Awesome Foundation - Projecten

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Spawn of The Gerrymander

2014-10-13T00:00:00Z

We all learned about “gerrymandering” back in middle school, thanks in part to that famous 19th century illustration that depicted politically manipulated voting-district boundaries into a contorted monster. This project draws inspiration from that classic illustration — one of the most effective infographics of all time. The goal: Draw fresh attention to the contemporary manipulation of congressional-district boundaries for political reasons. The problem is more acute than ever, with contorted districts drawn to assure incumbent parties stay in power, exacerbating ideological polarization and legislative gridlock. The strategy: Five illustrators devise relatable visualizations of the unnatural shapes of five blatantly “gerrymandered” Congressional districts in 2014. These “Spawn of the Gerrymander” will arrive in the fall, when the mid-term elections are in the news. They’ll take the form of animated GIFs that could spread through social media and reach a wider audience than wonkier treatments of the issue. The need: Most visualizations of gerrymandered districts these days are crude and unmemorable. (For more on that and why it matters, please see my Design Observer essay, “Seeing The Problem”: http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=381.) In short: Think of this project as creating a five-headed sequel to a landmark illustration. Who knows what creatures today’s grotesquely drawn districts will inspire?? I have a great platform: DesignObserver.com, is on board, and has a wide online and social-media audience. I also have relationships with a slew of highly talented and well-known illustrators conversant in the animated-GIF format. The status: I have been in conversation with The Sunlight Foundation and other non-partisan groups to identify the most-gerrymandered districts. This reporting/research component of the project is nearing completion. With Design Observer on board, it’s almost time to start approaching contributing artists.

Yerevan – Օդապարուկների օր /День воздушных змеев/ Kite day

2014-10-12T00:00:00Z

Հոկտեմբեր ամսվա երկրորդ կիրակին համարվում է օդապարուկների միջազգային օր (Всемирный день воздушных змеев (World Kite Day): Այդ օրը օդապարուկների սիրահարները դեպի երկինք են ուղարկում իրենց թռչող "բարեկամներին": Ես կարծում եմ, որ կարելի է շատ արդյունավետ օգտագործել մեր երկրի բնակլիմայական պայմանները` մասնավորապես քամիները: Եթե այլ վայրերում սպասում են թե երբ քամի կլինի, ապա Գեղարքունիքի մարզի Արտանիշ գյուղի մոտ քամու անջատիչը փչացած է և լավ քամի կա միշտ: Կարծես բնությունն ինքն է թելադրում կազմակերպել գեղեցիկ օդապարուկների փառատոն: Իմ առաջարկն է Արտանիշ գյուղի մոտակայքում գտնվող լայնատարած դաշտում անցակացնել օդապարուկների փառատոն, որին կմասնակցեն տարբեր տարիքի տասնյակ ու հարյուրավոր մարդիկ: Գույնզգույն օդային կերպարները կզարդարեն երկինքը: Մեր կողմից կպատրաստվեն տասնյակ օդապարիկներ և կտրամադրվեն մասնակից երեխաներին: Մարդիկ կմասնակցեն նաև իրենց օդապարուկներով: Կամավորները երեխաներին կսովորեցնեն ինչպես օդապարուկներին պարեցնել երկնքում: Մրցանակներ կխաղարկվեն մի քանի անվանակարգերում` ամենաերիտասարդ մասնակցին, ամենամեծ օդապարուկն ունեցողին և այլ… Սա կնպաստի ժամանցային նոր կուլտուրայի ձևավորմանը մեր հասարակության մեջ: Նմանօրինակ միջոցառումը կարող է դառնալ լավ ավանդույթ Արտանիշ գյուղի համար` որպեսզի այն էլ ունենա իր ամենամյա գեղեցիկ և ինքնատիպ փառատոնը:

Orlando, FL – Artists of Orlando

2014-10-10T00:00:00Z

This project photographically documents artists of Orlando, FL, from filmmakers, to painters, to photographers, to writers, who have committed themselves to their work full-time, for better or worse, with no other source of income. Each photo presents an artist posing in their studio / work space with something specific to their work, such as a paint brush, or a camera, or a pencil. This project will be presented to the public in a gallery space in the Orlando area.

Austin, TX – Bilingual books for kids, by kids

2014-10-10T00:00:00Z

With the help of the Awesome Foundation, Jennifer Siviter and her eighth-grade students at Harmony Science Academy North Austin are embarking on a dual-language project with a dual mission. Over the course of the year, her students will collaborate to write, illustrate, translate, and publish books in a variety of genres. These books will then be distributed to children in local immigrant holding centers who crossed the border seeking refuge in the United States. “Many of these children have nothing, and I would like for my students to create books that will act as companions for them in their difficult times,” Siviter says. “Not only will this be a beautiful thing to do for others, but it will empower my English-language learners. They will be actively involved in translating and maintaining the bilingual story-making process.”

Lusaka (Inactief) – The “Growing With A Tree” Campaign

2014-10-09T00:00:00Z

The idea is to imprint (without indoctrinating) ideals of environmental stewardship, on to the impressionable minds of little children by giving them an active hand in environment restoring practices; in this particular instance tree planting. The campaign seeks to cultivate a sense of care and encourage children to grow and nurture what we choose to call a 'green conscience' by participating in the "Growing With A Tree" campaign. The campaign which targets children from the ages of four (4) to nine (9) will see us going from school to school, engaging pre-schoolers and children from grades one (1) to six (6) to plant a tree and look after it or rather 'GROW WITH IT' over the period of their scholastic stay. This gives the children the chance to not only imitate good green practices but will provide them with a sense of ownership and will encourage them to adopt an attitude of care for the environment. Trees (seedlings) planted will be of various genome; they will include fruit trees, medicinal trees like Moringa and indigenous or exotic species such as Eucalyptus and Pinus. The seedling will be planted within or alternatively around the perimeter of the school. The "Grow With A Tree" campaign aims to involve as many individuals in their formative years as possible, we seek to engage children in as many schools as will allow and our target will be to plant at least 500 trees at the little hands of our future generation by the end of the year.

LA South Bay, CA (Inactief) – Garden Therapy Recovering Homeless Veterans

2014-10-09T00:00:00Z

/This project is specifically to benefit our garden therapy program for the homeless veterans at the US VETS Initiative Veterans Villages Recovery Center at Century Villages at Cabrillo Shelter community in Long Beach, Ca. Our garden was started by one homeless veteran in 2012 who was growing watermelons in a field of trash between abandoned military barracks set for demolition. The shelter is set in industrial west Long Beach between two oil refineries. OUr garden now employs three veterans and provides food and holiday celebrations for the veterans and children and other homeless shelters on site. http://occupational-therapy-advanceweb.com/Multimedia/Occupation-in-Action-Photo-Gallery/Veterans-Gardening-Project.aspx

Miami, FL – Emojig

2014-10-08T00:00:00Z

Emojig.com is a caregiving marketplace for finding senior care. Caregivers right now are underpaid and underutilized. Traditional Home Care Agencies charge families $20-25 and pay caregivers $8-10 dollars. Most caregivers live on the poverty line; our website helps solve this issue. Caregivers can charge their own fees in a marketplace setting selling their services to families who need them. The aging population is one that is constantly growing and by 2030, 20% of the American Population will be 65+. For most families getting in-home care is affordable alternative to other forms of care. The big problem is that it’s difficult for families and seniors to find caregivers. Families want to find trusted sources for getting caregivers we provide this by creating a bridge for vetted caregivers and families to connect. Our website acts as a connective tool for families and caregivers to find one another. Emojig is a resource that can bind the in-home care industry assisting every family looking for care by making senior care services more accessible. My college roommate and I have dedicated this summer to working on this project. I personally come from a family filled with caregivers and my roommate shares a story of having a hard time finding senior care for his grandmother. We’ve taken our stories and created a solution for families and caregivers to find one another.

