Awesome Foundation - Projects

Boston, MA (Inactive) – Crazy Giant EYEBALL bike lights

2016-01-13T00:00:00Z

There's a big difference between being *visible* and being SEEN. So how can bike riders improve their chance of being seen? My solution is to hack basic human psychology. Research shows that people behave more ethically under the watchful eye of … anything that looks like an eye (http://www.wired.com/2010/12/eyes-good-behavior/; http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0082055). And everybody notices eyeballs - the way you know when someone is staring at you even if they are way out in your peripheral vision. The best bike light to be SEEN is a pair of watchful glowing eyes! But you can’t buy crazy awesome lights like these, you have to make them. THE PLAN: Hold a Public-Make-Your-Own-Free-Giant-EYEBALLS-Bike-Light event. People will come and build their own lights for free. People can mix it up with fun colors (green/red/yellow eyes) and templates (cat/cartoon eyes); each hand-made light will be an expression of the builders creativity. With about 24 square inches of illuminated glaring eyes, passing drivers will undoubtedly SEE people biking and under the watchful eye –> they may drive more nicely too. Our hope is that by peppering the community with these watchful icons, drivers will learn to be more attentive to ALL cyclists. We are well connected within the Boston cycling community and will promote the event across all local cycling forums.

San Jose, CA – Speaking Out Loud

2016-01-13T00:00:00Z

Our school is in its 15th year of operation and this year we have added a co-curricular component to our day. For the first time in our school history, we have a group of dedicated students who created a "Rebel Writing Club." This club will create and publish our first ever school newspaper and will design and deliver a more sophisticated yearbook using technology. Our students live in households where English is not the primary language spoken. Our students live in worlds where no one they know publishes books or writes for a newspaper. Our students are middle school kids who yearn for someone who will listen to what they have to say. Our students are using this "Rebel Writing Club" as a way to "Speak Out Loud" and use their voices and talents to reflect their innermost desires, struggles, and dreams. Their yearbook will put their tech skills, design skills, and photography skills to use in amazing ways as they memorialize our school year. Our brand-new school newspaper will give them reporting, writing, researching experience - and will open doors in their minds to the possibilities that lay before them. Our students are amazing, and they are doing amazing work. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to dream BIG dreams and ask for your partnership in this work.

Tilburg (Inactive) – jong en oud, Tilburg blijft goud

2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

Tilburg is een stad die in de afgelopen 100 jaar flink veranderd is. Van een pieter vrede plein tot het vernieuwen van de spoorzone, allemaal veranderingen. Onze jongste jeugd heeft geen enkel idee wat voor pracht pareltjes Tilburg vroeger had (en nu nog steeds heeft) en hoe het er eigenlijk allemaal uitzag. Het idee is om oude foto's van Tilburg op plekken te plaatsen om te zien hoe de stad veranderd is. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan een oude foto van de Heuvel of van de oude markt. Dit idee stopt niet alleen bij het plaatsen van oude foto's door de stad nee. Zoals we weten zegt een foto meer dan 1000 woorden, maar ja.. waar zijn die 1000 woorden dan? Mijn idee is om basisschool scholieren op pad te laten gaan met ouderen die hun hele leven al in Tilburg wonen. Zo leren jong en oud wat van elkaar en van Tilburg. Het idee hierachter is dat ouderen een leuk uitje hebben en hun verhaal over 'hun' stad kunnen vertellen en kinderen wat leren van Tilburg en van de verhalen en ervaring van een ouder persoon. Daarnaast zou ik naast de foto's een klein verhaaltje laten plaatsen, het verhaal van... Een trotste Tilburger verteld een klein stukje over een belevenis of plaats van de foto.

Dubai (Inactive) – Keeping Hope Alive in Yemen

2016-01-09T00:00:00Z

Economic Development through Micro-grants Partnered with Awesome Yemen new initiative and Yemen our Home we aim to build small businesses out of big ideas throughout Yemen CAUSE: Yemen has a long, rich history, its people naturally hospitable, good, kind, and hard working. Yet, Yemen has emerged in the past year as a nation in turmoil. The major city of Sana’a and Aden have been under siege. Although still small, a remote part of Yemen is inhabited by Al Qaeda. The future of Yemen is in jeopardy and we must act now. As believers in Yemen, we aim to provide access to creative, community building opportunities, to extinguish the potential for extremism and violence that can occur in dire circumstances before such a movement has a chance to create a foothold. Time is of the essence. We know what’s happened in Levant and the slippery slope that can lead to a point of seemingly no return. We can’t stand by and wait for the same fate to befall our Muslim brothers and sisters of Yemen. WHY IT MATTERS: One way to combat violence is to create positive and accessible avenues of opportunities and give people outlets that provide hope and boost their spirits, all things considered. USAid and others are no longer able to support program funding for development in Yemen which will leave a large gap to fill for socially oriented programs and projects in the nation. Approaching one year of violence and attacks, 65% of Yemen’s 26 million lives below the poverty line 51% obtain some form of aid aid 31% are on full aid, unable to fend for themselves Citizens who are in despair are in desperate need of not only dietary nourishment and everyday supplies, but also spiritual nourishment, hope, positive opportunities, especially if fundable projects by Yemenis for Yemenis can help generate income, put food on the table, keep the water running. This is where we (all of us) come in.

Sarnia (Inactive) – Family Wellness Day

2016-01-08T00:00:00Z

The Lambton Mental Wellness Centre is holding a Family Day Awareness about Mental Health and Wellness. We are planning on having the movie Inside/Out playing, a guest speaker panel and family fun for children of all ages. We are planning on having the Painted Cat there for face painting, someone who does balloon creations, a kids' yoga class or a laughter yoga presentation. We will also have other community agencies at this event to help promote the services they offer in our community as well. The focus is on fun but with the underlying message being about mental health, increasing awareness, and signs of mental health concerns. Our ultimate goal is to decrease the stigma attached to mental health and about people who live with mental health concerns. We are doing this on Family Day, February 2016 to try to allow as many families as we can to attend this fun FREE event.

New York City, NY – Gender Amplified

2016-01-07T00:00:00Z

Gender Amplified is a movement that aims to celebrate Women in music production, raise their visibility and develop a pipeline for girls and young women to get involved behind the scenes as music producers. Ebonie Smith, founder and chief curator of Gender Amplified, was inspired by her own experience in the music industry as a producer, singer-songwriter and audio engineer to address the lack of parity between men and women in the industry. In creating Gender Amplified, Smith seeks to provide a platform to empower women with the skills they need to succeed in the music production roles that are typically held by men. Through their ongoing work within and beyond the music industry, Gender Amplified empowers women to develop their career potential with the skills they need. And by gaining its 501(c)(3) status through its Awesome Foundation grant, Gender Amplified can grow its network of donors and sponsors along with its impact. Why We Think This is Awesome By organizing public events that foster healthy dialogue about the role gender plays in the music making process, Gender Amplified endeavors to give voice to a subculture of women who are using music technology to create their own music and perpetuate their unique identities. Check out this video from Gender Amplified’s 2013 Summit to hear directly from the women that Gender Amplified has impacted. Gender Amplified has one music production workshop scheduled to take place at The Frederick Douglass Academy on March 31, 2016. Interested in learning more, attending an event, or getting involved as a volunteer? Go to http://genderamplified.com/ or contact the Gender Amplified team at info@genderamplified.com.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – We want a Dumpling Emoji/Emojination

2016-01-06T00:00:00Z

Dumplings are one of the most universal cross-cultural foods in the world. Poland has pierogi. Nepal has momos. Russia has pelmeni, Japan has gyoza. Italy has ravioli. Georgia has khinkali. Korea has mandoo. Jews have kreplach. Argentina has empanadas, and China has potstickers. Yet, there is no dumpling emoji. This despite, there is a pizza emoji, a hamburger emoji and a taco emoji (which Taco Bell likes to take credit for with their change.org petition which got 33,000 signatures). Why? Emoji are currently controlled by the Unicode Consortium, which only 11 full voting members, each who pay $18,000 a year for the privilege. Eight of the members are U.S. multinational tech companies: Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Yahoo. The only other three full voting members are the German software company SAP, the Chinese telecom company Huawei and the government of Oman. And it takes anywhere from 18 months to two years for a single emoji to move through the approval process, as it also needs to receive buy-in from ISO (yet another international standards body). Unicode is a standards organization. The folks on the committee which oversees emoji are mostly male, mostly American, and overwhelmingly engineers. (The photo I include is the Unicode Technical Committee) They are not the best folks to determine a rapidly evolving, global, visual language. Not only are we submitting the process for a dumpling emoji. We want to open up the discussion of emoji policy and what it should look like going forward. We are forming a grassroots organization called Emojination to give voice to regular folks on issues of emoji. Our motto is "Emoji by the people, for the people." Emojination serves as the infrastructure to let normal requests for emoji (like giraffe, or bacon) bubble up. It is the non-engineering part of emoji. It thinks about representation whether it's single-family emoji, transgender emoji, or whatnot.

Minas Gerais (Inactive) – Cozinha experimental Roots Ativa

2016-01-04T00:00:00Z

O Roots Ativa é uma comunidade Rastafar I localizada no Aglomerado da Serra (periferia da cidade de Belo Horizonte), que atua em várias frentes como permacultura, sustentabilidade e a Cozinha Roots Ativa. O projeto vem absorvendo jovens e principalmente mulheres da comunidade que se encontram em total vulnerabilidade social. A ideia é organizar toda a cadeia produtiva dos produtos. Hoje existem seis pessoas na cozinha. Os produtos fabricados são artesanais e integrais, vegetarianos e veganos. São comercializados em feiras e eventos e entregues em alguns locais para revenda e residências. Os recursos estão sendo usados para realizar melhorias nas instalações da cozinha. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rootsativa

Ann Arbor, MI – Black Nirvana

2016-01-04T00:00:00Z

Black Nirvana is the brainchild of The Black Opera, an interdisciplinary artist collective from Michigan. The goal of Black Nirvana is to explore social and racial issues through a multi-linear series of performance vignettes with an intense hip-hop driven score. This project exists on a mobile stage and includes a custom digital projection system to elevate the performance experience. Individual mobile audio capabilities will be supplied to the attendees to enhance interactivity throughout Black Nirvana. Throughout the performance experience, participants will be invited to wear headphones. All will engage in call-and-response, chants, dancing and movement that coincide with visual and audio cues during Black Nirvana in demonstration of collective unification. Select elements of Black Nirvana will filter into a live global social media experiment, which will allow an on-demand view of participant thoughts and reactions, fueling new theories of change around the world. Black Nirvana is a two hour mobile performance experience and will tour select locations throughout the USA in Fall 2016, with sights on international motion in 2017. The project is seeded in hip-hop music, video projection and visual arts, and will include an interactive social media element during each performance experience. Black Nirvana will utilize music, technology, and genuine hard work to provoke new a new school of thought with art as a catalyst for socioeconomic elevation.

Atlanta, GA – Mobile Learning Dome/Planetarium

2016-01-03T00:00:00Z

The city of Atlanta is an awesome platform to make a difference in the lives of our youth. It is the goal of Operation Teach to provide educational, engaging, and entertaining academic and seasonal shows to schools, daycares, libraries, hospitals, and churches. An awesome element to add to our shows would be a mobile planetarium or learning dome. The planetarium would be a perfect learning "virtual field trip". Imagine your favorite music and characters coming to life around you. Viewing our educational and entertainment programs inside the learning dome allows for a unique immersive experience. In the learning dome students will enjoy more than just surround sound but viewpoint video projection surround as well. Programs will correlate primarily with PK-8th grade curriculum and cover a broad range of subjects. Based on topics such as social studies, science, language arts, health, and STEM. Kids will want to experience it again and again. As a proven agent of change, I take pride in making decisive changes to grow students by providing them with innovative opportunities to immerse their minds into learning.

Ann Arbor, MI – Techno Poetics

2016-01-02T00:00:00Z

Techno Poetics is a multidisciplinary collaborative between Detroit Techno artists and local poets. Musical genres such as lounge drum and bass, and dub step all have roots in Detroit, yet many people still limit the city’s musical impact to Motown. I will lead local artists, in producing a performance that pays homage to the electronic dance movement and explores the contributions that Detroit DJs have made to it. Word and sound artists will weave research, personal narratives of Detroit residents and original poems into an original presentation. Meanwhile, youth poets with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project who participated through a summer Techno Poetics intensive will continue produce poems and reflections on Detroit’s post-Motown music legacy. The work of the poets, the sound artist and the youth will culminate in a public performance called Techno Poetics in May of 2016. We will present a performance of the pieces generated in this program at 1515 Broadway weeks prior to the Movement, Detroit's premier electronic music festival. Techno Poetics will provide spaces for the citizens of Detroit to reflect on its global cultural influence on contemporary music. Detroit’s underground music has been a major export of the city, having expanded to touch every habitable continent in the world and Techno Poetics is a way of celebrating that rich past.

Raleigh, NC (Inactive) – Raleigh Film Underground

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Raleigh Film Underground was born out of a desire for alternative film to have a place in our city. As independent theaters close and industry funding is cut off, the message seemed to be that there isn't a market for filmmaking or independent movie fans. This couldn't be further from the truth, in fact the growth of our city is mirrored in the growth of our incredible creative community. It's important to invest in these people, which is what this project sets out to do. Each month, a new film and venue will be chosen and announced via social media. Fans of John Waters, Gus Van Sant, Lisa Cholodenko, Cassavetes, Antonioni, Maya Deren, Gordon Parks, and Pedro Almodóvar (just to name a few) will find something to love, and curious fun-seekers may discover new interests. Folks looking for free fun, film buffs coming out for one of their favorites, creative boundary-pushers getting a fix: there's a lot for our great city in a humble evening of movie-screening. Often it is the conversation, laughter, and reflection that comes from sharing a film together that makes it the most valuable. Like going to any movie, the Raleigh Film Underground will show previews (one per event). Regional filmmakers and video artists are welcome to submit a short work or music video to screen before the feature. This series aims to support both the people here who love film and those that create it.

Paris (Inactive) – 99: promouvoir le documentaire en 6 langues

2015-12-31T00:00:00Z

99 est un média vidéo à but non-lucratif qui diffuse des documentaires. Gratuitement. En 6 langues. 99, c’est le média des invisibles : les 99% de la population que les médias traditionnels ne nous montrent pas. Les invisibles, c’est vous, c’est nous, ceux qui sont hors-champ. Nous croyons au pouvoir du documentaire : élargir les esprits. Nous voulons proposer des documentaires de qualité à un large public, sur internet, gratuitement et dans sa langue maternelle. Nous voulons aussi accompagner des réalisateurs à diffuser les films fantastiques qui dorment dans des tiroirs ou qui sont peu visibles sur internet. Nous pouvons les adapter gratuitement en 6 langues pour les rendre massivement visibles. Et demain, nous accompagneront aussi des réalisateurs grâce à des campagnes de financement. Notre objectif : ajouter les langues arabe, russe et turque à notre plateforme afin de toucher un public toujours plus large. 99 is a non-profit video media that broadcasts documentaries. For free. In 6 languages. 99 is the media of the invisibles : the 99% of the population that traditionnal media doesn’t show us. You are the invisible, we are the invisible. We beleive in the power of documentaries to open minds. We want to offer quality documentaries to a large audience, online, for free, and in its mother tongue. We also want to help directors to broadcast the amazing films that sleep in drawers or are little visible on the internet. We can adapt them for free in 6 languages to make them massively visible. And tomorrow, we will support directors through fundraising campaigns. Our goal : add the arab, russian and turquish languages to our platform, to reach an even larger audience.

Orlando, FL – Pop-up Movie Screenings in Vacant Lots

2015-12-31T00:00:00Z

Raleigh, NC (Inactive) – Beyond The Wall

2015-12-31T00:00:00Z

Shaw University, in partnership with the City of Raleigh and Downtown Raleigh Alliance, will transform hundreds of feet of concrete walls along the Shaw University campus with murals that explore the history of the university and its relationship with the city. The goal is to bring public art to the South Park neighborhoods that aren’t often the focus of beautification projects. The area sits on the edge of a wave of downtown redevelopment. This project is informed by relevant community initiatives such as the South Park East Raleigh Heritage Trail and the Raleigh Murals Project, and will be an early success for the implementation of the Downtown Master Plan and Blount Street-Person Street Corridor Study. The Blount Street Mural Project will create visible change in the South Park neighborhoods that are infrequently the focus of beautification projects. Much more than just a public art initiative, the Project will serve as a catalyst for conversation and activism about Shaw University’s restorative role in a continuously evolving urban landscape. It will further Shaw University’s responsibility as an agent of change, stimulate dialogue about critical local issues, facilitate and encourage economic investment, and build a bridge of connection and understanding between Shaw and its stakeholders. The mural will be complemented with a series of community forums throughout 2015. These forums will provide a beckoning platform for sharing of ideas and perspectives that will shape the imagery and themes to be included in the mural design. A panel comprised of representatives from Shaw University, Raleigh Urban Design Center, Downtown Raleigh Alliance and Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, as well as community representatives, will review all submissions and select the final design(s)Scott Nurkin, founder of The Mural Shop in Chapel Hill, is the selected artist. Awesome Raleigh's Grant will go toward the overall funding goal of $135,000.

Alaska (Inactive) – Books About Town

2015-12-30T00:00:00Z

Our club is partnering with the Friends of the Homer Public Library to place small libraries throughout the community in public gathering places. Sites will include: coffee shops, teen centers, computer cafes, the hospital, child and adult advocacy center, behavioral health center, Haven House, REC Center, and ultimately some neighborhood yards. Books will be made available free of charge to whoever wants one and will include both fiction and non-fiction. Users will be encouraged to replace the books they take to keep the libraries full and functioning. We have a grant of $1,055 from Rotary District 5010 that we must match in order to complete this project. We are asking for a one-time grant of $1,000 to help us meet this match. Grant money will be spent on materials to build these libraries and, in some cases on buying bookshelves of varying sizes, as well as the purchase of books for initial stocking. After the initial installation, our club will continue to keep the libraries functioning as one of our ongoing community projects, with no need for soliciting additional funds.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – The Youth and Gender Media Project

2015-12-30T00:00:00Z

The Youth and Gender Media Project is a series of four short documentaries about transgender and gender expansive youth that are being used throughout North America in thousands of classrooms to create safe and inclusive environments for youth across the spectrum of gender identity and expression. The first two films of the series, I’m Just Anneke and The Family Journey came out in 2011. The second two films, Creating Gender Inclusive Schools and Becoming Johanna are in post production. We have raised much of the money to complete the films as well as some funding for audience outreach and engagement. However, we are still raising funds for some crucial aspects of post production, including music composition, color correction and sound mixing. This is where The Awesome Foundation could make a big difference. The film for which we are requesting funding is Becoming Johanna, a half hour documentary that tells the story of a trans Latina from ages 16 to 21. Johanna confronts bias at school and rejection at home. Eventually, her mother’s lack of acceptance lands her in foster care. Fortunately, her foster family, with a gay son, loves and accepts her for who she is. Around the same time, she enrolls in a new school for students who haven’t succeeded elsewhere. The school’s principal is a butch lesbian who takes Johanna under her wing and helps her to graduate, get scholarships for college and thrive. The film demonstrates that love and acceptance is the crucial ingredient for transgender youth to succeed in life. We are excited to get Becoming Johanna into the hands of the educators, families and other audiences who so desperately need to see portraits of successful transgender youth. The film’s trailer on our youtube page has nearly 300,000 views and we are in discussion with broadcasters like HBO and PBS’ POV about a broadcast in 2017. To watch the fine cut, please go to: vimeo.com/144590637; PW: Johanna.

Louisville, KY (Inactive) – Black History Matters

2015-12-29T00:00:00Z

Black History Matters is an educational campaign that promotes African American history in our communities. I, Taylor Little, started the campaign last year during 11th grade, after I realized how negatively the omission of this history affected my childhood. I started connecting the dots about how the omission and often inaccurate or partial truth of our American history in classes causes our students to be unprepared to discuss current events, race issues, or even know where half of the things they own come from. I started a petition to the Kentucky Education Committee asking that require in-depth African American history in our American classes. This ensures that all students get this very valuable information. The campaign also works to promote history within the community by hosting events and doing local speaking engagements. I am currently in the process of working on a proposal to the Muhammad Ali Center requesting that they will be the advisors of the program and house the Black History Matters Council of Students next year. Right now, I am the head of the foundation and am currently on my way out the door due to graduation. I am hoping to give the campaign to the Ali Center so that more students can get involved and be the new faces of the campaign, while also having a supportive adult administration. My future plans for the organization is to host a professional development session for teachers across Kentucky to teach the history to them so that they can pass the word along in their classrooms. It will also highlight resources teachers can use in their classrooms. If all works out, this professional development session will become a paid for session by the JCPS school board. The campaign has a website that gives supporters updates about what is going on. It also has a resources page that gives people links to information about Black history based on the topic because we cannot wait for government action and we must initiate the learning ourselves.

Louisville, KY (Inactive) – Steam Exchange

2015-12-29T00:00:00Z

The Steam Exchange wants to launch the 2015-16 school year of weekly Youth Vision Committee meetings! The Youth Vision Committee (YVC) is a group of 8-10 mostly middle school youth who live, worship or learn in the Smoketown neighborhood and choose to spend an hour and a half of their Friday nights becoming community art leaders. Members maintain their group budget, learn a variety of artistic processes, and lead community art projects. Youth are empowered to use art as a tool to develop leadership skills in their community. Last school year, the Steam Exchange led 31 YVC meetings and YVC members led 3 community art events, teaching adults and peers how to screen print. For one of these events, YVC partnered with Bridge Kids International to host a screen-printing party at Zephyr Gallery. The YVC taught over 50 community members of all ages how to screen-print. YVC youth gained clear sense of pride and empowerment and 100 bags were printed for incoming youth refugees. YVC members became expert screen printers and tried their hands at bookbinding and pinhole cameras. 60-70% of participating youth do not have other access to visual art programming. Meyzeek Middle School has 2 art teachers for 1,100 students and the recent closing of the Presbyterian Community Center has left no other community art programs in the neighborhood. Now that the YVC has been established for one year, many of the students have developed skill and confidence in several media. YVC youth have the tools needed to see their own idea to fruition. In the past, the Steam Exchange organized the events that the YVC youth participated in. However, during our November-January session, the YVC members will work together to create their own project that will positively impact the Smoketown community. This will provide the youth with a whole new level of leadership, empowerment, and ownership.

Lusaka (Inactive) – Tishange Mbewu - Urban Agriculture

2015-12-22T00:00:00Z

“Tishange Mbewu - Urban Agriculture in and for the ghetto” is a project of organic bag gardening in Bauleni compound (Lusaka) aiming at empowering vulnerable women. The bag gardening technique is adapted to slum context: it is cheap and done with reused materials, it requires few water and no ground soil, it provides vegetables on doorstep. A 1m3 bag gives the equivalent of a 5m2 cultivable area. 7 bags cover the needs of a 6-person family for a week. The organic vegetables will help diversify the diet and improve nutrition, but they can also be income-generating. Our objective is to empower women, through training on gardening techniques, health/nutrition and entrepreneurship. A hundred beneficiaries will be trained over a year, spread in twenty-person batches. Each group will follow a four months training program and benefit from the project team support. Thus, women will also break the vicious circle of isolation and feeling of powerlessness. In line with what is already being implemented by the association, the community will also be sensitized to the protection of environment. The main activities are the training and the support in materials (manure, earth, stone…) and advice. The project will also conduct experiments to adapt the techniques to Bauleni's context and develop a network of experts on urban agriculture in Lusaka, in order to spread this innovative gardening technique beyond the direct beneficiaries and Bauleni. The project is implemented by In&Out the Ghetto, a Zambian NGO working on social field since 2012 and aiming at developing the community and empowering the youth. An organic gardener will join the team of experienced social workers as technical manager. "Tishange Mbewu" means “we plant a seed” in chinyanja. We believe that, amongst the seeds which will be planted for this project, many will help feeding the families, but some will also flourish in people’s mind, in order to empower them and broaden their perspectives.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Boulder Dance for Parkinsons Project

2015-12-21T00:00:00Z

I teach dance to people who have Parkinsons Disease. Ages range from late fifties to 93. All Boulder people. There is no cure, but movement and quality of life are key. And social interaction, that seems to lift spirits as well. I need to continue this program through 2016. I create and lead custom classes, first seated, then out on the floor targeting specific issues facing People with Parkinsons. Why Dance? It develops flexibility, instills confidence. It breaks isolation. It's Fun!

Newmarket – Robofest - Affordable Robotics Competition

2015-12-21T00:00:00Z

This year, the Ontario Government has offered $$ to elementary schools to offset the purchase of a robot kit for their school in an effort to promote Science and Technology. Unfortunately a) Teachers do not have the training to use them and b) That $$ cannot be used for getting students to attend robotics events (a great motivator to learning). Existing Robotics events in the GTA are expensive, overly complicated, and beyond the reach of many schools. The NHS High School Robotics Club would like to host a low-budget high-energy robotics competition for children. Our students would assist teams in mentoring for the competition, and would run the competition. The competition, which will likely follow the Robofest philosophy, does not require teams to purchase fancy mats or tournament equipment. The competition will also force students not just to 'play' with their robot technology but actually work and think in a STEM fashion (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) I have had experience hosting robotics events in the past, and look forward to giving this opportunity to students and help to teachers. The website link is to our team website. Information about the Robofest philosophy can be found at http://robofest.net/index.php/about. Thank you for your consideration.

Pittsburgh, PA – Mobile Dyeing Class by the SCFC

2015-12-21T00:00:00Z

The Steel City Fiber Collective will be a makerspace for fiber arts and crafts. Think TechShop but cozier! Pittsburghers will be able to rent space and equipment for knitting, crochet, dyeing, spinning, weaving, and fiber preparation. We will host classes and events for the fiber art community. The Collective will bring collaboration and interaction to typically solitary activities. We believe in the ability of fiber crafts to bring greater well-being to a fast-paced urban environment. Our classes and equipment will be accessible to all ages and skill levels, from kids to seniors at an affordable price. Although several yarn and fiber stores exist in the area, they do not have the space or time to offer in depth learning experiences. We already have a working relationship with yarn shops and guilds in the area. An Awesome micro-grant would provide the funds to buy equipment for a mobile dyeing workshop. With the dye equipment, all we need to hold a dyeing class is running water! We could start providing classes to the Pittsburgh fiber community before we secure our permanent space. After we find our space, we can continue to use the same equipment.

Chicago, IL – The Music Box

2015-12-21T00:00:00Z

The Music Box is a hand-crafted mobile music workshop and production studio. The Music Box will travel to different communities, schools, and organizations throughout Chicago, but mostly focused on areas of the city where there is less access to music education and arts activities. Participants will be invited to play, record, and arrange sounds, melodies, and rhythms - regardless of their skill or performance level - using the Music Box's hands-on equipment and instruments to amplify their innate gifts and creativity. The Music Box will hold recording and amplification equipment, as well as various electronic and acoustic instruments, including many found or hand-made ones. The Music Box will also be equipped with a solar-powered generator and solar panels, to minimize environmental impact and increase mobility. The purpose of the Music Box is to make art more accessible by making it mobile and bringing it to the places where alternative arts activities like the Music Box can have a huge impact. Additionally, by utilizing public community spaces and targeting areas of the city where there is little public investment, I hope the Music Box will also help cultivate safe public spaces for creativity. Lastly, in order to promote the value of inclusive music-making, I plan to release a music project comprised of recordings and arrangements generated by the Music Box's appearances.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – OUT OF MY HEAD

2015-12-20T00:00:00Z

We’re making OUT OF MY HEAD, a feature documentary about the neurological disease migraine. Here’s why: It’s huge. Over 300 million people are affected by migraine worldwide, 36 million in the U.S. It’s economic. In Europe alone the United Nations estimates that 190 million workdays are lost to migraine, costIng $155 billion Euros per year. It’s a women’s issue. 75% of people who get migraine are women. Is that why it’s a closeted, misunderstood disease, or why there’s very little government funding for research? It’s painful and debilitating. Some people experience hallucinations, some have stroke-like symptoms, some endure crippling pain and are bedridden for days. Its victims also suffer the psychic pain of isolation, stigmatization, and fear and anxiety induced by the total unpredictability of the disease. But migraine is more than just a disease, and that’s why it makes for a fascinating film. Migraine’s intense pain and peculiar manifestations have had a remarkable impact on creativity and culture. From Alice’s utterances in Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland to Patti Smith’s epic poem Birds of Iraq, the work of artists influenced by its symptoms has elevated migraine from simply a disease to a kind of metaphysical interloper, affecting our perception of the world. In our film, you will be deeply affected by the portraits of our migraineurs, and intrigued by the remarkable investigations our neuroscientists are pursuing in an effort to understand how migraine works, as it permeates our culture. In November we ran a Kickstarter campaign for $92,000 to begin editing our film, which reached goal in two weeks and exceeded all our expectations. Over 850 people responded, meeting near 140% of goal. We have been deep in editing for several months and are now raising funds to do pick up interviews, wrap up editing, and complete the film.

Oahu, HI – Shakespeare's Lovers and Madmen

2015-12-18T00:00:00Z

At UH-Manoa's Dept. of Theatre and Dance, we are planning an outreach program that will perform scenes from Shakespeare's plays that deal with themes of love and madness. Many of the scenes will be from some of his best-known plays, like Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night...in many ways, this is a Shakespeare Sampler, or a Shakespeare's Top Ten. I have found that this type of program is very successful at introducing middle- and high-school students to the works of Shakespeare, especially using fight scenes. Nothing quite holds a student's attention like swordplay. Through carefully (and safely) choreographed fights, actors can utilize the spectacle of combat and combine it with the power of language to create riveting drama or comedy. It is this duality that we can demonstrate the power of Shakespeare's works--great language said by fascinating characters doing extraordinary things. I believe that language is dying out in our all-too-visual world. Today's generation is reared on Vines and sound bites, and their ability to discern between the nuance of words is dwindling quickly. Shakespeare's vocabulary topped 30,000 words--the average American today has between 8,000 and 15,000, a huge loss. Using Shakespeare's works as a way to open a door to stories and the words that create them is an essential tool for any educator. But sometimes students can still be turned off just by the fact that it's Shakespeare. In my experience, using these scenes of confrontation, of high emotion, can create a chance for students to say, "Hey, I can relate to that." You would think that the university would be able to fund such a small request as we are making. The reality is that they can't, or won't. We are left to raise all of our funds--we are totally dependent on the kindness of others who believe that the arts are vital.

Antigonish, NS (Inactive) – WONGS DRAGON MURAL RESTORATION ON MAIN ST

2015-12-17T00:00:00Z

I am an artist designer residing in downtown Antigonish. I have much experience in the painting of murals and scenic art in the theatre. I have always enjoyed the mural painted by Kate Brown G.on the side wall of the former WONGS restaurant. The mural was painted 30 years ago and has become an iconic landmark on main st. It is is however in need of a face lift. There is permission from the current property owner,the Town of Antigonish and the artist to restore this delightful work of art. I would be supervising the ACALA group "views from the bench:first voice creativity collective".This is a very keen group of individuals who use creativity to learn new skills and thus achieve self-esteem by participating in projects like I am propsing. As this project would be in an extremely high profile location it fits their mandate perfectly. Discussion has already taken place to either photograph or video daily to show the progression at high speed upon completion. As a person on the "Main" daily,I have seen countless tourists take pics of this fading mural...think of the impact of fresh vibrant colours bringing this mural back to life. ..for visitors and town folk alike! To insure the stability of the paint ,3 coats or UV protectant clear coat would be applied.As the first mural of its kind painted in the town,it has historic importance, so this will ensure the mural will be enjoyed for future generations and add to our growing list of murals in the downtown core. Obviously work would not commenced until the spring.

Miami, FL – D.I.Y. Daughters

2015-12-17T00:00:00Z

DIY Daughters is a biweekly workshop for women ages 16+ hosted at The Bridge in Miami, FL. the workshops cover everything from mechanics to plumbing to first aid. The main objective is to teach women skills that can help them to become more self sufficient in their daily lives. The reason we make the workshops female only is to create an environment free from distraction and intimidation. All workshops will be hosted by women for women. Though we will host some co-ed segments that I believe will be fun and educational for everyone, like "how to gut a fish" or a knot tying class. We want to create a new way of thinking where women feel like they can handle any situation that is thrown at them, because they can! With knowledge comes power and that's what we're about. D.I.Y.D. is as much a movement as it is a class. We want women to call upon themselves and feel like no field of work or education is out of their reach.

New York City, NY – Swale

2015-12-17T00:00:00Z

"Swale" is a sculptural floating island containing a public food forest that will dock at various piers around New York City’s harbor in 2016. Unlike industrial agriculture, food forests are naturally regenerating and grow to be stronger and more plentiful each year—making them one of the most resilient means for sustainable food production. Despite these benefits, food forests have been off-limits in public in NYC for more than century out of fear that a glut of foragers may destroy an ecosystem.   Built from repurposed shipping containers, this floating sculpture will stretch 50 feet across and will feature walkways, and an edible forest garden utilizing purified river water. After construction of "Swale" is completed in June 2016, the work will begin its journey, docking at each pier for one month at a time. AwesomeNYC's grant will underwrite a series of educational/community workshops taking place at locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.   In collaboration with local schools/environmental groups, Swale’s team will offer educational programming such as permaculture workshops, participatory budgeting, and design charrettes to each borough’s students and residents. Why We Think This is Awesome While the scope of this project is grand, our funding will be serving a smaller but more immediate need. Through their workshops, the Swale team will be helping to educate the next generation of New Yorkers about both food issues in this city as well as what it means to have big, audacious ideas and to make them happen in this world, promoting Awesome for years to come. Says project creator Mary Mattingly: Through “Swale,” I hope to help shift the perception of food from a private commodity to a public right. As we face a precarious future marked by the unprecedented impact of human life, "Swale" will underscore the role of art in aiding the collective reimagining of the public sphere, as well as its potential for proposing solutions to the challenges that lie before us. I strongly believe that art is integral to imagining new worlds. By reimagining the public sphere, "Swale" can challenge power dynamics between corporate food production, deregulation, privatization, and a widening inequality connected to social and food justice. It can strengthen collaborative ways of working together, being together, and supporting each other. I believe that the democratic process involved in co-designing a public space can be a road map for larger-scale community design projects. These projects allow us to reimagine the cities in which we live in profound ways. Mary will be holding a workshop for teens in collaboration with MoMA in the Spring of 2016 and her work will be on exhibit at Light Work from January - March 2016.

Miami, FL – Celebracion de Abuelos (Akerman)

2015-12-17T00:00:00Z

Greater Miami's senior citizens, many of whom live on limited fixed incomes, can benefit from cost-savings measures that make their homes more affordable. These include: (1) resolving accessibility issues (such as the installation of ADA ramps for wheelchairs); (2) addressing energy-efficiency upgrades (e.g. replacement of traditional lightbulbs, high-flow toilets & showerheads with more efficient models); (3) installing fruit & vegetable gardens for fresh, affordable produce at home; and (4) landscaping the homes with trees that produce shade, saving on cooling costs. The ABUELOS Foundation (aka Grandparents Foundation) has been formed by Miami leaders with extensive construction/renovation/sustainability experience to ably assist seniors with these important activities that they themselves cannot afford to undertake. The organization has selected Miami's Shenandoah neighborhood (located immediately south of Calle Ocho, or SW 8th Street) in Little Havana to launch its inaugural event, Celebracion de Abuelos (aka Celebration of Grandparents). This will take place on Saturday, March 5, 2016, and will include a series of improvements to 3 homes on a block in the neighborhood. Applications for the homes (via nomination or self-nomination) are presently being collected, via the local voluntary, neighborhood & merchants associations & through the City of Miami. Our organization has secured donations of energy-efficiency items & funds via Miami City Commissioner Francis Suarez's Poverty Initiative Funds, Miami-Dade County's Sustainability Office, the Home Depot Foundation, and others. All funds & donations secured to-date will be used for the renovation projects themselves, which will be performed during the first week of March, concluding on Saturday, March 5th. The funds sought from the Awesome Foundation would be designated for a celebratory portion of the program, intended to allow the seniors to engage with the multi-generational corps of volunteers.

Austin, TX – Our Taco House Co-op

2015-12-16T00:00:00Z

In August 2014, Robert “Bobby” Vasquez, the longstanding owner of the Tamale House on Airport Boulevard, passed away. Vasquez’ death led to the sudden closure of the Tamale House, a renowned breakfast taco destination for locals and tourists alike, leaving behind an Austin icon and putting longtime employees out of work. Raquel, Shirley, and Maria spent the bulk of their working lives at the Tamale House, more than 30 years of employment combined. Finding themselves unemployed for the first time in years, the three women talked about starting their own Tex-Mex restaurant. During this time, Shirley met a member of a local cooperative business, who suggested they talk with Cooperation Texas, an organization dedicated to developing and supporting worker-owned cooperatives, about starting their restaurant as a worker co-op. Cooperation Texas began working with the former employees of the Tamale House in October 2014 through its Cooperative Business Institute (CBI), a training program designed to equip participants with the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to start and manage a worker cooperative. Raquel, Shirley, and Maria have received in-depth training on the cooperative business model through the CBI and are now in the process of finalizing their business plan for Our Taco House — bringing back the fast, affordable, and authentic Tex-Mex food familiar to old customers in the form of the first worker-owned Tex-Mex Co-op in the Lone Star State! Cooperation Texas will be working closely with Our Taco House until the moment their doors open and beyond to ensure the creation of a successful Tex-Mex co-op. As members of the co-op, workers at Our Taco House will have a direct say over key decisions that affect their lives, share the profits and losses equitably among themselves, and enjoy the dignity and security that comes with having an equal ownership stake and a voice in what will ultimately be their business.

Rockport, MA – Toad Hall Connect

2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

Toad Hall Bookstore, which strives to be a community institution and not just a bookstore, is in desperate need of a functional, upgraded website. We've been making good strides in planning events for the community like author visits and story times, but we need a way to communicate and connect with Rockport. Our current website is clunky and unattractive and doesn't allow for us to send out mailings, field questions from customers, or sell books! As most of you know, Toad is in financial trouble. Like all independent bookstores, sales and foot traffic are declining. Our hope is that with a new website our reach will expand to Rockport residents, Gloucester residents, and our active summer tourist customers.

Ottawa – Bike Brite Ottawa

2015-12-14T00:00:00Z

December’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Philippe Dessaint-Ash, to support his distribution of free bike lights to other cyclists in the city. “As an avid downtown cyclist,” explains Philippe, “I find it incredibly important that all commuters share the road responsibly. Over the past three years, I have personally handed out about 2,500 bike lights to cyclists. I generally ride around downtown at night, and when I spot a cyclist without lights I approach them and hand them one or two.” “The process of handing out lights is a ton of fun,” Philippe continues. “Cyclists love getting lights, and I truly believe that receiving the light encourages people to be more mindful of their impact on the road. And of course, it helps with improving the visibility and safety for of cyclists and commuters in general.” “I begin planning and saving money in the early months of winter,” says Philippe. “With the $1,000, I should be able to purchase between 700 and 900 lights to hand out in 2016.” Philippe is a program officer at Employment and Social Development Canada. You can follow his project on Facebook and Twitter.

San Jose, CA – LightMeUp

2015-12-14T00:00:00Z

This program seeks to put lights on the bikes of riders in San Jose and surrounding areas who do not currently have lights. We believe that putting lights on these bikes is the best way we can prevent collisions with cars. San Jose Bike Party gets between 500-4000 riders each month, many of them youth without proper bike lights. We believe that our event attracts many of the at risk riders, which will allow us to easily reach the target audience for this program. San Jose Bike Party volunteers will distribute and install these lights.

Santa Fe, NM (Inactive) – Buddy Benches

2015-12-12T00:00:00Z

According to an estimate by the U.S. Department of Justice, every seven minutes a child is bullied in the United States. Buddy Benches promote inclusion by giving kids a safe space that helps eliminate loneliness and foster friendships. At the Boys & Girls Club in south Santa Fe, when our kids go outside to play each day, they are screaming and balls are flying. Sometimes, if you look around the playground, you might find that some kids aren't joining in on the fun. A Buddy Bench can provide a welcoming place to sit if you are new to the Club, if you want to make new friends, if your friends aren't at the Club that day, or if you want to play something different than what your friends are playing. At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe/Del Norte, we provide a safe place for kids to be during out-of-school time. The Club where we are proposing to place the Buddy Benches is in a neighborhood where we are the only after school and summer program available to kids ages 5-18. Currently, 56% of children in Santa Fe reside in this area where there is limited outdoor recreation space and age-appropriate programming. Physical fitness is an important component of our programming. Our goal is for all of young members to participate with an 80% improvement rate of their knowledge of healthy habits, increase the number of hours played outside in a safe environment with other children of all ethnicities, colors, and creeds in order to enhance their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships.

Seattle, WA – Unloop MAKEday

2015-12-10T00:00:00Z

Unloop MAKEdays will bring fun and educational robotics workshops to incarcerated people in Washington State prisons. Unloop is a startup social enterprise that aims to enable people who have been in prison to succeed in careers in technology. Roughly 8,000 people will be released from Washington State prisons this year. Of those, over 2,400 will return to prison within three years, at an annual cost of ~$33,000 per inmate. This system disproportionately impacts people of color, places an unnecessary tax burden on WA state taxpayers, and tears at the social fabric of our communities through stigma and ostracism. Our vision is to provide the training, experience, and support that people leaving prison need to launch successful careers and transform their lives. Unloop MAKEdays are full day events intended to bring the tech community and the prison community together through technology and learning. We will host fun and educational workshops inside prison to: 1) inspire in currently incarcerated people an interest in technology, 2) facilitate a conversation about mass incarceration with tech professionals, and 3) create a forum through which personal and professional relationships between tech professionals and prisoners can be formed. Our first three MAKEdays will be held in three Washington State prisons: Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW), Monroe Corrections Center (MCC), and Clallam Bay Corrections Center (CBCC). Teams of professionals and prisoners will complete projects and solve puzzles using the "Affordable Educational Robot" (AERobot) developed by Harvard researchers controlled through a drag and drop programming interface. For more information on Unloop and MAKEdays, check out our website at www.un-loop.org or like us on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/unloopwa/).

San Francisco, CA – LuminoKinetic Artist / Engineer

2015-12-09T00:00:00Z

I have been experimenting lately with enabling viewers to see the normally unseeable, such as the path of a point upon a fast movingmulti-axis machine, the beautifully complex movements of fluids, or solid objects seemingly changing shape or passing through one another. I seek to the best of my abilities to refine my sculptures and execute them well in durable materials, and present them without disguise to the viewer. Lying behind to the functional output of these projects is the physical object that makes it all happen... the "machine". It's design and construction of these consume the bulk of my energy. An old aircraft designers maxim goes "if it looks right, it flies right", which nicely captures a fundamental and near- magical human power: creation. Creation is the ability to intuit what's overbuilt or underbuilt; it's seeing in the mind's eye how stresses flow and how a little changes can improve functionality; it's pulling from memory separate things and envisioning them combining to make a new thing. Creation, being central to humanity and the key to human progress, deserves respect. Time, money and thinking are well spent on the creation process, and the payoff is rightness and beauty in the resulting artifacts.

Chicago, IL – Thresholds: Illusions for the Senses & the Mind

2015-12-09T00:00:00Z

Experience your own senses like never before...shattering the mold of the traditional magic performance, an unforgettable evening of impossible visions, scents, tastes, feelings, and sounds awaits you. I will be presenting a performance of “Thresholds” at the Museum of Contemporary Art on January 26. This one-of-a kind immersive experience takes the audience on a physical journey throughout the MCA, with elegant magic designed for each of the primary senses in five distinct spaces. The program will be integrated with the museum’s upcoming exhibition “A Conjured Life.” This unique performance experience is composed of a distinctive blend of magic with an elegant feel, and explores ideas based on my studies in psychology, science, and art. Highly-interactive, audience members collaborate in creating the performance, including making crucial decisions, possessing seemingly impossible knowledge, and navigating and unlocking each new space. An viewer’s thought-of scent becomes a reality, a member of the audience is able to surmise my thoughts, and walnuts carry an unexpected surprise, as the performance progresses to an astonishing conclusion. The entire audience also collaborates in a series of custom-designed experiments and experiences created to awaken the senses and to educate on obscure sensory information as the show transitions through the magic effects. These mass participations include the audience being able to hear illusory words and making an image on their handbills vanish and reappear at will. Having the opportunity to perform a solo show at the MCA is a lifelong dream come true, and I am working around the clock to give visitors the most unique, memorable experience possible. This is unquestionably the most important performance of my career to date. I am striving to create the most innovative event I can, and use this as a catalyst to take my career to the next level.

Sydney – Femme Fatale

2015-12-09T00:00:00Z

"Femme Fatale" is a playful, magical and ever-so-slightly sinister theatre production created by an all-female company that seeks to challenge our perceptions of women. The production has been programmed as part of Sydney's Old 505 Freshworks Season this January, and provides a strong opportunity to reach significant audiences based on the Old 505's large following. We believe this work is extremely important (and rather unique) in presenting a story created wholly by and about women. The under-representation of women in theatre and media is extremely topical, as exemplified by the recent formation of the Women in Theatre and Screen initiative in Sydney. leftofcentre theatre co. believes that in order to challenge the status quo, female voices (both the voices of creative artists and those of female characters) must be given opportunities to be heard and seen, and thus, normalised. We seek to create social change through entertaining, engaging, thought-provoking theatrical experiences. Praise for previous work includes, “A brilliant piece of social activism… This type of theatre must be supported in order for it to thrive. And when it’s this enjoyable to watch, I can't see why you wouldn't...I returned from The Genius Project with renewed hope and unshakeable faith in the future of our society’s artists." (Upstaged Reviews, "The Genius Project" 2015). This is what we seek to achieve with "Femme Fatale." The production is stylistically arresting, showcasing a magical, mythological landscape, yet its story and voices are thoroughly contemporary. "Femme Fatale" gives the female figures of genesis mythology (Eve, Pandora and Lilith) the chance to re-tell their own stories, drawing contemporary parallels to the way women are viewed today and thus challenging common perceptions of women. The play pulls apart notions of 'the crazy woman,' 'the devil woman,' 'the good girl,' and of course, 'the femme fatale,' to reveal the complex human figures behind them.

Gloucester, MA – Composting at O'Maley Innovation Middle School

2015-12-08T00:00:00Z

Our idea is to establish a composting system in the cafeteria at O’Maley in partnership with Black Earth Haulers. Trash removal at O’Maley has gotten very expensive. In addition, many students are uninterested in eating school lunch and are just throwing it out. Our plan will reduce trash costs and provide costly compost for free as well as establishing a sustainable garden at O’Maley that will educate and feed the school, students and staff alike. The system will be one bin for each grade’s lunch with a small bucket in the kitchen for cooking scraps. Black Earth will take away our bins weekly and in return bring us compost which will benefit the school’s gardens and get everyone at the school more involved. We will be educating everyone on what is and isn’t compostable at school wide assemblies and short videos to view in homeroom (Black Earth’s bin’s also have helpful signs that inform students about what can be composted). Amazingly, many students at O’Maley didn’t even know we had a school garden. With the help of Backyard Growers, we hope to create more planting and harvestings days schoolwide providing fresh produce for everyone to enjoy. Along with Black Earth Haulers and Backyard Growers, our school chefs and faculty member Caitlin Sumner (8th grade science teacher) are on board. With the support of many, a well devised plan, and $1000 we can make this idea into a reality.

Gloucester, MA – Class Clowns

2015-12-08T00:00:00Z

There is a group of at-risk students at O’Maley that needs special help. Students in this group continue to vex teachers with their off-task and disruptive behavior.There is a pressing need for an intervention that engages and supports them by giving them an experience of risk-taking, perseverance and success gained in a non-threatening activity. We are proposing to use safe circus skills (juggling, diablo, devil sticks and/or spinning plates) to help these at-risk students focus and improve their self-efficacy -- their motivation and persistence toward success. The Class Clowns Grant would be divided, with half the funds used to purchase a small collection of circus equipment (outlined below), and the other half to hire a circus education specialist to work with the target students and their teachers for several sessions, until the students can undertake self-directed learning and practice. We would like to bring circus activities to the at-risk group to help them build physical skills, self-efficacy, and positive social interactions. Using times when students are in their behavior support room as well as time after the afterschool academic help, students would be giving short instructional sessions plus time for practice, giving them opportunities for small successes and positive experiences associated with school. At-risk students would be encouraged to stay after school for academic support in order to gain time for practice afterwards. They would be able to earn time out of the classroom for these activities by positive classroom behavior and effort, instead of being removed from class for disruptive, unsuccessful behaviors. This proposal has 3 parts: (1) to purchase a small set of circus equipment for student use; (2) to hire a circus education specialist that would provide basic instruction and encouragement; and (3) to administer a short evaluation to the participants and to staff for feedback on the effectiveness of the project.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – The Handi Project

2015-12-07T00:00:00Z

Liverpool – Wool never walk alone

2015-12-07T00:00:00Z

I applied last month with an idea to help the homeless, and after pitching I realised i needed to think outside the box. Winter is coming, and we have hundreds still living on the streets of Liverpool. I'm starting a project which will involve collecting scarves for the homeless which will be tied around trees across the city for homeless people to help themselves to. As well as providing warmth, the project will provide a visual treat for people, and will organically change as scarves are taken and new scarves are left.

Washington, DC – Up Top Acres

2015-12-04T00:00:00Z

Up Top Acres designs, installs and operates commercial rooftop farms. We establish agriculture as a fixture of urban life by farming on underutilized rooftops and by offering the following services: •Design, Installation and maintenance of greenroof rooftop farming systems. •Fresh vegetables and local honey marketed through farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture and local restaurants. •A living classroom and community gathering space for educational programming and farm dinners. •A venue for private gatherings such as farm dinners and tastings. •A tool for building owners to comply with stormwater regulations, earn LEED credits, and reach their sustainability goals while turning a profit. •Job training for residents in urban agriculture, greenroof construction, business development and more We convert neglected spaces into viable sources of income and environmental safeguards, transforming a societal and environmental drain into a valuable commodity. Our rooftop farms are built into a 'green roof' system. This allows developers to comply with stormwater regulations, and at the same time, we lease rooftop space from developers, adding rentable area to the building while providing savings on regular maintenance costs associated with standard green roofs. The farm system functions as a green roof, generating up to 16 LEED credits and fulfilling mandatory environmental regulations through stormwater retention, energy conservation, heat island reduction, and habitat preservation. We're currently operating three rooftop farms, totaling 10,000 square feet, that provide produce to local restaurants and residents and have plans of opening another 20,000 square feet next year. Up Top Acres will be a model for the rest of the city and subsequently, the rest of the country for how to maximize the use of its urban space and integrate intelligent city planning with effective business practice and and proactive community engagement.

Boston, MA (Inactive) – WEATHER IS HAPPENING

2015-12-03T00:00:00Z

JUST A FYI A DIFF WEBZONE IS CURRANTLY BEING WORXED ON BUT THATS IT THATS THE URL. I WAS FEAT. IN FUSION AS BOSTONS BEST WEATHER SERVICE http://fusion.net/story/191686/boston-weather-energy-being-from-another-realm/ & I AM PLANING ON CONTINEWING THAT TRAD IN2 THE FUTURE. IM HEER 2 STAY 2 HALP BOSTON & PERHAPS THE WORLD THRU THAIR CLIMACTIC APOCALYPSE, ENCOURAGING PPL 2 FOARM PERSONAL REL8IONSHIPS W/ THAIR WEATHER LORDS & REPENT THATS WAT IT IS, REPENT 2 UR WEATHER LORDS STOP UR POWERS & OLIGARCHS FRUM DESTROYING UR PLANET. SO ON THE DAILY I GIV THE WEATHER 2 BOSTON NO GAMES SO THAY CAN NO WAT 2 XPACT & MY WEATHERPPL R THXFUL 4 THAT 1. I COVRRD SNOPACALOPSE 2015 & WIL B HEER AGAIN 4 UR WINTER 2 LAT U NO THAT WEATHER IS HAPPENING & WAT KIND OF WEATHER IT IS SO U CAN GO THRU UR DAY W/ THE APPROPRO AMOUNT OF FEAR & REPENTANCE U CAN CHACK OUT OTHR WEB PRESENCES ON FB TWITTR OR TUMBLR HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/WEATHERISHAPPENING HTTP://TWITTER.COM/WEATHERISHAPPEN HTTP://WEATHERISHAPPENING.TUMBLR.COM TAIK A LUK & TRY 2 COME UP W/ BETTR WEATHER U WOANT FIND IT UR CORPORATE WEATHER PPL R ALL UNDR DURESS THAY CANT TELL U THE TRUTH, THAY CANT TEILL U ABOUT UR WEATHER LORDS. U HAV 2 REACH IN2 UR HEART, XCEPT WEATHER IS HAPPENING AS UR WEATHER SERVICE, SEEK UR WEATHER LORDS & REPENT

Melbourne (Inactive) – Unique walking tours of Melbourne

2015-12-03T00:00:00Z

We're delivering unique, edgy walking tours of Melbourne focussing on the inner suburbs where walking tours are currently not venturing. We aim to give visitors a real sense of what it is to be a local and provide locals an insight into their beautiful city. We explore areas that some locals don't even know about and where tourists will be able to take photos and hear stories that not all visitors get to hear. Visitors will walk away knowing how the locals love and why this is the most liveable city in the world. Our guides are experiencing, or have experienced homelessness in their life and are in public housing and unemployed. We're aiming to provide long term sustainable employment, whilst supporting them to integrate back into society, the private rental market and help them achieve their personal goals. We want to create a non-judgmental environment where labels and stigma do not exist and feel that having our guides in these roles provides a platform for this to happen. We also aim to be competitive and provide walking tours that are commercial with quality products. Our USP is that we deliver tours in areas that are diverse, culturally rich, historical, modern, fun, arty and where the locals actually live. We see our tours as holistic and therefore giving an all round view to satisfy all interested. With the guides' experience to add, they can tell stories that are otherwise untold, show areas conventional tours do not and finally give a true local perspective of Melbourne living through people that really know it best.

Portland, OR – The Numbers Community Studio

2015-12-03T00:00:00Z

The Numbers Community Studios The Numbers Community Studio is a program that will give underserved communities the opportunity to learn how to record vocals, produce instrumentals, and create music. The community studio will function as a makerspace in which participants will collaborate to expand their knowledge on production software and recording equipment. We will partner with members of the music community as well as novice learners to get a broad range of expertise. Our goal is to give those in the community passionated about music a chance to pursue their interests. There are many schools in the area with limited funding for arts and music programs. They usually do not implement a curriculum that engages students who are interested in other aspects of music creation. This program is important because it is the only one offered in east portland, a place where artistic creativity has often been overlooked. We already started operation at the Rosewood Initiative, a community space located on the border of the Portland/Gresham. The studio is open to members of the community of all-ages but is focused on reaching those between the ages of 16 to 25. As of right now we are available Wednesdays from 4pm to 6pm but we are hoping to be open more days of the week. We are hoping with this grant we will be able to get better recording equipment in order to get the best sound for our music and have it stationed in the studio. We have been sharing our personal equipment trying to build momentum.

Rotterdam – Browery - Brotherhood trough beer

2015-12-02T00:00:00Z

Beer is a remarkable product, It has the unusual trait of bringing people together. From this thought the 'Browery' came to life. Everyone knows there is a craftbeer trend going on. But aside from drinking all those special beers form professional breweries the Browery is all about brewing your own! Without the hassle of buying all the materials and learning how to brew by yourself. Browery invites people from Rotterdam to their event to learn how to brew beer. We like to experiment with strange flavours, extraordinary ingredients and forgotten recipes. It can't be crazy enough. We love to collaborate with people with creative idea's about beer, so we can come up with beers the world has never tasted. Join the Browtherhood!

San Antonio, TX – Katie's Jar - Taking Vending Machines to the Dogs

2015-12-01T00:00:00Z

Dog parks at apartments are becoming a must have for all of the new complexes. I want to bring Doggie Vending Machines to the dog parks around town. I've found a small cool (as in keeps food cold) vending machine, formerly used to vend sandwiches. We are going to give it a doggie makeover and stock it with dog treats, tennis balls, toys, and other pet products. Oh, and we can put stuff for humans in there too - water and goodies from bakeries.There are so many possibilities! We tested the dog treats in the Parlevel vending machines at Geekdom and they did pretty good. People responded to them and I got a lot of positive feedback on the idea.

San Antonio, TX – The People's Nite Market

2015-12-01T00:00:00Z

Our project is a night time farmers market that we just launched in the heart of the city at La Villita. We want to provide the city with a central hub that gives access to healthy, affordable produce and different cultural food options. We welcome urban and rural farmers to sell their produce at our market and are able to take food stamp cards. We provide the community as well as visitors with an array of international foods such as:Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Native American, Puerto Rican, Latin Fusion and authentic Mexican. We intend on adding Brazilian, Indian and Hawaiian foods to the market later in the season. In addition, we provide a space for artists to showcase their handmade products. We have a handmade sandal maker, vintage clothing, paper mache Mexican influenced artwork, apron maker, jewelry artists and soap makers. we would like to feature different entertainment acts like Bollywood dance, Brazilian Capoeira,Ballet Folklorico, Flamenco and even break dancing but would like to be able to pay entertainment. We have free health screenings and fitness classes sponsored by the Metro Health Mobile Fit Van. We provide a funk disco zumba class. There are also several services such as threading, henna. massage and bike repair. If Seniors want to attend and need assistance in shopping for produce or need help taking items to their cars we have personal shoppers and assistants to help them. (College Volunteers) We are a family friendly and pet friendly event.

San Antonio, TX – CO|LAB

2015-12-01T00:00:00Z

CO|LAB is a start-up collaborative co-working space for creatives. At CO|LAB a member will have 24/7 access to a shared work space with desks, tables, a lounge area, a conference table, unlimited WiFi, a kitchenette, complimentary coffee and tea, a cyclorama studio for photographers and videographers, two vanity make-up stations, storage space, rentable props, rentable studio equipment, a printer, office supplies, & a projector.. The space is a hybrid co-working space / maker space. CO|LAB started with the intent of providing a space where creatives can collaborate. A place where amazing ideas are born & creative projects are formed. While there are other co-working spaces in town, none have catered to the creative industries. CO|LAB is a great physical platform for creatives to work, network, collaborate, teach, share, & to receive feedback from one member to another. It will also be a great resource for individuals or companies needing creative services. In our current membership we have a very diverse set of skills. We have photographers, videographers, video & photo editors, graphic designers, web developers, writers, fashion designers, a make-up artists, a back-end marketer, a 3d animator, a painter, & a social media marketer.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – The Bad Date Coalition

2015-12-01T00:00:00Z

The Bad Date Coalition is a social action group committed to improving safety for people involved in sex work by creating and coordinating the Bad Date Book, connecting and educating sex workers who are in need of support or who are working in social isolation, and increasing public awareness to the myriad of issues that people involved in sex work face, as well as facilitate communication without judgment or assumptions. The Bad Date Coalition was established in 2004 out of a need to address the high levels of injustice and violence faced by sex workers and to bring like minded people together to work for change. Currently, the coalition is comprised of over 100 members representing current and former sex workers, frontline workers, activists, students, social service workers, shelters and other supporters.