Awesome Foundation - Projects

Boulder, CO (Inativo) – Big-head puppets

2015-11-18T00:00:00Z

We plan to produce big-head puppet children's opera. We already have almost 3 dozen large "big head" human sized and larger puppets and we need to purchase supplies to make more puppets and to pay performers to produce A Woman's Tale, based on the ancient tale of Gawain and the Green Knight. Our long term goal is to have 100 puppets of various kinds - animals, mythical creatures, humans from all over the Earth - who are our standing "theatre ensemble" that we use to do storytelling opera theatre. The puppets that we create for A Woman's Tale will not only allow us to produce this particular story, but will be also become part of our standing ensemble of puppets.

Ottawa – The Roller

2015-11-17T00:00:00Z

November's Awesome Ottawa award goes to Jean-François Jacques, to support the construction of a cylindrical roller that prints patterns in snow, grass, and sand. “Imagine it's early morning,” says Jean-François, “and there’s a virgin inch of snow on the ground. We pick a roller and drive down our backstreets, onto the highway, leaving whimsical patterns, or whatever we so desire – poetry, equations, hallmark greetings – in our wake.” “There’s over a century of literature,” he continues, “on the importance and the how-to of re-appropriating public space, streets especially. This is my addition to the narrative. I’m interested in mega-patterns as a tool of subversion, re-imagining, guerrilla urbanism, activist architecture, secondary agency, street deconstructivism, pop-patterning, and early morning whimsy making.” He has already built a prototype of the roller, and will use the award from Awesome Ottawa to build a bigger, sturdier, and heavier version out of solid rubber. “I subscribe to the notion that it doesn’t take much to change a space,” says Jean-François, “and that, more often than not, the ‘magic’ of a solution is embedded in its simplicity. Pattern making, though just surface, is anything but superficial.” Jean-François runs a design and architecture firm called Arkade.

Gloucester, MA – Cape Ann Youth Hockey Challenger Program

2015-11-17T00:00:00Z

Cape Ann Youth Hockey (CAYH) has started a Challenger Hockey Program to give children with developmental disabilities a chance to participate in a youth hockey program. We run a 6 weeks program consisting of practices. CAYH coaching staff will follow ADM guidelines in designing drills for the participants. We will have High School and Middle School players mentoring individual player during each of the sessions. We usually have a 2 to 1 ratio. The main objective is to get children comfortable on skates. We introduce skill development and drills as the players become comfortable on the ice. A second objective is to develop our high school players and middle school players into coaches and teach them the planning and leadership skills that will be necessary to make this program a success. By having the players develop bonds with the High School and Middle School players we feel that it creates a situation where both sets of skaters will want to come back and ensure success of the program each week. We provide all of the equipment and currently do not charge participants.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – ENGAGING YOUTH AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE

2015-11-16T00:00:00Z

BACKGROUND Nigeria is a deeply gendered society, where the socio-cultural norms that govern attitudes, behaviors, practices and expectations results in gender inequality, especially in Muslims dominated northern part of the country. Gender inequality coupled with staunchly held, restrictive gender norms manifest itself in high levels of gender-based violence (GBV), which due to the social structures in northern Nigeria leave victims vulnerable and unable to speak or seek redress. In Sokoto, northern Nigeria gender inequality manifest itself in a variety of ways including, and encouraged by, discriminatory socio-cultural norms and customs. These leaves women and girls exposed to high levels of sexual violence, domestic violence, transactional sex and sexual exploitation and abuse with little opportunities to seek justice. These acts of violence are a few of the violations that fall under the GBV, which this leadership training will explore and address. APPROACH The best way to end violence against women and girls is by stopping it happening in the first place and effective prevention strategies must engage young people as leaders and participants. Initiatives to prevent violence against women and girls must start early in life, by educating and working with young people, to promote respectful relationships and gender equality. It is crucial that youth are actively engaged to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Therefore, this project seeks to mobilize, engage and train 25 young people as leaders and peer educators on preventing and ending gender based violence in Sokoto. As current and future leaders, they are the driving force for change and can use their knowledge, power and passion to challenge negative attitudes, gender stereotypes and behaviors that set in early and lead to violence in their communities and among their peers.

Pittsburgh, PA – Ice cream boat build

2015-11-16T00:00:00Z

I am going to convert and old house boat into a full serve ice cream business. The plan is to run it full time around the point and 3 rivers. I Have not been able to find any history of anyone doing this in the past. I am planning on doing the complete remodel and build over the winter and hope to launch early spring.I grew up on our rivers and feel this is a business that Pittsburgh erstwhile would love to see.

Seattle, WA – DragonsFC - Soccer withouth barriers

2015-11-16T00:00:00Z

Competitive club soccer has become the pathway for kids with a passion for soccer to turn their hard work and skills as an opportunity for attending college . In a sport where only 13 percent of female soccer players are minorities, according to an espnW analysis of the NCAA's Demographics Database. Club soccer can lead a player to greatness if they pay money for the opportunity. So what happens when there is talent but the language barrier and club registration costs (ranging from $600 to $2500 per player) keep Hispanic and African immigrants away from traditional U.S. soccer leagues? DragonsFC awesome project is formed. DragonsFC is a nonprofit competitive soccer program that provides opportunities for youth to play at a Select and Premier level regardless of socioeconomic status. The program supports over 180 boys and girls between the ages of 8 - 17, 98% of which qualify for a free and reduced lunch program. 95% of our players come from immigrant families and many are first generation immigrants from countries like Mexico, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Bosnia. We represent over 10 zip codes in South Seattle/King County including 98118 - the most economically and culturally diverse zip code in the Pacific Northwest. We recognize that many of the youth in our program have faced significant challenges in their lives so far. By engaging with families and teaching teamwork, sportsmanship, and excellence in soccer we are going beyond the field to open doors for our youth to achieve life-long success. In one year of establishing - we are seeing results. -with kids being scouted by community colleges and universities. We are working on a college program with our kids, guiding them to improve grades and establish their college fit finder profile for scouts to view. Our leadership program has sponsored our youth through the official Referee training program. The kids develop leadership training, earn money AND are able to give back to the wider soccer community.

Whangarei (Inativo) – Little Free Library Whangarei (x2)

2015-11-15T00:00:00Z

Little Free Library (A Free book exchange) is another Global Community Phenomenon like Awesome Foundation and Before I Die Walls. - please refer to the Website www.littlefreelibrary.org I propose to create at least two Little Free Libraries in Whangarei. Building a Literacy-Friendly Neighborhood one little Library at a time. Sites to be determined but I would like to see one on the Hatea Loop Track, and then one other in perhaps in an outlying suburb, Hikurangi, Onerahi, Kamo? One ideally to represented in Whakairo. "To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations. There are over 32,000 Little Free Library book exchanges around the world, bringing curbside literacy home and sharing over 1 million books annually." retrieved from http://littlefreelibrary.org/ 29/10/2015

San Jose, CA – Rainy Day Food Film Series

2015-11-13T00:00:00Z

Films about Food is a monthly 4-film series which will invite the San Jose community to learn more about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and resilient communities over a movie, popcorn and a bit of booze. Thanks to a partnership with Transition Silicon Valley/Palo Alto and Slow Food South Bay, Veggielution Community Farm has been offered free access to four fantastic documentary films focused on sustainable food systems and urban agriculture. For each of the films, we also have guest speakers who are willing to lead a brief Q&A after the film screening. The timing is perfect for San Jose urban farmers and gardeners to hang out with our local community to make new connections during what we hope will be a very rainy Winter!. January: Growing Cities: http://www.growingcitiesmovie.com February: Urban Roots: http://www.treemedia.com/#!urban-roots/c1cnz March: Of the Sea: http://oftheseamovie.com April: In Search of Balance: http://insearchofbalancemovie.com We will connect with great spaces downtown who can screen the movies at their venue as an in-kind donation, such as SPUR and San Jose Stage Company. And we'll definitely reach out to Emma Prusch Park Foundation (a strong supporter of Veggielution) to borrow their popcorn machine! These thought-provoking movies will be a way to spark community conversations about our local food system and the growing network of urban ag organizations and opportunities.

Halifax, NS (Inativo) – Fallow Gallery

2015-11-12T00:00:00Z

Fallow Gallery is an initiative to run a not-for-profit retail space for NSCAD student and alumni work out of a humble snack vending machine. This student run space takes inspiration from, and will attempt to fill some of the void left by the closure of Seeds Gallery in 2013. The permanent home for the Fallow Gallery is in the Granville mall to honour the original location of the Seeds Gallery. However, the possibility of installing at the farmers market during the summer months would work to bridge the gap between the larger community and NSCAD, collect a high revenue, as well as symbolize the rebirth of the spirit of Seeds. This project is not viewed as a permanent solution for the closure of Seeds Gallery but a substitute in its absence. Fallow Gallery will continue to run until a superior commercial space for student and alumni supersedes it. Fallow Gallery seeks to be self sufficient. The sales from artworks sold in the machine will be used to cover the low costs of running a vending machine and renting space. The new gallery aims to reach out to students to curated themed group and solo shows. Offering the space to house a rotation of work from the different disciplines within the university is another incentive that would showcase the diversity of talent of students. Reaching out to classes to take the machine on as a curatorial project would be an excellent way of making connections with faculty. Taking inspiration from the partnership between the Anna and Seeds, it would be hoped that the machine could provide a reserved coil for artists exhibiting at the Anna, for the duration of their show as an “Artist Spotlight.” On top of collaborating with NSCAD we will work on community engagement in the arts. The vending machine, being portable, Fallow Gallery will be open to collaborations with other groups and organizations.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – Daily Table

2015-11-12T00:00:00Z

In Dorchester, Massachusetts, on June 4, Daily Table welcomed curious and eager customers to its first not-for-profit community food market. It’s a store with a mission, designed to reach individuals who struggle to eat well, many of whom also face health issues that stem from a poor diet. The brainchild of the former President of Trader Joe’s, Doug Rauch, Daily Table sells fresh produce and groceries as well as prepared meals that are cooked on-site in a professional kitchen every day for customers to simply grab and go. In short, it is a health care initiative, disguised as a grocery store. A unique sourcing strategy also distinguishes Daily Table from the average neighborhood food market. While one in six Americans goes hungry every day, it is senseless that 40% of the food produced in this country ends up in dumpsters behind supermarkets, tilled back into the soil at farms, and in wastebaskets in our homes. Daily Table relies on manufacturers, growers and supermarkets to donate their perfectly edible, excess food as a primary source of its food supply or to provide us with special buying opportunities. In this way, Daily Table can keep its wholesome groceries and prepared meals priced so low that they are comparable to traditional fast food alternatives in the neighborhood. Daily Table is a not-for-profit model that simultaneously addresses food insecurity, nutritional health, and wasted food. And the fact that it does this in a respectful manner that honors the customer is its recipe for success. Beyond our pilot location in Dorchester, plans are to expand first to other sites in Boston and then to more cities in the US.

Philadelphia, PA – MAIN LINE DEPUTY DOG

2015-11-12T00:00:00Z

We are a very young organization helping people with physical challenges or psychiatric concerns train their own service dogs. We currently have an influx of new applicants that are military veterans. We have both male and female veterans from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have physical issues from war injuries. All have some level of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which is crippling in it's own way. Deputy Dogs perform tasks that make their human partner's lives more independent. They provide walking support, pick up items for people who can't bend over, open and close doors, carry items, plus many more tasks. On the psychiatric service dog side, they perform tasks like "blocking" and "posting" - providing a protective barrier around their partner to make them comfortable in difficult public situations. They break episodes of dissociation and anxiety attacks. They will even search your home for you and let you know there are no intruders. We rescue dogs from Philadelphia area rescues to match with our clients. They live at home with them and come to class weekly for up to 2 years. The goal is to achieve full certification under the standards of Assistance Dogs International.

Philadelphia, PA – Introduction to Early Man

2015-11-12T00:00:00Z

Sixth graders at JR Masterman School in Philadelphia study Early Man. Each year we research and explore evolution and the beginnings of man on earth. My wish is to give the students a hands on innovative approach to this field of study. I would like to bring the past into the classroom so that the students can touch and actually see the skulls from past generations. This project will make a lasting impact on the students. It will be an area of study that will not be forgotten.

Philadelphia, PA – Valentines for Vets

2015-11-12T00:00:00Z

Rio de Janeiro (Inativo) – Memória de Manguinhos em Cordel

2015-11-11T00:00:00Z

O Experimentalismo Brabo tem o objetivo de fazer intervenções sobre cultura de paz, afeto, solidariedade e cooperativismo em territórios de exclusão de direitos. Escolhemos atuar em dois territórios específicos: um asilo e uma favela. Mais especificamente falando, nossa atuação ocorre no Complexo de Favelas de Manguinhos, Zona Norte do Rio de Janeiro e no Abrigo do Cristo Redentor de São Gonçalo. Nossa metodologia de atuação inclui três etapas: escuta, intervenção e expressão. A ideia é realizar ações que respeitem a leitura de território feita na fase de escuta e criar canais para que o idoso e/ou o favelado possam ter sua cultura e história de vida registrados, divulgados e/ou valorizados dentro ou fora do território. O apoio financeiro do Awesome Rio destina-se para o início do processo de registro das memórias de Manguinhos em folhetos de cordel. Os folhetos serão distribuídos gratuitamente em escolas e/ou outros espaços da região. ----- The Experimentalism Brabo (this is a play on words and is slang for a tough situation) project aims to register acts and examples of the culture of peace, affection, solidarity and cooperation in areas where basic rights are not respected. We chose to act in two specific areas: a shelter for the elderly and a favela. Our work takes place in the favelas of the Manguinhos Complex, North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, and the Christ the Redeemer Shelter for the elderly in São Gonçalo. The methodology includes three steps: listening, speech and expression. The idea is to take actions that reflect the territorial conditions identified in the listening phase and create channels in which the elderly and / or slum dweller can have their culture and their life histories recorded, released and / or recovered within or outside their territories. The financial support from the Rio Awesome will be used to register the memories from Manguinhos residents, in brochures, which will be distributed free of charge in schools and other areas of the region.

Raleigh, NC (Inativo) – Discover Dix Park

2015-11-11T00:00:00Z

The acquisition of Dorothea Dix by the city of Raleigh this past May was big news and the result of many years of active advocacy, negotiation and planning. This space, with so much history and so much potential should be celebrated and explored by Raleigh citizens. To get people out exploring our city acquisition, we have created a noninvasive and light self-guided tour of the park, and encourage people to get excited about the future of the space. Thank you to Miller Taylor for the photography. Featured on N + O - http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article53164090.html

San Jose, CA – The Commons presents "Black Friday"

2015-11-10T00:00:00Z

The Commons is a San Jose based showcase series that features a wide range of eclectic performances, from ballet to trip hop to opera, set in a meticulously curated environment designed by some of the most skilled artists in the South bay. Since September of 2014, the Commons has staged eight large events (and numerous smaller shows) in Downtown San Jose with the aim of fostering new audiences for the arts and we plan on ending our 2015 season with a our second annual "Black Friday" performance showcase. While we try to stage our events in easily accessible, public spaces the date of this show is really not conducive for an outdoor setup. The chances of rain and cold weather for November 27th are very high, so our production staff has decided to rent a venue to mount our Black Friday show. A big part of the Commons brand is how our events are always free and open to the public, which is why we are submitting this showcase event to the Awesome Foundation. The venue, called Sperry Station, is located at 30 North 3rd Street in Downtown San Jose and they have agreed to let us take over the space and design it as we see fit for our Black Friday event. In addition to creating an immersive environment for our performances, we have agreed to leave up the decor for the Small Business Saturday event that will be happening in the same space the following day.

Adelaide – Subtext - author workshops

2015-11-09T00:00:00Z

Subtext is a new non-profit organisation made up of young writers who are putting on the events that we want to attend. There is a literary scene in Adelaide - but beyond the festival season, the streets are a little quiet. While SA Writers Centre is excellent, their focus is on a much older demographic, and often entirely on fiction. There is a gap in the market, which we want to provide for. What about the young journalists, the memoirists, the podcasters? What about those who want to write flash fiction or want to blur the line between truth and lies? Subtext want to provide workshops and author talks at a cost that is accessible for knockabout young writers who are scraping together a living writing during the day and waiting tables at night. We want to fly in Australian authors from interstate who are shaking things up, who are writing in new forms. We want to learn from them, read our work alongside them. We want to remake Adelaide as an essential stop on the author promo tour. We are governed by two philosophies: pay the writers, and examine our privilege. We want to pay fair and good fees to any writers who appear at our events, and we want to make sure that our program does not merely cater to a white/straight/cisgender audience, but instead is inclusive of all perspectives. We plan to have an official launch in February, and then run two events in the first half of next year - 1 workshop and 1 author talk.

Adelaide – Help ROR Adelaide Build Their Sound!

2015-11-09T00:00:00Z

We are the Adelaide chapter of Rhythms of Resistance! Rhythms of Resistance is a network of social-justice oriented street bands use 'tactical frivolity" as a means to help bring about social change. The collective started overseas in 2000 and chapters have since sprung up in over 20 countries. A friend came back from experiencing some street band magic in Toronto and lamented that we didn't have anything like that in Adelaide...so we started one! All of the international ROR bands use the same grooves so that members can move between them freely. We have a focus on encouraging anybody to join in- you don't need to have a technical musical background to add some sound and energy to our ensemble! In this way we not only connect with important causes but connect people to music in ways they haven't experienced before as well. We're applying for an Awesome Foundation grant because one of the important facets of being ROR is being non-profit. This means, however, that as we grow, our need for instruments and other marching accessories (straps, drumsticks, earplugs, etc) increases as well. We'd love this grant to contribute a few high quality samba drums to our mix (we are just using drum kit bits and bobs at the moment) as well as some vital equipment to support existing and new players. (As you can see below, a portion of the funds will go towards a quality surdo. In the open air, in a bustling crowd atmosphere, we really need a deep drum to permeate sound effectively- a proper marching surdo (the deepest of the drums) will give us the boom, as well as the audio variety to take our music to the next level. The rest will cover another drum and vital equipment- equipment is generally harder to fundraise (sponsor a strap, anyone?) so this is the perfect opportunity to invest in those things. If the distributor permits a non-profit discount we might afford even more drums!

LA South Bay, CA (Inativo) – 14 Days of Funny

2015-11-09T00:00:00Z

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission just announced that it is launching an investigation into the dearth of female directors in Hollywood. According to the Director’s Guild of America, women receive only 16% of the episodic TV directing jobs, and directed less than 5% of all major studio releases last year. Stats for writers and producers are bleak as well. Studies have also shown that when women aren’t represented well behind the camera, they aren’t represented well in front of the camera. My project, 14 Days of Funny, combats this. Yes, it may just be a drop in the bucket, but I think that it’s a pretty awesome one. The project, produced by me and written and directed by women, presents a kaleidoscope of images through fourteen comedic videos—each ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes—all told from my perspective as a black woman / a woman who happens to be black. The videos include music video parodies, character monologues and comedic commentary on current events. Some videos tackle racism; others confront sexism. Others are purely for laughs. What they all have in common is that they are distinctly pro-woman. Imagine having tea with Anna Mae, an eighty-three year-old woman who talks about sex incessantly, commenting on the Kardashians. Imagine a Southern black woman, Susie V., who is “racist” towards her own people. Imagine a music video where women promote their brains instead of their bodies. They don business suits and cap and gowns, singing, "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was smart like me? Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?” The video parodies "Don't Cha," a popular song from the ‘90s by the Pussy Cat Dolls. It challenges the idea that what makes women desirable is their sexuality and asks, “What if women were valued for their intellect and contributions to society instead of their dress size?” As women take strides in the media, I’m eager for 14 Days of Funny to spread the message: #Smartisthenewsexy

Yerevan – Stencil art “Magic Rain”

2015-11-08T00:00:00Z

“ Why does every city have to be in the rain? What's wonderful about getting wet? ” Midnight In Paris What’s going on with people in the rainy weather? They start to be sad, some people depressed, some of them - irritated. The idea was born to alter the sadness and make rainy days more creative and interesting. The project is designed mostly for mood, for changing negative mood into positive. Technically that’s an unusual kind of street art. We are going to use invisible hydrophobic paint which is getting to be visible only after the rain fall. Using this paint, we are going to write sentences on the floor (in Armenian and English), also to draw paintings and symbols for making our art available for everyone. With this project we are going to spread love and laugh even in the rainy weather, share the idea that something beautiful is hiding under the rain. Just imagine what kind of emotions will you have when you see the paintings on the streets while you are running to find a dry place, or when you see appearing words and pictures while you are look out of the window. That will be look like a magic. http://rain.works/ This is a really nice project. We are very impressed with the idea. As the weather is going to change a little bit and the rainy season is coming soon, we want to realize the project as soon as it’s possible.

New York City, NY – Visioning the adaptive reuse of the Montauk Cutoff

2015-11-05T00:00:00Z

Notice: there will be a meeting about this project on November 11, 2015. RSVP today! Smiling Hogshead Ranch was initiated in 2011 as an unpermitted (guerrilla) garden, but our action prompted the MTA to accept and facilitate community use of the portion of the property that they no longer actively utilized. In 2014, we entered into an agreement which made our community farm official. In September 2015, the MTA/LIRR released a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to adaptively reuse the rail line behind Smiling Hogshead Ranch, spanning from the Sunnyside Railyard to the Dutch Kill: 5 parcels spanning .69 miles and encompassing 4.2 acres. Smiling Hogshead Ranch, 596 Acres and Citizens Committee for NYC are bringing together community partners in Western Queens to collaboratively guide the vision for the adaptive reuse of this post industrial land. We need to come up with a strategy to fund all these wonderful things, too. It’s a great challenge! By working together we amplify our power, increase our positive impact, and wield the true power of our community. Let’s do this together! Why We Think This is Awesome Just across the Newtown Creek from Greenpoint in Long Island City, Smiling Hogshead Ranch has shown what can happen when a group of people can organize and work together with each other and with the city agencies to form a thriving community space. With this RFEI, the city has the opportunity to show that it values community interests over commercialization, and we are excited to support Smiling Hogshead Ranch and their partners in navigating this process for the good of the city and the people of Queens.

Port Washington, NY (Inativo) – The International Back-to-School Hackathon

2015-11-03T00:00:00Z

We Connect the Dots (WCTD) is hosting an international hackathon for students 13-18 years-old that will teach attendees how to code in HTML5 while using the Microsoft Azure solutions platform. The event brings Long Island students into collaborative contact with students from Brooklyn, Australia, and two other potential sites in Philadelphia and North Carolina (pending school board approval). The event takes place in January of 2016 over 48 hours, during which students will learn valuable skills in computer science, collaboration, team building, and time management. Students will be tasked with using what they learn at the event to code a custom app, website, or mobile application, the purpose for which is to address a global social need or problem facing humanity. The program will bring awareness to the ways in which technology and teamwork can make a positive global impact. An important component of the hackathon is promoting importance of diversity and bridging the gap between communities, income levels and ethnicities. To that end, WCTD uses a custom algorithm (created by our student ambassadors and volunteer IT professionals) that sorts student registration data based on age, location, income level, skill level, and gender, ensuring diversity in our student teams, and an opportunity for students to work with others from outside their own community. The value in the merging of different perspectives has been extremely successful in our prior programs. Students who join us for the hackathon will compete to create the best project they can, with great prizes for the first, second and third place teams at each location. Students will also be treated to important talks from real industry professionals, and instruction in coding and design from real IT experts. Students will depart with invaluable skills and a greater understanding of how their contributions can make a positive impact the world over.

LA South Bay, CA (Inativo) – PressFriends

2015-11-02T00:00:00Z

My brother and I founded PressFriends in 2008 when I was in fifth grade and he was in seventh grade. We had started an elementary school newspaper and had such a good time doing it that we wanted to share what we learned. We wanted to show kids that writing could be fun. We started working with one Title I elementary school in Lawndale. We now work with 8 Title I elementary schools in Lawndale, Gardena, San Pedro, Wilmington, and South Los Angeles and 4 community programs (3 in the South Bay and 1 in South LA). We use the publication of a newspaper as a way to encourage 4th and 5th grade students to write and we use lots of games, speakers and field trips to make the program fun. We have 100 active volunteers and mentor 400-500 elementary students every year. We hold over 100 free mentoring sessions a year. In 2013, I founded TheatreFriends under PressFriends, and that encouraged other student board members to start SportsFriends, STEMFriends, and DanceFriends. We recognize that they are lots of ways to expand opportunities and encourage learning, and each of our programs has a writing or reading element. These programs are held in summer camps with our afterschool program partners or in community programs like the Boys & Girls Club of LA Harbor. Our motto is - making friends while making writing fun. We thought that if we made writing fun, kids would write more, and the more they wrote, the better their writing would become. We put together a program that we liked and thought other kids would like, and it worked. The program has attracted a lot of educators, and our adult board includes two former superintendents and two former principals. Our college board is working with one of our adult board members on aligning our program with the writing unit of the Common Core.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – Traveling While Black

2015-11-02T00:00:00Z

Traveling While Black (“TWB”) is a timely and urgent multi-platform storytelling project that immerses global audiences in the American story of minorities’ struggle for freedom of movement. Through a media-rich website featuring a series of short videos and interactive elements, virtual reality experiences, and a museum exhibit, TWB will examine what racism does to individuals through the lens of travel and facilitate dialogue. The American public is currently engaged in a debate about contemporary issues of racism, including the idea of movement and traveling while black. These discussions are fueled by recent tragic cases and the high incidences of racial profiling and stop-and-frisk that have gained media attention. Contemporary experiences will illuminate issues of the past while historical experiences will give context to the present - all on a platform designed to collectively address these issues.

Newcastle – Youth Street Newcastle

2015-11-02T00:00:00Z

Youth Street is a community initiative that empowers young people to live life to the fullest, discover who they are, and learn how they can make a difference in the world around them, whether that be locally or even globally. This is done mainly through our Saturday program, Youth Street Teams, where we provide a place for young people to develop their skills in skating, scooting, surfing, sports, dancing, art and the performing arts. All of our staff are volunteers that are dedicated to building relationship with our young people and championing them to reach their full potential. We give young people a place to belong, to build new friendships and increase their confidence.

Orlando, FL – Young Urban Artist

2015-11-02T00:00:00Z

Child of this Culture Foundation provides the youngest of the youth with free/low cost urban arts programs. Armed with the belief that hip-hop culture offers more enrichment to the youth than the mainstream, we use it to educate, empower and nurture the nation’s youngest citizens. In hopes of disbarring the myth that Graffiti is just vandalism, COTC strives to allow artists to tell their story through our hip-hop arts traditions. The Young Urban Artists project will attract people of all ages and ability who have been inspired by graffiti and would like to try their own hand at it with an opportunity to learn. In a casual atmosphere, surrounded by art, this project teaches graffiti painting basics such as how to shake and prepare cans, the difference between the types of size tips, cans, and spray paints and their uses. Students will also learn how to make thin and fat lines, how to fade the paint as well as to write their name in graffiti. Students sketch and fill in with colors, outline and design their signature. The project will provide 1-2 hour classes once a week for 8 weeks! By the end of the session our aim is for our students to produce a fantastic piece of art work, gain self esteem and express their own creativity and story! COTC highlights street art, murals, pop surrealism and other genres from the contemporary underground movement by providing an open, safe & free paint session, urban arts apprenticeship for youth (free or small fee) and workshops by renown local street artists. In addition to our arts program we will provide variety of free urban arts workshops to youth in topics covering arts, family literacy, dance, and music! This project has been quite successful in communities across the United States and we look forward to making it a staple activity in our hometown!

Liverpool (Inativo) – Plant Synths and Kits

2015-11-02T00:00:00Z

I run workshops exploring creativity and electronics. I want to develop kits that will help people build their own electronic instruments that use plants to make sounds. I will deliver workshops with groups of children and young people in Liverpool using the kits. Funding would allow me to spend time on the development of the kits, the planning and delivery the workshops. The aim of the workshops would be to help children and young people to learn about electronics in an unusual, fun and creative way. The kits will be designed so that people do not need specialist materials, access to specialist equipment or have previous knowledge of electronics to make them. I find using accessible materials can make electronics more inviting to people with no previous experience. The instruments will use accessible materials such as card and copper foil tape as well as electronic components. People will be able to build their projects easily and customize them after they have built the circuits. The kits will use visual instructions, and a circuit diagram which people can build their circuits on top of, to make them more accessible. The kits will use plants and leaves as parts to make up synths, engaging children and young people with nature and technology. I want to encourage curiosity about the environment as well as technology, by taking a different approach to working with nature and using materials in different ways. The workshops would be run with groups of children and young people in the local community. I've been talking with John Bligh at Harthill youth centre (he's a music youth worker) and he’d like me to could run some sessions at the centre.

LA South Bay, CA (Inativo) – Kids in the Dependency System (K.I.D.S.) Clinic

2015-11-02T00:00:00Z

K.I.D.S. has been helping foster children in Southern Los Angeles County to get and stay healthy since 2006. Compared to the general pediatric population, foster children are more likely to suffer from acute and chronic medical conditions, mental health problems, malnutrition (obesity or poor growth,) and developmental delay, among others. Often these conditions are the result of abuse, neglect, poor environmental stimulation, insufficient care and nutrition, and inadequately treated chronic illnesses such as asthma. Studies have shown that nearly 50% of children entering protective services have not received routine health care, such as recommended vaccinations. In addition, with removal from their primary home and frequent placements in different foster homes, many children have no medical records documenting immunizations, allergies or known medical diagnoses. This also leads to fragmented, insufficient and even inappropriate medical care. K.I.D.S. responds with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. Within 30 days of placement in foster care, each child is scheduled to visit the clinic for medical, mental, neuropsychological, developmental, and nutritional assessments. The K.I.D.S. team uses this information to develop a healthcare plan for the child in conjunction with the Department of Children and Family Services.

Sydney – Young Aboriginal Mother’s and Children Mural

2015-11-01T00:00:00Z

Our awesome project is to have 8 small murals designed and painted at the Gunawirra house by our Young Aboriginal Mothers Program (YAMP) groups. Many Aboriginal women come from families that have struggled with generations of poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and family dislocation. They have few resources to call on in helping them with the challenging and difficult work of raising children. This early intervention service for Aboriginal women from pregnancy through to their child starting school. It was formed in response to the need for mothers and their babies to be supported in building stronger, safer and healthier relationships. We have 3 weekly groups. YAMP engages with, supports and holds the mothers through the 1st 5 years of their child’s life. We provide a therapeutic space where Aboriginal women, may of whom are teenagers and some of whom are still in school uniform will have the opportunity to talk about and understand what has happened in their lives, to be understood and to begin to develop pride and confidence in themselves as women and as mothers. By focusing on and actively supporting the vital healthy links between mother and child, we aim to reduce the impact of intergenerational trauma in Aboriginal families. The main purpose for the painted murals is for these Aboriginal women and their children to bond together to create an artwork that symbolises their love and connection to each other. The murals would also symbolise their identity as Aboriginal women and helps connect their children to their culture. Connecting to culture is so important and for the children to be creating and learning who they are is also very important in understanding their Aboriginality. Aboriginal artist Graham has been teaching the mothers and their children about Aboriginal symbols and art techniques. This allows them to tell their own stories and discover more about their own culture.

Atlanta, GA (Inativo) – The Civic Imagination Project

2015-11-01T00:00:00Z

Across our nation, from Ferguson to Baltimore to Seattle, Americans are facing challenges that can no longer be classified as unprecedented. Decades-old issues of economic disparity and police brutality still exist and may be exacerbated more with the prevalent use of social media. In response, some Americans have taken to the streets while others have been perplexed and conflicted by the plethora of public demonstrations, petitions, and pontificating. Our citizens are frustrated and want to create change; however, with the strategies implemented thus far, we are experiencing the Einstellung effect-the use of old tactics for new or evolved issues. We need of update in civic literacy and change-making for 2015 and beyond. The Civic Imagination Project is an opportunity for rethink and re-tool civic life and responsibility. The purpose of the Civic Imagination Project is to explore, development, implement the next generation of civic literacy. Using the time-tested method of text-based dialogue we are launching a new citizens academy to provide training and resources that will enable individuals to become more effective across the civic engagement continuum. Our curriculum will provide guidance to develop effective community service projects, organize others around issue, policy analysis and becoming an elected official. CIP advisors include retired and current elected officials, nonprofit professionals, campaign managers, and fundraisers. For our pilot cohort, we are targeting individuals in the Atlanta , ages 25-40, that support the nonprofit/ socent sector. The project is unique as there are no campaign academies that specifically recruit nonprofit professionals (individuals that may be the closest to issues) to become elected officials.

Paris (Inativo) – Parole(s) Imagée(s)

2015-10-31T00:00:00Z

Parole(s) Imagée(s) est un projet né du croisement du rap et graphisme. Les textes de Marc Nammour - auteur du groupe La Canaille – sont transcrits dans un langage graphique singulier par Émilie-Laura Accipe, pour les souligner, les suggérer, jouer avec la perception afin d'en libérer le regard et laisser place à l'imaginaire. Il s'agit d'affirmer les valeurs humanistes du graphisme et du rap, et leurs liens avec la prise de parole. Des ateliers d’écriture reprenant ce concept vont être mis en place avec des jeunes de Montreuil. Ces ateliers permettront de les accompagner dans la création de leurs images, et dans la recherche d’un langage graphique qui leur soit propre pour exprimer des mots, des paroles de manière juste, audacieuse, faite de sens. Les ateliers seront rythmés par des temps d’échanges et discussions, avec une attention particulière quant à la question sémantique et le choix des signes ; par des temps de création et réalisation en sérigraphie, pour finalement aboutir à une exposition collective et un concert performance de La Canaille. Parole(s) Imagée is a project that brings together rap and graphic design. The lyrics of Marc Nammour – songwriter of the band La Canaille – are transcribed in a singular graphic language by Emilie-Laure Accipe, in order to highlitght and suggest them, to play with perception and to give way to imagination. The goal is to assert the humanist values of rap and graphic design, and their links with freedom of speech. On this basis, writing workshops will be organised with teenagers from Montreuil. The worksphops will guide them in creating their own images, and in finding their own way of expressing the right words and sentences, in an accurate, bold and meaningful way. The workshop will comprise moments to talk and discuss, with a focus on the choice of words and signs ; and moments to create and make posters using the silkscreen technique. The project will lead to a collective exhibition and a concert by La Canaille.

Boston, MA – Inner-City Autism Family Photo Event

2015-10-31T00:00:00Z

Our Autism Program at Boston Medical Center serves a large catchment of underserved, minority families in Boston whose children have autism. Many of our patients are without means and we strive to design extensive programming to assist children is reaching their potential but also in ways that help give comfort and support to the entire family. We are seeking to host a family photo day here at BMC where families could have portraits taken (something that we surmise is often difficult for them either due to cost or challenges related to the diagnosis—impulsivity, unfamiliar venues etc). We are hoping to tie this to holiday time so they could be used for gifts. Boston Medical Center (BMC) is the largest safety-net hospital in New England. Our patients represent some of the neediest people in the Greater Boston Area; almost 75% receive government-subsidized insurance such as Medicaid, and a significant portion struggle to make ends meet with incomes well below the poverty level. Seventy percent of all patients are from racial and ethnic minority populations, and 30 percent do not speak English as a primary language. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is life changing for any family, particularly one that is struggling to make ends meet. Multiple studies have shown that a vast disparity exists between the services for autism received by lower and upper-income children. . The Autism Program at BMC is a multi-staffed, multi-tiered, comprehensive and culturally competent service delivery model that is uniquely equipped to meet the complex needs of these families. Autism Resource Specialists offer specialized outreach, training and advocacy services, form effective partnerships with schools, collaborate with local support organizations and draw upon a deep knowledge base of social service agencies to facilitate linkages and empower marginalized families to access the very best care for their children.

Oahu, HI – Science In A Rural Oahu School

2015-10-30T00:00:00Z

Our teachers at Leihoku Elementary School have had to cancel or reschedule field trips for students because the buses will not come into the Waianae Coast after 11:30am. This is because traffic is so bad and unpredictable coming into the Waianae Coast. We are a Title 1 school, where 85% of our students are receiving free or reduced lunch. Our students come from homes and areas with out a lot of resources. I would argue that field trips are very important because field trips help to give our students the background knowledge that they need to be successful in academics. Especially as we push the rigor up in their academics to meet the new standards of the common core curriculum. I am asking for a grant of $1000, so that I can bring a field trip to our kids, since the parameters of transportation to field trips has become so difficult and limiting for our Waianae Coast school.

Ann Arbor, MI – Leesta

2015-10-30T00:00:00Z

Leesta is an education technology company that inspires 8-11 year olds, by teaching American History through the stories of women. Through visually sophisticated and engaging methods of storytelling, we are answering the need for digital learning resources and more diverse educational materials. Leesta shares underrepresented narratives that encourage children to become more empathetic and culturally competent. On the rare occasion that the stories of women are shared, they are often written for an adult audience, never have their stories been designed to teach history and inspire children the way Leesta is doing. The main component of Leesta is a series of ten interactive timelines highlighting the lives of amazing women. The timelines will be more informative and engaging than a textbook, featuring animations, audio, and an integrated point winning system. Educators can use these as supplementary teaching aids in classrooms, and children can use the site to learn at their own pace. Leesta was chosen as one of five winners of the optiMize Social Innovation Challenge, an entrepreneurial competition at the University of Michigan. We are sponsored by the United Way of Washtenaw County, and have formed partnerships with educators and historical experts to provide the highest quality of information through Leesta. This summer we have been working with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit to create a profile for Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot. As well as the Boggs center, where we have been working closely with friends of Grace Lee Boggs to create the most accurate profile for her life. Most recently we have been in contact with Temple Grandin, a world renowned inventor and autism activist, and are working directly with her to create a her timeline. Right now we are in the developing process and hope to launch 10 profiles September 2016 for the next school year.

Alaska (Inativo) – Tracing Roots: A Weaver's Journey Film Outreach

2015-10-30T00:00:00Z

How many people get to not only make a film with and about an inspiring 85 year old elder, but also get to travel with her to share it? Our journey started in 2010 when I was asked to document Delores Churchill on a traveling Northwest Art class. We had an idea of making a film about her. The instigator disappeared, but I was hooked. The documentary slowly evolved into something Delores didn't expect and a narrative that asks questions and manages not to end. "Tracing Roots: A Weaver’s Journey "is a portrait of an elder in motion and a piece about the meaning of connection, and ownership. It is about making objects and art and a bit of a mystery, following Delores quest to understand a spruce root hat found in a retreating glacier. We've had great events with the film from Haida Gwaii to Fairbanks, but we want to ask for support to inspire people outside the region. When we share the work. Delores charms and gets wonderfully unpredictable. I’m sidekick and support. Starting on October 20th, Delores and I are going on a screening/event tour to museums and college campuses in places including Indianapolis, Boston and DC. Pulling together the funds is not as easy as one would hope to cover the expenses we’ll be racking up. Despite some grants for making the project, we’re experiencing a net drain that has continued into the outreach stage. Is outreach and engagement awesome? You know the saying, “if a tree falls in the forest…” This is the delivery. It is a time to encourage non-native audiences, as Delores says, to realize how that native art making is alive and well and for native students in the colleges we visit to be inspired by an elder amidst campuses that don’t always facilitate that role modeling. This is also the finale of the journey: We've decided after this trip, to the Smithsonian, the Harvard Peabody and the Eiteljorg and our other stops, it is time to wrap up the “live” events…

Seattle, WA – Popup Arcade

2015-10-29T00:00:00Z

Popup Arcade is an opportunity to learn about your city and fellow residents through collaborative, place-based arcade games. Imagine a cooperative puzzle game that invites citizens across the city to play and connect with each other. The game would consist of puzzles that require multi-player involvement to solve. The goal is to improve community engagement across a city, and encourage citizens to work together toward a common goal. We're building arcade machines that we'll put in distant neighborhoods in Seattle so people can play silly games with folks they might not otherwise meet. Someone in Lake City solving a puzzle with someone in White Center. A player in the International District exploring a virtual world with a player in Ballard. We recently made our first prototypes of the arcade machines and demoed them at the Seattle Mini Maker Faire. The arcade machines have cameras, so kids at the faire sent animated gif selfies making funny faces back and forth. Let's encourage that kind of playful interaction, build relationships between neighborhoods, & contribute to public, civic engagement through games.

Stockholm (Inativo) – Petri Dish

2015-10-29T00:00:00Z

Imagine the world’s 20 top tier technologists “locked into” a house in in the outskirts of Stockholm for a week. Their task is to come up with new innovative concepts and prototypes for the benefit of the world. Awesome right? That’s exactly what the project “Petri Dish” is about. In April 2016 the retreat will take place with participants like a Professor of Neuroscience, a facial recognition software expert and a CEO of a Machine learning company. The goals of the project are: 1. Test the concept: Can a diverse group of top minds with free reins come up with truly innovative ideas and create functioning prototypes or elaborate plans? 2. Present new ideas for improvement to the world from top minds. 3. Strengthen Stockholm's position in the tech world as an innovation ecosystem.

Tallahassee, FL (Inativo) – Students Proving They Can (SPTC)

2015-10-28T00:00:00Z
We selected Carter Parramore Academy (CPA) as our Students Proving They Can (SPTC) project site. CPA is an alternative school serving grades four through twelve. It is a Title I school, meaning there are a high percentage of low-income students. At CPA 77% of students are eligible for free lunch. The enrollment by race/ethnicity is 90% black; 7% Hispanic; 2% white; and 1% mixed. Interventions are needed to keep the students on track and engaged in their education. Despite failing grades, these students have ambition, hope, and big dreams. Our vision is to provide the platform for them to fulfill their passions. In partnership with CPA, we created a mentoring program dedicated to acting upon the belief that every student deserves a bright future. Our SPTC program consists of mentorship through tutoring and establishing after-school, extracurricular programs. We want to become a model of success, so we plan to evaluate our project, employing research and analytical methods. During the prior school year, each of us tutored two students once per week during a class period. Some of us stayed after school for tutoring. This fall we plan to add more mentors. SPTC provides more than academic support. We include after-school activities utilizing many disciplines. With strengths in a wide variety of areas, we bring a multi-faceted, skill-based dynamic to volunteering at CPA. Finally, last spring we organized a College Shadowing Day and brought students to FSU. We hope to do the same and more this school year. For example, we have been asked to come alongside Student Government and help them plan traditional school activities such as homecoming and prom. And this year we should begin seeing a measurable effect in academic performance. We’ve come to learn that WE are Students Proving They Can transform an under-resourced school WORKING WITH Students Proving They Can improve their own academic and life experience. It’s going to be awesome.

Antigonish, NS (Inativo) – Antigonish Challenger Baseball

2015-10-28T00:00:00Z
Antigonish Challenger Baseball is a free program that provides an opportunity for children with cognitive and/or physical special needs to enjoy the full benefits of participating in baseball at a level structured to their abilities. Games are played in a fun and safe environment where no score is kept and there are no balls, strikes or outs. Each child is partnered with a buddy who helps them with all aspects of the game. While the buddies help the children participate, they are encouraged to let the children do as much as they can on their own. The game is adapted around each individual child. Adapted equipment includes wheelchair accessible bases, various sized and colored balls, bats of varying sizes and material as well as various forms of batting tees. This year, our group was made up of eighteen children, both male and females, aged four to sixteen. Our group also consisted of thirty buddies ranging in age from twelve to seventy. Like all other minor baseball players, each child received a uniform and played weekly games at the local high school field. The aim of the program is to help the children develop physical and social skills, build self-esteem, meet other children and families in the community and become part of a team. The overall goal is to provide an opportunity for the children to participate in sports no matter their ability or circumstances. Recently, Antigonish Challenger Baseball was acknowledged and invited by the Toronto Blue Jays to participate in the 2016 National Challenger Baseball Jamboree. This event will take place next June at the Rogers Centre. Forty-six children, buddies and family members will travel to Toronto to stay at the Rogers Centre hotel, watch a Blue Jays game and to participate in a game on the field at the Rogers Centre. While it is an honour to be invited to the Jamboree, in order to make this once in a lifetime dream a reality, our group requires significant financial and community support.

London, ON (Inativo) – One World: One Art, Drawing class

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
One Art is long term project to facilitate innovative collaborative art projects and high quality art programming to low-income children in the London community. One Art blossoms from a series of art projects I have led in Calgary and Bangalore, India with various nonprofit agencies including the Boys and Girls Club and Samarthanam Trust. In London, I would like to lead an 8 month class for 8-12 low income students between the ages of 5-11 beginning their artistic journey. Every class, I would like to teach some colour theory, drawing technique, and art history and then lead students to implement what they learn to create a collaborative portfolio-ready art piece. The results of structured and enriching art education where our young people are treated as serious artists and given the practical tools to grow are breathtaking. Indeed, art encourages powerful habits such as creativity, habits, joy, peace, and focus among young artists. Apart from the obvious benefits of art education and the therapeutic value of art to each individual child, the collaborative nature of One Art’s projects serves a broader cause: respect and teamwork. Through thought-provoking themes for art projects such as “What does the world mean to you?”, we are moved by children's meditation on community and diversity. In the past, student groups I have worked with have created amazing paintings and other forms of collaborative art that have sold for high value, returning back funds to the non-profits and communities they are members of. These pieces have also been incredible works of social political commentary- children telling us adults what they would like their world to look like!

Twin Cities, MN (Inativo) – S.H.E (She who hold everything)

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
We are Iman and Khadijah Siferllah-Griffin and we are 17 year old identical twin sisters who are Hip Hop dancers from the twin-cities. At 14 years old we became the youngest recipients of the Minnesota Sage Cowell dance award for best dance ensemble. In our short career as dances we have traveled to the east and west cost to perform and have shared the stage with some awesome artist. Because we started dancing at a young age we have performed with a wide range of individuals with most of them being adults. We found it difficult to find spaces that were youth and female centered as Hip Hop as a culture is very male dominate, so out of that we created S.H.E She Who Holds Everything is an all female Hip Hop dance collective that empowers woman and girls though Hip Hop dance. S.H.E will perform, teach dance classes, and hold female centered events in the Twin-Cities. In 2016 we have planned some awesome event for S.H.E such as our first showcase performance scheduled for February 12th and 13th. Our all girls prom scheduled for May 21st, 2016, and our biggest event which will be our major production at the Southern Theatre in December of 2016.

Washington, DC – Rebuilding Re-entry Hackathon - DC

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
In an effort to decarcerate America, there are national campaigns to shed women and men from prisons and jails. As these campaigns gain traction we are seeing shifts in policy as well as public opinion. The anticipated release of Americans - thousands at a time, nationwide – will no doubt flood re-entry service providers and government agencies. In DC we anticipate a spike of returning citizens. To this end, Mission: Launch is committed to building, testing and reworking re-entry solutions until they are ready for successful integration into larger systems. We host friendly citywide events to collaborate, share common areas for improvement, engage with unlikely allies, and invite the community to problem solve – together. At the end of every event we have a 4-step call to action: connect; donate; join (a prototype team); and share (the message). The events and extension programming are scalable and offer easy-to-engage opportunities for the general public as well as key stakeholders. Our hackathons are community problem solving gatherings to discuss, understand and prototype solutions for local re-entry issues. We “hack” away at presented barriers with the aim of incubating and demonstrating tech-based tools within 8 months. The accomplishments from our first hackathon in 2014 have presented a unique case study for success. To that end, we are eager to bring the city together for a 2nd year. High-level executives, state and local politicians as well as service providers and coders as well as returning citizens themselves and the public-at-large will gather on Oct. 31st & Nov. 1st. Open-source tech built and stewarded by our community will help to close gaps in service delivery as well as policy implementation. Within the Washington, DC - region there is a strong push for re-entry efforts.

Melbourne (Inativo) – Be. Bangles - Inspirational bangles for women

2015-10-27T00:00:00Z
I can say, hands down, that 2014 was the toughest year of my life. I thought I'd hit rock bottom before, but honestly, 2014 smacked me down. In short, my 3 year relationship ended. I moved into a house on my own. My co-founder decided to exit my current business (on fairly icky terms), the new house I moved into was making both me and my dog incredibly sick (mould and damp problems) and on top of that I hated my body. My self-esteem plummeted. By the end of 2014, I was in a dark place and I needed SOMETHING to pull me out. I stumbled across this quote that said "She Believed She Could So She Did"- and it became my rally cry. I figured if I could just start believing that I was worth something, my life would turn around. I wanted to tattoo the saying on my body, but it felt a little too permanent, so I decided to create a bangle that I could wear instead. Why? Did you know we're exposed to more than 5,000 advertisements every day? Most of them implying that there is something wrong with us. We're not skinny or pretty enough. We need to eat less and buy more. Rates of depression among women & girls have doubled in the last 10 years, and the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 - 19 is now suicide. Women & girls hating who they are, because of the messages they are surrounded by. We are here to change all that. Be. Bangles are simple and beautifully designed stainless steel bangles, engraved with inspirational sayings like ‘She Believed She Could So She Did’. They inspire women across the world to stop doubting and start believing in themselves. We're here to remind women of their greatness, especially in those moments they've forgotten how extraordinary they are. Each bangle sold not only empowers the woman wearing it, but it funds a day of education for a girl in Africa as well. We're creating a movement of empowered women committed to shifting the beliefs they have about their bodies, their careers and their so called flaws.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – Team McAuley

2015-10-26T00:00:00Z

Amsterdam (Inativo) – Candid Amsterdam

2015-10-26T00:00:00Z
What happens when you place disposable cameras all around Amsterdam? The cameras would be hung up on a string around a pole with a message asking people to take a picture with it. When the cameras are full I would collect them back, develop them and post them on a Facebookpage and a website for people to see and interact with.

Oklahoma City, OK (Inativo) – Geary Food Pantry & Education Center

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z
The Geary Food Pantry About seven years ago I noticed that the children I worked with in a volunteer capacity were hungry. I found out through research that one in four children in Oklahoma go to bed hungry. I have held the hand of elderly women who were crying because they were so relieved that they could get food at the pantry and still get medication with the money they would have used for food. We serve a free meal one night a week and the food pantry is open twice a month, once in the day time and once in the evening. We feed seventy five to one hundred families a month in our small community of 1258 people through our Pantry. We also serve hot meals and play games with approximately thirty children every Wednesday evening. We have families from other rural communities come for help on a regular basis as well. We would like to provide classes on cooking nutritious meals, canning and meal planning as well as helping with encouragement for re-entering the work force and other educational activities for our community. The building we have rented for the past several years is scheduled for demolition in a couple of months and we are in the process of building. We are in dire need of finances to make this transition. Please help me fill empty stomachs and enrich minds.

Oklahoma City, OK (Inativo) – GearHeads of Oklahoma, Inc

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z
We are a recent start up non profit here in OKC. We take our passion for motorsports and create an environment were families can get plugged in to local events and activities, but were they can also take joy in giving back to those in need. We operate as a 501(c)(3) non profit to provide automotive repair & maintenance grants to families in need. You can find out all the details about how this works on our website. Originally several of us would get together to attend car shows and other events as a group. We were asked to help a young family in need of some automotive repair. Afterwards we thought why not do it for more? and why not invite more people and families to join us? After doing some research we realized that not many organizations are prepared to help their program recipients with automotive related issues, but everyone has the need, especially in OKC. Our goal is to come along side and support other charitable and non profit groups and their recipients. In addition we fell motivated to help kids that have a passion for motorsports, but due to life circumstances don't have many opportunities to embrace this passion. We aim to create programs within the local community that can help point kids in the right direction and make learning a cool experience.

Ottawa – Ottawa Zine Fair

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z
October’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Lee Pepper to support a zine fair in the city. “Ottawa has an amazing community around zines—self-published books,” explains Lee, “that reflect views, stories, and resources that are outside of the mainstream, and give representation to underrepresented voices. What we don't have is a zine fair: a place for us to get together, sell what we make, and get a chance to all hang out together and celebrate the cool stuff we make.” “I plan to organize a one-day event,” says Lee, “at which people can set up tables to sell their zines, and where interested folks can come see what talented writers and artists we have here in Ottawa.” It will take place in spring 2016. Lee is a self-described writer, editor, curator, and non-profit professional, and runs the zine racks at Pressed, Gabba Hey, and Café Alt.

Plano, TX (Inativo) – Trumpets4kids

2015-10-24T00:00:00Z
We interview and donate Trumpets to middle and high school students ..We would like to extent what we to to Plano.We sponsor performance of Trumpets4kids players to perform for other Kids in hospitals at, Xmas toy drives and other similar events..We take students to concerts who they might not get go to the Symphony, or Jazz concerts.Many times professional musician who come to this area take time to visit with younger players not just Trumpet.In some cases we sponsor clinics of professional players who might inspire students such as Arturo Sandoval or Nicholas Payton ..We have taken as Many as 75 students from four different cites in the Metroplex to see David Sanborne and to DSO.. In most case we help with ideas for further studies and help with indiviual music studies and going to summer camps where and if needed..On the first Saturday or March each we host The Trumpets4kids Trumpet War at Texas Weslyan University and groups of kids compete to win the musical war of music between Middle to High school student..In 2015 we have 7 cities represented by students. Most of the leaders of each group had received instruments from Trumpets4kids..

Plano, TX (Inativo) – Chess for Humanity

2015-10-24T00:00:00Z
Elementary school children are at a critical age for the formation of essential skills and behaviors. According to numerous studies, activities of high stimulation promote not only the activity and development of the frontal lobe, the region responsible for higher-level thinking, through the rapid increase in the amount of neural connections, but also allow for their emotional and psychological maturation. The complex game of chess is known to foment the growth and development of indispensable abilities, including patience, diligence, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making in young minds. Moreover, these benefits are regarded as a gateway to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Chess for Humanity runs the Rook ‘n’ Roll Chess Program in various schools in the DFW area in collaboration with volunteers from St. Mark’s School of Texas and other Dallas institutions. We work with young minds in a safe, happy, and comfortable social environment to accelerate the progression of their psychological, emotional, and mental capabilities, improving their abilities to concentrate, follow directions, plan ahead, and succeed in school and in life. A typical chess club program meets once a week after school for about an hour, devoting half the time to instruction, including lectures and practice positions, and the other half to friendly play against other club members. We always work to include life skills development segments into our programs. In the coming school year, we are expanding our initiative to many more institutions and require funds to purchase chess sets and other necessary equipment to serve the students and the community. Since Rook 'n' Roll is Chess for Humanity's biggest program, it has the most volunteers and requires the most benefactors to run successfully. We hope to be able to serve the DFW children as well as possible, and we would really appreciate contributions toward this effort.

Santa Fe, NM (Inativo) – Santa Fe Prom Closet

2015-10-23T00:00:00Z
We believe that one more way of encouraging students to remain in school is to help them attend their prom by reducing their costs of getting prom clothes. We get donations of used clothes, as well as raise money to purchase clothes to give to seniors, and rent to underclassmen for a cleaning fee of $25. We have just finished our sixth year helping students primarily from Santa Fe schools, but also students from other schools in northern New Mexico. We are completely dependent upon donations up to and including the use of a space to locate our six-week long "boutique" for students to come and get clothes. Because of the generosity of La Unica cleaners, who have cleaned prom dresses for us the last six years, we have been able to offer a wide range of dresses and sizes for the girls. This year was our third year offering suits and tuxes for boys. Because of our shoe-string existence, we spend any monies raised on clothes and or shoes for our clients. We have served over 400 students in the past six years, most from Santa Fe. Our only requirement is that they are currently a high school student. We need to purchase 25-50 tuxedo jackets and slacks in the smaller size ranges as we don't have enough to meet the demand in Santa Fe, and had to turn away about 20 boys this year when our supply was exhausted. Besides the boys, we have had at least 5 girls get tuxes over the last 3 years as well, and they generally need a smaller size. Your grant will allow us to double our stock of tuxedos!

Miami, FL – C.R.E.A.M. - Art Basel Ice Cream Social

2015-10-23T00:00:00Z
Hi! Thank you for considering this project for next month's grant. C.R.E.A.M. (Creativity Rules Everything Around Miami) is an ice cream social that will take place during Art Basel. The event was originally planned for the summer, however, there is a major lack of family-friendly events during Basel and we plan to fulfill this need. Also, the youth are full of creative energy, yet there seem to be hardly an events during Basel that feature young artists. // This year, we plan to change that and spark a trend that will carry on for years to come and inspire generations. C.R.E.A.M. is a unique event that combines something that mostly everyone can enjoy (ice cream -- and yes there will be vegan & lactose-free options!) with an inspirational message to teens to explore their dreams and discover & express their highest creative potential. // The event will take place on Saturday, December 5th from 12pm - 7pm. It is presented by WAKEUPSTAR*, a Wynwood-based media collective; T.E.E.S. (Teens Exercising Extraordinary success); XLACED, a creative collective run by recent HS grads; and Mikey Likes It ice cream. // Each group comes together for the sole purpose of providing platforms and channels that foster creative, spiritual and economic growth within young, urban communities. // The event will be planned & produced with direct involvement from people under the age of 25/ There will be art installations by youth aged 13-19, and live performances from musicians aged 15-25. The artists & musicians will also speak on a panel during the event, sharing their experiences living out their dreams & pursuing their passion in arts & entertainment. // In addition to live music, interactive art and youth panels, we will also have games, giveaways, sketch artists and vendor/info booths.. // The event is curated to honor youth & diversity in Miami's creative scene, and will take place in historic Overtown. We've already received over 70 submissions & have a venue.