Awesome Foundation - Projecten

Tallahassee, FL (Inactief) – Awesome Fruit

2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

Going Places Street Outreach is teaming up with PACE Center for Girls to plant and maintain fruit trees that will be placed throughout the town where folks experiencing homelessness can reach up and grab a healthy snack or (for most) the only healthy meal they will see all day. Going Places knows and frequents places that are in desperate need of a contact food source. Many youth are surrounded with highly processed, sugary filler foods that are cost effective for their situation. We believe that healthy choices shouldn't be a luxury but a right! PACE Center for Girls has a constant team of young women who plant and maintain a community garden. They have the passion and know how to start something from the beginning and with hard work and dedication they are able to see the fruit of their labor. :)

Gloucester, MA – Beneficial Art Program

2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

Our Awesome Proposal: Beneficial Art Program The Grace Center, Inc., a 501 (3 ) c Non-Profit Organization submits our 4th request for an Awesome Gloucester Grant to fund our Beneficial Art Program. The opportunity to be creative affords our guests respite from their problems, self-reflection, pride and accomplishment. Most importantly, these are productive tools to deal with depression and dependencies in ways that are creative, non-threatening, and enjoyable. Photography, beading, painting bowls for the Open Door, collage and other mediums advance the healing process. This program costs money. The goal is for our art program to be self-sustaining as the guests sell their art work at the Farmers’ Market and at art exhibits. We request an Awesome Grant for seed money for our Beneficial Art Program.

Moscow (Inactief) – Олдушка

2015-05-18T00:00:00Z

"Олдушка" - социально-культурный проект о российских пенсионерах. Проект исследует образ современного пожилого человека, его самобытность, особенности национального колорита, даёт возможность людям старшего поколения высказаться на различные темы. «Олдушка» существует в виде блога (http://www.oldushka.com/), где собраны портреты и цитаты людей, сфотографированных на улицах различных городов. Критерием отбора героев является возраст (60+) и фактурная внешность - яркий образ, выразительное лицо, интересный костюм. Тема возраста в проекте подаётся через концепцию уличной моды, предлагая по-новому взглянуть на образ пожилого человека, репрезентует понятие старости, расширяет представление о красоте и возрасте. Блог «Олдушка» появился 4 года назад в Омске, на сегодняшний день его география охватывает 6 городов: Омск, Москва, Санкт-Петербург, Ижевск, Ульяновск, Пермь. Число людей, сфотографированных для проекта, приближается к 1000, самому старшему участнику 97 лет. Задачи проекта: - привлечение внимание общества к старшему поколению - преодоление стереотипов по отношению к пожилым людям - популяризация образа интересного пожилого человека - поддержка межпоколенческих связей

Pittsburgh, PA – Keep ARTisan Alive

2015-05-18T00:00:00Z

My husband and I own Artisan, a tattoo shop and art gallery in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I am writing you because we are one of the businesses struggling through the penn ave construction project and now we have run into serious building code issues and may be forced to close our doors. We have started an indiegogo campaign, KeepArtisanAlive.com. We have been doing really well so far, but its hard to keep momentum going. I'm not sure if this is anything you can help with at all. I thought I would write and see if you might take the time to watch our video, possibly share our story, or even any advice at all on idea of things to do would be helpful. We opened in 2011 in an empty store front on Penn Avenue, Artisan has grown into a community of artists with sophisticated style and renowned abilities. We have plans for a café, a hostel to bring in more global artists, and continuing to use the renovated, vintage-inspired first floor as a space to showcase local and global artists. But turning these dreams into a reality has hit a roadblock in the form of city code: The building requires ADA-compliant emergency exits in order to comply with city code. We're hosting a six-week crowdfunding campaign through Indigogo to continue rehabbing our building. The shop, once an abandoned storefront, is now a bold stylish addition to the Penn Avenue streetscape recently saddled with heavy construction. This is a story of passion, and its pursuit in the face of obstacles. Artisan’s community is dedicated to creating beauty – on the body, in the building and the city of Pittsburgh.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Hands of Honour Up-cycling Centre

2015-05-18T00:00:00Z

Hands of Honour Up-cycling Centre will employs the ‘unemployable’ in South Africa - those who have experienced homelessness, crime and / or substance abuse - to up-cycle obsolete stock and recyclable items. Much of this waste is provided through partnerships with the corporate sector and would otherwise end up in landfills. Workers process the waste, either rehabilitating material or stripping goods for sale of parts.Corporations are our main partners.''donating '' their corporate waste rather than send on to landfill. Proceeds from this has two benefits: (1)Provide salaries for workers who otherwise have no work options available to them; (2)Profits are invested in derelict community spaces, focusing on public spaces which have become havens for anti-social behaviour. Hands of Honour brings together three best-practices: (1)While ‘up-cycling’ or reusing waste materials has been done informally by waste pickers scouring the dumps, the organisation works directly with the waste generators to formalise this process, representing something new in South Africa. Corporations are the main ‘donors’ of waste to the organisation, donating rather than disposing of their waste; (2)Hands of Honour’s Job Training Programme provides skills and confidence to those members of society who have ‘checked out’. This both increases employment and rehabilitates the workers; (3)This process funds urban renewal initiatives, focusing on those areas that are identified by the community as being flash points for crime. Taken together, these elements result in a programme that can sustain itself and contribute to a greener city, job creation and reclaiming derelict urban spaces

Boulder, CO (Inactief) – The Fountain of Memory

2015-05-18T00:00:00Z

The Fountain of Memory is a 360-degree installation featuring pulsing color and water for the Interdimensional Town Square. The semi-translucent acrylic and plastic base animates artistically with colorful 3D-mapped LED pixels. The elevated central pool holds dynamic fountainheads, blasting glowing water upwards. Microphones hidden in nearby viewing benches capture conversation, wobble-loop-and-remix, and amplify the back through a sound system hidden in the structure. Utilizing AudioPixel’s custom software, the lighting and fountains will pulse directionally -- light patterns ripple across the sections of the installation, merge, and accelerate. The Fountain of Memory is built on top of a (hidden) trailer, and will be able to be set up almost anywhere. The overall installation, when peaking with interactivity, will be approximately 15’ x 15’ with the water reaching over 15’ from the ground. The Fountain's voice is a custom-built Reaktor machine that will provide the environment with a wildly surreal echo. When viewers take a seat on the nearby benches, conversation is recorded, looped, warped, bounced, and amplified through the structure. The incomplete audio deja vu is mind-bending, and the participants won’t be entirely sure if they are hearing echoes of themselves or not. Their conversation also triggers animated effects to trickle up their side of The Fountain, as patterns and colors are traded around the base. We are also currently accepting audio donations from musicians and other audio artists, and have a file donation form available here: http://audiopixel.com/upload We are adding the donated samples and songs into The Fountain's dynamic audio library, to be warped and played randomly alongside the live audio through The Fountain's hidden speakers. The Fountain of Memory will be having its official launch in June! Celebrating light, water, audio, and reactivity - this AudioPixel installation is unlike any fountain you’ve ever seen!

Moscow (Inactief) – Проект Golova

2015-05-18T00:00:00Z

Мы - это интернет-магазин особенных головных уборов Golova. Первый и уникальный в своем роде российский Проект, который производит и реализует особенные головные уборы для людей, столкнувшихся с потерей волос, проходящих химиотерапию, и с другими тяжелыми заболеваниями. Наши головные уборы: - качественные - ткани дышат и не вызывают аллергию; - удобные - продуманный покрой для сна и движения, зимы и лета; - красивые - модные цвета и фасоны на любой вкус. Нашему проекту едва исполнился год, а у нас уже есть два розничных партнера в Москве и много потенциальных в регионах. Мы также занимаемся благотворительностью: часть прибыли уходит в различные фонды по борьбе с раком, а также мы организуем детские праздники и дарим подарки.

Seattle, WA – Now You See It! A History of Art about Slime Molds

2015-05-16T00:00:00Z

I’m designing an exhibit for the Library at Seattle’s Center for Urban Horticulture, about the history of art about slime molds: micro-organisms given much recent attention by scientific and artistic communities worldwide. (To clarify, slime molds are not actually mold, but are colorful, bacteria-eating, spore-bearing, diverse, globally-abundant organisms.) For the past 2 years, I've been working with leading researcher Dr. Steven Stephenson to complete an illustrated field guide to slime molds. This exhibit celebrates the culmination of that project. It also tells the stories of international artists and scientists who, over the last 4 centuries, have shed light on these beautiful --but often hidden-- living things. As with most soil organisms, slime molds are often overlooked as subjects deserving of research funding. Artists help people understand and appreciate them through illustration, prints, film, and manipulation of slime molds themselves. Now You See It! tells their stories through compelling visuals and simply-written text. Indeed, striking imagery is integral to this exhibit. Upon entering, visitors are attracted to a “diorama” showcasing myriad real and sculpted specimens, as well as introductory text and graphics explaining what slime molds are. A handheld book corresponds with an expansive wall-graphic interpreting the extraordinary slime mold life cycle and its importance to healthy soil systems. After observing and drawing real specimens while looking through microscopes, and engaging with the work and stories of dedicated artists, visitors will leave more aware of the incredible microcosms underfoot. Now You See It! is made using best practices in sustainable design, and is targeted toward families with kids aged 6 and older and University of Washington faculty and students.

Berlin (Inactief) – 3D models for little avid fingers

2015-05-14T00:00:00Z

What does an elephant look like? And a digger? And a volcano? For blind children, things that are too big, too far away or too dangerous to be touched, are not so easily understandable. While sighted children usually develop an understanding of basic concepts through incidental learning, children with a visual impairment need to learn these concepts in an intentional manner. Touching original objects or models or getting things described are different methods on how to get a better idea of the environment. At the German Federation for Blind and Partially Sighted People, we believe that books are a great tool for blind and partially sighted children to discover the world. As for every other child, books are a door to fantasy, a way of travelling to far places without moving from the chair. Unfortunately, there are too few appropiate books for visually impaired children, with quality and attractive tactile pictures. Our aim is to change this situation by creating tactile books where children can enjoy touching different materials and interact with the book while moving the tactile elements from page to page. The creation procedure is all handwork and therefore very laborious. Some of the elements have to be handmade in order to achieve the desirable diversity of materials. However, many parts of the book could be perfectly machine-made. The new 3D-technologies offer a wide range of possibilities of producing these tactile elements. The optimal solution for us would be a combination of handwork with the use of a 3D-printer. This way we would accelerate the production proccess, which would allow us to increase the amount of books, thus reaching a wider range of blind and partially sighted children.

New York City, NY – Brooklyn Plans: Financial pop-up spaces in BK

2015-05-14T00:00:00Z

Brooklyn Plans is starting a financial empowerment revolution right here in Brooklyn. We take underused or vacant real estate and convert it into a recreation center/cool lounge/public library for your finances. Every month we visit a different neighborhood and create a space for community in financial matters. In April we partnered with Shoestring Press in Crown Heights where we were open to the community 2 days/week. In May we are partnering with Realty Collective in Red Hook, a financially underserved neighborhood that does not host either a financial empowerment center or a Single Stop site, two financial empowerment resources commonly found in underserved neighborhoods. We're excited to offer events to the community 4 days/week. Our focus are financially underserved millennials or 20 and 30-somethings. Financial planners generally ignore us because we don't have any assets and financial education nonprofit programming isn't relevant. We are saddled with student loans debt and many of us entered the labor force when job prospects were the worse they had been in decades. Our generation needs help! We offer relevant workshops and classes that are open to the whole community on topics like finding the perfect rental, how to talk about money with your partner, student loan counseling, credit card hacking and even a finance yoga class (balance more than your checkbook). The grant will help us convert our Red Hook pop-up into a financial community space. Since we'll be offering a mix of workshop style classes with unique events like a "finance jams party*" & financial balance yoga, we'll have to purchase a variety of supplies such as a printer, ink, paper, projector, yoga mats and "bling" for our party. The grant will also help us cover the cost of insurance and electricity to run the space. *Finance Jams Party has 2 rules 1. Songs about $ 2. Dancing

Liverpool (Inactief) – Liverpool Zombie Walk 2015

2015-05-13T00:00:00Z

In 2014 I launched the first official Liverpool Zombie Walk. We managed to raise £512 in just 3 hours with our team of 16 volunteer zombies and I donated all of the money raised to the Help For Heroes charity organisation. I organised all of the event criteria, arranged a venue to meet up and prepare (Envi Nightclub), met with the Liverpool City Council, heads of Fire, Police, Ambulance and Highways services. On the day itself I provided costumes, completed all of the make up, registration, monitored the collections and stewarded the entire event while also acting as photographer. A very fun day out was had by all and even Radio City's very own Pete Price posed with us for some photos. This year I would like to improve on the number of zombie volunteers and also boost the funds collected for charity.

San Antonio, TX – Dignowity Hill Farmer's Market

2015-05-13T00:00:00Z

The Dignowity Hill Farmer's Market was established as a grassroots effort by my husband and I in our neighborhood because we found our community was undeserved in healthy food options and health programs. Dignowity Hill lies in a food desert, a community filled with fast food which is also stricken with high percentages of health issues like obesity and diabetes. Our community is also highly represented in minority groups and poverty. All these factors contribute to a low quality of life and we wanted to make a change. The farmer's market was the answer to getting our community to eat healthier, make better food choices and have access to those positive decisions. We are the only farmer's market in San Antonio who is organic food based and offers health and wellness education and fitness classes through community resources. The community would not have otherwise had access to these food choices or programs if the market was not established. Our vision is to offer fresh, local and affordable food choices to the entire community. We are officially certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture and by doing so we are able to accept SNAP as payment for the produce at the market. We only offer Texas grown products so we can support local businesses and farmers.By utilizing a public park, we are utilizing public resources and bringing the community together at a centralized location. We have had 3 successful markets so far and plan to stay in the community for a lifetime. Our efforts will one day show a decrease in disease, health risks and obesity. Please help us make our community aware of the awesome project we have!

Sydney – Biri Biri (Aboriginal Cafe)

2015-05-13T00:00:00Z

I have partnered with an awesome chef and an aboriginal elder to create an aboriginal cafe in Redfern (Sydney). We plan to create affordable meals for the aboriginal and wider community with indigenous flavours, whilst employing aboriginal staff from the local aboriginal hospitality training college. The aim of the project is to provide a warm and welcoming space for aboriginal people to call their own, to enjoy an affordable meal and to help promote and celebrate aboriginal culture by adoring the walls with artwork and sculptures that patrons can buy to help support aboriginal artists, The cafe is going to be run as a social enterprise with 50% of any profits being donated to a foundation set up to help aboriginal health and education casues

Adelaide – The Road Trip Sessions

2015-05-11T00:00:00Z

The Road Trip Sessions is an online video series, where we pack up the van and take artists on the road and into the wild, capturing them in their most stripped back acoustic format. We will hunt down South Australia's best kept secret locations and take this cohort of creative minds to rolling hillsides and rocky cliff faces, we'll build campfires in the sand and teepees in the trees. We'll hike to hidden beaches, navigate to unknown forests, with guitars on our backs and picnic baskets in hand. As the sun slides down the sky, and light fades to glow, we'll capture this string of marvellous moments to bring to the online world the most beautiful collision of quality music in the most idyllic setting. It was the discussion of four friends over a pot of tea, all sharing ideas on how we could showcase some of the greatest things about our state - the quality of music that exists within it, the serene and untouched nature of our landscapes and the collection of brands, products and ideas that make Adelaide and South Australia us unique and as brilliant as it is. We wanted to encapsulate these ideals and showcase it to the rest of the globe as a little insight into our humble world.

Lusaka (Inactief) – Improving Bauleni's Social Center environment

2015-05-11T00:00:00Z

We are a small social center in Bauleni compound, on the outskirts of Lusaka. The main aim of our project is to develop the community through youth empowerment. We work to build the capacity of the young girls and boys in the compound and we know that there active participation will strengthen the community. We want to transform the small room we have just built in a beautiful community center in the heart of the compound. We have already fundraised to provide English lessons, a nursery school and we have just opened the "Draw me a Lion" art center. Our philosophy is "Beauty will save the world". Unfortunately, the environment around the center is full of waste, plastic bags, plastic bottles and all kinds of trash that stays the soil. Most of the waste is burnt and its smoke goes directly into the lungs of all the people living in the compound. We have tried to find solutions. We have organised groups to pick up the trash, but it goes back to how it was after a few days. We have tried to pay someone to collect the waste and drive them to the dumpsite, but it does not work consistently, and at the same time, waste is still burning everywhere in our streets. We believe this can change, first in and around our social center and then, if it is a success, it will be the right example for the rest of Bauleni compound! We have noticed that no NGO or aid projects are yet supporting communities with the environment from a holistic perspective. Some focuses on women, other on children and other on water and sanitation. In Bauleni, no one focuses on the environment, on how we could improve specifically the place where we live. We want to deal with the waste on the floor, we want to deal with the air we inhale, with the water we use to wash ourselves and with the electricity we use to power the center. We want to be proud of the place where we live and the place where our kids play.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Little Lotus: the smart swaddle & blanket

2015-05-11T00:00:00Z

Little Lotus is a line of baby swaddles and blankets that keeps first world babies at the perfect temperature and helps babies in the developing world at the same time. The Little Lotus products are special because they: - Use a proprietary fabric first developed for NASA space suits that absorb or release heat to keep your baby at the perfect temperature. You will no longer need to worry if your baby is too hot or cold. - Have a unique design for swaddles and sleeping bags that make them extremely easy to put on and take off while your baby is sleeping, with a bottom zipper that allows for a diaper change with the baby still inside. - Feature artwork inspired by 'Touch our Future' which includes the hand tracings of mothers and babies from around the world. - Help babies in need! For every product purchased, a baby will be helped in a developing country by the Embrace infant warmer. The origins of Little Lotus go back to the Embrace infant warmer. Embrace was started in 2008 by a team of graduate students at Stanford, including co-founders Rahul Panicker and Jane Chen. We were challenged to develop a baby incubator that costs less than 1% the cost of a traditional incubator. Ultimately, we created a product that uses a phase change material, similar to what's used in the Little Lotus products, to keep give vulnerable babies the critical warmth they need. Embrace has been recognized internationally. We won the Economist Innovation Award, the Fast Company Design for Social Good Award, and have been featured in media around the world. Last year, Beyonce gave a donation to get the Embrace infant warmers to 9 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, through our partnership with the Millennium Promise. We also presented our work to President Obama at the White House's first ever Maker-Faire. To date, Embrace has helped 150,000 babies. But our goal was always to reach 1 million babies. We're hoping Little Lotus will enable us to do that.

Chicago, IL – "I Looked Up To The Screen Above"

2015-05-11T00:00:00Z

I have an opportunity to put up a huge photograph on the rooftop of the Lillstreet art center. This would be visible from the CTA train station and from the street in the surrounding neighborhood. The image is a photograph of the sky that I rephotographed on a smartphone screen through a microscope. It's part of a series of photographs that I've been making as a response to the ways that our smartphones and the ubiquity of screens change the ways that we engage with the world. I've made prints of this work before at increasing scale, but it's been increasingly clear this work needs to be big and able to be viewed at a distance. I've been given a one month residency on the Lillstreet rooftop, so this is my chance to go big. Lillstreet has had this rooftop residency for a few years, and in the past people have put up flags from the flagpoles, generally around 3' x 4'. My plan is a bit more ambitious: I want to put up a single continuous banner that is 50' x 8'. We're all excited to try something big and bold that will be impossible to miss from the neighborhood. The banner will be up for a month. One of the interesting things about these photograph is that they are legible image from a distance, but an abstract assortment of pixels up close. Counterintuitively, the photograph changes when viewed through a cameraphone - the pixels disappear, the information is compressed, and the low-res image becomes legible once again. I can say all sorts of art theory type things about this project too, about how photography lives on the screen, about how recorded images are more important than things we experience first-hand, about the work's relation to Hito Steyerl and the "poor image," about how simulations replace our experience of reality, and so on, but really the reason I want to do this is that this is going to be a big beautiful piece of public art that is going to grab thousands of commuters and lift their eyes to the sky. What could be more awesome?

Sarnia (Inactief) – Southwestern International Film Festival

2015-05-09T00:00:00Z

The South Western International Film Festival is an International, new media cultural event that will establish Sarnia-Lambton as a cultural hub for South Western Ontario. By focusing on artist engagement, youth participation, community enrichment and our evolving diversity, SWIFF will create a unique and exciting, cinematic experience for the community of Sarnia-Lambton while opening its doors to visitors far and wide. Our mandate is to bring culturally diverse, socially conscious, entertaining films that not only open doors to the world but also open up the dialogue on global and domestic issues. Our aim is to have several films spotlighting First Nations, Female voices, LGBT themes and films from the diaspora (Asia, Africa, Middle East). The idea is to use my position at the Toronto International Film Festival, to acquire films and bring directors, screenwriters and actors to Sarnia to engage our community and enrich our own artists through talk backs, workshops and panel engagements.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Publicizing, analyzing data where it's needed most

2015-05-06T00:00:00Z

Update: We applied a few months for this grant, but we were at a less developed stage than we are at now: - Our paper has been accepted for publication at Atmospheric Environment, here's the accepted article: http://tinyurl.com/nlqkwk8 - In Feb 2015, Dept. of State Sec. Kerry and Admin. McCarthy from EPA signed an agreement to expand air quality monitoring at embassies around the world. - Our co-author has published a related article in Wired Magazine: http://tinyurl.com/kj22wpz If we receive funding to make our paper open access, we will credit AWB in all subsequent related articles intended for a general audience. ** According to a report released by the WHO in 2014, 1 in 8 deaths world-wide is due to air pollution, yet the intersection of air quality and health is a field that lacks data in the most polluted places in the world. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing started measuring and tweeting air pollution data in 2008 from a rooftop monitor, and the impact of this real-time, transparent data has been documented in news media. Since the success of the air quality monitor in Beijing, the U.S. has begun measuring and tweeting data from four posts in other cities in China. To capture the power of air quality data and inform scientists of the existence of this new a source of info in these understudied areas, we have done the *first-ever* analysis of the historical record in all five cities. *For the first time, our study highlights the novel existence and potential uses of air quality data that is currently systematically being collected and made publicly accessible by U.S. embassies in polluted but under-studied locations. This work is a very valuable resource to those working on air quality issues in developing countries, where access to such research is often limited. It should be freely available to air pollution researchers in developing country communities.*

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Step By Step Haiti

2015-05-06T00:00:00Z

The Step By Step Haiti project (established in 2009 by Dr. Patrick DeHeer, DPM) seeks to aid diabetic Haitian citizens by establishing a wound care clinic for those who suffer from diabetic ulcerative wounds. Currently, the project uses the space given by a local hospital— Bernard Mevs Project Medishare in Haiti. Longer-term, a separate larger wound care clinic could serve a larger number of patients. Over time, this would vastly reduce the country’s mortality rate related to limb amputation and diabetes. Our goal with the Step By Step Haiti Project is to prevent diabetic amputations in Haiti. Studies show that when a diabetic patient has an amputation their five-year survival rate is less than 50 percent. The good news is studies also show that a comprehensive, formal diabetic foot program can reduce amputation rates by up to 80 percent. This rate equates to saving real lives in Haiti daily. Prevention is much more cost effective than post-incident care. The second mission of this program is to instruct the Haitian medical school teachers, who will then grow the program by teaching young physicians coming through the training system. Dr. DeHeer has been on over 25 medical mission trips throughout the last several years. He has gone from doing "helicopter medicine"—where he flies in and does multiple surgeries and then flies back home. Yes, he has helped a defined few people, but his impact is limited. Dr. DeHeer no longer does surgery unless a local physician is there assisting so he can share his knowledge and experience with them. The root of this program is knowledge-sharing to help Haiti establish diabetic amputation prevention programs that compare to those in first world nations. Then they will be able to share their knowledge and experience with young physicians coming through the system. This is why diabetic wound care prevention and education is critical to the patient’s overall survival.

Boston, MA – Arduino Lending Library at Parts and Crafts

2015-05-05T00:00:00Z

Parts and Crafts, the family hackerspace in Somerville Ave. would like to build a small collection of Ardunio hardware to loan out to families and teachers. The re-usable Arduino pieces would be loaned out through our Somerville Tool Library project, where borrowers will also be able to borrow wire strippers, meters and soldering irons to use on their projects. We will also put together small, reasonably priced component kits and instruction sheets for Arduino borrowers to buy when they borrow their Arduino and related tools & safety equipment.

San Francisco, CA – Grow'n & Chef'n Proper in Lower W. Oakland!

2015-05-05T00:00:00Z

An initiative to turn a community garden into a full-spectrum, urban food oasis that empowers the community to become more food secure, stoked about food, and engage in experiential learning. . Check it. We've got tons of veg and fruits in our garden. A garden that was built with scrap materials from construction sites, 'free' sections on craigslist, goods set outside for bulk pickup, and whatever other means necessary to turn this abandoned lot into an urban oasis. While we're pumping' out some significant lbs. of food and giving it away to community members who offer some time in the garden, we're seeking to launch the: Grow'n & Chef'n Proper Project in Lower W. Oakland. The Grow'n & Chef'n Proper Project is meant to further deepen the roots of our garden. We are seeking to construct an aquaponic system, renovate the site with micro-drip irrigation, and set up a PROPER outdoor kitchen set up for chef'n it up with the community. Let's break down the rational: 1. Aquaponics produces both fish and vegetables in a dynamic ecosystem. Thanks to the fish poo, we'll be able to have nutrient rich water for growing veg! Plus, having an aquaponic system will allow us to teach the community about the symbiotic relationships between water and food. We've got a 240-gal. fish tank waiting 2. Micro-drip irrigation! Considering that we're in a drought of epic proportions, it's only right that we retrofit our garden from hand watering by hose, to a micro drip irrigation system, on a timer, that waters the roots at night. This will ensure that over 90% of the water used is absorbed by the plants, rather than being evaporated… this will be inherently raise awareness on the drought! 3. PROPER outdoor kitchen, this is where it gets out of control. We've got veg on veg on veg in the garden but chef'n it up on site isn't easy. Considering that dozens upon dozens of folks come by the garden each week, we're missing out on the opportunity to chef up a proper meal on site. It's one thing to grow the food, share it and plant some more; but having the ability to harvest and then eat, that's major! Experiential learning is key developing to a food secure environment. . Bottoms Up Community Garden is a community-based organization, growing food, experimenting with urban agriculture and inspiring the local community to engage in food security. Bottoms Up Community Garden is a proud member of the IDEAS Movement. http://www.facebook.com/ideasforus On the corner of 8th and Peralta St., smack dab in the middle of a food desert in Oakland, California, is the Bottoms Up Community Garden. We're a bunch of passionate and resourceful folks trying to spread a positive stoke on food! We have a 5 year lease at this site at $1 per month, the lease begin in mid-2014. There isn't a single place to buy nor eat fresh food within .75 mile of our locale! Being in a neighborhood with a large number of low-income community members, including ourselves, we gotta be food resilient. That means learning to grow our own and cook our own! What an awesome glue this garden is for the community… this project will catalyze and empower folks to be more resilient, and thus awesome! . Feel free to come by any Sunday after 12:00 PM if you want to get your hands in the dirt.

San Francisco, CA – Villainette: Bangs

2015-05-05T00:00:00Z

A puppet-encrusted mechanical drum machine for making transgender-genderqueer pop music. . Accordions have a lot of buttons that make quite a lot of noise, but they’re not quite a full band, so I’m making a robotic drum machine to make my feminist/genderqueer rock & roll performances more awesome. For those who are already jaded about robots hitting drums, I am going to go further by carving whimsical wooden puppets over the mechanisms. Our ears naturally melt for the sonic qualities of unamplified chamber and folk music while our hearts are moved by thunderously loud enveloping sound. Robots have a physical strength that will allow me to combine these oft-estranged qualities without having to hire a symphony. This drum machine is specifically for making loud sounds that should require no electric amplification: in addition to traditional drums I am making gongs from salvaged metal (a truck’s suspension spring, a water heater, a gas tank), shakers from D&D dice and carpentry nails, and tonal drones using tuned power-tool motors. These aren’t just random loud things, though, as I am carefully curating the sounds to acoustically affect a 60s electric-guitar wall-of-sound which is coming back into style in SF. Video of drum test: https://youtu.be/34BwZ9H35g8 . These comically aggressive robots have a natural personality, which I would like to accentuate with puppetry. Instead of raw robotics, it will appear as if lawn-gnome-sized puppets are hitting the drums with various implements. To compliment my original repertoire of feminist pop/rock ballads, these carved wooden characters will include: a lady knight beating on the teeth of a patriarchal dragon, a riotgrrl shaking a fistfull of nails, a princess banging her head against a gas tank, etc. I have built a few percussion pieces, am satisfied with the mechanisms and motors that I’ve prototyped, so I am ready to go into production of the full set and associated puppets. I am setting myself a reasonable production schedule: the percussion in 2 months, the puppets in another 4 months, and a polished stage performance within a year. I need parts to expand the prototyped percussion pieces into a performance-ready drum kit: relays, power supplies, solenoids, motor speed controls and other hardware, a few more drums and musical power tools, and some chunks of basswood to make the decorative puppets. Any funds left over will go to prototyping a tunable air raid siren, experiment with custom large solenoids, and integrate PWM control for varied strike strength. Video of prototype test: https://youtu.be/iJe-okTY3o4 . Honestly there are more and more mechanical instruments being built by genius roboticists every year, and they’re all so much more awesome than what I’m proposing, but they’re also intimidating and the music they’re being used for isn’t so accessible. My dream is for mechanized music to become so common place that every college band uses them like they were any other guitar or synth, and I’d like to push that along by demonstrating practical, simplified machines in an accessible musical style (pop/folk). As with all my builds, I will be documenting all my successes and failures for youtube, on which I already have almost a thousand subscribers. I am a transgender-genderqueer full-time artist. My queer-themed graphic novel, Failing Sky, has been nominated for an Eisner Award two years running. I was apprentice to renowned Chicago puppeteer Blair Thomas while earning an MFA in Performance. For the last ten years I performed in bay area avant-folk band Corpus Callosum, writing, singing & playing accordion. I dropped out of music to start Failing Sky, but have been tinkering with mechanical music, which is now coming into fruition. You can see my last project, which was totally un-mechanical folk music, here: https://youtu.be/3_7UD23KsME And video of past puppetry projects can be seen here: https://youtu.be/k2E3DZ9PvIo

