Awesome Foundation - Projects

Raleigh, NC (Inativo) – My Own Raincloud

2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

Jeff Chelf is just dying to make his own rain cloud. The Raleigh-Durham chapter of the Awesome Foundation is just dying to give him the money to do just that. So we have. Now Jeff will create a bicycle with a perpetual shower over the rider's head (that's him). As he rides through the streets of Raleigh and Durham he will be stuck under a perpetual storm while spectators watch from the sun. Why? Because watching someone ride a bike around getting soaked would be a joyous, perplexing, and likely entertaining experience. The project will challenge us all to examine our usual avoidance of rain, and engage with a new crowd each time the bike goes out for a spin. Having struggled with his own personal raincloud in a figurative sense, Jeff wants to put this darkness out into the light to turn the metaphor around.

Singapore – TreeDots - Tackling the problem of B2B food waste

2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

TreeDots is Southeast Asia's first wholesale distributor of surplus and imperfect food supplies to food service providers. Our mission is to tackle the colossal issue of food loss (edible food that is discarded) by leveraging on technology to better match supply and demand, and streamline transactions. We are the industry's food meister to help our suppliers recover cost from perfectly edible, imperfect and unsold inventory, and to assist food service providers in sourcing for affordable food supplies, while fulfilling our mission to save our dear planet. Within our first year of operations, TreeDots has saved more than 173 tons of food that would otherwise end up in landfills in Singapore alone. These foods have a water footprint equivalent to providing 3.8 million people with drinking water for a year and a carbon footprint equivalent of taking 336 car off the road for a year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6afq0Wh_kYg&t=2s We would like to use the $1,000 to buy an industrial refrigerator to store about 100 irregular sized fresh chickens that a slaughter house in Singapore throws away every day as they do not fit the customer of the slaughterhouse's requirements.

Austin, TX – Write! Austin

2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

Write! Austin is a queer poetry writing workshop curated by poet + writer, ND. Headquartered in Austin, the public is invited to attend passion-filled monthly workshops at dope creative spaces in + around the city. The inaugural workshop will be held at CRAFT on Saturday, January 19, 2019. The workshop caters up to 40 people for casual writing sessions amongst fellow LGBTQ+ writers for connection + community among queer people.

Pittsburgh, PA – Orchestra Park

2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

I'm in the development phase of a pubic art installation with the working title "Orchestra Park". Using found objects like fence posts and reinforced concrete for the main structures coupled with customized pneumatic and electronic controls, I envision a garden of recycled sculptures that visitors interact with to activate a symphony of unconventional musical instruments; "flute flowers" with steel stems and PVC petals that spin on their axis create whistle tones to stand in for whole wind sections, "brass bulbs" on illuminated trellises play morning glories as trumpets and bluebells for horns, while paths of reclaimed wood marimbas provide percussion. While these interactive structural elements are the main focus of the project, I would also like to see the space under and around the sculptures used as a working garden to promote local environmental causes like native plant cultivation and sustainable landscaping. The installation will be wind and solar powered and designed to withstand being outdoors in all seasons.

Aviano (Inativo) – Awesome Aviano Art

2019-01-21T00:00:00Z

I’ll use free spaces in Aviano to do awesome art murals with volunteers interested in art and design.

Newmarket – Outdoor Learning Loose Parts Collection

2019-01-20T00:00:00Z

My name is Amanda Kennedy. I am a grade two teacher and the Chair of the Outdoor Classroom Committee at Phoebe Gilman P.S. We are currently in the process of building an outdoor classroom and need to accumulate materials to facilitate outdoor learning activities. Eventually, these materials will be kept in a storage bunker by our future outdoor tree circle classroom. Our staff, as well as the YRDSB, see how students benefit from outdoor learning experiences on a regular basis. We have a large school population and expanding our outdoor learning material collection will allow for more staff to take their classes outside.

Chicago, IL – Crafternoons with LGBTQIA Elders

2019-01-17T00:00:00Z

My proposed project Crafternoon with LGBTQIA elders at the Center on Addison will be in dedication to the many elders who paved the way for the LGBTQIA community in Chicago and beyond. By providing a safe, encouraging space, I anticipate that participant’s stories will surface about the first time coming out, relationships, the times when they had to live a life in the closet and fears of being arrested for just being themselves in public. Through a relational cultural approach, the elders and I are partners in crafting. The group goals will include; relaxation, connection, confidence, social engagement, self-expression, relaxation, and connection. Most excitingly, members will have the opportunity to make art because they will have access to art materials. As a group of artist, we will create a community for the members to enjoy art-making together and relieve feelings of isolation. We will work together to create craft projects such as totes, hats, weavings, and so on. These projects will provide a space for problem-solving, creative thinking, exercise motor skills, and promote concentration. As we begin to sew, memories from childhood, school, and queer identity will unfold. The art materials provided us a bridge to connect cross-culturally and generationally. I will look to group members for inspiration to create a sense of mutual learning, and to provide a sense of collaboration for the members. As a group facilitator, I will definitely bring my cartoony, playful and colorful art-making into the groups. I’ll provide unique materials for the groups that branch out of the typical crafting ideas, as well as, best fit the needs of the group!

San Jose, CA – Forget Me Not

2019-01-16T00:00:00Z

Once a vibrant individual, Pete now spends his days quietly in the corner of the activities room of his nursing home. As someone with few visitors, Pete must rely on short conversations from local volunteers to boost his spirits. Until I began volunteering at an assisted living facility, the idea of elderly social isolation was almost foreign to me. Social isolation is when an individual has such little social interaction that he or she feels extreme loneliness and depression. Isolation can affect anyone, and is a little known public health crisis. Without proper attention to this issue, it can lead to mental health issues, complications from chronic illness, and even death. However, it can be combated simply with human interaction. Through interaction with people like Pete, I learned how prevalent this issue is amongst the aging population. Three years ago, I founded Forget Me Not to connect my peers to people like Pete in a mutually beneficial way. Forget Me Not is an intergenerational program based in San Jose, CA that partners compassionate teen volunteers with isolated older adults in weekly social phone calls. While the teens provide companionship, the elders provide endless wisdom and support--all to form unwavering intergenerational bonds. The idea is simple. First, older adults are referred to the program from our partner organizations, or sign up by filling out a simple registration form. Next, teen volunteers are paired with 1-2 registered older adults. Before working, volunteers complete a mandatory training that equips them to handle any challenge they may face over the phone. Then, once a week, at a predetermined time, the volunteers make social phone calls to their respective older adults. The calls are supervised and take place in Forget Me Not-sanctioned high school chapters. Forget Me Not already partners with several regional and national organizations, including Meals on Wheels, Episcopal Senior Communities, and Wish of a Lifetime.

Rochester, NY (Inativo) – Glass Cotton Candy

2019-01-15T00:00:00Z

I have stumbled onto an beautiful and unique glass process. I make specialized molten glass containment devices, put molten glass into them, and then spin then at extreme speeds. Hot threads of glass spray all over the shop in beautiful patterns. I have made a temporary containment device that is seven feet tall, seven feet wide, and two feet deep, but it is in need of an upgrade. At the moment, the only way to allow an audience in is through video documentation. I hope to change this and share this with the public.

Cass Clay – Additional lighting for Hawley Art Show

2019-01-15T00:00:00Z

A little over 51 years ago some forward thinking citizens of Hawley MN decided to host an annual art show to promote the arts and provide exhibition opportunities to regional artists. The show was and still is a success. It is an open show where anyone can exhibit and throughout the years it has remained popular with both the exhibiting artists and an appreciative public. The future of the show looks good. The srt show does have a small budget that is used for yearly expenses and is replenished with monies from the modest entry fees charged the exhibiting artists. We have always been able to meet our expenses and remain solvent but our annual carryover is typically in the low hundreds of dollars. A perpetual problem of the show is providing adequate lighting for the paintings. The show is held in the old gymnasium of the Hawley community building which, is a neat old art deco building but unfortunately has rather bad lighting even for an old gymnasium. We supplement the available light with some floor lamps but we still find that there are darker areas in the room. We feel that is unfair to the artists that have their work in those areas. We would desperately like to purchase additional lighting so that our show can continue to thrive. We would purchase floor lamps, clamp on lamps, and the additional heavier extention cords with any money that you could offer us. We have a great art show that we feel contributes to the quality of life in our small town. We intend to keep the tradition of putting on a quality show. Your financial assistance would help us greatly in achieving our goal.

Ottawa – Th3rd Fridays

2019-01-14T00:00:00Z

January’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Alea de Castro to support free monthly dance battles in the city. These dance battles, taking place under the name Th3rd Fridays, have been running for just over a year. A DJ plays various types of music and dancers compete against each other, freestyle, one on one, until there is one winner left. A judge, explains Alea, picks who has won based on criteria such as musicality, creativity, skills, competitiveness, and confidence, and the winner takes home a pot to which each dancer has contributed a minimum of $2. The audience watches for free, but is welcome to donate toward the next event. “To understand street dance culture,” explains Alea, “you have to go back to the roots of hip hop and black culture. The hip hop dance battle concept, specifically breaking or break dancing, emerged during the late 70’s as a response to heavy segregation, drugs, and police brutality. To get away from the negativity, young black and Latino kids in The Bronx started breaking and battling to express themselves in a positive manner.” From there, she explains, street dance has become a positive and empowering movement for youth, women, marginalized people, LGBTQ communities, people of colour, and more. To see some Th3rd Friday dance moves, check out this Ottawa Minute produced by 613TV. Alea is a Registered Nurse working at The Ottawa Hospital, and co-founder of MOOV Ottawa Dance.

San Francisco, CA – Star Stories Live, a Podcast

2019-01-14T00:00:00Z

Media Art Xploration, Inc. (MAX), in partnership with Notes for Notes and its Program Director Bisi Obateru, is seeking funding for “Star Stories Live, a Podcast.” This live sound installation created by youth from the Excelsior Chapter of The Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco will compliment the “Star Stories” installation created by the Boys and Girls Club of the Rosebud Reservation and both will be presented at MAX 2019: A Space Festival - each its own take on the stars and their relationship to our planet earth. Through “Star Stories” MAX is bringing Lakota youth from Rosebud to one of its venues, The California Academy of Sciences, to share their traditional Star Knowledge and present alternative perspectives of space and discovery. The Lakota youth will present their celestially inspired work and experience the impact their stories can have. The Awesome Project ,“Star Stories Live, A Podcast,” enables Notes for Notes to leverage “Star Stories” and engage San Francisco youth by setting up an interactive storytelling and recording installment at the Festival in Cal Academy. It will enable young people to connect across cultures and produce a series of podcasts exploring the Lakota star stories and those of visitors to the exhibition. San Francisco youth participants will have the chance to learn how to build their own podcast in a professional recording studio. By participating in the Notes for Notes podcasting program, they will learn everything from researching, to interviewing and audio engineering. Youth will work directly with skilled mentors to interact and story tell with others confidently as they explore the stars.

San Francisco, CA – Song of Songs Seder Celebrating Queer Sexuality

2019-01-14T00:00:00Z

My AWESOME project is a seder celebrating queer sexuality. It is in its 6th incarnation and is ever changing to be the most engaging, joyful, embodied, educative, delightful, empowering ritual filled with ecstatic dance, song, and radical liturgy it can be. It will be held on May 19th 2019. Last year 60 people participated in the seder. It’s a uniquely Bay Area event that utilizes the bold and sensuous language of Song of Songs, an erotic love poem in the bible, to celebrate the unique gifts that queers and our culture bring to society with the intention of sharing these gifts with the larger world; not to create a queer only space. A variety of voices, experiences, sexual practices and viewpoints are shared throughout the ritual with the intention being that no ONE of these represents queer culture AND all are embraced. The haggadah, which is like a script that everyone at the ritual reads from throughout the event, is central to the experience of the ritual. Images, readings, and prayers included in the haggadah are sex-positive. They also work towards decentering whiteness, and dismantling transphobia, ableism, sexism, heterosexism, coupleism, and assumed monogamy. Throughout the text these readings and images are paired with direct quotes from the Song of Songs. Ritual foods and drink that are symbolic are consumed. Their meanings are explained in the text. The seder ends with conjuring a magic spell based on Allen Ginsburg’s 1955 poem “Excerpts from Footnote to Howl.“ That poem is inspired by a traditional Jewish prayer that repeats “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Ginsberg, the out Gay Jewish Beat poet, that he was, celebrated cocks and assholes as holy in this poem. Chanting of the poem is used to raise energy and take the Jewicy JeWitchy experience of knowing, deeply in our bodies, the sacredness and power of sexuality, as exemplified by queers, and sending that magical energy out to all who need it to transform the world.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – RSVP Volunteers are Awesome

2019-01-14T00:00:00Z

All of the RSVP volunteers are 55 years of age and older and do fantastic things for Marshall County, Kansas. The main focus for the volunteers is keeping elderly people in their homes longer; without the need to move into nursing facilities. The volunteers do this by delivering Meals on Wheels and Freezer Meals to elderly, home-bound and disabled individuals; providing grocery shopping for this same population and delivering the groceries to their homes. Other means of assistance comes in the way of Medicare counseling and helping the beneficiaries make the decision on choosing Medicare Part D prescription insurance. One RSVP volunteer is the only unpaid Affordable Care Act Navigator in the county.

Gloucester, MA – Solar Panels

2019-01-11T00:00:00Z

I would like to put solar panals on the O'Maley Innovation Middle School. It would help stop global warming and make the school more eco friendly. It also, will save some money for my school and hopefully with that they can buy more solar panals

Gloucester, MA – Awesome Backstage

2019-01-11T00:00:00Z

Ann Arbor, MI – WeListen

2019-01-07T00:00:00Z

WeListen is a grassroots, campus-based organization at the University of Michigan working to bridge the American political divide through small-group conversation. Our goal is to spark political discussion (not debate!) between students from all across the political spectrum. Following the 2016 presidential election, polarized politics wedged an ideological divide between students on campus. In an effort to understand the basis of opposing viewpoints and humanize peers with whom our views differ, WeListen is taking action to bridge the political divide. What began as 20 students discussing immigration policy has become a catalyst for connection and compassion across all pockets of campus. In just one year, WeListen has held discussions reaching over 90 participants, tackling wide-ranging issues such as gun rights, free speech, and abortion while developing partnerships with student organizations and faculty across campus. Our evenly-split executive board of conservatives and liberals has prioritized intellectual diversity. Thanks to a focus on outreach to conservative student groups, our dialogues represent conservative voices at a rate 10% higher than the overall student body, allowing for more balanced and representative political discussions. Additionally, a brief presentation at the beginning of each session and an unbiased fact sheet on the issue makes it possible for attendees with varying levels of knowledge to feel comfortable participating in the discussion. The diverse dialogue that WeListen fosters goes far beyond easing political tension. We are creating a more connected campus that values divergent viewpoints as an opportunity to grow and learn. At a WeListen session, “winning” isn’t convincing another person to adopt your views and values, it is making the effort to understand theirs. We think that’s pretty awesome.

Ann Arbor, MI – Serve Squad

2019-01-07T00:00:00Z

Serve Squad is a hybrid, social impact IT project management (PM) service and STEM career prep for underserved youth. Five, underserved youth interns, ages 16-19, from under resourced communities will receive stipends, top-tier PM training, wrap around services, and pre-college/apprenticeship preparation over the 12-month pilot. Youth will take a proctored PM exam and graduate with a national PM badge in alignment with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) curriculum. They will be paid stipends during their active-learning experiences, which are achieved as IT PM interns participating in providing assistance to IT challenged social impact program providers. PM was selected as the top skill and talent by southeast Michigan employers according to the Workforce Intelligence Network. It is listed by the State of Michigan as a top 5 job through 2026. Research in Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs showed that 80% of social impact programs need collaboration management i.e. PM. to effectively reach solutions together. Meanwhile, despite Michigan's resource shortage, only 6.92% of tested Detroit high school students achieved career readiness according to the State of Michigan. Thankfully, over 1,000 US colleges are now accepting project-based learning portfolios in addition to test scores. PM is applicable to a plethora of occupations regardless of the youth's chosen profession due to its inclusion of teamwork, communication, scheduling, budgeting, risk analysis, and other technical and soft skills. Serve Squad will target both urban and rural communities with a focus on giving opportunities to youth who have aged out of foster care, been adjudicated and experienced poverty-related indicators. We will bridge gaps using remote communication and collaboration cloud-based tools. The pilot will start in Michigan's communities within the Northwest Detroit area e.g. Warren, Livonia, and NW Detroit zip codes and expand statewide with a global target.

Vegan (Inativo) – vegansurvive (нищее веган выживание)

2019-01-07T00:00:00Z

Hi! My name is Mike, and I’m the founder of vegansurvive (нищее веган выживание). Here’s a short story of the project (hope, I’ll be able to tell you a full story sometime). The project was launched at February 2016. Me and a friend of mine started publishing photos of cheap vegan products (in VK public page https://vk.com/vegansurvive), which you can find in not specialized food shops. We checked all ingredients and even a background of companies, and then we made a decision – is it vegan or not. Later, we started publishing not only photos of vegan products, but also cheap vegan recipes. In all cases the main words were (and still are) VEGAN and CHEAP. Once we reached our first 100 subscribers, we started receive cheap and vegan recipes from our subscribers. That was really excitingly and unexpectedly, when our public page reached 1k subscribers…then 5k, 10k and now almost 20k subscribers, with good daily views, likes and positive feedback. We’ve never published any commercial advertising and we never promoted ourselves via ads or something, thus, 20k is a natural number. In February 2018 we launched a telegram channel and started publishing video recipes with voting (what should we cook next?), cooking instructions and total dish price. Just a month ago, we launched our multilingual website with cheap vegan merch and cheap recipes. It’s the beginning, that’s why you can find only one recipe and only two t-shirts with our logo. Moreover, we just launched Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. In this and next year we’re going to continue publishing cheap vegan recipes and grow our English-speaking community (before now we worked only with Russian-speaking community). In addition to recipes, we want to publish articles about veganism. Our goal is to show people, that vegan type of living is really cheap and good to all sides – nature (animals) and human. You CAN eat vegan food and it will be tasty and cheap alike. You CAN wear good clothes and it will be vegan and cheap.

Milano (Inativo) – CICLOCHARD

2019-01-07T00:00:00Z

L’ idea nasce dal percorso iniziato nella parrocchia S. Maria del Rosario da un gruppo di ragazzi che si sono occupati di assistenza ai senzatetto della zona Duomo di Milano negli ultimi 6 anni. Il gruppo si occupa di preparare bevande calde e, con l’aiuto di alcune panetterie del quartiere, recuperare viveri che vengono distribuiti durante il giro. Con il passare degli anni i volontari e gli assistiti hanno cominciato a costruire rapporti di profonda fiducia e amicizia, fino ad imparare, conoscersi e capirsi. La nostra attività ci ha portato ad instaurare relazioni durature con i senza fissa dimora, e a conoscerne il lato umano, la sensazione di marginalità ed esclusione e la totale sfiducia verso le istituzioni e le realtà e i percorsi di reintegrazione esistenti. L’idea del progetto prende spunto da una frase detta da un senza tetto: “A Milano non si muore di fame, si muore di solitudine e noia”. Abbiamo così deciso di mettere in campo questo patrimonio di relazioni ed esperienza, e di coniugarlo con le nostre competenze ciclistiche e meccaniche per generare un’opportunità di reinserimento innovativa, che lavori sul lato umano e psicologico oltre che materiale. Intorno a questo sogno, e in rete con molte realtà del ciclico e del sociale milanese, nasce l’associazione Ciclochard, composta da più di 110 soci, principalmente tra i 16 e i 25 anni. L’associazione si propone di creare una Ciclofficina cogestita da volontari ed utenti, in cui i senza fissa dimora (utenti), mediante la spinta di un lavoro concreto e manuale e affiancati da volontari e tecnici, possano iniziare un percorso di responsabilizzazione civica e autonomia personale. L’idea che l’individuo, attualmente relegato o relegatosi ai margini della nostra società possa trovare una struttura accogliente, quasi familiare, nella quale, in un clima di fiducia e amicizia, possa acquisire competenze, riacquistare autostima e riaprirsi ai rapporti con l’esterno.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – Tennessee Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail

2019-01-07T00:00:00Z

With the approaching national centennial in 2020 of the 19th Amendment's ratification, we wanted to make sure that TN was recognized for its pivotal vote. There is a national Votes for Women Trail and we have been identifying sites, markers, monuments, and other items to be showcased. We want heritage tourism for woman suffrage sites. The movement began in New York and culminated with victory in TN. All American women vote today thanks to TN! We have been hearing from suffragists' descendants and finding more items for the heritage trail. This is a great opportunity for researchers, History Day student competition, Scout troops, feminists, voting rights activists, and anyone who wants to learn more about this rich history. It has taken far too long for this history to be fully told. When textbooks claim "American women were given the right to vote in 1920," it's as though it were bestowed by a benevolent entity instead of a 72-year struggle which American women won. No one "gave" them anything! We are telling the story through this heritage trail of ordinary people who did extraordinary things. They proved democracy works. We have several new female legislators coming into the TN General Assembly in January and we're asking them to get the state to promote this. We are seizing the opportunity to promote these important TN sites and individuals who made a difference. We encourage other states to do the same with their suffrage history.

Vegan (Inativo) – Haven Hearts - vegan dog treats with a purpose

2019-01-04T00:00:00Z

I launched Haven Hearts, a vegan dog treat company which donates 100% of its profits to farm animal sanctuaries, in February 2018. Essentially I choose one animal at a time and raise enough to donate a lifetime sponsorship for their feeding costs. I've already completed sponsorships for the Oregon sanctuaries Green Acres (chickens), Lighthouse (a sheep), and Out to Pasture (lab rabbits), and have started another for a turkey at Green Acres. Each bag of dog treats comes with an attached postcard showing a photo of the animal and information about their story and their rescuers, so it's also serving to educate people about animals in agriculture, and connect them directly with those they're helping. The goal is to generate a non-charitable revenue stream for animal sanctuaries, by offering vegan and non-vegan animal lovers an opportunity to contribute to a concrete act of good for animals — without asking them to make any compromises or sacrifices. And, in the process, the aim is to encourage them to expand their circle of empathy to include all animals. The response has been incredibly positive so far. They're available in 35 retail locations in Portland, Corvallis, and Eugene (where I'm based), including 9 who volunteered to buy them at full price and sell them with no markup, so donations from each purchase can be maximized! So far I am doing everything by hand. I have baked over a quarter million individual dog treats by hand, and while I am happy to continue this labor of love for now, it is neither scalable nor efficient. In order to build a viable business model I need to scale up, which is where you come in...

Oakland, CA (Inativo) – Oaktown Ballers

2019-01-04T00:00:00Z

Oaktown Ballers Non-Profit Sports Organization based in Oakland, California. Oaktown Ballers is a non-profit organization dedicated to training the game of softball and baseball at a high-level for girls and boys from diverse socioeconomic means. Oaktown is especially dedicated to improving the skills of girls ages 8 – 16, particularly minority girls such as African-American, Latino and Asian, in competitive softball in the Oakland, California area. Oaktown Ballers believes that money should not be an impediment to becoming an amazing athlete. The girls at Oaktown are trained at the highest level possible to provide leadership and training that could lead to advanced level athletic opportunities throughout high school and college. “The essence Oaktown Ballers is to provide a path for players to gain visibility for their skills, be on-track for college-level play and potential scholarships. “ In August of 2018 Oaktown formed its first competitive softball team for the 11 years old and under age group. The 13 girls that formed the first team were mainly Latina and African American decent and varied in age from 8 to 11 years old. The team played in tournaments sanctioned by the United States Specialty Sports Association USSSA in Northern California. The team performed at a high level and provided a great competition to the teams played against. The competition was against A level and B level teams which are considered the highest level of youth softball teams. After a successful season, the families wanted to continue but due to the varied age groups half had to move up and half were to stay at the 10U level. Therefore, in December 2018, we formed two teams, a 12U and a 10U team. The demographics of both teams are predominately Latina and African American providing a great representation of the true demographics of Oakland. It is Oaktown Ballers’ goal to represent the diversity that exists in the city that we love.

Adelaide – The Village Program

2019-01-02T00:00:00Z

The Village Program is a Grandparents for Grandchildren SA Inc. initiative designed to create support networks and structures around vulnerable children experiencing a family fracture resulting in kinship care, a.k.a Children living with their Grandparents. The Program does this by coordinating times and places for kinship carers to meet, support each other socially and organise practical solutions locally to address any barriers to the children in their care. Essentially it would combine playgroup and support group aspects to act as a community hub, connecting themselves to relevant local services and to coordinate as a group effective ways to achieve goals that would be difficult to do so alone. The ultimate goal is for the group to become a ‘mirror family’ for vulnerable children as well as a way for them to connect with their local community and other services.

State College, PA – Thankathon

2019-01-01T00:00:00Z

Thankathons are an idea I had while working at a large organization and being on an employee council tasked with democratizing employee recognition. Typical employee recognition programs only give awards to a very small percentage of the workforce. However, many people perform acts of kindness, courage, and consideration, that really do make a profound impact for the recipient. In encouraging recipients to write a thank you card to the person/people that make a positive difference for them, many more employees were recognized in a heartfelt, lasting way. All it took was a table with free thank you cards that passerby could write and give to whoever they wanted. The next step for the Thankathon idea is to take it outside of work and open it to the community. As part of the new Arts and Innovation Center, I would like to hold a Thankathon with free thank you cards and art supplies and compliment this with a Post Secret-style wall of thanks. This is where people could publicly share thank you notes by clipping them to strings of lights. The visual effect of the lighted cards and glimpses into what other people recognize and appreciate about others could be a powerful reflection in our community. I would also like to develop a guide for the website to make it easy for anyone to host a Thankathon in their community (work, school, place of worship, etc.).

Adelaide – Operation Elders Frock Up

2019-01-01T00:00:00Z

Operation ‘Elders Frock Up’ is about the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Elders in the Western suburbs of Adelaide having access to NAIDOC Week activities, particularly the state NAIDOC Ball. Every year we hear feedback from Elders who due to finance and transportation issues are unable to enjoy NAIDOC Week activities held in the city. Of particular disappointment is their lack of access to the state NAIDOC Ball. NAIDOC Balls are held in ever capitucitu across the country and in many regional centres but sadly a majority of Elders do not have the capacity to attend. The Western Elders who reside in the suburbs of Poet Adelaide, Largs Bay and Taperoo formmpart of the Kura Yerlo men’s and women’s elders groups and have expressed their sadness and concern with this lack of access. We (the staff at Kura Yerlo) would like to change this, and assist our Elders to attend and enjoy the Ball and have a presence at such a prestigious event in order to ensure it is inclusive of one of Australia’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. We want to see our Elders Frock Up, get excited, sing and dance and engage with community without the stress and pressure of finances and travel...just for one night. The SA state NAIDOC Ball is extremely difficult to get a ticket to and the $1200 tables are usually snapped up very quickly by larger corporations, businesses and universities. The staff at Kura Yerlo have started fundraising their own money through raffles and other small scale projects but due to the demographic of our community, are making little progress. Our organisation receives very little funding and offers services to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from babies (child care), to Elders and including people with disabilities. Kura Yerlo has been operating from Largs bay for almost 30years but have been asked to relocate by June 30 2019 because the land is being sold for development. We’d like to thank our Elders by assisting them get to the NAIDOC Ball.

North Minneapolis, MN – Empowered Diva’s Stepping Team

2019-01-01T00:00:00Z

My project consist of dancing as art with an emphasis in stepping. stepping is another form of dancing by making music with your body. stepping came about to me at the age 8 yrs old. Growing up in North Minneapolis i realize there wasn’t as many programs for disadvantaged people, so i decided to start a non profit organization for the youth of young girls ages 7 to 17 in North Minneapolis. any form of dancing was something that i love to do

Disability – Water Belongs To Everyone

2018-12-31T00:00:00Z

As far as I can remember I loved water. I also love making things accessible for myself and for the others. I have been kayaking for 11 years. Inspired by self-driving cars last year with a group of engineers we designed a kayak that blind people can paddle independently. By using the water navigation system we developed I have been successfully paddling solo in and around San Francisco. Kayaking and teaching are two of my passions. I taught my first independent kayaking class to the blind in Treasure Island in SF Bay on National Blind Sports Day, Oct. 6th. I'm hoping to continue providing free kayaking lessons to the blind youth and adults in a safe, protected beach in SF and Istanbul. In my kayak lessons participants learn basic paddling techniques, kayak safety, and how to navigate on the water by using Mr. Beep, a specially designed water navigation system. Right now I have only one Mr. Beep so I can have only one person in my class. With the help of this grant I am planning to build two more Mr. Beeps and increase my class size to 3 participants. I already recruited experienced kayakers who will assist me to teach the classes and found safe coves to practice kayaking in SF and Istanbul. Being able to paddle independently, having full control of the kayak, navigating without someone telling you go left, go right all the time is a very empowering feeling and I am hoping to share this with as many blind people as I can. Accessing outdoors, being physically active, and being able to go on a fulfilling adventure improve quality of life for everyone and blind people are no exception. With the help of Awesome Foundation grant I will reach out to more blind people who want to experience independent kayaking. All together will prove that water belongs to everyone and blind people have right to enjoy it as much as anyone else. Ahmet The Blind Captain What our grantee is saying: "This grant means a lot to me because This is the first step of a long transformational journey. I see every day how the power of outdoor adventure changes lives. I have a bold, but simple, goal. In 2019, I seek to offer life-changing adventures to blind youth and adults by sharing my passion of water sports. Your generous support will help me open access to independent kayaking to many blind youth and adults. Whether sharing the thrill of the first paddle in Istanbul's Bosphorus, the challenge of crossing the SF bay to Angel Island by sea kayak, the fun of a first-time on a sailboat or the confidence of navigating independently on the water accessing new adventures will continue to change lives. On behalf of the participants, volunteers, and myself thank you so much for being part of my long journey to make water sports accessible to all."

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – This Place Will Be Water

2018-12-31T00:00:00Z

This project is pretty simple! Stickers that are designed to be placed in public spaces that will be permanently underwater if climate change is not addressed. I will be hiring locals to post the stickers in coastal cities in the US (and hopefully abroad). I believe that one of the most challenging aspects of mobilizing political pressure for action on climate change is that while most (non-crazy) people understand the general severity of the challenge, they also try not to think about it very much. I want to bring reminders of the need for action into public spaces and ground the stakes of the situation in those locations.

Gloucester, MA – Soles for Souls

2018-12-28T00:00:00Z

Minas Gerais (Inativo) – Mulheres Empoderadas

2018-12-26T00:00:00Z

A afec é uma entidade que existe há 7 anos em BH. Assistimos mulheres que tenham filhos com doenças crônicas ou que se encontram em situação de vulnerabilidade social.oferecemos atendimento social, psicológico, médico, oficinas de empregabilidade e geração de renda. As ações sempre foram voltadas para os filhos das mulheres atendidas e em 2019, gostaríamos de promover um momento de autoestima para elas, que intitulamos mulheres empoderadas. A idéia seria promovermos um dia de autoestima, proporcionando à 80 mulheres um dia incrível de cuidados com o corpo e mente, oferecendo palestras, cuidados com os cabelos, cursos de automaquiagem, limpeza de pele, manicures e pedicures e ensaios fotográficos . Contrataremos profissionais de beleza, kit de presentes com cosméticos para elas e um coquetel durante todo o evento.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival

2018-12-24T00:00:00Z

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual event in which kid filmmakers create short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds. (The Newbery Medal is the highest honor in children's literature.) The movies these kids make often have a bonkers creative twist -- think "Charlotte's Web" in the style of a horror movie, or "Holes" reimagined as a musical set in outer space! For the past 7 years, we've shown the best kid-made movies in packed-house special screenings in libraries across the country. In 2019 we have screenings scheduled in New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Oakland, Salt Lake City, Tacoma, and other cities. These FREE events are co-hosted by me (founder James Kennedy) and other award-winning kids' authors. We receive over 500 movies per year. All of these kid-made movies, regardless of quality, gets a positive and encouraging review on the 90-Second Newbery website. Librarians, teachers, and young filmmakers have appreciated the personal attention each movie receives. Additionally, the lineup of the movies at each screening changes from city to city to highlight local entries. Kids who make a movie who happen to live in a city with a screening have an excellent chance of seeing their movie featured on the big screen, to be enjoyed by hundreds! These participants bring their friends and family to the screenings, which gives us consistently packed-house audiences. In many schools and libraries, the making and the celebrating of their 90-Second Newbery movies has become a traditional annual event that folks look forward to all year. The project has 3 major prongs: (1) the book-to-movie filmmaking workshops I teach in libraries and schools in the fall, (2) the 14-city tour of screenings in the spring, and (3) the affirming personalized reviews of each and every movie on the 90-Second Newbery website.

Aviano (Inativo) – Awesome Fivers Aviano

2018-12-23T00:00:00Z

Back by popular demand, we are distributing fivers throughout the Aviano area this month. Everyone loves this initiative that’s perfect for the holiday season.

Newmarket – Making Math A Priority

2018-12-21T00:00:00Z

Our math project will benefit 469 students from kindergarten to grade 8 at Armitage Village Public School in Newmarket. Our goal is to ensure that every student in all of our classrooms has access to important math materials and manipulatives that will enhance and support their math knowledge and ability to solve complex problems. We know through academic and business research that mathematics skills and knowledge impacts future successes for individuals throughout their working careers and lives. Strong math skills are a key indicator for later success! Unfortunately our math scores over the past five years as measured by EQAO, the standardized Provincial assessment for reading, writing and mathematics, are low. In fact, in grade 6 only 26% of our students met or exceeded the Provincial Standard this past spring. Our project is intended to address this achievement gap for all students at the school. We know that math learning needs to be a priority and that our students can be successful with the right supports and materials.

New York City, NY – mobile play:groundNYC

2018-12-21T00:00:00Z

Our final grant of 2018 has been awarded to play:groundNYC, New York City's adventure playground organization. While they're planning on returning to Governors Island in the spring, our grant will be used to run two pilot mobile pop-ups in small parks and playgrounds in Brooklyn and Queens in the spring of 2019 to help show the NYC Parks Department that the time is right to bring adventure play to parks all over the city! _play:ground will reopen The Yard, NYC's only adventure playground on Governors Island in May 2019. Our amazing play lot boasts 50,000 square feet of space in which we supply young people with materials for building, exploring, digging, imagining and destroying. Expect to find hammers and saws, paint, tires, wood, fabric, loose parts and more for risky play. We are open rain or shine! Expect your child to get messy! Our summer camp kicks off in June, and field trips for school groups are available throughout the season. You can also find us at pop-up play days across the city (check out website for updates) and coming soon… mobile play:ground! We bring the playground to your neighborhood for more play for all kids in all communities across the city._ _Mobile play:ground is a unique opportunity for our public spaces to be animated by and for the city’s children, in partnership with the NYC Parks Department, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Children’s Environments Research Group and others, and in collaboration with parents, educators and community leaders. Some of the parks we aim to animate are small public spaces with minimal rooted play equipment; some may be under-utilized, or only used by specific groups, so not inclusive. Mobile play:ground will increase the use of neighborhood parks and gardens for all community residents, increasing play provision, and building inclusive spaces designed and democratized by children._

Yerevan – Թռչող Ձմեռ Պապիկներ/ Flying Santas

2018-12-21T00:00:00Z

Ամանորին շատ երեխաներ ստիպված են հեռու լինել իրենց ընտանիքից ու անցկացնել հիվանդանոցում։ Դա կարող է պայմանավորված լինել մի շարք հիվանդություններով՝ քաղցկեղ, թոքաբորբ, մրսածություն և այլն։ Մենք ժայռամագլցողների թիմով ուզում ենք այս տարի Ամանորը նրանց համար դարձնել անմոռանալի։ Ժայռամագլցման համար նախատեսված գույքով և Ձմեռ Պապիկների հագուստով մենք կիջնենք հիվանդանոցների պատերով և պատուհաններից ներս կմտնենք ու կբաժանենք նվերներ։ Մեզնից մի քանիսն էլ միջանցքից ներս կմտնեն, քանի որ բոլոր նվերները չենք կարողանա պարանով իջեցնել։ Այդ օրը կհրավիրենք նաև Սուրբ Ծննդյան երգչախումբը։ Նախնական պլանավորում ենք ակցիան իրականացնել Երևանի մեկ կամ երկու հիվանդանոցներում։

Ottawa – Babies Who Volunteer

2018-12-19T00:00:00Z

The second of two Awesome Ottawa awards for December goes to Jessica Turner to support baby days at long-term care homes and day programs. Jessica's project, Babies Who Volunteer, is a newly established non-profit that organizes baby days at long-term care facilities, day programs for seniors, and retirement residences. "During baby day sessions," Jessica explains, "our young volunteers quickly get to work delivering hugs and kisses, playing peak-a-boo and patty cake, listening to stories and songs, and bringing joy and smiles to the seniors they have come to see. By just doing what babies do, our volunteers work their magic and leave a lasting impact." Babies Who Volunteer, which already has over 1,000 volunteers, has made more than 400 visits to 37 homes since it started in February 2018. Jessica is an educational assistant with the Ottawa Catholic School Board and has been volunteering with seniors since she was eight years old.

Birmingham, AL (Inativo) – RBG- Violence Reduction

2018-12-19T00:00:00Z

The RBG Conflict Interrupters Model is a data-driven, research-based, community-centric approach to Conflict prevention. RBG Conflict Interrupters maintains that Conflict is a learned behavior and that it can be prevented using control methods. RBG Conflict Interrupters Model has three core components are essential to disrupt the transmission of violence within communities. Omission of any component is not a faithful replication of the model and may not achieve anticipated decreases in violence: Interrupting, Identifying and reducing, and changing norms.

Ottawa – Hygge Homesharing

2018-12-19T00:00:00Z

The first of two Awesome Ottawa awards for December goes to CJ Blake to support the pairing of students and seniors in co-housing. "Loneliness," explains CJ, "is as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes each day. So why don't we do more to help our most vulnerable citizens?" she asks. "Seniors, LGBTQ folks, and people living with disabilities can be especially isolated." Through a new social enterprise called Hygge Homesharing -- Hygge, pronounced HUE-GAH, is the Danish word for coziness -- CJ aims to provide social support by pairing students and seniors in co-housing relationships. Students pay decreased rent in exchange for help in home maintenance, assistance with daily living, and companionship. The pilot, which will begin in September 2019, is between older and younger members of the LGBTQ community. CJ is a recent graduate from the University of Ottawa, a member of the LGBTQ community, and an active volunteer.

Chicago, IL – KEENSports

2018-12-19T00:00:00Z

People with a disability are 200% more likely to be physically inactive during the week and 38% more likely to be obsessed compared to their non-disabled peers. KEEN Chicago is a volunteer-lead nonprofit organization that works to bridge this gap by providing free sports and recreational programming for kids with disabilities age 5-21 at no cost to their families. Some of the goals of our program are to foster confidence, self-esteem and community inclusion for youth with disabilities; strengthen communities through education of volunteers; and provide families with respite and a support network. KEEN is a small program with one staff member that serves 150 families in the Chicago area annually. The families KEEN serves face many of barriers that include: language, transportation, and economic barriers as well as medical issues, long waiting lists for programming, and lack of services that meet their needs. At KEEN, we cannot solve all of these problems for our families, but we can provide them with an accepting community and support network that provides opportunity for them to share resources with another. During sessions, while their kids exercise, parents often stay to talk and support one another. The Program Director, a social worker, works with the families during the sessions in order to figure out how their needs can be better met. KEEN’s Sports programming is in dire need of new supplies. Our sports equipment is well-loved: our parachutes have holes, many of our basketballs don’t hold air, and numerous scooters are beyond repair. Additionally, as the population we serve changes over time and the degree of disability increases, there is a need to have more specific sensory friendly equipment available at sessions. We are submitting this proposal to The Awesome Foundation to purchase new supplies for use at programming. Thank you for taking the time to read through our application and we hope you will support us as we continue to build

Artsakh (Inativo) – Ուսումնական ջերմոց Քարվաճառի դպրոցականների համար

2018-12-18T00:00:00Z

Ուզում եմ Քարվաճառում մի իսկապես օսըմ բան անել, ասենք, դպրոցականների համար ջերմոց-լաբորատորիա ստեղծել: Երեխաներն այստեղ դասերից հետո հնարավորություն կունենան տարբեր բույսեր, հիմնականում` ծաղիկներ աճեցնել, իրենք կցանեն, իրենք կխնամեն, կհետևեն բույսերի աճման գործընթացին, իսկ վերջում կարող են իրենց աճեցրած ծաղիկները սիմվոլիկ գնով վաճառել քաղաքապետարանին, դպրոցին, տեղի այլ հիմնարկներին և ստացված գումարով նոր սերմեր գնել, ինչպես նաև` գումար ավելանալու դեպքում որոշակի սոցիալական ծրագրեր իրականացնել: Քարվաճառում դասերից դուրս կան ժամանակ անցկացնելու որոշակի տարբերակներ, օրինակ, վիքիակումբ, ռոբոտաշինության խմբակ, սպորտային որոշ պարապունքներ, սակայն բնություն սիրող ու բուսաբանությամբ հետաքրրքվող երեխաների համար գիտելիք ձեռք բերելու և հետաքրքրասիրությունը բավարարելու հնարավորություններ չկան: Իսկ ջերմոց-լաբորատորիան կարող է իսկական բացահայտումների ու հետազոտությունների կենտրոն դառնալ Քարվաճառի երեխաների համար, ինչպես նաև` այստեղ ձեռք բերած գիտելիքն ու փորձը երեխաները կարող են օգտագործել իրենց հետագա կյանքում ևս: Ջերմոցը գրավիչ ու հետաքրքիր միջավայր կապահովի դպրոցականների համար, որտեղ նրանք շարունակ կցանկական ստեղծագործել ու կտեսնեն իրենց աշխատանքի արդյունքը:

Alaska (Inativo) – 4th Ave pop up

2018-12-17T00:00:00Z

Pop-up peformance/local artist/small-scale entrepreneur spaces in downtown Anchorage. These pop-ups could be small performances(the space is under 500SqFt), week long shops for emerging local businesses(we already have our eyes on a new Anchorage based chocolatier and a young fiber artist making hand sewn canvas bike bags), or installations, among many other possibilities. We are looking into curating a temporary local artist book, zine and comic shop, setting the cabin up as an interview space collecting first memories, and doing some sort of live video exchange with a couple spaces out of state. Our first step will be getting a group of advisors together and reaching out to various cultural producers and art communities in the city to help diversify the participants. The Alaska awesome foundation probably knows some people we should be talking to during this programming phase. While we will make a plan for major programing, we will also be open to more spontaneous events resulting from the enthusiasm of people attending programming.

Pittsburgh, PA – Challenge Course for Challenged Lives

2018-12-17T00:00:00Z

Imagine this. A beautiful but abandoned Italianate Renaissance church (Homestead’s St. Mary Magdalene) gets new life and new purpose: engaging at-risk and special-needs neighborhood children in innovative programs in a safe, supportive environment, while transforming a still-beloved building into a vibrant community center. Dragon’s Den, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Homestead, Pa., has a bold idea to reinvent the church space by building a suspended challenge course with a 150-foot-long zipline that will connect the choir loft with the former altar. Sounds like just another children's gym to you? It’s very different. Dozens of studies document the benefits of the regular use of such courses for all children but especially for at-risk children without healthy, physical alternatives. The challenge course develops self-confidence, focus, strategic thinking and the ability to overcome challenges, all that can be applied to everyday-life situations in school and at home. Well-trained staff and mentors teach and encourage children to work from 50 strategically placed platforms, scattered among sixteen, 17-foot-tall columns. Moreover, there’s the soaring church architecture that can’t help but inspire kids to achieve the heights of their abilities.

Awesome Without Borders (Inativo) – Archaeology at Fort Negley Park in Nashville, TN

2018-12-17T00:00:00Z

A nonprofit foundation’s funding campaign is trying to raise $50,000 for critical archaeological work at and around the hilltop fort built mainly by formerly enslaved laborers while Nashville was under Union Army occupation. Historical records show that thousands of black workers helped build the fortifications. Hundreds are known to have died in the process. Preliminary archaeology work suggests that human remains are beneath the soil of Fort Negley. “Fort Negley was, paradoxically, one of Nashville’s first and most welcoming symbols of freedom for African Americans,” said Dr. Lea Williams, Associate Professor of African American and Public History at Tennessee State University, who is helping coordinate the campaign. “It offered a release from the generational curse of enslavement and provided hope for those that sought refuge in its shadows. “We must get to the bottom of the Fort Negley site, and time is short to get the job done,” Williams said. “In 2019, Metro Parks will propose a redevelopment plan for the Fort Negley/Greer Stadium site. Before that happens, private funding is needed to pay for archaeological work that other funding could not cover.” The Metro Historical Commission Foundation is working with the Metro Historical Commission and Metro Parks to raise funds to complete archaeology at the Fort Negley site. “We need archaeology for better understanding of the site, including the role of African Americans in building the fort, by analyzing the areas outside the fort's walls where the African American community that constructed and maintained the fort was encamped and where many may have been buried during the Civil War,” explained Tim Walker, executive director of the Metropolitan Historical Commission. “It will also assist us in learning more about the African American neighborhood that grew up around the fort after the war, much of which was later displaced by the construction of the interstate system in the 1960s."

Cass Clay – The Old School by Shepard Industries

2018-12-15T00:00:00Z

Tradition. Dedication. Sustainability. These ideals are found throughout North Dakota’s history, from the sodbusters of yesterday to today’s increasingly successful entrepreneurs. Although the face of agriculture has changed significantly, the goal of today's farmers and ranchers remains the same: to produce high quality products through responsible, humane, and sustainable practices. Yet in a world of instant gratification and technological breakthroughs, many traditional arts are fading away. The Old School by Shepard Industries was founded to preserve the historic methods of producing wool products through education, outreach, and fellowship. When Teresa Perleberg (Bear Creek Felting) and Chris Armbrust (Dakota Fiber Mill) teamed up to create Shepard Industries, they knew they needed to find a place that could represent their values: tradition, education, and community. It didn't take them long to find the old Nome school. The school was built in 1916 and closed in 1966. A frequent talking point, there have been many calls to restore the beautiful building. Although it's an intimidating project to tackle, Teresa and Chris quickly agreed that the school would be the perfect home for their vision. They're striving to create a multi-purpose building that will enrich Nome and the surrounding communities. The spacious school will eventually be entirely utilized. The lower level will house North Dakota’s only full service natural fiber mill, as well as a dye room and two large workshop classrooms. Further down the hall, the former gymnasium will be converted into a 400-seat event center, ideal for family and class reunions, weddings, or arts programs. The school’s kitchens will provide quality on-site catering, and the classrooms will be refurbished into unique bed and breakfast rooms that celebrate North Dakota’s history. The Old School is a creative way to breathe life back into a fading prairie town through arts, education, and fellowship.

Baltimore, MD – A Revolutionary Summer 2019

2018-12-14T00:00:00Z

A Revolutionary Summer (ARS) is an intensive critical reading and writing program dedicated to shifting harmful narratives about Black women and girls through literature, art and self-inquiry. For eight Sundays in the summer, up to 20 “daughters” gather to experience and discuss the creative works of consequential Black women artists. They do so under the guidance of local authors, community activists, and teachers. Workshops begin at noon and end at 4PM. Each session concludes with a yoga class. Light snacks and refreshments are provided (though full plant-based meals are on our wish list). Daughters are gifted personal libraries, iTunes gift cards, and a month's subscription to Netflix (for access to the music and films we discuss). They are encouraged to participate in the end-of-program presentation. In years past, they’ve published their original writing in ARS’s online literary journal, recited their work at a public reading, and performed Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf. This past summer they performed an original play, written by 18-year-old Ui-seng Francois, based on excerpts from the anthology I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America. We're currently in talks to produce a mural dedicated to Black women authors and artists, to be displayed on a wall somewhere in our beautiful city. Revolutionary daughters can earn a stipend of up to $400 for enthusiastic completion of the program and are responsible for raising an additional $100 for their fellow participants. A Revolutionary Summer is hosted at Exit the Apple in Baltimore City.

Antigonish, NS (Inativo) – Buddy bags

2018-12-14T00:00:00Z

My family used to visit loved ones in the nursing home (in Port Hawkesbury and St Peters areas) and we often noticed that while OUR loved one had lots of visitors and friends stop by... not all the residents did. Christmas is an especially noticeable time when many seniors are without family, they may be recently widowed and may feel a sense of sadness over the holidays which they are now spending with 'strangers' instead of family . Our idea is to create 'buddy bags' or 'buddy boxes ' that would be delivered to local nursing homes prior to the holidays in the hopes that SANTA would distribute the treats to residents just in time for Christmas morning. The list of contents of the bags are found below.. I have participated in "Awesome Antigonish " Projects several times already. The first year I found a pink envelope, we doubled it and bought a pink rose, pink nail polish and I had a pink purse at home that was gently used, and my kids and I headed to the nursing home to deliver the gift and paint some lady's nails. :) It was fun, and my kids were only young at the time. I didn't find a pink envelope the next year, but at home my kids and I created study bags of treats for StFX University students who had exams, and we drove around campus handing them out to random students with a 'good luck on your exams' label. Recently, I repeated my exam treat bags to create 20 boxes of treats. I love the Awesome Antigonish idea and I think it's great to 'pay it forward' and create empathy in the younger generation.