Miami, FL – LEARNerds

2014-10-08T00:00:00Z

We started LEARNerds as a blog to help sharpen our minds while brushing up on fundamental STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) knowledge. Presented in an engaging bite-sized daily question format with thorough explanations, the blog soon found a growing audience - other STEM professionals who also felt rusty. Many voiced a desire to continue learning and exercising their analytical & problem-solving abilities. Talking with our audience, we discovered some had tried other ways to challenge themselves (Khan Academy, Udacity, Coursera). But the time commitment those courses required were often too overwhelming. These professionals found it hard to study for hours after finishing a hectic full day of work. Eventually, they would burn out, and never complete the learning goals they had set out for themselves. We then realized - the learning material wasn’t what hindered our users, it was how they approached learning & making progress. Our audience has repeatedly told us that they enjoy our bite-sized dosage of learning & problem-solving. Many have made it a morning routine - a way to jumpstart their brain before beginning the day’s work. Others enjoy taking their “doses” in between meetings, chores, commutes or even as a short break. We see LEARNerds as a place where STEM professionals can regularly come to exercise, learn and hone their problem-solving skills in manageable chunks. The STEM fields are all about solving problems. If we can further empower this group of problem-solvers to better do what they love, then the potential impact can be huge. If selected for this grant, this opportunity will enable us to put funds towards developing the website into its next iteration. We’re aiming to create a website with high-quality content geared towards working professionals, utilizing gamification techniques and adaptive learning. In the coming month, we will also be applying to join start-up accelerators.

Rio de Janeiro (Inactief) – Urbanidades - Percepções afetivas na cidade

2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Um projeto para abraçar a alma das ruas e criar percepções afetivas acerca das cidades, estimulando a co-criação de soluções mais humanas para os espaços urbanos. Através de um laboratório multidisciplinar que junta antropologia reversa, urban watching, design thinking e curiosity couture, o objetivo é estimular um olhar afetivo sobre a cidade, que se desdobre em práticas urbanas sustentáveis, replicáveis e agregadoras. Os workshops de antropologia livre do Say It Loud chegam ao Rio de Janeiro com a temática urbana, depois de 5 rodadas em São Paulo, onde mais de 50 pessoas vivenciaram a prática da antropologia aplicada ao cotidiano e levaram para casa o toolkit de introdução ao pensamento antropológico. This is a project to embrace the soul of the streets and create affective perceptions of cities, stimulating co-creation of human centered solutions for urban spaces. Through a multidisciplinary lab that combines reverse anthropology, urban watching, design thinking and curiosity couture, the goal is to stimulate an emotional view through the city, which unfolds in sustainable, replicable and collective urban practices. The anthropological’s Say It Loud workshops come to Rio de Janeiro with the urban focus, after five rounds in Sao Paulo, where more than 50 people experienced the practice of anthropology applied to everyday life and took home the toolkit introduction to the anthropological thought.

Liverpool (Inactief) – Disco-Scouse

2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Disco-Scouse will be a joyful, communal food event that brings awareness to food waste and poverty. The simple ethos is to create a big, free meal out of donated food, whilst having a cool disco-boogie! Disco-Scouse will bring people together in a creative, meaningful, focussed and fun activity, with a great process and brilliant outcome for all involved. Volunteers and members of the public will come together in Toxteth to wash, peel, chop, cook fresh but unwanted vegetables, donated by local farms, allotments and food producers, to make delicious scouse for all who come along! The meal will be prepared to music provided by funky food DJs, encouraging a dance celebration whilst making a taste sensation! Disco-Scouse is based on Disco-Soup - the international grassroots movement that catalyses action on food waste and works to “fill bellies, not bins”, with a Liverpool twist. We tried out a Disco-Soupe pilot in March, which worked amazingly well. Together, we made loads of soup and salad and fed approx 200 people. We think it would be great to do Disco-Scouse during Food for Real festival (November 20th-23rd) as it will be part of a wider food-focussed series of events, with greater opportunity to publicise it to as wide an audience as possible. We'd also like to make a short film about the event to share even wider. We think it would be awesome to make a Disco-Scouse for up to 500 people!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Creating Butterflies

2014-10-06T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project is called Creating Butterflies. You know the saying- Just when the caterpillar thought her world was over…she became a butterfly. We help women who are breastless become butterflies with breast reconstructlon. We transform lives and wish we could do more and do them faster to eliminate our growing wait list for survivors, This testimonial from a client we helped tells it all: Brenda Wiley(IN) I feel as though I won the reconstruction lottery! What an amazing journey this has been so far. I feel so blessed to have been donated my surgery with the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans and with Dr. Scott Sullivan. Without My Hope Chest, I would not have ever been able to have this done…..and I feel better than ever. It is such a great thing to have somewhere to turn for help when there seems to be no options at all.

New Orleans, LA (Inactief) – The New Orleans Youth Open Mic

2014-10-06T00:00:00Z

A local collective of poets who wanted to use their art to connect with and create literary and performance opportunities for local youth started the New Orleans Youth Open Mic (NOYOM) in the spring of 2014 . Despite having a vibrant pre-Katrina youth spoken word scene (including NOLA’s own Brave New Voices slam team, a youth poetry team made up of youth who compete nationally with other youth slam teams), youth poetry has yet to return to the city in the same capacity after the storm. NOYOM is our attempt at bringing it back. Open to 7th-12th grade students in any New Orleans school, NOYOM provides a stage and space for young people to explore themselves as writers, to share their writing and experiences with peers, and to support one another in their artistic endeavors. NOYOM currently takes place on the 3rd Wednesday of every month in the Lavin Bernick Student Center of Tulane University. We currently have partnerships with the Tulane Black Student Union who provide us with free space to host our monthly shows and the New Orleans Public Library who set up tables with free books and reading materials for all students in attendance at the open mics. This year, NOYOM would like to expand our programming and create additional partnerships in order to provide more opportunities for local youth including, but not limited to: -Writing and Performance workshops for youth taught by local teaching artists -The establishment of Spoken Word Clubs in local high schools who currently do not have them -The re-creation of a Brave New Voices youth slam team to represent New Orleans on the national youth spoken word scene NOYOM has the capacity to impact youth in New Orleans in multiple ways by providing them a space outside of an academic context to explore writing and themselves as young persons. The workshops and additional programming that this grant would make possible would go a long way in assuring that NOYOM develops from being just an open mic.

Philadelphia, PA – Uber Street Organic Co-Op

2014-10-03T00:00:00Z

Our project is a hydroponic irrigation system that can increase the Uber Street Organic Garden's crop yield. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in a nutrient/water solution as opposed to the standard 'plant in the ground' method. The nutrients involved are nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Because the plants are being fed nutrients directly, they don't have to expend energy on making their own food and can spend more effort growing, resulting in the crops growing faster and healthier. In order to procure water in a completely green system, we are attaching a stormwater collection tank that will catch all rainwater and allow a pump to circulate the water along with the nutrients through our PVC constructed system. In addition, the pump will be solar powered, making our hydroponic system 100% self-sustaining and environmentally friendly. We also hope to build a shed that will house tools and the stormwater collection tank and have a rain gutter that will catch most rainwater in its vicinity and direct it into the tank. The shed will also have the solar panel fixed on top of the roof and pitched at an angle that will gain the maximum amount of sunlight every day. According to our calculations, our entire system can go eight consecutive cloudy days on its own.

Philadelphia, PA – Unmanned aerial systems for precision agriculture

2014-10-03T00:00:00Z

When I was growing up, there was never much food in the house. I grew up in a relatively rural area that lacks in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics opportunity, and was diagnosed with a chronic connective tissue disorder at birth; when my father left my family, my mother was crippled with medical bills and other living expenses. I know what it's like to struggle, and I knew when I took an interest in robotics in eighth grade that I had to help others overcome hunger. By the year 2050, we're projected to need an 80% or higher increase in crop yield to sustain the global population--and even now, there's a hunger crisis going largely unaddressed, especially in developing countries. Though we may be running out of space for more farmland due to our rapidly growing population, we can massively increase the efficiency of existing farms through precision agriculture. One of the most effective methods of precision agriculture can be achieved by utilizing robotics--both on the ground and on land. Blending my experience contracting and subcontracting for NASA and the United States Navy, I've been developing an unmanned aerial system for applications in precision agriculture for over a year now. My system has been shown to increase crop yield up to six times, proving to be business-viable for both small business to enterprise farmers. I know what it's like to go hungry. I'm working to end the very demon I was burdened with throughout childhood; no one should have to go to bed hungry.

Sarnia (Inactief) – Global Citizenship Summit

2014-10-03T00:00:00Z

Our AWESOME project is set up to foster relationships between all students at Lambton College and the community by encouraging all in attendance to step outside their own culture and customs in order to identify themselves as being part of a global identity. This is a multicultural event that promotes a world community where one's actions are interdependent and whole-here and around the world! GOALS: Bring world views locally. Explore cultural foods Understand different perspectives Enhance cultural competence Bring respect for cultural diversity Promote social justice Invite the community to participate in a culturally diverse event

Sydney – Pizza in the Druitt

2014-10-01T00:00:00Z

The school community of Hebersham Public School is a multicultural community in a low-socio economic area. The school believes it is vital that our students develop an understanding and tolerance of cultural differences and awareness of nutrition through the cooking and sharing of food together. The proposed ‘Pizza in the Druitt’ project will improve educational and social outcomes for our school community through: increasing student engagement; creating a facility that can be used for community purposes; parent gardening and cooking groups to build community partnerships; developing cooperation, negotiation and team work skills; increasing self-esteem and confidence and allowing self-directed learning through engaging in cooking and garden activities. Every nation has a version of a pizza. This Pizza oven will bring us all together sharing a pizza from around the world. More importantly having the Pizza oven will be fun!

Atlanta, GA (Inactief) – A simple method to revolutionize bus transit

2014-10-01T00:00:00Z

The bus comes late when you most needed. That's a fact of life. But when it finally comes bunched up with one, two, or three other buses, then its particularly annoying. What is worst is that all the people who are also waiting are going to slow down this bus further by boarding and alighting. This bus will probably arrive at the terminal station late, and start its next route late, followed closely by the other bunched up buses. The problem is that the schedule sends buses in packs. Research has shown that on high frequency routes (12 minutes headways or less), passengers just go to the stations without using a schedule. Actually, passengers rely more and more on real time applications (OneBusAway, NextBus etc.) to plan their trips rather than paper schedule. This raises two questions: 1. What is the point of schedules on high frequency routes if they create bus bunching and if passengers don't use them? 2. If passengers use real-time information to make better decisions on their trips and optimize their time, couldn't transit agencies do the same? As part of my research at Georgia Tech, I have developed a method to control buses using real-time information that could replace schedules. The idea is to send buses at high frequency and at regular headway to minimize passenger waiting time. The method consists in holding buses at time-points to space out the headways and avoiding bus bunching. Operationally, tablets in the buses tell the operators when to drive and when to stop. I have tested the method in a computer simulation that replicated a typical high-frequency bus route and found that my method could cut passenger waiting time by half. In a world where people are becoming multi-modal, connected, and aware of their environment, the concept of a static schedule becomes outdated. As elements of a system become able to communicate, a centralized control can make informed decision and improve the system performance.

Nairobi (Inactief) – Beats Behind Bars

2014-09-30T00:00:00Z

Beats Behind Bars is a one week creative music project targeting young artists in correction facilities in Nairobi. This project aims to help prisoners develop a more positive and creative view of life and improve their chance of successful rehabilitation. We will select 10 artists in Kamiti medium security prison who will undergo an extensive 1 week music training which will be conducted by professional musicians. The course will involve lessons on the areas of vocal technique, musicianship, artistic creativity, song writing skills, composition, playing instruments and performance skills. The participants will be encouraged to come up with song ideas (educative) which will be recorded and professionally mixed by the award winning music producer Dr.Eddie in a makeshift studio constructed within Kamiti prison. The peak of the project will be a performance of the new music by the artists to the prisoners and the prison staff on the final day . The CD and DVD copies produced will be sent to participating artists ,their friends and families and also distributed to radio and TV stations music programs. This project will empower and motivate the artists to become role models while in prison and also in the society when they get out.

Austin, TX – The Krewe DCM Halloween Parade

2014-09-30T00:00:00Z

Inspired by and in honor of New Orleanian parade traditions, KreweDCM brought Austin a new and exciting type of Halloween experience with its inaugural parade in 2007. Every Halloween night since, KreweDCM has continued to astonish revelers with wild new themes and amazing visuals. This year, KreweDCM teamed up with HONK!TX teamed up for the 9th Annual Halloween Parade through East Austin. The parade route was designed to pass through one of Austin's largest low-income development, Chalmers Court, in a special effort to bring some Halloween magic to some of the city's most disadvantaged children.

Melbourne (Inactief) – Long Street Coffee Training Pop-up

2014-09-30T00:00:00Z

Long Street Coffee is a social enterprise café, the purpose of which is to provide employment and training opportunities in the hospitality industry to young people from refugee backgrounds. Earlier this year we ran two pop-ups cafes which served as pilot programs. We had pop-ups at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival and the Festival of Live Art. At the festivals, we worked with two young refugees, Esther from Burma, and Dawa from Tibet. For both of our barista trainees, it was their first time working in Australia and they were incredible! Both pop-ups were so successful that we decided to do this on a permanent basis. After months of searching, we have just recently managed to find a permanent space for our café in Richmond. In early November, we’ll be launching a crowdfunding campaign to help us fund the fit out costs. However, in the meantime we have an empty space, and whilst we don’t currently have the funds to move our espresso machine in and start making coffee, we have a plan for how we can begin to offer training to refugee youth. An important part of our training module will be barista skills training that focuses on alternative brewing techniques: pour over, aeropress, batch brewing filter coffee, etc. For this we don’t need the expensive plumbing or electrical work that our espresso machine requires. Our plan is to use this time we have in the space now to teach young refugees the fundamentals of filter coffee brewing. This way they will be proficient in a variety of brew methods and have a firm grasp of the basics before they have to tackle the espresso machine, and we will have baristas-in-the-making instead of newbies when we launch! Importantly, training in this way will help to build our trainees’ self-confidence, as they can learn at their own pace in a quiet and relaxed space. We plan on having a “practice” day of trade whereby our trainees can show off their new coffee brewing skills to our friends and early supporters.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Project41

2014-09-29T00:00:00Z

Of the two billion poorest in our world 70% are small scale farmers. They are hardworking industrious people, but they can’t grow enough food to feed their families. Dry season and shifting rain patterns make it increasingly difficult for them to grow a crop. Our pump allows farmers, who have access to a water source, to now thoroughly and easily irrigate their land. Not only are they able to grow enough food to feed their families, they can now grow a surplus to take to the market. By using this pump, the farmers we are working with are realizing up to 700% increases in income. This simple tool is having a radical impact for these families. According to Bill Gates, “The smartest way to fight poverty is to help the small scale farmer grow more food.” We agree. Project41 collects used pumps from pool companies in the USA. These pumps would normally be headed to the landfill. Once collected a team of volunteers strips them of the motors and prepares the pumps for shipping overseas to our partners at WomenFirst in Uganda. Local labor is hired to construct the frames and assemble what we call the Rainmaker Irrigation system. This has the added benefit of providing jobs to the local economy. We are working with another organization to begin providing pumps in Ghana. Project41 is also working with the local leadership in Ghana to begin a farming program in the schools. This will have the dual purpose of providing meals for the students as well as teaching improved Agriculture techniques. We are very excited to have this opportunity to improve conditions for the students. We never set out to do anything like this but we cannot imagine doing anything else. It is a tremendous blessing to play a role in helping some of the most desperate in our world.

Moscow (Inactief) – Own Time Hero

2014-09-27T00:00:00Z

In this project I show people, who changed their life. For example, the women was business coacher/trainer and become dance trainer. Another girl was a lawyer and become interior designer. And all of them much more happy, than they were before! They don't follow to the parents and society expectations, they just live as they want with freedom feeling and happiness A lot of people don't believe, that they can change smth, I try to show, that they can.

London (Inactief) – The Messenger

2014-09-26T00:00:00Z

The Messenger is an original work of devised theatre based on interviews with nurses involved in organ donation. The show translates the ethical and emotional dilemmas of their work into a highly stylised, physical, visual rendering, investigating the membrane between life and death, and the extraordinary group of nurses who work there. The Messenger follows one family's journey towards donating their child's heart, as told by a group of Specialist Nurses. The show explores the emotional volatility of grief, the complexity of family dynamics, and the ethics of consent. Specialist Nurses in Organ Donation (SN-ODs) are responsible for approaching families of patients who could become organ donors. The question of organ donation adds a heightened level of emotional volatility to families in an already fraught situation. Families can be split about the decision they have to take—sometimes over-riding the patient's own wishes to donate. The SN-OD's role is to guide the family through this process. Their work is full of medical, ethical and emotional landmines, yet it literally saves lives—they facilitate the gift of organ donation. Historically, public engagement with organ donation and transplantation has focused on the life-saving consequences of donation. Because of social taboos around discussion of death and end-of-life care, there has been limited emphasis on the donation process itself, and what it entails both for the patient and their loved ones. Because The Messenger follows the donation process, it offers an invaluable opportunity to study and analyse public response to being presented with the details of donation—research that could influence stakeholders’ attitudes to greater openness in public engagement with organ donation and transplantation.

Washington, DC – The Day of Learning

2014-09-25T00:00:00Z

The Day of Learning will take place on September 6th in partnership with Gallaudet University. A description of the event is below: One day. Dozens of lessons, workshops, and classes taught by your neighbors -- Washington D.C. residents. The Day of Learning is an opportunity for the city’s community to learn from and teach each other. From an introduction to hand-dancing, to getting the low-down on mixing the city’s signature cocktail (the Gin Rickey), to exploring D.C.'s neighborhoods, the Day of Learning celebrates D.C.’s vibrant culture, history, and people. The Day of Learning is a lively and community-driven event that unites the District through sharing who we are and what we know. All of the classes will be offered with simultaneous ASL translation so as to make the event accessible to the deaf and hearing communities. You can see a full list of speakers and classes at dayoflearning.org. While the event will occur without the Awesome Foundation's support, the ability to convert the entire space into a learning playground will likely not be possible.

Miami, FL – GivingBackPacks

2014-09-25T00:00:00Z

GivingBackPacks is a social startup that is predicated upon the one-for-one model. For every backpack purchased, we donate a backpack filled with school supplies to a child in need. I founded GivingBackPacks last summer, and after this summer, we will have donated nearly 2,000 backpacks with school supplies to underserved children across the United States. There are nearly 16-million children in the United States that live in families with income levels below the federal poverty line. These families struggle to afford basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter, and so when back-to-school season rolls around, they do not have the funds for school supplies. The children are then entirely ill-equipped to participate in the classroom and lack the self-esteem and confidence to strive for success. Through GivingBackPacks, I aim to enhance the educational standard in the United States by ensuring that low-income students are equipped with the tools they need to succeed in an academic setting - even if their families are unable to provide them with such. In the backpacks we donate, there is a binder, a packet of notebook paper, a spiral notebook, a packet of one-dozen pencils, a packet of 24 crayons, a pair of scissors, a glue bottle, 2 glue sticks, 2 pencil erasers, a 12-inch ruler, and a pencil sharpener. We worked with the Miami Dade County Public School board to determine which supply items are most essential for elementary and secondary-level students, and this is the list that resulted.

South Shore – Hip Hop dancing on the South Shore.

2014-09-24T00:00:00Z

Congratulations to Tess Vachon & Michael Langille tonight’s $1,000 winners! BREAK DANCING classes coming to the South Shore!

Kitchener-Waterloo – 12 Angry Filmmakers

2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

We are aiming to cross collaborate with four more short films that include Night Shift and theatre practitioners.

London, ON (Inactief) – London's VOICE

2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

London’s VOICE (Volunteer Organization, Individuals & Civic Engagement) is a 1 day, free family fun, citizen engagement, information fair with over 100 ways that you can become a more active Londoner! With displays and representatives from volunteer organizations, public interest and engagement groups , everyone is sure to find a new way or ways, to get involved in their city and become invested in our future. A special focus will be put on introducing groups that began on and use social media to engage with their members. Upbeat, positive presentations from respected Londoners on a variety of civic engagement topics, as well as music, theatre and art performances will keep this crowd energized and make for a high energy day. Breakout discussion groups, community art projects and brainstorming boards encourage everyone in the family to interact with others and find solutions for London! This one day can and will change lives and our city! "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead There’s a reason why I want to do this, and how this came to be, but you'll have to invite me over to hear the rest of the story! Much respect for you all. You've inspired me. Look at all the space I have left! I sure wish I could doodle here. :(

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Re-resonate

2014-09-22T00:00:00Z

We make musical instruments out of waste materials. We then use a mobile music studio to record and sample these instruments and compose electronic music. We work with young people and adults in the community, delivering bespoke creative projects. We've built samba drums from paint tins, flutes from PVC pipes, electric guitars, slate xylophones and more. We've created live electronic music sets for carnival and fashion shows, and produced music in a wide range of flavours. We focus on making real instruments that sound great both acoustically and amplified, and have a function in a music ensemble. We're based in Oxfordshire, UK and have worked in youth clubs, festivals, schools both mainstream and SEN, an adventure playgrounds and in arts trusts. We've found that our workshops are particularly effective with marginalised and disengaged learners because they involve a multiple levels of participation: from hammering, sawing, drilling and soldering to playing, recording, sequencing beats and composing melodies, Our work aims to nurture confidence and self-esteem, kindle imaginations, spark curiosity and encourage green thinking. In the 10 months we've been going we've generated huge interest but we need to grow as an organisation in order to access the communities that would most benefit form our work. We intend to build a social enterprise angle into re-resonate, generating revenue from selling musical instruments and sample libraries that we've created, and re-investing this into projects in harder-to-reach communities and building strong partnerships with community organisations. Our goal in the next 2 years is to have 2 regular projects running with community groups, (one with adults living with mental ill-health and one with young people in social care) in Oxford (which despite a reputation for wealth is in the top half of most deprived local authority areas) fully funded by our product sales, in addition to our other projects funded through partnership.

Detroit, MI – Walk [Detroit]

2014-09-21T00:00:00Z

Walk [Detroit] is inspired by the National Walk [YourCity] Movement/Organization. (walkyourcity.org) The project consists of a series of sign installations, which serve as way-finding tools and a means to increase the walk-ability of an area. These signs inspire people to choose foot as a means of transportation in an overly vehicular oriented city. The benefits of this are innumerable, including improvements to congestion, pollution, public health, social connection, local economic development, and human-scale urban design.The signs make walking seem manageable by providing the "walk time" to several neighborhood destinations, as well as directions, maps, neighborhood info, and destination info through QR codes on each sign. I am currently implementing 20 signs as my initial installation in the Villages of Detroit, in partnership with the Villages CDC. This initial installation phase will occur by the end of July, 2014. This portion of the project is being completed as my Challenge Detroit personal Community Impact Project. Following the installation, we plan to ask the community for feedback on the project at a neighborhood meeting, Aug 6th. Continuing my partnership with the Villages CDC, I plan to do another round of 16 signs prior to / in conjunction with the Detroit Design Festival, using the impact received from the meeting, The Detroit Collaborative Design Center is currently playing an advisory role in this portion of the project. After the second installation of signs in the conjunction with DDF, I would love to continue to grow the project into other neighborhoods within Detroit. In doing so, I would like begin to make connections between adjacent neighborhoods with the signs, encouraging walk ability between several major "nodes" within the city. ** Note: Similar projects have been funded through Awesome Grants successfully in other cities (http://awesomeottawa.ca/2013/11/walk-bike-your-city/)

Newmarket – York Region Robotics Championship

2014-09-21T00:00:00Z

We would like to host a robotics competition on December 13th, 2014 at sir William Mulock secondary school in Newmarket. Teams from all over Ontario could come and compete for the chance to qualify in the provincial championship, which then can qualify teams for the world championship. We would host 32 teams and the Raven Robotics team would be the host, running the event, as well as competing in it. Our team also aims to make this a community event with media such as "CTV news" eager to cover stories on our team and competitions this year. This will promote science and technology in Newmarket and surrounding communities, something we value very much.

Orlando, FL – Orlando Fringe/Ivanhoe Village Mural

2014-09-19T00:00:00Z

Orlando Fringe and Ivanhoe Village share more than just office space, they share a commitment to building a better community. We believe that the mural, proposed by renowned artist, Thomas Thorspecken reflects artwork that celebrates Orlando. We also believe that this artwork will be a "destination mural", bringing traffic into the neighborhood to discover both Orlando Fringe and Ivanhoe Village. The offices were painted a stale, black color. WE approached our landlord, Jane Webster from R-Kid Properties and she is invested fully in the project, having her maintenance team pressure wash and paint the building a light yellow in order to make the mural work stand out and save the organizations from having to invest in the time and labor of the prep-work. We think that the mural is reflective of the "City Beautiful" that we all live in and share. Iconic figures such as the SunTrust building, the fountains at Lake Eola and even our friends at Cinderella's Castle are prominently displayed in the artwork. The mural is family friendly and is a fine example of why Thomas Thorspecken has won numerous awards for his work. While there are several mural projects in and around Orlando, so many of them, we feel are similar or done by a handful of the same artists. This one is unique and very uncharacteristic of Mr. Thorspecken' s work, which is one of the reasons we adore it. Ivanhoe Village is home to Orlando's most well known cultural entities and Orlando Fringe is known as Orlando's most unique cultural event. We think this mural adds to the uniqueness and awesomeness of our neighborhood.

Los Angeles, CA – Connecting the Community to Conservation

2014-09-19T00:00:00Z

BTN’s service learning volunteers gave over 4200 hours of their time last year! As a Life Long Girl Scout I learned that leadership begins at a young age. To encourage the next generation(s) of leaders, I help provide programs that attract more and more young women to the role of biological and environmental sciences. Many also go on to higher education in marketing and advertising to help other non-profits and give back to their community. I facilitate volunteerism through coordination of BTN's volunteer habitat restoration program which features projects in the Santiago Creek Nature Reserve in Santa Ana and in the Cleveland National Forest Trabuco Ranger District. The Back to Natives Restoration volunteer habitat restoration projects serve California wildlands by training volunteers how to properly eradicate nonnative invasive species of plants without harming or disrupting the natural ecology of the area the project serves. We reach hundreds of volunteers a year and tens of thousands of community members with the need for habitat restoration and sustainable life choices. Back to Natives teaches our program participants 'Why" we do what we do, not just how to do what we do. We connect the community to habitat restoration through service learning and native plant education.

Kingston – Limestone City Juggling Festival

2014-09-18T00:00:00Z

This year, we have decided to host the first annual Limestone City Juggling Festival from October 24-26! Juggling festivals are held across the world and draw a lot of attention to the cities in which they're held. Even though Kingston has an active jugglers' club, we do not have a festival yet! Our festival would be open to anybody interested for free or by donation. We will also advertise the festival to other juggling clubs in the area who will bring a lot of talent into the city. Workshops will be held every hour to teach newcomers the skill of juggling. Other workshops will be held for more experienced jugglers. When people are not participating in workshops, they can be practicing individually in the gym we have booked for the event or buying new juggling props from the vendors we will be bringing in. The main event will be a juggling/ circus performance on the Saturday night by the Smirk show, a funny, talented and well-known duo who are sure to bring guests from all over into our city. We plan on holding this festival yearly from now on. Other Universities (like University of Waterloo and Rochester Institution of Technology) hold successful festivals like this annually and we are hoping that this can be a fun event for the Kingston community to look forward to year after year. The festival should not produce any waste and will be a very environmentally event to hold. It will foster community, start a Kingston tradition, bring guests into our beautiful city and teach many people a new AWESOME skill.

LA South Bay, CA (Inactief) – Andern Educational Research, Inc.'s GEMs Program

2014-09-17T00:00:00Z

Greater Educational Milestones: GEMs, one of Andern Educational Research Inc.’s four initiatives, is a new high school placement program. GEMs looks for bright students in underserved areas from financially disadvantaged homes in southern CA, who will accept the challenge to attend academically rigorous private high schools and who have the desire to grow and become strong smart leaders. We have identified several local feeder high schools in our service area (So. LA, Watts & Inglewood, Compton) where our students would have to attend. Each of these schools is on CA’s 1000 worst list (www.1000schools.org). We believe enough is enough! It’s time for the community to wake up and take on the responsibility of ensuring that our students do not have to attend failing high schools! Through GEMs we will be advocates and support these students as they seek to attend better quality high schools in an effort to make sure that they will have the required skills to compete on a global level. We are the liaison between the student and the private schools. We’ve promised the private schools that we would look for the best and the brightest in these underserved neighborhoods. They’ve agreed to consider our applicants for admission and support them in any way they can. Our application process is 13 months long. We help the students and their parents navigate the admissions process by offering test prep sessions, interview workshops, help with ‘discovering the right school for you’ and information regarding financial aid and cultural diversity. We also offer financial assistance. Should a student gain admission to one of the schools with whom we’ve partnered, we will give that school 15% of its tuition up to $5,000 each year that the student remains in good standing at that school. Our support doesn’t end at their high school graduation. We will support our GEMs through college by offering SAT/ACT prep, college & university tours with resume building and financial-aid workshops.

LA South Bay, CA (Inactief) – Imagine the Possibilities

2014-09-17T00:00:00Z

I will prepare my inner city students to be competitive citizens in the 21st Century! With less than half of my students having access to technology and the Internet at home, this might be a difficult task. However, I am determined to apply for as many grants that I find to get a 1 to 1 ratio of Ipads in my classroom. If I get this grant, my school will match what I receive. I have researched many Apps that will enhance all academic areas and I am ready to implement. I am lacking the Ipads. I want my student to have the same opportunities as their affluent counterparts who have the ability to research on the Internet at home for classroom assignments. If my students don’t have it at home, I will continue to advocate for them in my classroom. With the Common Core upon us, this is even more important for their success. With your support, this can be a reality. Imagine the possibilities and I invite you to visit my classroom to see the success. Thank you for seriously considering Room 42 as you decide the recipients of your grant. You will not be disappointed.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactief) – מענק לפרויקט חברתי

2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

המיזם הינו מיזם המאפשר לנשים שטרם ילדו בארץ לחוות הדרכה, להפחית חרדה, ולהגיע עם ידע וכלים ללידה במסגרת אשפוזית. הידע מוענק להם באמצעי המחשה הכוללים סרטים, תמונות ותרגול מעשי בכיתת הדרכה. שלב ב' מאפשר לאימהות לרכוש ידע וכלים בתחום ההורות, טיפול פיזי בתינוק, ידע על התפתחות מוטורית וגרייה חושית לתינוקות באמצעות המפגשים המהנים אימהות תרכושנה כלים להורות מעצימה במרכז הקליטה. מטרתו של המיזם לחשוף את האימהות וההריוניות לידע שיאפשר להם בשלות בתחום ההורות. הנגישות של המיזם שמגיע עד אליהן רותם את השתתפותן.

Ottawa – Take This Note

2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

September’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Sierra Wooldridge to support “Take This Note,” a project to distribute hand-crafted positive notes for people to find — then share online. “I'm a young, life-loving woman with a mouth full of laughter and a brain full of spunk,” Sierra explains. “But I haven't always been a happy-go-lucky preacher of love. I went through a rough patch and struggled with anxiety, panic, and chronic stress. Since then, I've learned that the most important thing in life is to be happy and spread whatever happiness you feel with others.” “When I was suffering from chronic stress and anxiety, at one point I was homeless. On a bitter and grey day I headed to the women's crisis centre and was told they had no room for me in any shelter, and that I'd have to come back in a few hours to see if they had found a place for me to stay. So, with nothing but a duffle bag containing my empty wallet and a few shirts, I went for a brief walk down the street and sat on a bench. I felt extremely depressed and very alone.” “Here I am, nearly a year later, and looking back on that point in my life I can't believe I was ever such a sad and bitter person. I think if the me now had sat next to me then and told her everything would be alright my mind frame and feelings would have been very different that day.” “Sometimes all we need is someone to tell us everything will be ok. With ‘Take This Note,’ I plan to hand-craft thousands of notes with positive, uplifting messages inside each one, and plant them all over the city for random people to find. I adore the idea of serendipity and I believe with the right energy sent out into the universe these notes will be picked up by people needing a quick reassurance that they'll be ok.” “I’m planning on building a website,” Sierra explains, “where note finders will be able to visit and submit a photo of them and their note so I can see that they've found it, and then post it on the website so they can see I've received their photo, and also look at some pictures of other note finders and their notes.” The award from Awesome Ottawa will go toward the tools and supplies Sierra will need to create the notes. She also hopes to video document the process of making and planting them so people can follow her journey as the notes are found.

Gloucester, MA – Mattos Field Rehabilitation

2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

This project is well aligned with the third “awesomeness” identity of Awesome Gloucester requirements, to promote, “Community togetherness and appreciation.” The committee has met with many local businesses to build starting campaign capital through the sale of banners to display on the field. Some of the dozens of local businesses currently investing in the project include Neptune’s Harvest, Annie’s Variety, McGrath Plumbing and Bank Gloucester. The collaboration between local youth, local business, Veteran’s School, members of the neighborhood, and the CAWSL exemplifies the local passion found amongst the Light Up Mattos project and its’ supporters. Through social media outlets such as Facebook, this project has garnered 229 Facebook likes and/or followers. This is both an investment and an opportunity for our community. The area known as the Joseph S. Mattos Field was originally a natural basin with a brook running through it. In the 1840s Nathaniel Webster Sr. dammed the brook creating a pond. In the winter he cut the ice from the pond to supply the fishing fleet. Around 1900 his son, Nathaniel Webster Jr., sold the business to Cape Pond Ice Co. In 1924 Cape Pond Ice Co. sold the property to the city for a public recreation area. Later, the city built Veterans Memorial School adjacent to the field. Mattos Field was dedicated to the memory of Joseph S. Mattos in 1935 and has served Joseph’s memory well. Joseph grew up at 6 Linnett Place in Gloucester. At 16, he knew he wanted to join the Army, and so he fought with Company G of the 8th Massachusetts Infantry. He served more than two years before he was killed in action as a member of Battery A, 5th, U.S. Field Artillery, the day after his 19th birthday. He was one of the youngest men to lose his life in World War I. Now, it is a new time for the field and the neighborhood and it is time that groups like ours, the Light Up Mattos Committee and our supporters bring the field into a new era of enjoyment.

Seattle, WA – Bike In Theater

2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

I'd like to make the bike-in theater as a box that you can take around the region on your bike. You'd be able to borrow it from the Shack or the NE Seattle Tool Library for a donation. Then you could take it to a park, your backyard, or elsewhere to have an outdoor movie.

Seattle, WA – The Library Fairy

2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

One of the most beautiful aspects of literature is its ability to assuage loneliness. Read the right book and you feel as if it is speaking right to you. Imagine opening a book and having a hand-made card fall out, one you can keep or share with someone else. How might that turn your day around? You may have to return your library book, but the hand-made card you could keep forever. My project involves placing hand-made postcards in the front of a wide range of library books in all 27 branches of the Seattle Public Library. These postcards will be unique pieces of art, made by me, and include encouraging phrases, inspiring lines of poetry, and kind words. A stamp is paper clipped to the postcard, so it’s free and easy for the person who finds it to pass it on if they feel led to do so. There will be a web address printed on the back of the card leading to the project site, where they can find information about The Awesome Foundation, upload pictures, and share stories of their experience. The idea is to delight unsuspecting readers, give inspiration, and encourage positive dialogue, while speaking to the magic already implicit in a giant room of free books. Because I am a student taking minimal hours my first semester, I should have enough free time to create these 800 cards and distribute them. Many of my classmates are excited to help me distribute and document the project in video.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactief) – GreenWAY שליחויות על אופניים

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

GreenWAY - A Message of Sustainability Did you ever thought about how much noise, pollution and waste of gas and oil is caused by all of the motorcycles in the city? what if there was an alternative? what if, all of the dispatches (there are thousands of dispatches in Gush Dan area every day) were delivered in the most ecological way - without one drop of gas, pollution or noise? Couple of months ago we brought this solution to Israel and we starting with Gush Dan And HaSharon area GreenWAY is a bike messengers company. Some of us are professional athletes who train to triathlons and IRONMAN competitions. Some of us are just bike lovers who love to ride we deliver envelopes, documents, packages and boxes from place to place while training and having fun. just like that:) We don't have Fuel expenses so we have the lowest prices in Israel for a delivery - 12 shekels But the most important aspect of GreenWAY is that we build it as a environmental - social business. We are going to hire def cyclists and help them to feel part of the society and earn an honest living we give to charity every month 10% of our income. In the first month we gave to "Anonymous for animal rights" the plan is to build an "open source" business model and to join in to the social business and organization movement. We believe in professionalism, "open source" model, fitness and veganism. Our goal is to promote the environmental thinking and to get more people on bikes! So this is it, it is our offer to businesses and offices in Tel Aviv area, we help them to preserve the environment by green deliveries - and they help us doing what we love and are good at - riding bikes From the first week we launched GreenWAY, a huge word to mouth started around the idea and there were 3 publications about us and we even were on the radio We take part in couple of social initiatives -BOGO, O-Share and we hope this is only the beginning!

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Inactief) – ( הורות במשחק (משחקיה לילדים בגיל הרך בלוד

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

(הורות במשחק (משחקיה לגיל הרך רציונל: בגני אביב מתגוררות משפחות צעירות, עולים וותיקים, בעלות מצוקות שונות, כגון: מצב סוציו-אקונומי נמוך, משפחות חד-הוריות ,קשיים תפקודיים וכו'. ההורים הצעירים, אשר נקראים בין מטרות חיים שונות, במיוחד האמהות, מבלים עם ילדיהם הרבה זמן ללא כלים וידע מספקת בתחום חינוך הילדים. אוכלוסיית היעד: כ30 משפחות, הורים עם ילדים עד גיל 6 – משפחות ישראליות, משפחות יוצאי חבר העמים ויוצאי אתיופיה. מטרות הפרויקט 1. לחזק ולשפר את הקשר בין ההורים לילדים 2. לפתח את הילדים מבחינה פיזית, שכלית ונפשית 3. לקדם את הדיאלוג רב תרבותי בין קהילות שונות בלוד 4. הקניית מושג "זמן איכות" להורים והרחבת רפרטואר החינוכי שלהם. נקודות חוזק של הפרויקט 1. ההורים מבלים במשחקייה זמן איכות עם הילדים וצוברים ניסיון בהתקשרות ביניהם . 2. בעת פעילותה של המשחקייה נוצרת תקשורת בין ההורים והם יכולים להתחלק בניסיון על חינוך הילדים. נוצרים קשרים חברתיים וקהילתיים והקהילה מתחזקת. 3. ההורים מקבלים תמיכה והכוונה בקבוצות להורים עם פסיכולוגים, ואנשי מקצוע שונים. 4. קיימים ילדים רבים אשר לא מבקרים בגן בשל בעיות שונות. במשחקייה הם מקבלים ההזדמנות ללמוד לתקשר עם ילדים אחרים. 5. המשחקייה מקנה לילדים תוכן חינוכי יצירתי ומשמעותי. מבנה הפרויקט המשחקייה פועלת פעם בשבוע בימי שלישי בין 18:00 ל20:00 בשעות הערב במתחם של מועדון "אמוצ'קה" – מועדון לאמהות צעירות. בחלקו הראשון ההורים יחד עם ילדים ילמדו וישחקו יחד בקבוצה בהנחייתו של מנחה, שמתמחה בנושא. בכל מפגש יעלו נושאים שונים (לדוגמה טבע, מספרים, מוזיקה) בדרך יצירתית ומיוחדת. במהלך שעה זאת האמהות רוחשות כלים של משחק ושל בילוי עם ילדיהם ויכירו לעומק את צרכיהם של הילדים. פעילות זאת מעשירה את מאגר כלים חינוכיים שלהן ומאפשרת להפעיל אותם גם בבית. בחלק השני הילדים נמצאים בהשגחה של איש מקצוע (או מתנדבים) וההורים מקבלים סדנאות בתחום חינוך הילדים, העצמה, הרצאות בנושאים שונים וכו'. הסדנה מאפשרת להורים לחזק את ההורות שלהם וללמוד תכנים, קשורים לחינוך ובריאות של ילדיהם וגם כן להרחיב את עולם הידע שלהן בתחומים שונים, קשורים לגידול הילדים .

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – PET Thatch Project

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

Billions of plastic bottles are tossed as trash across the world. Through PET Thatch we aim to give them a second, more opportune life—thatch roofing. Throughout much of the developing world, palm-thatch roofs are a staple of everyday life but they bring along a host of issues. Our thatch made from cut plastic bottles allows natural illumination, long-lasting durability, and protection from disease carrying pests. The project started in 2010 when a Duquesne University professor went to Ecuador with a hand-cranked cutter that could cut bottles into strips. With the help of locals he put up a roof over a school. In 2012 the idea was brought to the Engineers Without Borders chapter at Carnegie Mellon. Since, students have been engineering the process of actually taking a PET bottle cutting it, flattening it and assembling it into thatch. Through numerous cycles of prototyping and materials testing we are arriving at a single process of collecting, cutting, and fusing strips of PET together using a student built apparatus. This August we will conduct field tests in Ecuador as a group of students to field- build, test, and record our first roof to be assembled as a whole team. Through this field-test the PET Thatch Project will: 1) demonstrate how to reuse waste plastic bottles more efficiently than traditional recycling (using far less energy in our process), 2) provide valuable experience in engineering and sustainability, 3) create a powerful symbol of how we can better use resources and 4) demonstrate how we can create jobs and businesses from these waste products. In conjunction with the non-profit, Reuse Everything Institute we will use the results from the Ecuador trip to demonstrate real world applicability of our project and further develop the organization and process of the PET Project. Simultaneously, we are planning to expand our process more locally by starting with PET fencing for use in Pittsburgh parks and increase the reuse of waste materials at home.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Knoxville Creative Reuse

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

Knoxville Creative Reuse aims to inspire environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community. Creative reuse centers (also known as scrap stores or teacher resource centers) are organizations that specialize in collecting and distributing unwanted industrial and residential materials for the purposes of either turning reusable materials into creative projects, or providing needed supplies to arts organizations and public schools. Recent research performed by the Reuse Alliance found over 40 creative reuse centers in the US. Many are open to the public, but others are restricted to educators and/or arts organizations. Beyond being a source of materials, many Creative Reuse Centers also offer art gallery spaces, kids’ parties, corporate workshops, and other programs where community members can learn more about creative reuse. There are currently ZERO operating creative reuse centers in east Tennessee! I want others to join in the movement to launch the Knoxville Creative Reuse Center by October, 2016. Why this date? I will be turning 30, this is my dream and by that time should be able to get the funding and community backing needed for such an endeavor. Please visit SCRAP, Portland's website for more information. They are a wonderful example of a Creative Reuse Center. http://scrappdx.org/ http://www.reusealliance.org/

Pittsburgh, PA – The Iron Garden Walk

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

In 2014, The Penn State Master Gardener Program of Allegheny County partnered with the Rivers of Steel to develop a comprehensive plant survey Carrie Furnaces in Rankin, PA to learn more about the succession of native, aggressive and/or invasive plant species that are surviving, and even thriving, in disturbed soils. As part of this research, the Master Gardeners were charged with developing an interpretive component to educate the public on best practices in environmental stewardship. Given the nature of the Carrie Furnaces and its history and connection to iron, a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and volunteers from science, art, history and industry was pulled together to create a unique project and approach: a public, interpretive, walkable guide to the Carrie Furnaces "wild garden." For this project, 12 plaques will be cast in iron at Carrie Furnaces, and will lead participants through the fields and structures of the site providing an interpretive narrative of the wild gardens taking over this former industrial landscape. Each plaque will have an educational narrative written by the Master Gardeners that is specific to the site. These narratives are based on research into the site’s unique bio-diversity including topics such as plant succession, soil conditions, sustainability, environmental factors, wildlife habitat support, and what the future garden may reveal. They include botanical illustrations of the local plant community that highlight easily identifiable features such as bark, fruit and leaf form. The plaques will be three dimensional to allow the visiting public to take rubbings with charcoal and paper. This project is situated at the intersection of three key ideas and trends in gardening and landscapes: the idea of wild gardens, the idea of a living laboratory, and the idea of sustainability. These key ideas are elaborated on with the use of the site’s history and use of the cast iron as a material of both past and present.

Boulder, CO (Inactief) – Art at the Armory 2.0: A Steampunk Transformation

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

Art at the Armory 2.0:A Steampunk Transformation is a 2 day 'pop-up' art show to be located at the North Boulder National Guard Station (The Armory). BAM will kick off the 2-day art show Friday, October 31st, 2014 with an evening celebration from 8pm-12. There will be a live band, a food truck catering, and the stars of the event are local Boulder Artists displaying their artwork. Steampunk cardboard sculptures created by artists will also be displayed through out the venue. On Saturday, November 1st, 2014 from 10am to 4pm, the Armory art show will be free and open to the public. We are gearing Saturday's event to be fun and family oriented. We will have another food truck on site offering their tasty treats, a kid/young adult area to create their own steampunk cardboard sculpture table, and other steampunk themed activities for the family. Art Parts Creative Reuse Center (http://www.artpartsboulder.org/) will be on site guiding the creative activity tables with their talented teachers. Art Parts is also bringing recycled materials and found items from local business surplus. We are offering cash prizes to the most innovative steampunk sculptures.

Yerevan – The mini festival of graffiti in Artsakh

2014-09-11T00:00:00Z

The Karabakh war and the post-war crisis period have negatively affected the attractiveness of Stepanakert, and some buildings still have unsightly look. The mini festival of graffiti is a great tool to provide those buildings with modern look, to bring the culture of street art to Artsakh, as well as, to increase the touristic attractiveness of the town. Some experienced painters will be invited from Yerevan and some local painters and students will join them for the festival. It will become a significant experience for the locals in graffiti, as well as, a small holiday for the people of the town. As a result, the festival will contribute to the development of that culture in Artsakh. The festival is planned in October. The municipality of Stepanakert and the ministry of cultural and youth affairs of the NKR have expressed their readiness to support the project by any necessary means.

New York City, NY – Barter Town

2014-09-10T00:00:00Z

I am interested in spaces that are in between. The gap, neutral zone, fence, limbo and yet also the overlap, gray area, plaid, simultaneity, joint, the liminal space and what is left unsaid. The Trading Post series is interactive installations that employ these ideas. Historically a trading post was a site between established territories where different demographics could come to barter and exchange. This does come with stains of Native genocide and yet with a hope for actualizing true value for services and for the handmade. To encourage art to take an active roll in leading a shift of cultural value, and to create a critical space that is neither one place, nor another yet both places, The Heather Hart Experience presents Barter Town: a Trading Post series. At Barter Town participants bring their ideas, services, songs, stories, unwanted goods, handmade art, appliances, anything they think may hold value and haggle for something that they want. The only rule is that no currency may be exchanged, i.e. everything is for barter. I want to encourage an alternative economy, one that asks the visitors to think creatively and to have authentic interactions with their neighbors. Barter Town has the appearance of a street fair or block party, but all "booths" are run on bartering only- no currency allowed (no I-owe-yous for money, although drawing an I-owe-you for service is encouraged). Visitors can trade by teaching someone to dance, promising to clean their room, trading them their extra toaster, painting them a picture, or singing them a song. This project has grown in size and popularity each year since 2009 and this fall I will be producing three days of them. I reach out to local business owners and art-makers to share their skills and help form a unique community around this event.

Newmarket – Food For Thought

2014-09-08T00:00:00Z

Start to finish the people of tomorrow are working to enable their peers and their community. I use gift cards and donations to obtain the food to make the lunches for the less fortunate youth in our community. Not having a lunch puts students at a huge disadvantage. We are trying to change that. While targeting schools that accommodate students living in community housing and newcomers in Canada we can help by providing lunches for those in need. Food for thought invites anyone in the NHS community to contribute staff and students alike. The hospitality class bakes our cookies, while a team of determined volunteers learns valuable skills as they prepare the nutritious lunches. The community class loves delivering the lunches to various schools in Newmarket and Aurora and have a great sense of satisfaction after doing so. Food For Thought benefits everyone involved, from the volunteers interacting with other like minded positive peers, to the community class outings and the kids receiving a nutritious lunch that may be their only meal of the day.

New Orleans, LA (Inactief) – Students Representing Students: Ads for Advocacy

2014-09-08T00:00:00Z

SUFEO Stand Up For Each Other is a law student organization drawing from Tulane and Loyola Universities. We provide free legal representation to K-12 students in New Orleans in their suspension appeals and expulsion hearings. Students and parents contact us through our hotline, and we meet with the family to devise the best strategy for addressing the disciplinary issue. SUFEO allows law students to gain valuable lawyering skills, while K-12 students receive much needed representation and advocacy on an individual basis. SUFEO’s goal is to stop school push out and the school to prison pipeline, one child at a time. Suspensions and expulsions are the ultimate school discipline measures. In the 2012-2013 school year, 82% of New Orleans schools had out-of-school suspension rates above 20%. Suspension from school is a leading indicator of whether a child will drop out of school. More than a third of New Orleans sophomores who dropped out of school had been suspended; dropping out of school triples the likelihood of a youth being incarcerated later in life. Stemming the use of suspensions and expulsions are essential components to ending school push-out and the school to prison pipeline. SUFEO advocates for disciplinary alternatives like restorative justice measures or after school tutoring of fellow classmates; options that further integrate a student into his school community instead of pushing him out of the classroom. SUFEO’s ability to help families depends on outreach and word-of-mouth. Families must know of our services and to call our hotline for help. In order to increase our impact, we need to expand our visibility. As outreach coordinator, it is impossible for me to be at every community event or talk to every student. SUFEO needs publicity and advertising. The overwhelming majority of junior and senior high school students ride RTA buses to and from school; interior bus advertisements are an ideal media format for spreading the word about SUFEO services.

Ann Arbor, MI – art-hut festival: create in the commons

2014-09-07T00:00:00Z

I am planning a collaborative public art event to take place at the Water St. Commons Sculpture Park in downtown Ypsilanti. This event will simultaneously include both freestanding site-specific art installations as well as collaborative participation and performances by other artists and performers. As such, it will involve both: a) the fabrication and installation of site-specific environmental artworks and b) the promotion and facilitation of a community-based public art event. I applied last month with a description of an art installation utilizing jumbo helium balloons to identify artworks spread throughout the site. My plans have since evolved, and now include large fan-inflated sculptures . I have also now modified plans to use large helium balloons to be covered in lightweight fabric, which will be painted by volunteers in the community. I am also planning to provide a stage, amplification, and electricity for performances. I am planning to cover as much as I can of the costs for this event out of pocket, but a grant would provide the funds to significantly expand the scope and impact of the art installations, and make it possible for me to provide materials to potential participants who would otherwise not be able to contribute creatively.