Yerevan – Գույնզգույն խցաններից պատրաստված մոզայկա

2015-05-04T00:00:00Z

Քանզի Գյումրիում աղբի վերամշակման գործարան չկա, եւ ամեն տեղ կարելի է հանդիպել աղբ կամ թափոն հիշեցնող ինչ-որ բանի, մենք երկու տարի է, ինչ ընկերներիս հետ հավաքում ենք տարբեր ձեւի, չափի, գույնի ու որակի խցաններ, որ դրանցից պատրաստենք գեղեցիկ մոզայկա: Մոտ 20.000 խցան արդեն ունենք: Ուզում ենք քաղաքը տեսնել առանց աղբ հիշեցնող խցանների եւ այդ խցաններից պատրաստված գեղեցիկ պատկեր ունենալ քաղաքում եւ այն տեղադրել քաղաքի բանուկ փողոցներից մեկում՝ նախապես համաձայնություն գալով Գյումրու քաղաքապետարանի հետ կամ բիզնես սեկտորի ներկայացուցիչների հետ:

Atlanta, GA (Inactief) – Robotics Team for Sophia Academy Project

2015-05-04T00:00:00Z

To enhance the Curriculum 21 skills, we would like to add a Lego Robotics team to work toward the state’s regional competition. A robotics program is basic to all STEM programs, and an example of multisensory instruction which is a hallmark of our curriculum. Students will develop a sense of community while working collaboratively to solve a complex technology-based problem through this proven national program. A group of 8-10 students 5th-8th grades will construct and program a LEGO ‘robot’ and will publish the written and video learning reflections and the history of their project. The first funding will purchase the materials and fees, and with sufficient funding, we will add an experienced Robotics Coach to assist our staff with this project.

New Orleans, LA (Inactief) – Dynamic Mindfulness in New Orleans Schools

2015-05-04T00:00:00Z

New Orleans public school students and teachers suffer daily from chronic stress and direct/vicarious trauma. Niroga has developed an evidence-based trauma-informed dynamic mindfulness program called Transformative Life Skills (TLS) that is designed for classroom instruction. TLS combines movement, breathing, and centering into a 5-20 min practice that is calming, healing, and fun for students. TLS has been field tested with thousands of students and we train hundreds of teachers annually to apply these practices in their classrooms. The latest research in neuroscience, developmental science, and trauma research supports that TLS: -Increases learning readiness -Helps student regulate their emotions -Enhances resilience to stress and trauma -Increases prosocial behavior TLS practices have also been shown to help students heal from trauma and symptoms of PTSD. A beautiful aspect of TLS is that it is not only transformative for students, but the practice is also healing for educators that suffer from daily stress and secondary trauma. 99% of teachers trained in TLS report that the practice has helped their own professional practice and sustainability. TLS is completely secular in language and messaging. There is no use of words like "meditation", "yoga" or anything that could be considered religious within our program. We focus on terms like breathing, movement, centering, stress-resilience, learning readiness, emotional regulation, and prosocial behavior when talking with parents and staff. For Elementary schools, we have mapped different sequences of poses that teachers can use depending on the time of the day or the effect they want the practice to have, ei: Morning Wake Up, Focus Time, After Recess Cool Down etc. Those sequences can be as short as 2 min or as long as 10mins and used at the discretion of the classroom teacher throughout the day.

Rio de Janeiro (Inactief) – Uma Bela Visita

2015-05-04T00:00:00Z

Uma Bela Visita é um projeto do grupo Teatro do Sopro, que trabalha com idosos em Instituições de Cuidados. Um casal de palhaços profissionais visita idosos com perda de autonomia, especialmente com demência. As intervenções são construídas com os pacientes de acordo como eles são e estão, com uma abordagem artística e relacional adaptadas aos gostos culturais dos idosos. Buscamos a individualização dos pacientes, encorajando suas capacidades afetivas e sociais. O projeto original foi desenvolvido pelos participantes do grupo no Canadá, e é resultado de 12 anos de pesquisa. Para viabilizarmos o projeto no Brasil de maneira regular, precisamos criar um vídeo promocional registrando a experiência das intervenções que começamos a fazer em alguns centros de cuidados. O prêmio da Awesome Foundation vai permitir sensibilizar o grande público sobre possibilidades de comunicação de qualidade com portadores de demência, Alzheimer e outras, particularmente familiares e profissionais envolvidos. ---- Uma Bela Visita (A Beautiful Visit) is a Teatro do Sopro project working with seniors in health care institutions. A professional clown duo visits seniors, particularly those with dementia, depression and autonomy losses. The interventions are set up around the patients, in accordance with their needs, the artistic and relational approaches adapted to their culture and tastes. We seek patient individualization, encouraging the development of their affective and social abilities. The original project, the result of twelve years of research, was developed by the initiators through their group in Canada. In order to implement the project in Brazil, a promotional video is needed, recording experiences in the interventions we have begun to carry out in some care centers. The award from the Awesome Foundation will help bring home to a wider public, including relatives and caregivers, the potential for quality communication with dementia, Alzheimer and other patients.

Melbourne (Inactief) – Up-skilling at Norm Community Workshop

2015-05-02T00:00:00Z

NORM is a volunteer run community workshop. We are about to embark on a new series of wood and metalworking classes aimed specifically at providing practical building skills to women, youth, asylum seekers and the unemployed. Our current workshops are all taught by volunteers, however with some funding we will be able to pay educators and offer more workshops, more often, to a greater number of participants. WORKSHOPS FOR WOMEN We have identified a need from women who felt patronized and excluded from other workshops in the past. The financial assistance from Awesome Foundation will help us to get a series of workshop classes – exclusively for women – up and running. This series will broaden the skill set and confidence of women, empowering participants to embark of craft-based or artisanal business enterprises or simply give them skills to become more independent. WORKSHOPS FOR YOUTH, ASYLUM SEEKERS AND THE UNELMPLOYED We have also been speaking with Moreland City Council who see a need for more projects that engage women, youth, the unemployed and asylum seekers. With support from both Moreland and the Awesome Foundation we will find and engage these groups, and offer some heavily subsidized places at our workshops. ADVANCED WORKSHOPS Finally, we wish to make the skills available at Norm even more Awesome by inviting highly skilled artists, designers and technicians in to run advanced workshops. We are exploring possibilities with Joshua Gardiner (Ars Electronica) about advanced hand-tool techniques and various digital art forms; with Studio Afterwards, a Coburg based design group, about applications of 3D printing in art; and Dr. Judith Glover, a ceramicist, designer, artist and professor at RMIT.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Kolossos Bike Zoo

2015-04-30T00:00:00Z

Kolossos is an organization of artists devoted to showcasing eco-friendly public art and performance to raise awareness for environmental and animal endangerment. With each new papier mache animal scuplture bike we are able to attract the attention of millions of viewers and spread our message. We have recently begun devoting our time to exclusively creating threatened and exploited species bikes. Recent art bikes have included an elephant and orca to showcase the majesty of these animals without the abuses of captivity. Other recent additions to our bike zoo have included a honey bee and panda to help raise awareness for these threatened animals. We would love to make more bikes and need money to do so. Future bikes we are excited about are a rhino, tiger and shark.

Paris (Inactief) – Création de liens par le recyclage du bois

2015-04-30T00:00:00Z

L’association FaSol - Fabriquons la Solidarité – organise des activités centrées autour de la fabrication de jeux à partir de bois récupéré. Dans un objectif d’insertion et de création de lien social, FaSol travaille avec des publics fragilisés, mais aussi avec des habitants du quartier, des établissements scolaires et des maisons de retraite. Ensemble, les participants découvrent le plaisir du travail du bois et le respect de l'environnement, tandis que d'autres apprennent les rudiments de la couture pour réaliser des sacs à pions destinés aux jeux réalisés. FaSol, projette d'organiser des ateliers pour les enfants de 8-12 pendant chaque vacances scolaires. Au lieu de passer leurs vacances devant jeux vidéo ou télévisions, ils bâtissent et décorent ensemble des objets en bois qu'ils remportent fièrement à leurs familles. FaSol is a non-profit that organizes workshops to create board games made out of reclaimed wood. In order to promote intergration and to strengthen social ties, FaSol works with underserved communities, local residents, schools and retrirement homes. Together, the participants discover the pleasure of working with wood and how to respect the environment, while other learn the basics of sewing to make bags in which to put the different pieces of the board games. FaSol aims to organizes workshops for children during the holidays. Instead of spending their time watching TV or playing video games, children will build and decorate wooden objects that they can proudly bring back to their families.

Stockholm (Inactief) – Talent Tribe Creative Breakfast Crunch

2015-04-30T00:00:00Z

Through this awesome project, Anna will invite foreign born academics, immigrants, entrepreneurial young men and women that lack valuable contacts and networks, and include ten of them to five different breakfast gatherings (50 of the talented individuals in total) at the Urban Deli in the suburb of Nacka and to do round-table introductions, speed-interviews and mentoring, with the ultimate purpose and intention of bringing them into the Talent Tribe and connecting them with know-how, role-models, contacts, valuable networks, experiences and references ahead. Awesome we say and good luck to the participants!

Ann Arbor, MI – Festival of the Honey Bee

2015-04-29T00:00:00Z

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

London, ON (Inactief) – Here Today

2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

I have 40 very large scale(4'x4'x2') four ply thick cardboard boxes. The core of my idea is to stack these boxes and paint murals on them. The idea is also to pop up(with permission) in several key london locations giving passers by something to check out. But only for one day in each location. The bigger plan within this plan is to create these murals for a gallery show. Popping up in locations for one day I'm hoping will generate interest for people to follow my art and promoting awesome london along the way. While painting I will also create a time lapse of each location. The back drops and passers by will be as big a factor as the art itself.

Washington, DC – Day of Archaeology Festival

2015-04-27T00:00:00Z

International Day of Archaeology was organized by a group of archaeologists with the intent of raising public awareness of the relevance and importance of archaeology to the modern world. The goals of the International Day of Archaeology project coincide with those of Archaeology in the Community (AITC). It a response to this global day of archaeology awareness, AITC established the first all science (archaeology) festival. ln 2011, hosted the first annual Day of Archaeology Festival. This became a way of gathering archaeology organizations from District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia together in one location—to inform our public about local archaeology resources. This year we will host our fourth festival. We have 15 archaeology organizations confirmed. The festival is free to all the participates, the attendees, and the entertainers. We host this event as a way to give the field of archaeology exposer in a fun way and spread archaeology awareness to students of all ages.

Toronto – Jour Vert

2015-04-27T00:00:00Z

The Goal: To turn Rexdale into a garden! The Rexdale Community Garden Network would like to host a one-day event called Jour Vert. A play on the event Nuit Blanche - this day will focus on the planting of Green Installations across Rexdale. Local schools, private businesses, service agencies, libraries and the local police station will convert their unused green spaces into flower and vegetable beds. Volunteer teams will visit the various locations across Rexdale and engage passersby in an impromptu gardening session.

Toronto – Walkable Planets

2015-04-27T00:00:00Z

I want to create scale solar systems in the city, one neighbourhood at a time. Last summer I started the project in the downtown west end. I put up a series of metal street signs that looked like parking signs, but they were really planetary wayfinding signs, set at relative distance from one another at a scale of one-to-five billion. That put the Sun at Bloor Street and Neptune at Queen, with the other planets in between. The project got lots of attention, including from the city's transportation department, which kindly asked me to take down my signs. This summer I want to put the signs up in another couple neighbourhoods -- this time in schoolyards, parks and on private property (with permission), where city transportation officials won't feel compelled to ask me to take them down. The aim of the project is to get folks outside, walking along a linear route, learning about the scale of the solar system and planets. I am also keen to connect with local teachers to get kids and their families to use the series as a learning opportunity. Most importantly, I want to provide yet another fun, random reason why living the city is awesome.

Miami, FL – ECI Community Garden

2015-04-25T00:00:00Z

Volunteer-organized a community garden at the Everglades Correctional Institutions focused on a small assortment of vegetables, medicinal/culinary herbs, and also native wildflowers. The work in this prison is meant to give a select group of volunteers the chance to develop their own garden, largely autonomously. Through this program the men can become agents of change in their new communities.

Bend, OR (Inactief) – We Are Remembering - Not Just A Number

2015-04-22T00:00:00Z

Since 2008, a group of Bend area residents have come together on Memorial Day to volunteer to conduct a continuous reading of the name, age, and hometown of every soldier (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard) killed in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq since 2003. That first year the reading lasted almost nine hours and included, as a reader, Vicki Bellamy of Madras, OR. Vicki is the elder sister of Christopher W. Dickison, 26 of Seattle, WA. Chris died in Iraq, July 5, 2005. In 2014, the reading took its' volunteers a little more than 14 hours. By chance it fell upon Patty Smith, of LaPine, to read the name of her grandson John C. Johnson, of Phoenix, AZ. Corey, as his family and friends called him, died in Afghanistan on May 27, 2011. He was 28. Present that morning walking through the field of names, were the parents of Justin J. Wilkens, 26 of Bend, OR. Almost 14 years after the invasion of Afghanistan, this may be the only Memorial Service of its' kind in our Nation. This annual memorial is made possible only by the selfless efforts of many members of our "awesome" and diverse community. Teachers, artists, musicians, activists, city council members, retired Military members, business owners, athletes, children thru senior citizens, the well off and the not so well off, librarians, gay, straight, the religious and the non-religious, left, right or neutral. Each leaves behind their "label" to become just a voice to help remember those lost.

Newmarket – It Takes a Village - Youth Art in the Yard

2015-04-21T00:00:00Z

I would like to have an art in the yard for young school age artists in order for them to display and be proud of their accomplishments. To encourage them to further their exploration of art in their lives. It would be in the yard of the Ici Arte! Gallery at the corner of Main St. and Davis Dr. so would be very visible. We would set up and decorate the outside previous to and have an area where tea would be served. All of the young artists would be there to talk about their art and to get into the feeling of displaying and being proud of their creations. Having the townspeople come and see what they have as well as showing interest in young artists would be, I think, very encouraging to them. I think young artists need to be encouraged. Whether it be as a career or as a hobby, art has always been a large part of the human experience.

Gloucester, MA – Ma $ pa's Pickles

2015-04-21T00:00:00Z

Boulder, CO (Inactief) – Brainsong: Music for Autism (awesome-ism)

2015-04-21T00:00:00Z

The first awesome, joyous, summer outdoor interactive music and dance concert for kids with Autism and any disability -- and their families and friends... As a mom with a child with autism, I cannot bring my daughter to any of the many children symphonies or ballet events, just like all my friends in the disability community of Boulder. Our kids cannot sit still, be quiet and polite. They need to move and make noise. We are shunned as "bad parents" but our kids feel music; they learn from music and enjoy it if not more, just as much as all kids. They deserve to experience the arts at a high level. This concert by Awesome Boulder will allow our kiddos and the community the freedom to be center stage (rather than shunned by society). The musicians will love it! The dancers will love it! Boulder will love it! Please help us to launch the very first Inclusive Event in Boulder!

Pittsburgh, PA – Pittonkatonk Collaborative Workshop/Performance

2015-04-20T00:00:00Z

The Pittonkatonk educational component would be a 3 day, 3 part interactive between the Hill Districts University Prep Junior and Senior High Marching Bands and Pittonkatonk festival headlining band What Cheer? Brigade from Providence, Rhode Island. The workshop will begin with an overview and introduction to What Cheer? Brigade highlighting their role and identifying what it means to be a community band. We will talk about WC?B’s involvement with Building 16 (an artist space in Providence) and how they used their music to send a social message. Social Justice plays a large role in What Cheer Brigade’s ethos and we want to identify that and highlight how students can use music to send a message for change. We will outline the structure of the band, review individual responsibilities in and outside of the band, discuss their democratic approach to performances, their history of collaborations and a basic history of traditional balkan and carnival music. Students will be asked to identify these elements and show examples in both WC?B’s music and in popular music. We will also review the history and show video examples of Providence’s DIY music spaces and artists. Being a mobile acoustic band is an important part and helps to define at what capacity the band can perform. We will discuss the strengths and limitations of being an acoustic mobile band and review WC?B’s method of touring both in the states and in Europe. A 2010 WC?B European tour documentary will be shown to highlight the ups and downs of performance and touring including busking all the way to their award winning performance at a Brass Festival in Spain. Part 2 would be rehearsals and collaboration. We have asked both WC?B and UPrep to choose a song that they would like to perform and to teach each other. They would break down into "sectionals" and work together re-composing the songs in smaller groups. Part 3 would be a collaborative performance at Pittonkatonk on May 2nd at Pittonkatonk.

Lusaka (Inactief) – Kantemba Caria

2015-04-20T00:00:00Z

Kantemba is the name for each little corner stall selling talk time, tomatoes, popcorn, portions of roller meal, pawpaws, pineapples, onions, oranges, mangoes, masukus, freeze-its or cool drinks out of cooler boxes, fried fritters, eggs, cabbages, bananas and avocadoes - to list what I've seen. This project is boldly launched as Kantemba Caria and has as it's aims: Encouraging buyers to have respect for their environment, by first buying a 'Caria or carrier bag, and thereafter re-using the same bag in which to take their goods home. Teaching the makers of the bags design - i.e. simple but functional and attractive. Please note, that the emphasis will be on individual cloth bags made out of strong cotton chitenge so that they can be washed. The project has the scope to hold mini contests in the area to see which stand can design the best Caria - thus engaging women and youth in the community and encouraging interaction amongst the vendors. It is also hoped that talking about one's Caria becomes a play on words - intentionally Zamglish so that we begin to talk about 'career' and reduce unemployment amongst the youth by giving them something useful to do. Stage one Identify a committed starting group to the project. Introduce the how to make a simple Caria to this nucleus of people who can spread the idea in the vernacular to other Kantembas. Insist on excellence in the making of individual Carias. Stress that mass-produced designs will not gain 'points' in the competition. Here it is hoped that youth will express their individuality and protect it. Organise the first contest - for example in the Kabulonga/Ibex area, the designs could be taken to the Dutch Reformed Market and the public could judge which is the most attractive and practical Caria. Different Kantembas could have insignia on their Carias so that people know where to order/buy them. This is open to the smaller Kantembas only.

Sydney – Care to Converse

2015-04-17T00:00:00Z

Solemn stares, seldom smiles, this is what I see most days as I commute around Sydney city. My project involves creating a visual representation worn by those who are happy and willing to have a casual conversation. This will take shape in a badge or band which says “Care to Converse?”. The idea would be for everyday commuters to start having casual conversations with the awkwardness taken out. By wearing of a band/badge people will feel free to approach those that are up for the chat. We live in close accessible communities and yet we do not know the people who travel in the same space as us. I see this project as a way to continue the conversation, something similar to RU Ok day, but thought about every day. There is a phenomenon I call “Familiar Strangers” these are the people you see quite frequently on the commute or in your area, and they are familiar to you but you've never spoken. Who knows what you might find out, or what connections you might make from giving casual conversations a chance? Research has shown that there are benefits in conversing with strangers, including increased happiness. The Care to Converse project is a way to create support for friendliness and connection in the community. And if you don’t feel like it, you can always take off the band or badge or even pass it on to someone who does. Wearing the band/badge will make a big difference! Simply by seeing someone else who "Cares to Converse" you already have a sense of connection even without conversation. Like a visual community kinship. Furthermore it could bust discrimination as simply by wearing the band/badge you will have an instant talking point to start a conversation with someone you ordinarily wouldn't! The idea itself is a simple one, the concept easy to understand. All I need is people to participate, a motivated crew to help head the project to success and the bands/badges to spread the conversational love (which is where your awesomeness comes in)!

Oahu, HI – Kalaheo Athletic Trainers

2015-04-17T00:00:00Z

I am an athletic trainer at Kalaheo High School. My main responsibility is keeping student athletes safe during sporting events. We have a small budget and not enough resources to help the athletes to our greatest potential. The athletic training room is located in a separate building than the gym, and a small walk from the football/soccer field, making it difficult for some athletes with injuries to get to us. In emergencies, it is difficult to transport the athletes and carry some of the heavier athletes, off of the field and get them treated. For instance during an injury such as heat exhaustion, a slower response rate increases the risk of the athlete. When they are disoriented and sluggish, it becomes even more difficult to get the unresponsive athlete off of the field and the treatment they need. We're looking to better help our Kalaheo Sports community and treat our students faster and more effectively. We educate the athletes on proper hydration and nutrition, as well as educating them about their bodies. We assist students looking to enter a health-care field in college by letting those interested volunteer in the athletic training room, giving them hands on experience from cleaning wounds, to taping ankles, to learning budgeting and inventory. Working 6 days a week and on some nights (football games) until 1am, we are committed to our athletes as they are our primary concern. Our project is looking to aide the athletic trainers, as well as the athletes during practices and games and help keep safety our priority.

Antigonish, NS (Inactief) – No Need to Blow the Budget

2015-04-16T00:00:00Z

I would like to see education classes/workshops showing familes that a small income does not have to mean that nutrition has to be lacking in the meals they serve themselves or their family. I believe a lot of families need advice when it comes to shopping on a budget...what to buy for the best value, both monetary and health wise. Low income does not have to be Kraft dinner and cornflakes. There are so many ways to put healthy meals on the table and stay within a very limited buget. Take for example, what a single person could learn if they were guided through the grocery aisles and shown where the bargains were and how to prepare meals from everyday staples that are found there. They could learn that the most important meal of the day could be prepared for less than $2 !!...how to make a batch of soup that would give dozens of hearty lunches for mere pennies a serving, learn about batch-cooking and take away recipes and ideas that could save them dollars on the food budget.

Tallahassee, FL (Inactief) – HOPE Freedom School

2015-04-16T00:00:00Z

HOPE Freedom School will be a summer enrichment program serving 50, K-12, underprivileged, students from the Gadsden and south side Leon County areas. There is absolutely no cost for the students and transportation is provided. It will occur over 6 weeks of the summer from 8:30-3:30 PM each day. Each morning the students will be taught from an integrated reading curriculum that is aligned to common core standards, and uses culturally relevant materials. In the afternoon the students will participate in enrichment activities including instruction in; art, music, PE, dance, health and nutrition, etc. Students also are provided with two healthy meals per day, and weekly parent nights are held to empower community members. Fridays will be reserved for "Field Trip Fridays" where the students will get to visit local Tallahassee museums, parks, attraction, historical sites, etc. The National Freedom School program was founded by the Children's Defense Fund and it's history dates back to the Civil Rights Movement. The HOPE Freedom School staff members were hired locally from Tallahassee, and will be trained by the Children's Defense Fund to assure quality instruction and preparation. Culturally relevant materials will also be purchased through them, as many of these books are not available in mainstream stores and companies.

Kingston – Kingston Stilters!

2015-04-16T00:00:00Z

It is an average Friday in June. You are hurrying along King St. on your lunch break trying to fit in a few errands. You turn onto Princess St., and look up to see flashes of yellow and green; an exceptionally tall magical creature is peeking out of the Chez Piggy alleyway. A second character appears, popping out from around the corner and a third ducks into a shop entrance across the street. You realize that these tall creatures are playing hide and seek. A crowd gathers on the sidewalk, amused and charmed by the troupe’s antics. Imagine a band of stilt performers who pop up in public places, entertaining and delighting children and adults alike, bringing unexpected joy, magic, excitement and spectacle to all who survey. This is what Kingston’s new stilt theatre troupe will deliver to residents over the coming year. During 2014, our two founders have been stilting here and there at Kingston community events. We have been enthralled by the public’s appreciation for the art form. Witnessing the power of stilt walking to captivate the public has prompted us to form a stilting troupe. We are currently planning three performances over the next six months: one at the Skeleton Park Music Festival and two pop-up productions in public places in late summer and early fall.

Detroit, MI – ComiqueCon

2015-04-16T00:00:00Z

Women make up 47 percent of comic book readers, but still make up only 29 percent of DC characters and 24 percent of Marvel characters. Futhermore, women rank consistently in the minority as creators at major comic publishers. Female comic creators deserve better, and comic readers need to be introduced to these creators. ComiqueCon celebrates the work of female comic creators, introduces readers to amazing female artists and highlights the need to continue increasing representation of women in comics. Conceived as a one-day convention, ComiqueCon will feature panels, workshops, vendors, and entertainment from the top creators in the comics industry. ComiqueCon has partnered with Green Brain Comics and the Arab American National Museum to host this convention. These two local, well-established organizations are providing our venue and our connection to professional comic creators. So far, we have six panelists signed on. These include Mairghread Scott, one of the creators behind Transformers, and Leila Abdelrazaq, author of Baddawi, which recounts her father’s experience in a Palestinian refugee camp. The growing popularity of women characters and the steady increase in female comic creators reflects both a diversified audience while simultaneously broadening the appeal of this unique approach to story-telling. The convention will hold something for everyone, including families. Workshops will give attendees a chance to create their own comic book or make their own superhero mask. The panels will be held throughout the day, presenting topics ranging from the changing role of gender in comic protagonists to how to break into the comic industry. Local businesses and organizations will also have ample representation as vendors. Join us in making our inaugural convention a success. With your help, we will host an engaging event that will introduce to some and further develop for others a broader discussion about the changing face of women in comics.

Antigonish, NS (Inactief) – Antigonish Community Video

2015-04-16T00:00:00Z

I would like to produce a couple of Aerial videos of Antigonish County. The Scope of this video will encompass all of Antigonish County from Aulds cove to Arisaig, highlighting areas such as beaches, wharfs, hiking trails, the Keppoch, the town of Antigonish, St. Andrews, St.F.X. University and other places people can recommend I feature via a Facebook site. By the end of the summer 2015 I will have enough footage to produce the first video and over the Fall and Winter months I will continue to gather footage so that I can make a Winter video first and then a Full year video showcasing the Beauty of Antigonish in every season. i will then make this video available for use on Antigonish Town and County Websites and Social Media with Shared Rights. The videos will be between 2-3 minutes long and I plan on using music from local artists in the background. Other companies in Nova Scotia Would charge $3000 - $5000 to produce just one video so there is a lot of value in producing something like this for the Town and County.

Adelaide – Adelaide//Yogyakarta

2015-04-15T00:00:00Z

In an attempt to create a bond between local Australian artists and contemporary Indonesian artists, I would love the opportunity to curate an exhibition at The Mill featuring artists from Adelaide//Yogyakarta. Both laid-back and outrageously inspiring cities have such an untapped source of young creatives whose work deserves to be boosted and experienced in an atypical space. This exhibition would solidify a bond between these two cities, whilst adding to the thus-far minimally documented contemporary art scene in both areas. I strongly believe that this project is awesome for these reasons: Australia needs to form further, more personal bonds with South East Asia, particularly our nearest neighbour, Indonesia. As a recent student of the Indonesian language (and honours hopeful), it proved nearly impossible to find any legitimate literature on local contemporary artists in both Adelaide and Yogyakarta, which is unbelievable considering the sheer number of creatives in each city. Each artist contacted up until this point is excited to be involved in such a project and it would be wonderful to extend that excitement to likeminded folk.

New York City, NY – 4th Annual Sandwich Club Summit

2015-04-14T00:00:00Z

The official mission statement of the Sandwich Club is “to foster an enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and forward-thinking sandwich culture by encouraging the discovery and consumption of delicious sandwiches and sandwich components, both in the United States and abroad.” On September 12, 2015, sandwich-lovers will convene in Wassaic, NY for the 4th Sandwich Club Summit to discuss the fields of sandwich making and sandwich studies. Presenters will cover diverse topics including epistemology, art history, and the potential hazards of excessive mayonnaise application. The event includes panels, discussions, interactive workshops, a sandwich-themed art exhibition and grilled cheese sandwiches. The Sandwich Club Summit creates a window through which to poke fun at the alienating language of business, politics, contemporary art and social science while also indulging in a shared pleasure. AwesomeNYC is excited to support the work of the Sandwich Club and the work that they do to further the sandwich arts. Registration for the Summit will open in July 2015, and more details can be found on the Sandwich Club website. (All photos above by Danny Ghitis)