Oahu, HI – Smart Games on Straps

2018-12-13T00:00:00Z

Smart Games on Straps is a project I’m hoping to start soon in Honolulu, Hawaii based on the game-based learning programs that I introduced through a non-profit called Quality Life NGO at senior recreation centers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. There, we gave seniors board and card games to play with that encouraged intellectual stimulation, social interaction, friendly competition, and community building. These board games were a major portion of our daily programs and were a favorite among our attendees. I’d like to start up a mobile version here on Oahu where I and/or other volunteers would take board games in backpacks (hence, Smart Games on Straps) to various community centers, nursing homes, schools, and other places and teach people how to play them and play with them. Board games are highly valuable learning tools that I use myself to develop math/reading/recall skills with my children from 6 to 18 years old. Making use of board games’ portability to make them accessible to different groups of people on a regular basis would open people up to learning and building real relationships outside of traditional school/formal programs. Most of the games I use are from Korea, which makes these games unique from typical board/card games common in America. They test speed, critical thinking, math, and other important factors in intellectual building. More than that though, they’re fun! People genuinely enjoy playing them and it is a great way to meet new people and make friends. Our goal with this project is to unite communities and bring to them the simply joy of learning that these games provide. I think that games are really valuable tools for teaching and team building, and having an arsenal of high-quality, well-crafted board games made mobile by backpacks and passionate volunteers would offer a significant contribution to the community of Oahu.

Orlando, FL – #LoveForAll

2018-12-13T00:00:00Z

During a recent trip this summer to Asheville, N.C., I found a sign welcoming all, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, etc. displayed in the windows of every local shop and restaurant I visited. I learned the appearance of these signs wasn’t a city-lead effort, but the act of a Good Samaritan. I immediately reached out to the City of Orlando, a city that’s already deeply committed to embracing people from all walks of life. There are many wonderful programs currently in place, including the initiative to display a decal that’s a symbol of safety for victims of hate crimes. But what about signs like these in our local business windows? What if every local business in the Central Florida area displayed a sign that welcomes residents and visitors from all walks of life? What if every resident and visitor feels respected and valued walking around our beautiful city? With the help of a friend in graphic design, I created an “Orlando-version” of the sign to canvas our city and surrounding areas with copies to display in local business windows. I started calling this project #OrlandoForAll. And while this little movement originally started in Orlando, it has now expanded to Tampa, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Boston and three cities in California so I’ve re-branded it #LoveForAll. This isn’t a political or religious statement. It’s a statement of love in a city that has plenty of it. And who doesn’t love LOVE? Love is so much bigger than politics. This summer, the signs in Asheville moved me. They represented every value I was raised to believe and embrace. I’m working so hard now to instill these same values in my daughter. I don’t want her to grow up in a world filled with so much hate. I believe hate comes from fear and the only way to fight hate and fear is with love. The family trip to Asheville was in July. Now, in December there are more than 500 signs displayed in local businesses in Central Florida alone.

Sydney – CHIKAS

2018-12-12T00:00:00Z

CHIKAS is a webseries and community we have founded to give back to all creative souls out there. The story reminds you that failure is a necessity to develop resilience and success is defined by yourself. It encourages us to explore the power of creative play and continue to be curious. The series centres on JAZZ and ALEX as they explore their creative freedom. They are second-generation Australian Asian, a community that is rarely portrayed on screen in an authentic manner. When we can’t see ourselves on screen, it sets up the narrative that we are foreign and ultimately do not belong to the Australian identity. CHIKAS is our way of reminding the world through comedy that Australia is incredibly culturally diverse. The central themes of the story are identity and the definition of success, also touching on social issues such as homelessness, sexual health, body positivity and racism to open up necessary dialogue in the community. We want all the little girls and boys out there to believe that they can do it, no matter their gender, sexual orientation or colour of their skin. if they put their body, mind and spirit to something, they can create the life they desire! Synopsis: High achieving Eurasian Sydneysiders Jazz and Alex eject themselves from the corporate jungle to pursue their creative dreams. However, when they come out to their very traditional families as ‘dirty creatives’, they find themselves bearing the weight of a Chinese mother’s guilt. As they chase their creative freedom they end up homeless, heartbroken and hospitalized, struggling to adjust to their new lifestyle. Using their charm and high achieving tendencies from the trading floor, they stumble upon questionable enterprising means. They battle between their two warring sets of Western and Chinese values, while trying to figure out where they belong in the world and what happiness and success truly mean. Bring soy sauce.

Washington, DC – DC Puzzle Swap

2018-12-11T00:00:00Z

We started the DC Puzzle Swap group because we love doing jigsaw puzzles but we have too many. We thought, why not swap jigsaw puzzles with our neighbors? This would help us to do new puzzles, not spend as much money, and not have to store them all in our tiny apartments. We met up at the park a few times and then moved to the NE Library because of the great courtyard (and I live over there and end up with the leftover puzzles). And then something happened. We realized that we not only got new puzzles, but we met the city's puzzlers- people like us!- new shy puzzlers who only wanted 500 piece puzzles, puzzlers who do a new puzzle every week (or 2), puzzle kids who came for the 3D puzzles, puzzlers who do one puzzle a year as tradition to finish by New Years eve, etc. We connected with our neighbors and we shared our stories and we left feeling so wonderfully rich in our community. We started to partner with the NE Library because they put a puzzle out for patrons, and we met the puzzlers who started that program, and we swapped with the Library, and then they planned a swap! We welcomed more people to our Facebook community and puzzlers started to post to it and to meet up in their own neighborhoods to swap puzzles with each other (outside of the swap!). DC Puzzle Swap is not only practical, but it is community building.

Rotterdam – Rotte(r)Visch

2018-12-11T00:00:00Z

The project I want to start came from my fascination for the ancient romans. To keep this story within the 2000 words they were able to built buildings that are still standing today, were very efficient administrators and did not throw food away. That last point is specifically interesting because they used to reuse the waste from fishery (the guts), to make a fish sauce called Garum. This basically became the ketchup of their day and they used it in a lot of their dishes. But when the roman empire fell we stopped eating it and this led to the dark ages of throwing away fish guts which endures until this day. I want to change this. Introducing Rotte(r)Visch, the fish sauce made from fish produced in Rotterdam. No more throwing away up to 30% of the fish’s weight. In this project I want to ferment this fish waste stream for two to three months to turn it into a nice umami salty sauce which can be used as a marinade or taste maker in a variety of different dishes. I have been gathering several recipes to make fish sauce both from ancient times as well as contemporary sauces produced in eastern Asia. By using fish guts in combination with herbs I am able to get a delicious clear fish sauce and a paste which might be used as a marmite like sandwich spread or might be totally horrible. The aim is the fish sauce but if the paste is also nice we will be able to reuse almost 80% of the fish guts! I can get the fish entrails from Schmidt seafish or from local wholesalers in Rotterdam. With my current company I am able to get into contact with experts in fermentation that can give advice on the process of making the sauce. I am however still looking for the financial support and a way to make the final product, Rotte(r)Visch sauce available to consumers. So I hope you will give me the opportunity to pitch this project so I can have the guts to make it known to the world!