Met de hulp van Awesome Utrecht wist Claas het bij de gemeente voor elkaar te krijgen en kan iedereen vanaf vandaag in het Griftpark naar de sterren kijken. En wij mogen nog meer verwachten van Claas: "Ik ben jullie grootste fan. Dankzij Awesome Utrecht realiseer ik me hoeveel niet uitgevoerde ideeën ik nog heb. En dat heeft lang genoeg geduurd. Ik ga ze nu uitvoeren.” https://www.duic.nl/opmerkelijk/iedereen-kan-nu-de-lantaarnpaal-het-griftpark-uitschakelen/

North Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota Black Authors Expo

2017-10-30T00:00:00Z

Jasmine Boudah approached me about the idea of hosting a Black Author's Expo in North Minneapolis. We both have a strong passion to ensure north Minneapolis residents have the same opportunities to purchase Black literature and to sell it, as other communities. We recognized that other expos don't cater to Black literature and we realized how important and how very necessary it was for us to create our own spaces. Within 30 days we had chosen a date (November 18, 2017) and secured a venue and began advertising. This event will give Black authors an opportunity to sell their books, promote literacy, display their talents, network, and meet other authors. To date, we have secured 26 authors with hopes of having at least 40 authors featured at this event. Author booth rentals have garnered a total of $1975 in funding to offset costs of the event. So far over 205 community members have confirmed attendance. Community members will have a chance to meet, greet, buy books and get them signed from a diverse group of Black authors in the Twin Cities. There will be a wide selection to choose from. Non Fiction, Self Help, Urban Fiction, Christian Fiction, Empowerment, Hip Hop Love Stories, Coming of Age, and Children Books. We will have performances, live readings, and great panel discussions with the authors themselves. This event is free and open to the public. Insight news is providing advertising pro bono, we have several volunteers who have confirmed attendance, and we look forward to being able to fund this event on a larger scale next year. This year we need help. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/minnesota-black-author-expo-all-authors-must-reserve-booths-tickets-36666874609

Newmarket – RAINY DAY YOUTH NEWMARKET PROJECT

2017-10-30T00:00:00Z

The RAINY DAY NEWMARKET CHILDREN’S PROJECT helps children and youth living in Newmarket, address social/emotional/financial devastation caused by their diagnosis of life-threatening illness. Whether it’s through services or funds, we help patients find the silver lining in their fight of their lives. Most people do not know that pediatric patients are at risk of a life-long financial ruin, depression, anxiety and resulting mental health concerns. This project helps prevent such ruin with financial and social/emotional assistance: financial (pays past-due rent, past-due utilities, groceries, hospital parking costs, transportation to get to medical appointments), so the child can recover in their own home; social/emotional (gifts to hospitals and homes to bring smiles and joy back to the child, as they face the scary hospital experience; camp scholarships and backpacks when well enough to attend, to help reconnect with peers and return to a normal play life). Research conducted by the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Action Network discovered the financial impact of a chronic illness: “91% will suffer loss of income or a rise in expenses….For some, a cancer diagnosis begins a financial tailspin that pushes ordinary people over the edge resulting in debt, distress, bankruptcy and even a lifetime on social assistance” (www.cancer.ca/en/get-involved/take-action/what-we-are-doing/financial-hardship-of-cancer-in-canada-mb/?region=mb). The American Psychological Association warns (www.apa.org) of serious social/emotional consequences of pediatric cancer, including anxiety, difficulties with peer relationships and inhibited or withdrawn behaviour. The U.S National Library of Medicine explains “Several programs developed in a summer-camp setting are extant … importance of quality of life when dealing with childhood cancer…quality of life is what the child says it is…play therapy has been shown to be a useful modality …” (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles)