Awesome Foundation - Projects

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Engagement, Belonging and Community at CircleTalk

2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

CircleTalk engages older adults in meaningful conversations using creative activities to inspire personal sharing, a sense of belonging, and a feeling of community. By reviving spirit, vitality, and joy in a comfortable group setting, we alleviate and sometimes eliminate the feelings of loneliness and isolation often experienced by older adults. CircleTalk offers a curriculum-specific, dedicated program that builds social connectedness among older adults that allows them to flourish within their community. Person-to-person connection is what matters most to all of us. As older adults leave their homes, friends and communities of a lifetime and move into the security of a senior residence, inevitably, they lose these important connections and rarely have a chance to let other people know what really matters to them and who they were in life and who they continue to be. We have field-tested this method of engagement in senior residences for over 200 hours. It has been praised by CircleTalk members and professionals. High resident engagement and satisfaction levels have been observed and reported by CircleTalk leaders, facility personnel and residents themselves. Follow-up satisfaction surveys and interviews (conducted by an external evaluator) have consistently rated the CircleTalk model as very desirable, engaging and pleasurable. The results also speak for themselves: Last week we asked our Community Circle the following question : “What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?” The responses were full of heart and good memories: Looking into the eyes of my children at birth. Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. My great grandchild's smile the first time I met him! As the circle came around to Francis, our eldest member (95), she gazed into her hands for a few moments, took a deep breath and thoughtfully responded “Walking into this group each week and seeing that you expected me here. That's beautiful to me.”

Seattle, WA – Megapod

2015-07-19T00:00:00Z

Megapod is a giant climbable slug! Reaching 12’ into the air and 22’ in length, climbers can release their inner lemur to swing around the antennae, lounge along the head, or parkour their way over and through the body. Built out of Kee Klamp pipe fittings and parkour-grade steel pipes, the structure is designed to support all the weight a posse of enthusiastic Seattleites can throw at it. The structure is see-through like a playground climbing structure, and includes horizontal, vertical, and ramp-like bars to entice and challenge adventurers of all fitness levels. The head area is designed for group seating. Megapod will appear suddenly at parks and art events around Seattle. The structure is designed to be assembled and disassembled for many uses in different locations. Photos of the model for the structure and screen shots of the 3D model can be viewed at http://koncsek.com/megapod. After building the model, I modified the design slightly to include a few more structural triangles for added stability, attachment points for guy lines at the head, and a 10' fire pole style component.

Madison, WI (Inactive) – Summer Drumming

2015-07-17T00:00:00Z

I am a neighborhood officer on Madison's South Side in an area with high crime and high levels of poverty. In the center of my neighborhood is a park (Penn Park) that I am trying to fill with positive programming for the families and kids in the neighborhood as a way to enhance the community and push out the negative activity that often happens there. I have been trying to bring in a fantastic set of musicians that run a "culture coach" which develops talent in the neighborhood and gives them a chance to perform. These individuals also do "drum circles" during which neighborhood kids can come and learn to drum from musicians and are also mentored by these role models on life skills and positive behaviors. This is a means to bring the joy of music, the pride of developing a learned skill, the presence of positive role models, and positive interactions with law enforcement, to a population desperately in need of all of the above. The group I am looking to fund successfully does this in parks throughout Chicago and is eager to work in my neighborhood.

Oahu, HI – Kaimuki HS Softball Dugout and Study Hall Room

2015-07-17T00:00:00Z

I am Rylan Morihara and I am the Junior Varsity head coach as well as the assistant Varsity coach for softball at Kaimuki High School. Many of the students that attend this school come from low income backgrounds and lack the needed supplies to succeed in any endeavor that they undertake. My project is to rebuild our dugout fitted with an adjoining room that can be used as a study hall/learning center for my players. As a coach, I am trying to instill a yearning for education into my players. We routinely hold a study hall day in place of our regular practices once a week to stress the importance of education. The problems we run into are that the library is already closed so the girls are unable to do research or type out their papers. The purpose of the study hall room would be so that we can have the ability for our girls to be able to still do their work even if they do not have the financial resources to purchase their own computer or the resources (e.g. the library) are unavailable. The purpose of improving our dugout is to provide the players with a safe environment. The dugout will be equipped with secure lockers for them to store their equipment. The new dugout will help improve the players experience. The softball team helps the girls develop good character and instill important life values. Enhancing their experience will further boost the positive impression the game has on their life.

Antigonish, NS (Inactive) – Public Heart Strings

2015-07-16T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is to take used pianos and make them public- Public Art that is! The idea, modeled after the success of many major cities, takes forgotten pianos, has them painted by local artist(s) and places them in public spaces to be interacted with, by the public, from the non-player noodle-ing to the advanced playing impromptu shows. These pianos are fixed and would be placed in non-residential spaces. I am currently in talks with he Town to explore such spaces + public art initiatives. Projects similar to this in the past have created a sense of wonder, surprise and community pride.

Kingston – EdCamp Kingston - bringing the unconference to YGK

2015-07-16T00:00:00Z

Edcamp Kingston is a one-day "unconference" that brings together teachers, parents, students, and community partners to talk about education in our city and how we can work together to affect real change. Unlike regular conferences, edcamps are completely free, non-commercial, and made up of sessions hosted by the people attending the conference (not expensive keynote speakers). There have been over 700 edcamps organized around the world, but this will be the first one in Kingston - and we are long overdue for one! Prior to the event, we will have a padlet wall running so people can start talking about what they want to see in education - what's happening already that they love, where we have room to grow, things they wonder, that sort of thing. On the day of, people will come, register, have some breakfast, and we will have a giant brainstorming wall for people to add sessions that they would like to see. The wonderful thing about edcamp is that the conversation is driven by the people who are there. We will take the most popular sessions and slot them into our schedule for the day (there will be four 50-minute time slots for sessions, and up to 10 sessions running at one time depending on numbers!). One of the rules of edcamp is the "law of two feet" - if the session isn't what you had hoped, you are free to check out another session! We will also have a number of interactive activities throughout the day that will help people to network and connect. After all, though this is a one-day event, the conversation must continue for action to take place! Throughout the day, we will also have a twitter feed going via the hashtag #edcampYGK so that people who can't make it to the event can still participate in the conversation. We are really excited to bring edcamp to Kingston this fall!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – A Carnival Fantasy: Where Anything is Possible

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

When children are fighting cancer their lives are anything but normal. They oftentimes live in the hospital for weeks at a time. They miss school, they miss spending time with friends and they miss out on so many things that other children and families take for granted. "A Carnival Fantasy: Where Anything is Possible" is just one opportunity for children who are daily fighting for their lives to forget about cancer for a few hours and just have fun at "the carnival." The event is open to children on- and off-therapy, and their immediate family members. In addition to carnival-style games and fun, there will be food, face painting, a few special guests, music, door prizes and more. Everything is free to the children and their families. We've hired a company that provides character appearances -- Anna and Elsa will be joining our party and they will have someone making balloon animals for the kids. We've also requests cheerleaders and Big Al from the University of Alabama make an appearance. In addition to the prizes that kids can win through the carnival games, we are hoping to have enough nicer items (games, toys, arts and crafts, gift cards) to give to all of the kids before they leave. We also hope to collect some items to give parents (gas gift cards, grocery store gift cards, VISA gift cards, etc.). Everyone is very excited about this event, and I can't wait to see how happy the kids are. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. This event will happen, even if I have to sell my stuff to come up with the money. The more we can raise, the more magical it will be for these kids. And they definitely deserve some magic in their lives. Thank you for your time.

Boston, MA – Feminist Fiber Art Exhibit

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

I am organizing a pop-up, DIY, feminist art exhibit through my independent artist business, Iris Nectar Studio. The exhibit is featuring only artists that self-identify as female and focusing on fiber art. I am still accepting submissions until June 30 from artists all around the world, but have secured several internet-famous artists who have confirmed that they will participate. This includes artists from England and Iceland who will ship their artwork to me in Boston. I decided to organize this exhibit to give a voice to female artists who are so frequently shafted from the art world that focuses on male artists. Since fiber art has such a long history as a craft produced by women, I chose to fuse the two concepts together into one feminist art exhibition. The exhibition will take the form of an art crawl through alternative art spaces in the Greater Boston region, beginning in Somerville, with a gallery opening of August 14. The work will remain installed in Somerville for a month before moving to Cambridge, and then other neighborhoods within Boston for several months. During the gallery opening event, artwork will be installed in three different creative venues - Aeronaut Brewing Co., Arts at the Armory, and Washington Street Art Center, - and viewers will be invited to view the artwork through the form of an art crawl, checking out the artwork installed at all three venues before attending the musical performances at the Armory. Bands fronted by strong females will perform at this event, decked out in handmade costumes constructed from fiber. This will demonstrate the importance and functionality of fiber art. This exhibit is exciting because it continues to grow as artists and followers share the call for art online. It initially began as a small project to take place in a little gallery, but I have run with it and secured several locations in order to accommodate as many artists as possible, and we have not established an end date!

Sydney – Disability Beyond Boundaries

2015-07-15T00:00:00Z

Disability Beyond Boundaries is being established for and by people with disability with the aim of raising awareness of the unique needs of customers with disability within our local community's fashion and self-care businesses and service providers. We have focussed on such businesses and service providers because of the vital link between personal presentation and self-esteem. We aim to empower people with disability to confidently request assistance from local fashion and self-care businesses and service providers. As such, an important facet of our project will involve the distribution of educational materials and the running of information workshops to foster understanding and communication between the businesses and service providers and their customers with disability. Ultimately, we want to create an online directory of fashion and self-care businesses and services that people with disability can confidently contact for assistance, knowing that their unique needs will be understood, and that they will enjoy a friendly and accessible experience.

San Antonio, TX – Janie Mae's Cakes

2015-07-13T00:00:00Z

There are many projects out in the community in San Antonio that have strived for greatness; whilst some has made it to the top and some are still in the works. I myself have been in the latter category of those two, where I am working hard everyday to reach out to the community with a language that mostly every speaks- cake! As of November of 2014, I've launched my personal business, Janie Mae's Cakes (named after my 90+ year old grandmother) in this little, yet big city, where word of mouth is essential and very effective. As a Florida Native coming into this town as a loner it was hard to get started not knowing many people, but I've slowly made friends and have some really good connections within the community. My passion has always been to be a provider for the less fortunate and those who simply cannot afford to have the best. I have made it my personal goal to provide a service through my bakery to offer high quality products, such as cakes, pies, and all types of pastries, at an affordable cost. I have even gotten involved within the community by offering cake decorating classes and even donating to families in need for special occasions, such as the birthdays and those who have family members who are not in the best health. It can become a costly activity to partake in, but the only thing that matters is the time that I give back to the community. I am currently working on offering my services voluntarily to a Hospice center by participating in their Birthday Cake program, which provides a sugarless birthday cake for terminally ill patients on, and to sing "Happy Birthday", to what may be one of their last.

Ottawa – Dogs Playing Poker: LIVE!

2015-07-13T00:00:00Z

July’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Leah Bartlett, to support a live-action recreation of Cassius Coolidge’s paintings of dogs playing poker for Ottawa’s Nuit Blanche. “We will have four to six ‘dogs’ playing poker, drinking whiskey, and eating bone cookies,” explains Leah. “And there will be one or two empty seats at the table, for members of the public to enter the painting and join in.” Visiting members of the public, Leah notes, will be required to wear dog collars at all times. And after one or two rounds, “the cat bodyguard will escort the humans out and bring in new players.” Leah is a local health planner in Ottawa. You can follow her progress at dppottawa.weebly.com.

Orlando, FL – The City Chalkboard

2015-07-10T00:00:00Z

After high school I moved to Memphis, TN for a brief period of time to attend Memphis College of Art. While in Memphis, I was awestruck by the amount of Community art around Midtown. one of the Ideas I came across was a large scale chalkboard that became an internal and interactive part of the community. My Idea is to incorporate a chalkboard into my mural work to allow a more interactive response from the community. Many cities have a great disdain for public art, thankfully Orlando, the city I, and countless other creatives have chosen as home allows and encourages public art. My hope is to create murals that have a positive message and encourage, creativity, community and diversity throughout the neighborhoods of Orlando, and to have a section of the mural that encourages locals and tourists alike to vocalize their creativity in a positive way. By making the interactive mural a chalkboard, We'll allow for easy clean up and promote community pride. At the moment my website, fonathanyubi.com is used to display my portfolio, I would incorporate "The City Chalkboard" into the website to allow for accessible information and display images of the project.

Yerevan – #SaveHome45

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

Home 45 is a free public space, located in the cellar of a building, constructed in the end of the 19th century on Yeznik Koghbatsi Street – one of the four streets making up the Old Yerevan district. Formally the buildings are under the protection of the government, but in reality they are being deconstructed one by one; the few ones that survived are expecting their death sentence. By supporting Home 45 you will help this historical building to get a chance to survive and live a longer life, to serve creative people from Armenia and all over the world. Home 45 was created with the means and enthusiasm of this community: a dirty rotten cellar step by step turned into a bright and light hearted free public space for social activism. It opened this spring and has hosted more than 50 travellers from all over the world, dozens of exhibitions, workshops, performances and even the most innovative wedding in Yerevan. The space is open to everyone who needs a space to create. The platform has been supported by our community and from the small donations of our guests and residents, however, it is getting harder and harder to pay the rent and communal expenses. We initiated several fundraising events, and managed to collect a small amount of money, only letting us cover one month rent. We start a campaign on indiegogo.com in parallel. You can follow the link below` https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/savehome45/x/11062057#/story

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Holistic Healing for Survivors of Sexual Violence

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

Dr. Denis Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital in 1999 as a response to the devastating war that surrounded his community in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the brutal sexualized violence that has characterized it. Panzi Hospital treats approximately 3,000 women a year complex gynecological injuries, including obstetric and traumatic fistula, as well as other injuries sustained through rape and sexualized violence. The hospital currently has 450 beds, 250 of which are reserved for survivors of sexual violence. Panzi’s holistic model of care provides survivors of sexual violence with services that meet the full spectrum of their needs: physical recovery, psychosocial support, community reintegration and legal assistance. In addition, we make critical investments in building the capacity of civil society organizations doing the grassroots work to rebuild their communities on principles of human rights and partnership between men and women. 40% - 60% of the women treated at Panzi Hospital are unable to return home after medical treatment – either because of the extent of their injuries, the ongoing violence or, most often, the stigma associated with rape or obstetric fistula. At Maison Dorcas, Panzi’s innovative after-care facility, these women and girls who are otherwise unable to return home after their medical treatment receive housing, meals, and access to the full slate of holistic recovery support provided by Panzi, all in a protected, collaborative and supportive environment. These programs include therapeutic counseling, job skills training, literacy and numeracy classes, micro-grants and -loans for small businesses, and outreach projects to rural communities. The ultimate goal of the Maison Dorcas staff is to heal and build the resilience of the whole woman, her whole family, and her whole community, setting the entire region on a course towards lasting peace.

Melbourne (Inactive) – PROJECT HONEYCOMB

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

WITHOUT BEES, WE'RE DEAD. I am a wild forager and an apiarist, rescuing urban bees from extermination. I rehouse bees, build them new homes and relocate them to new urban rooftops. I sell honey comb to some of the best restaurants in Australia to cover the costs of looking after over 10 colonies (700,000 bees). It's a lot of hard work and i do it for the love of mother nature and these incredibly important creatures. I need the Awesome Foundation to help cover the cost of designing packaging for their honeycomb to help us launch this product to Australian providores. The Apiarist is about rescuing and relocating bees with proceeds of the money going back to building more homes for them.

Adelaide – Adelaide Community Garden

2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

We think ping pong is pretty fun. And so does The West End Village Association's (WEVA) community garden. Put a free-for-all-to-enjoy ping pong table in a successful and established community garden in a vacant block in the West End Precinct of Adelaide City. is AWESOME! This privately leased & operated garden is used by the community for growing fruit,vegetables,herbs,flowers etc.It is also used as a social gathering place, activities or just relaxing. -- WEVA is a not-for-profit community organisation, focused on pursuing the interests of residents of the West End precinct in Adelaide.

San Francisco, CA – Teaching Electronics to Visually Impaired Students

2015-07-08T00:00:00Z

Traditionally circuit blocks are teaching aids that are constructed with wooden blocks and nails and components such as red and black wires, switches, batteries and lights. Students usually construct the circuits by using alligator clips to connect the nails and different circuits together. This kind of STEM activity is inaccessible to the blind and the visually impaired. With this grant I will develop a learning aid for blind and visually impaired students that teaches electricity and basic circuit skills. I will design “circuit blocks” that use an electrically conductive sticky tack rather than traditional circuit building methods like soldering and breadboarding. Using a material I developed called ‘Conductak” and also embossed tactile graphics the students will be able to build their circuits solely through touch. Here’s my idea: Embossed on the block will be tactile graphics, so that students will be able to feel simple circuit diagrams. The new circuit blocks will be shaped (i.e. the battery circuit block will be shaped like the schematic symbol of a battery). Polarity will be indicated by the relative length of the "leads" of the block with the longer lead being positive. Rather than traditional alligator clips, a magnetic system will be used to simplify electrical connections. I was inspired by Roberta Williams, a teacher of the blind and visually impaired in Monterey, to develop projects for her students. This summer, I'm bringing these lessons to her 10-12 mostly middle school age students. To my knowledge this is the first time circuit blocks have been made accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

Lusaka (Inactive) – Sunshine Zambia Project

2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

Project Background In Zambia, those most excluded from the labour market are persons with mental health difficulties or intellectual disabilities (ID). As a first step towards achieving inclusive employment for people with ID in Zambia, the Sani Foundation is piloting the Sunshine Zambia Project which aims to provide holistic, and relevant training to prepare adolescents and young adults with ID for employment and independence within their community. The Sunshine Zambia Project uses evidence-based approaches, adapted to the local setting to establish an environment in which persons with ID are stimulated and aided to create and sell products using recycled materials as well as receive training that will prepare them for employment on the open job market. The project delivers this outcome by profiling each member’s needs, identifying their aspirations & skills, and procuring short term internship engagements for members to have a first-hand experience of the employment world before accessing a permanent job or setting up a business. To improve opportunities for internship and job placements, the project will also include a number of awareness campaigns and activities that will include family members and potential employers of persons with ID. Field trips to different companies will be held to expose member’s to different career options. Scale up mechanisms The success of this pilot project will be used as an evidence base with which to begin to influence policy change among various stakeholders. The goal is to have government systems in place to support persons with IDs to start their own micro enterprises, contract the services of job centres, or hire personal job coaches. Long-term, we will lobby for the adoption of our evidence-based model as the national standard for providing transition and employment services to persons with ID.

Rio de Janeiro (Inactive) – Cartas que falam: do plantio à troca de saberes

2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

Hortação é um projeto de agroecologia com crianças que já espalhou muitas sementes no Rio de Janeiro. Com o projeto Cartas que falam, queremos intensificar a troca de saberes entre crianças dos meios urbano e rural. Os alunos de área urbana terão a experiência de construir uma horta orgânica com sistema de rega de baixo custo e irão compartilhar suas experiências por carta com alunos de uma escola na área rural, na qual essas vivências já fazem parte da cultura da região. Os alunos de ambas escolas efetuarão trocas de experiências através de cartas, a fim de compartilhar informações e saberes sobre alimentação saudável, plantio de manejo tradicional, cuidados com a horta, a cultura de plantio de alimento de cada região e a colheita dos alimentos produzidos nas suas respectivas hortas. Como o apoio da Awesome Foundation Rio vamos construir uma horta orgânica suspensa em uma biblioteca municipal no bairro do Grajaú, Rio de Janeiro, que atende alunos de escolas públicas de ensino básico e também iremos ampliar a horta existente em uma escola municipal na Ilha do Araújo, em Paraty. Os educadores do Hortação vão ensinar os alunos a realizar o plantio e cuidar de manejo orgânico da horta da biblioteca. A manutenção desta horta ficará sob responsabilidade do Hortação, que também irá engajar os alunos no processo. Já a manutenção da horta da escola de Paraty ficará a cargo de uma professora da própria escola, que já realiza tais atividades com os alunos. ____________________________ Hortação (Vegetable Gardening) is a child-oriented agro-ecology project that has already planted many seeds in Rio de Janeiro state. With the project Letters that Speak, we hope to deepen the knowledge exchange among children from both urban and rural backgrounds. The urban students will learn what it's like to build an organic garden with a low-cost watering system and they'll share their experiences by letter with rural students, where such experiences are built into local culture. Both schools' students will exchange experiences through the mail, sharing information and knowledge about healthy foods, traditional planting techniques, gardening, food production in each region and the harvesting of garden produce. With the support of the Awesome Foundation, we'll build a hanging organic garden at a city library in the Grajaú neighborhood, in Rio, which serves public elementary school students; and we'll enlarge the existing garden at a city school in Ilha do Araújo, in Paraty, a coastal town between Rio and São Paulo. The Hortação instructors will teach students to seed and care for the library's organic garden. Maintenance will be Hortação's responsibility, though we will engage students in the process. A Paraty schoolteacher will keep up the Paraty garden, which is already part of ongoing student activity.

New Orleans, LA (Inactive) – Young Creative Agency Summer Design Intensive

2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

In the picture attached, you'll see Clyde, age 15, pitching his design idea to a local business leader. And he's the kid who doesn't make a peep in class. Low-income New Orleans teens are not exposed to digital media training that will prepare them to compete in the creative tech economy. Young Creative Agency is a youth design studio that pays teens across socio-economic boundaries a fair wage to work on real client work under the guidance of experienced mentors; teens are empowered by the process of project-based learning, mentorship, client conferencing, and a fair hourly wage, while clients receive a polished product that reflects their investment in the future of New Orleans’ youth and creative economy. This fall we launched at the same school as a provider in the after-school program, 3 days a week, with ten students, one consistent and two adjunct volunteer professional design mentors. We have successfully completed four commissions, earned $350, $150 of which went directly to students, and have a waiting list of 10 clients, before any concerted marketing of our services. Through survey responses and mentor evaluations, we found that all participating youth improved their skills in Adobe software, time management, and communication. YCA is poised for future success with partnerships with YAYA and Youth Empowerment Project in the fall but we need to keep momentum going this summer. We look to continue this awesome programming for youth with a Summer Design Intensive in which we delve deeper into teaching foundational skills in design, and continue to use commissions as the authentic project-based learning opportunities that motivate deep growth academically and professionally! Students like Clyde need opportunities for meaningful employment where their economic security is the result of their individual creativity-- this accelerates their pathways to fulfilling careers and a more equitable civic landscape.

Moscow (Inactive) – Чистое Дело

2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

В России пока нет распространенной системы раздельного сбора отходов. Однако законодательные инициативы постоянно пытаются создать стимул для создания таких систем. Одной законодательной инициативы может быть не достаточно, раздельный сбор должен стать прибыльным. Именно этим занимается команда Чистое Дело. Мы ставим перед собой цель создать масштабируемую технологию сбора и доставки вторсырья от жителя до завода по переработке. Мы разрабатываем свои собственные контейнеры (сейчас их 9), систему определения заполненности контейнеров, прогнозирование этой заполненности. Далее мы строим расписания вывоза, отвозим все на склад, там с помощью разрабатываемых нами устройств вторсырье подается в пресс, прессуется в брикеты и отвозится на завод. Сейчас мы создаем устройства детекции и передачи данных, и веб-приложения для отображения и управления системой. Алгоритм построения расписания еще впереди. Эту технологию мы внедряем в подмосковном Долгопрудном на примере одной фракции - пластика. Кроме этого у нас есть павильон для макулатуры, который работает 24 часа в сутки, 7 дней в неделю. И несколько контейнеров для батареек, которые находятся на территории образовательных учреждений: ВУЗа, школ, детских садов. Где мы иногда проводим просветительскую работу. Книги, которые оказываются у нас в павильоне, а иногда и редкие и дорогие книги мы размещаем в специальном шкафчике и публикуем в сети какие книги еще есть в наличии, студенты и не только часто разбирают новые книжки. К нам часто обращаются с просьбой поделиться опытом как мы работаем с людьми, почему в наших контейнерах только то, что нужно, мы всегда готовы помочь. Тем самый приближая день, когда раздельный сбор отходов в России станет реальностью, что сбережет нашу природу, создаст новые рабочие места и дополнительное развитие экономики. Кроме сайта http://www.chistoedelo.org/, у нас есть группа Вконтакте. там идет наиболее близкий диалог с жителями и там же публикуются наши самые актуальные новости: https://vk.com/chistoedelo

Dubai (Inactive) – Edu-CAT-ion Dubai!

2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

It's no secret that Dubai is over-run with stray cats, generations of which have lead to feral cats. In 2009, the last statistic we've seen, there were over 150,000 strays on Dubai streets! While there are good organizations in Dubai now such as Bin Kitty Collective, Feline Friends Dubai, and programs like Animal Project's Trap, Neuter, Release, these all serve the problem after the fact. Realizing we need prevention rather than reaction and to educate local communities that if strays are frequenting their property not to feed stray animals unless they intend to keep them as pets and care for them as doing otherwise is cruel and only adds to the growing stray population. How I will use the money: Over one month period we we will create flyers and distribute across key problem areas in Dubai like Bur Dubai, Deira, and Jumeirah. We will create PSAs advising what to do if families have stray cats in their property and air them primarily on Arabic and Hindi radio as well as English.

Liverpool (Inactive) – The Plasticine Archive of 5416 Mammal Hearts

2015-07-06T00:00:00Z

How is a living being to manage the thought of its diminutive size in relation to its world and the unfathomable infinity that surrounds it; the contradiction between the immeasurably brief speck of time for which you are able to breathe and the lifetime of existence which yields all the time that a human can ever understand; expiry closer with every thump in the chest? Although endlessly romanticized, hearts, in their very essence, hold the inevitability of death. Throughout the mammal kingdom this shared pump of expiry differs little, and stays hidden in a multitude of chests as the essential life-giver. I have decided to build an archive of the hearts of all the existent mammal species, ranging from Bumblebee Bat (7mm) to Blue Whale (the size of a small car). My aim is to create an immersive installation in which the human can place itself on a par with its mammal relatives, stripped of the intelligent body which consistently conceals its animal parallels. Thus, the installation will illustrate the similarities, rather than the differences, between the human and all other mammals. It is a salutation to life, but one that recognizes that it cannot be without death. With limited amounts of research existing on individual species, the common 'fact' that has been central to my scaling of these hearts is that the organ is roughly 0.6% of any mammals total body weight. Consequently, the piece becomes a work of averages. Common sizes, weights, and obtainable details determine the outcome of my sculptures. The sculptural outcomes of this project are far from scientific representations. Rather, they are undoubtedly botched versions, made in plasticine as to be evocative of the learning process. These lumps of plasticine lack biological detail so as to lead the viewer away from considering the sculptures as individual works of skill, but instead as a complete installation which compares and contrasts the different scales of living things.

Raleigh, NC (Inactive) – Urban Porch

2015-07-01T00:00:00Z

In the South, sitting on your front porch is a historical and universal tradition. Many times, this idea of a front porch ends at the edge of residential neighborhoods. The pedestrian connection between sidewalk and building is limited to a few measly metal benches almost randomly set up by the city or sidewalk chairs and tables that are set up by restaurants, requiring a purchase. This limits the pedestrian experience in cities. Sitting and watching the world pass by in a relaxing, free-spirited way should be accessible. The addition of simple and colorful benches will liven up these urban locations with a splash of color and a moment of rest to take in the urban experience. Spreading benches of similar color across the city would then create a networked connection between the locations. The Urban Porch tackles this idea by offering a relaxing and movable front porch all around the city.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Rock Camp for Girls Montréal

2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

Rock Camp For Girls Montreal is a space where campers discover and express their talents, and become leaders in creating their own kind of cultural production through music. Our summer program runs from July 20th-26th at the Suoni per il Popolo venue and restaurant space. Our five camp days run from 8am-4pm, resulting in a final showcase concert on Saturday and a recording day at the Hotel2Tango studio in Montréal where bands perform and record their original songs. Our aim is to serve girls and gender nonconforming youth who could benefit from the a freeing and supportive environment created during our summer camp. Rock Camp for Girls Montréal fosters the promotion of self-esteem, skill-building and critical thinking skills for girls through collaborative music composition and performance. We supplement the music component of RCGM with workshops based on feminist and anti-oppression frameworks that provide campers with a space for critical examination and empowerment. We depend on the support of musicians and community members for instrument instruction, tech tutorials, band practice and skill-building workshops. At the week’s end, campers get the chance to show off their talents to friends, family, and community members at the Showcase Concert. We also have donated time from Howard Billerman at Hotel2Tango studios so that bands can record their original song at one of North America's most sought after recording studios.

Austin, TX – Circus of Hope

2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

Circus of Hope, created by a team of former flying trapeze artists, works to empower at-risk and special needs children throughout the Austin community. Through a variety of circus-based activities such as aerial arts, partner acrobatics, and juggling, kids learn the benefits of team work and positive risk-taking while gaining self-confidence and expressing creativity. This Awesome Foundation grant will allow Circus of Hope to upgrade their equipment so they can continue to bring their free programming to area youth.

Paris (Inactive) – Les 400 vues

2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

En juin 2015, 20 jeunes photographes amateurs venus d’Égypte, France, Slovaquie, Roumanie et Turquie ont revisité la ville de Paris à travers leurs appareils photo. Ils ont pu porter sur les 20 arrondissements de la capitale un autre regard, sur la thématique « territoire urbain, territoire identitaire ». Ils ont été accompagnés dans leur découverte par des habitants des quartiers qui les ont guidés dans un Paris atypique et riche de sa diversité. Des ateliers encadrés par deux photographes professionnels ont permis aux participants de sélectionner leurs photographies, de dégager un regard et une cohérence dans leur pratique. 400 photographies ont été sélectionnées pour 20 expositions qui auront lieu dans les 20 arrondissements de Paris en mars – avril 2016, en extérieur et dans différents lieux en accès libre. Promouvoir la diversité culturelle et sociale de Paris, faire (re)découvrir des quartiers, mais également et surtout instaurer un véritable dialogue interculturel, entre les participants et avec les Parisiens, sont les objectifs de ce projet créé à l’initiative de l’association AP2i. In June 2015, 20 young amateur photographers coming from Egypte, France, Slovakia, Romania and Turkey, have revisited the city of Paris through the lens of their cameras. They offered a new way of looking at the 20 boroughs of the French capital, following the theme « urban territory, territory identity ». They were guided by local residents to discover a rich and diverse Paris. During workshops led by two profesionnal photographers, the participants learned how to select their photographs, how to develop a photographic eye, and how to bring out coherence in their practice. 400 photographs where selected and will be presented in 20 free outdoors exhibitions displayed in the 20 boroughs of Paris in March-April 2016. To promote the social and cultural diversity of Paris, to encourage people to (re)discover neighborhoods, but mostly to start a real intercultural dialogue between the participants and Parisians, are the objectives of this project initiated by the AP2i association.

Nairobi (Inactive) – Public Safety Certification

2015-06-29T00:00:00Z

Women and girls should not have to live in fear when commuting by public transport. We are providing an opportunity for forward thinking Public Transport Groups (PSV SACCOs) to positively change the way public transport works, and be recognized and rewarded for it. We have designed a certificate programme that trains and rewards public transport providers on gender equality, exemplary customer service and personal and professional staff development. The Awesome Foundation funding will provide the remaining funds we need to pilot our program with two PSV SACCOs.

Washington, DC – Lead the Way Expedition

2015-06-29T00:00:00Z

Wilderness, Leadership & Learning is a 12-month, experiential-learning, youth-leadership, and life-skill development program for DC high school youth. Throughout the program youth engage in hands-on activities to develop knowledge on a variety of issues including team work and decision making, cultural awareness, smart goals and financial literacy, and environmental awareness through community service projects in DC, a field trip to the Chesapeake Bay, and through their capstone project: a 7-day expedition on the Appalachian Trail. The project which we are applying for is the Lead the Way Expedition which is the final achievement for our youth. Through this 7-day expedition the youth are utilizing each skill they have acquired throughout the previous months. The expedition is an opportunity for the youth to continue to learn team work and encouragement as they only hike as fast as the slowest person. They learn “real-world” decision making by determining what gear, food, and personal items they will take on the expedition, understanding that everything will be packed-in and packed-out. They continue to learn respect for the environment by following leave no trace principles, and finally they will continue to develop themselves as leaders and trail blazers in their own families and communities by completing the expedition and graduating from the program. The Appalachian Trail expedition concludes with each youth participating in a 12-hour solo where they will spend this time reflecting on the last year, journaling about what they have learned, how they have developed, and forming future plans following the smart goal approach. This project is awesome because it gives DC teens exposure to a completely unique environment, while providing an opportunity to rely on each other, and for youth to self-examine and recognize how they have grown and matured in only a few short months. Many youth describe the experience as incredibly hard, but totally worth it!

Amsterdam (Inactive) – Eden

2015-06-28T00:00:00Z

The gentrification of Amsterdam is a fact. The coffee shops and the hookers disappear, and in come the frozen yogurt, and salad places... Not so awesome. There for I will give the city it's legendary status back by planting hemp (male weed) throughout the city.

Oahu, HI – Project Ho'omana

2015-06-26T00:00:00Z

Project Ho'omana at Waipahu Intermediate School is a program that gives positive alternatives to Waipahu Teens to keep them off the streets. We service about 100 teens throughout the year. We plan different activities every day and get the kids involved in as many community service projects as we can. We also have a volleyball team that we use to encourage kids to get interested in high school sports (in hopes of continuing into college sports). All of these activities are designed with the intention of making these teens proud positive contributors to their community through their service and teamwork (representing Waipahu on the courts with class). During the summer, one of our biggest goals is to go on field trips around the island to get the teens to experience life outside of Waipahu. We encourage them to try new foods, see new things and not be afraid of things that are different. One of the highlights is getting to go to a fancy place for Mahalo Banquet. Its a great experience for a teen who doesn't even get to eat at dine in restaurants with their families.

Alaska (Inactive) – Get the Veggie Truck rolling!

2015-06-25T00:00:00Z

Do you remember the excitement you felt as a youngster when you heard the familiar jingle coming down the street? That meant one thing: ice cream. What if instead of that nostalgic tune, you heard hip hop and positive rap, and what if instead of anticipating their favorite ice cream cone, kids raced to get their very own bag of sweet snap peas harvested that morning? This grant would fund a delicious endeavor in Fairbanks, AK: the Veggie Truck. In summer 2015 Calypso Farm will establish a new farmers market in a low food access area of Fairbanks in partnership with a community center that will provide the space. The goal of this market is to connect local farmers with local low-income residents. This market will mutually benefit farmers and customers, with no overhead fees for farmers and an opportunity for residents to access fresh, healthy food. The market will have two aspects: the market and the Veggie Truck. 5 to 6 local farmers will set up and sell vegetables at tables while the Veggie Truck stocked with vegetables from each farm drives through the South Cushman area. This is one of the lowest income areas in Fairbanks and it is a food desert with little ‘green space.’ It is populous community with high pedestrian traffic. The Veggie Truck allows people to develop a friendly relationship with local farmers and the delicious fresh food they grow. Both the market and the truck will accept Food Stamps, and customers will be able to pay with cash, credit card, WIC coupons or Quest Card (Food Stamps). People will look forward to a reliable weekly source of fresh food, which will require little to no preparation: imagine bags of snap peas, bunches of carrots and radishes, kale and broccoli! Children living in this area have likely never tasted a fresh Alaskan carrot, garden fresh snap pea or colorful bunch of locally grown radishes. The Veggie Truck will bring these crops more directly to people who don’t otherwise have access to any fresh, locally grown food.

Detroit, MI – BattleShips - Maker Faire 2015

2015-06-24T00:00:00Z

BattleShips is an interactive micro-controlled two player game, similar to the original created by Milton Bradley. Our version involves digitally controlled LED pegs on a 4x4' display board, operated by the players at the front of each game board. Each game board will have realistic ships ranging from the 2' long Scout boat up to the massive 8' long aircraft carrier. Each BattleShip will have pneumatic underwater explosions indicating hits, after the ship has reached its critical hit, a red flag will raise indicating the sinking of that ship. In between matches, the host will describe the workings of the games construction, basic electronics, while encouraging children and adults to pursue their dreams on the high seas. The game has involved hours of construction, many hours of soldering, and even many more hours of coding. The entire game spans over two 10x10' game boards providing the audience an amazing experience while an admiral keeps the audience engaged in live action play by play. With over 100k people in attendance, we expect to have an enormous turnout throughout the weekend. Our sponsors will gain naming rights to our boats sailing alongside the "USS i3Detroit" We will be setting sail at Maker Faire July 25-26, conquering port Henry Ford, the battle will be epic, and many ships will be sunk, it will be a glorious day.

Sydney – Off The Wall Gallery

2015-06-23T00:00:00Z

Off The Wall Gallery is to be an alternative outdoor popup art space in Inner West Sydney using projections to create light graffiti or “art-vertising” on a publicly viewable wall. Located beside St Peters station, 1000's of viewers pass daily, giving an opportunity to promote marginalised artists work to a large audience without the physical demands of installation. Digitally exhibiting provides an alternative exhibition modality for those with physical or mental disabilities, or local & international artists who need only provide digital imagery to display their work. The title Off The Wall refers both to the physical reality of the concept – art exhibited on the wall, yet not physically “on” it – & the supposedly “unconventional” nature of disabilities. Exhibiting on a public brick wall is reminiscent both of traditional billboard advertising, & the graffiti that so often goes hand in hand. Off The Wall Gallery hopes to subvert the paradigm by exhibiting art-vertising – site specific works influenced by the medium & modality, transforming a medium traditionally used to degrade & disempower the marginalised into a powerful & public voice to question the status quo. Off The Wall Gallery aims to deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public by innovating a fresh take on the traditional art gallery; encouraging site specific artworks that respond to the medium & the environment; enabling impaired or disabled artists to exhibit without the physical & mental extertion of traditional installation; advocating marginalised & under-represented artists; supporting the development of a vibrant local arts community; promoting a creative & cultural city; exhibiting to audiences that may not usually attend traditional art galleries; supporting local & early career artists; beautifying a local urban environment usually dominated by advertisements or tags; & engaging the hearts & minds of local commuters & community in an innovative & unexpected way.

London, ON (Inactive) – 2015 Summer of Awesome

2015-06-23T00:00:00Z

Why reinvent the wheel when you already have something awesome? The 2015 SUMMER OF AWESOME harnesses the power of past awesomeness to create unique experiences in the underserved community of Glen Cairn. The projects below were all successful recipients of previous Awesome grants, and can be recreated or promoted with relatively few resources: 1. Block Party in a Box (London, ON - Keven Van Lierop) http://bit.ly/1eWtc6Y Let’s promote, lend support, and cover printing costs for a bunch of block parties this summer in Glen Cairn! The Block Party in a Box is a “collection of ambiguous resources that can be used by anyone wanting to plan a block party for their street, community or neighbourhood of any size. With pre-made posters, checklists, games and other resources, all provided in a build-it-yourself box.” 2. Cardboard Fort Day – (Toronto) http://bit.ly/1IvibWM Fun, whimsical, self-explanatory! “We provide huge swaths of brand-new cardboard - the kind you could only dream about as a kid. We also provide duct tape, magic markers and scissors.” 3. Postcard Project (San Francisco) - http://bit.ly/1doadkE The Postcard Project encourages community connection through storytelling exchange. Participants in Glen Cairn fill out the postcard with a personal story of their community and then the postcard is mailed to a random London resident to initiate stronger connections between people and communities. 4. Community Love Notes (San Francisco) - http://bit.ly/1Gtj9lQ A community project of painting and hanging love notes on wooden boards throughout Glen Cairn. This SUMMER OF 2015 will see AWESOME ideas shared and repeated in an ever-expanding circle of awesomeness!

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Simply Music Gateway - Music for Special Needs

2015-06-22T00:00:00Z

We are developing a piano program that teaches special needs children how to play the piano without having to learn how to read music (which is something they typically aren't able to do). Oh, and we are going to give it away for FREE to anyone that wants to use it! Our unique, adaptive piano program is designed specifically for any child with special needs who thinks differently and needs to learn in a different style. This program simplifies the process of learning by breaking down the steps into tiny increments that are easy, fun and playing-based. This method works because it transforms the issues that prevent a child with special needs from learning in a conventional way. Simply Music’s Gateway program develops the fine motor skills necessary to progress to more advanced levels, and addresses processing issues and learning differences by focusing on one sensory system at a time. The Simply Music Gateway program will be an online streaming program designed so that it may be administered by anyone. Simply create an online account and access one of the many guides available to utilize this method. The best part of this program is that it comes with customized training, support and guidance materials that have been designed specifically for occupational therapists, music therapists or music educators, as well as parents/guardians or care-providers. No extensive background or training in special needs education is necessary. This program was designed specifically to be taught by YOU! Once production of the program is complete, we will offer access to anyone across the glove that has a child with special needs for FREE. Yes, that's right- FREE!

Yerevan – The Living Gate

2015-06-22T00:00:00Z

The Botanical Gardens in Yerevan is one of the most unjustly underliked spots in the city. It’s the largest park and a depository of the amazing diversity of Armenian flora (1800 species). Now the park is foremost a selfie-spot for the newly-weds. Our team of city-romantics proposes to revive the popularity of the Gardens. The strategy will start with an opening of a Northern Gate for the visitors. The Gate would allow access to the growing community of the “University Condominium”, which by the end of 2015, will be populated by 1,250 families of scientists, lecturers, members of creative unions, and other young specialists. Our pilot cooperation with the park has resulted in an inflow of new visitors, who ensure at least 150000 AMD monthly income for the park, with a suggested season tickets at 2000 dram monthly fee. But our residents have to walk 2km to the main entrance gate on the highway to access the Gardens, which is often blocked for weddings and official ceremonies. Our negotiations with the park managements have resulted in an agreement to open up a new Gate for residents of Avan, Masiv and Zeytun communities on the Tsarav Aghbyur side. Easy to access, friendly to families, this access will bring a new life to the Garden. Our community is also committed to volunteer for the garden, by initiated festivals, concerts, crowdfunding campaigns and just musing the park management for new ideas.

Boulder, CO (Inactive) – Boulder Food Rescue

2015-06-22T00:00:00Z

Boulder Food Rescue (BFR) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to create a more just and less wasteful food system. We facilitate the sustainable redistribution of food "waste" to agencies that feed hungry, homeless, and low-income populations while educating communities about food justice. We were conceived in the fall of 2011 as a result of University of Colorado research conducted by two of BFR’s founding members. They discovered that enough food is wasted each day to feed everyone who goes hungry in Boulder and Broomfield Counties. In discussions with grocery stores regarding this finding, they felt by the time the food was redistributed to shelters and homes, it would have become inedible. Additionally, some of the to-be-composted food could not be accepted by the area food banks because of policy restrictions. Fruits and vegetables not in original packaging are precluded from being distributed by these food banks, which amounted to thousands of pounds of nutritious food being thrown away every day. In light of this situation Boulder Food Rescue was formed to provide direct, just-in-time delivery of perishable food, thereby helping to mitigate hunger in Boulder County; increase the access of at-risk populations to nutritious, fresh produce; and ease the food budgets of local nonprofit organizations and individuals. In order to be truly sustainable, it was a central principle that food delivery would be done by bicycle and bike trailer whenever possible. One of the main ways folks find out about BFR is by seeing our signs on our trailers as volunteers bike food around town; the signs and trailers are very important! Our organization now picks up seven days a week, 12 times per day from 30 different food vendors, and delivers this nutritious produce to 33 different organizations that serve homeless and low-income populations every week. We have rescued over 800,000 pounds of food to date, 87% of which has been by bicycle and bicycle trailer!

Sarnia (Inactive) – Tree Stump Carving

2015-06-21T00:00:00Z

I am a teacher at Lansdowne school and I am applying for the grant to complete an" Awesome" tree carving at our school. Last year due to branches falling, and a safety concern, we had to remove a huge oak tree from our property. At the time I thought that it would be awesome to carve the stump of the tree into an art piece, so I had the tree removal company leave the base of the tree. The stump is located within our school garden area, which currently houses a native plant garden, an outside learning area, and a vegetable garden to grow produce for our students to try. The carving would be a center piece to this outdoor learning area that would last for years to come. As ideas have progressed, and I received quotes as to the cost, we quickly realized that it would be difficult to raise the funds needed to complete a project such as this. My class has run a few hot lunches at the school to fundraise for the project, but are still quite short of our monetary goal. A thousand dollar grant would possibly push us to our goal of $2000, enough to book a carver to come and complete the project this fall. I have been in contact with a carver out of London who completed some of the work in Sarnia's Centennial Park. This is his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MikeWinia?fref=ts. He is currently travelling to represent Canada at the World Carving Championships. How awesome would it be to get world class carver to come do the project??? In summary, this project is awesome for many reasons: It is a legacy project for the school and the garden area we have been working to complete. Students and families in the community will be involved in the designing of the carving, and would be invited to the school to watch the carving take place. That is why you awesome people, should choose this awesome project for your grant this month.

Newmarket – Spotlight on Youth Wellness

2015-06-21T00:00:00Z

Arts Spotlight Theatre Company Inc's Awesome Project is an event entitled Spotlight on Youth Wellness. A project intended to collaborate arts, culture,community and health, to bring attention to the issues affecting youth in today's society, their well being, their family, school environment and community. In dealing with youth in the community during the past 30 years, we have seen how the arts has helped children and teens find their voice and confidence. Over the years, young performers have overcome shyness, dealt with anxiety, eating disorders, grief, bullying, learning disabilities and being newcomers to Canada, being able to gain confidence, speak up for themselves, seek assistance, express themselves and aim towards a goal. Arts Spotlight has always included opportunities to bring attention and focus to issues that affect young people. For the past 30 years we have performed at schools & community events to bring awareness to: Diversity, Bullying, Healthy Living, Aids Epidemic in Africa, Vandalism and Autism acceptance, through projects with YRP, YR District School Board,TVO, Dancers for Autism. SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH WELLNESS will include: entertainment, interactive programs and a symposium of speakers and professionals. Our Company's board of directors, volunteers and performers would host a one day event with several stages and booths: ENTERTAINMENT : Children's stage- interactive entertainment, encourages children to feel confident, happy and witness conflict resolutions. Pre teen stage with related theme shows encouraging individuality and critical thinking Teen open mic talent: performing, spoken word, poetry, music, dance, theatre BOOTHS: Various community interests groups which deal with programs and outreach for youth wellness. (Yoga, art therapy, therapy dogs, fitness, nutrition, (rented booths for $25.00 to $35.00) SPEAKERS: Allotted times for experts and professionals and agencies to speak on the various topics related to the event.

Connecticut (Inactive) – The Trail Angel Project Part 2

2015-06-19T00:00:00Z

Hello, last year I had the privilege of meeting Michelle who got a grant for The Trail Angel Project last year which was for the many hikers who make the trek from Georgia to Maine/Maine to Georgia on the Appalachian Trail in the Kent to Salisbury areas. She and I discussed me trying for a grant this year to continue the much needed 'trail magic' for the weary hikers as they travel thorough our area. It is my desire to be able to continue this tradition and to maybe encourage others to apply next year and maybe even have The Trail Angel Project Part 3 etc.... I became an accidental trail angel the summer of 2013. I work in the town of Salisbury near a trail head and started to learn about the amazing journey that about 2,000 hikers begin each year. I, myself, am not a hiker, I am a sidewalk girl but I became intrigued by their tenacity and sheer drive to finish. I recently moved back to this area of Connecticut to be with my elderly mother and it has become a joy to help the hikers each summer, we often invite them into our home, offer them showers and even do their laundry. We have had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary individuals and have made lasting friendships. I have a hiker who stayed with us last year coming to visit in this summer to help spread the trail magic along! (the pics I included are from me and Michelle last year) Thank you for your consideration.

Connecticut (Inactive) – Musical Intervention Through Downtown Open Mics

2015-06-19T00:00:00Z

Musical Intervention is an inclusion program offering individuals and groups of special needs to take part in the transformational power of creating original songs. We, provide the outlet and assistance to help individuals transcend themselves though creating and developing expressive songwriting and music videos. Individuals are exposed to the technological and educational uses of music and audio-visual recording to help inspire positive coping skills. We have established Open Mics (more like community open jams) at 82 Crown Street in downtown New Haven, and we want them to continue over the summer. A range of instruments is set up on a professional-quality stage, and performances include vocal and instrumental blends as well as spoken word and a capella songs, mostly original. The landlord has indicated that a contribution towards the utilities is required, and right now the group itself has no such resources. If this series is allowed to lapse we will lose ground gathering the racially and economically mixed crowd that represent a uniquely supportive audience for musicians spanning three generations. Going on hiatus during the City's most traditionally dangerous and violent months would be harmful to the already-challenged people who have come to count on singing, performing and enjoying fellowship with one another weekly. Moreover, "taking a break" as suggested presents us with the problem of a steep, uphill battle to cultivate renewed awareness and attendance, if a weekly slot even still remains available down the road.

Antigonish, NS (Inactive) – Fire starters (shredded paper fire logs)

2015-06-18T00:00:00Z

This is Jeff Teasdale from the CACL Antigonish on behalf of Brian Cameron and Garry Kell. The boys have launched their own business making shredded paper fire logs with shredded paper and wood chips from the CACL Antigonish. The boys have outgrown us and are going out on their own. We have secured a place to make these logs. They have a venue to sell them as well. So far they have sold all that they have made! Gary and Brian are taking on the challenge of starting their own business. So far they have the raw materials accessed (these waste products are being reused instead of landing in landfills). They have access to a customer base (farmers market and other local business for example Main St Irving). They now have a location that they can work out of seasonally and hopefully one day year round.

Beaverton & Beyond, OR (Inactive) – Tuesday Night TEEN Market

2015-06-18T00:00:00Z

Hillsboro Tuesday Night Teen Market offers AWESOME High school students the opportunity to learn how to be entrepreneurs. Partnering with the Hillsboro Chamber School to Work program and the Hillsboro School District, students have been creating art and crafts, culinary treats and services to present and sell at the market. During the project, they design and create art and craft items, or research, source and cook local in season produce. They are also learning product development, budgeting, marketing, visual display, customer service, communication and sales. The project gets them credit towards graduation and to use as their senior project. There is a huge benefit for the students and the community as we encourage and mentor students to be creative and confident future business owners. In turn we believe that it will also encourage their peers and friends to participate more in our local markets and learn about the process of creating, producing, buying and selling their own products so we may continue to grow our wonderful local markets. There will be up to 10 table spaces available for the teens during ten of the Tuesday Markets this summer. We plan to grow the Teen Market over the years as more students participate and our own market expands. We hope to encourage them to take a more active role in the planning of the event with leadership and board positions. The funds will be placed into a start-up fund and students can apply for loans to use for needed supplies and equipment to start their business. For example, some students will need signage or a cash box, some might need a table or display items. The students are expected to pay back the loan if sales at the Tuesday Market allow them to do so. They will also be encouraged to 'pay it forward', on the items that can be re-used or re-purposed, to future students. I am the manager for and represent the Hillsboro Tuesday Night Market. An awesome community festival and Market. Over the years I have noticed how many teens like to 'hang' at the Market but there has never really been much for them to do. Rather than turn them away for loitering or hanging in large 'gangs' we have been implementing programs that appeal to that age group with great success. We love our teens. They are our future shoppers, builders, creators and artists! The Tuesday Night Teen Market will be an annual event the continues through the summer each Tuesday night at the Market. Our first of ten teen markets this year is June 23rd We are already encouraged by the participation this first market has received and we will measure its success by the number of students who continue to participate each week and from the feed back from the Schools and the leaders in the program. We can also measure the success with our annual surveys and visual monitoring of the event and the people who participate, shop, look, talk and encourage the students. Want to help? The Hillsboro Chamber School to Work program is looking for community members who will encourage and mentor students to be creative and confident future business owners. The Tuesday Night Market is looking for assistance at the market to ensure the student's success. Contact: Lesley Wise - Tuesday Night Market - manager(at)HillsboroTuesdayNight(dot)org - (503) 601-0478 - www.tuesdaymarketplace.org/marketplace/teens/ Hillsboro Chamber School to Work - http://hillsborochamberor.com/stw.html

Kingston – Made In...

2015-06-18T00:00:00Z

Immigrant Services Kingston and Area, in partnership with the Tett Centre, will be hosting a filmmaking summer camp for a group of 10 newcomer youth. Each youth will create a 3-minute video where they will talk about their immigration and life stories. Thanks to the Tett Centre's connections with different artists, youth will be empowered and assisted in creating their stories, they will learn about photography and filmmaking and will be responsible for editing their own video. The videos will be screened at an event at Tett Centre, which will be opened to different members of the community. This is a Digital Storytelling project that aims to educate the Kingston population on the struggles and successes newcomer youth have when immigrating to a new country. The project will also be a tool of expression, since immigrant and refugee youth will have the opportunity to express what is deep inside of them by creating their stories. Therefore, it is also a healing tool. Our goal is to help build a more welcoming and inclusive community. The videos will show the stories of people coming from different backgrounds and faiths, people with different skills and qualifications that could help build a better society, immigrants with different life stories we can learn from. We hope that the stories will be a way for the Kingston community to better understand the immigrant population.

Tallahassee, FL (Inactive) – Digging In at the iGrow South City Youth Farm

2015-06-17T00:00:00Z

An initiative of the Tallahassee Food Network, the iGrow Youth Farm program has its flagship location in Frenchtown. Established in 2011, iGrow is a youth empowerment and urban agriculture project, named and largely run by the youth themselves. Given the success of iGrow in Frenchtown, TFN has partnered with Whole Child Leon to open up a second iGrow in South City on 510 Orange Ave. We’ve chosen to replicate the Frenchtown iGrow model in South City due to similar demographics. We’ve already broken ground on the 26,073 sq. ft. lot and, on three designated work days, volunteers have been coming to the farm to set up raised beds and create mulch paths, among other tasks. The farm is composed of long raised beds for the youth and smaller plots for families in the area to tend and grow. We are actively recruiting middle and high school aged teenagers and families in South City to become involved in the iGrow program. The purpose of iGrow is to grow healthy food for the community, provide meaningful youth employment and grow youth leaders that are capable of teaching peers and the broader community the basics of raising food. At the core of iGrow is the Leadership Corps. These young people –with assistance from adult coordinators, youth and university volunteers—are responsible for managing the production, administration, outreach and team development associated with running the Youth Farm. In return, the youth receive biweekly stipends for their work. Not only the youth, but the entire family is engaged in the process, multiplying the potential impact for positive behavior and lifestyle changes.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactive) – Feminist Camp

2015-06-16T00:00:00Z

Feminist Camp is a week long immersion in feminism -- designed to "show" people what feminism looks like in real time -- beyond the theory. The camp is also an awesome career development opportunity. Students often debate between entering the for profit or not-for-profit sector, but they don't understand the vast range of jobs available in both sectors. Besides going deeper into our daily themes -- be it philanthropy or media or reproductive justice or sexual assault -- the camp is also a place for campers for develop their identities and to create a peer network that will likely stay with them forever. Camps consistently leave the experience and call it "life changing." As summed up by one camper: "I cannot begin to describe what a profound effect this trip had on me." The camp happens 3 times a year and takes place in New York City. Days are long -- 8 am to 8 pm and as most campers stay together in a door room in a youth hostel, the conversing often goes on long into the night. Days include meetings with leaders, mini-interships, cleaning up a park or other volunteering. The campers then take these lessons back to their communities and share with others what they have learned.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pearl Club University

2015-06-15T00:00:00Z

Were you aware that only 17 percent of this year’s cohort of 39 students feel prepared to attend and succeed in college? Although the facts are startling, they demonstrate the need for skill-building, information and experiences to prepare them to succeed. Our programming, which focuses on developing an understanding of being college-ready and strengthening their ability to give presentations, manage their time and network to build relationships for their future gives students a chance to achieve success in their lives. At our core, we are a sisterhood based on college success. Through our programming, we strive to help young women develop character, become college-ready and enroll and graduate from a post-secondary institution. Our mission as a future focus: to help young women from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome poverty and contribute to society. To foster their awesomeness, we want young women to answer YES to the following: Do you feel prepared to attend and succeed in college? Do you know how to network and build relationships for your future? Do you know how to effectively manage your time? Do you know what it takes to succeed and graduate from college? Our program is awesome because it not only teaches young women valuable skills, we allow them to apply the skills to their lives during an authentic experience on a college campus. How can we expect awesome students to be successful in an environment they were not prepared for? With 77% of our young women being first generation college-goers, our programming aids in solving the problem of minority young women lacking skills and preparation to overcome the challenges on a college campus and graduate from a postsecondary institution, making Pittsburgh a more awesome place to build a future.

Minas Gerais (Inactive) – Torneio de Robótica Empreendescola

2015-06-15T00:00:00Z

O “Torneio de Robótica Empreendescola” é um projeto social que vamos realizar para os alunos de ensino médio das escolas públicas de Poços de Caldas. O intuito é mostrar aos alunos o quanto eles podem aprender, e deixá-los de olhos brilhando. Nunca houve um projeto do tipo na cidade e isso irá mostrar um mundo até então desconhecido por eles. No Empreendescola trabalhamos para mostrar novos futuros para os jovens, e acreditamos muito que o conhecimento de programação e robótica auxilia e muito no impacto do jovem. Ele pode descobrir algo que até então era inacessível e nem ele sabia que era tão impactante assim. É mostrar ao jovem que ele pode mudar a realidade de sua casa, seu bairro, de sua vida. Trabalhamos com alunos de 13 a 18 anos mais ou menos, e nesse semestre já atingimos 05 escolas, o que corresponde ha mais ou menos 1000 alunos. O torneio será ótimo para integrar os alunos de escolas diferentes e mostrar outros caminhos e despertar neles o protagonismo. Conseguimos um parceiro que arcará com os materiais para o torneio, mas praticamente utilizaremos o recurso do Awesome para o transporte do facilitador, um lanche para os alunos que participarão do torneio, pagar uma pessoa para criar a comunicação e arte do evento e também uma pequena divulgação local.

Chicago, IL – Literature Emitting Diodes

2015-06-14T00:00:00Z

Literature Emitting Diodes is an unconventional publishing project that is slated to run from July 2015 to July 2016, and hopefully continue on an annual cycle for years following this inaugural run. Literature Emitting Diodes presents poetry and prose by talented writers in commercial venues throughout Chicago. Every month, we will select a prose piece or a poem to be uploaded onto a scrolling LED display sign for about three weeks. The sign will be placed in the window of a local business chosen to coordinate with the piece. Sites will be chosen in consultation with the authors to help them reach a diverse and enthusiastic audience. We will open submissions for July on May 5th and accept work on a rolling basis from then on. The chosen works will also be published online and in an annual printed anthology. In storefronts, online, and in print, readers will be offered a rich variety of reading experiences for each piece. We will show that reading can be more than a solitary activity, that storefronts can be more than advertisements, and that publishing can reach people beyond the bookstore or library. In a society driven by consumption, people crave creativity and beauty. We will subvert the commercial practice that plays on people’s retinas. We will put literature back in the public sphere where advertising has the authority. We are simply seeking to restore a balance between culture and commerce. We are partnering with local businesses to show that businesses can be part of the solution, and that there are myriad ways to give back to the community. Not every businesses can host readings or open mic nights like a coffeehouse or bookstore, but there are many other ways to support the arts and we hope our unconventional approach will inspire others to try their own.

Seattle, WA – Virtual Assistant Movie

2015-06-14T00:00:00Z

Jobs are getting outsourced. But, can creativity be outsourced? And, if so, what would it look like? I am exploring this by outsourcing an entire short film through virtual online assistants in India. How? So far, I have 2 virtual assistants who, independently, are writing a script together one line at time. I give them prompts. But, the prompts are written by the other virtual assistant. So, while I am the middle person, the two virtual assistants are actually the ones providing each other with new prompts as they keep the script dialogue going with their writing. After they finish writing the outsourced script, I will then have virtual assistants film the dialogue that virtual assistants wrote. Maybe the final film will be horrible. Maybe it will be great. Either way, I feel this process is unprecedented and the results will be a unique and entertaining moment for film making. On a larger scale, I believe this will start conversation about creativity and the creative process. Details: I'm currently using Habiliss.com and AskSunday.com The 2 virtual assistants have been told that a client would like them to create natural and/or dialogue based on provided prompts. At the conclusion of the writing process, I will explain to both companies the bigger picture. I will ask for consent and approval to produce a short film based on their writing. Of course, I will credit the 2 separate virtual assistants with the complete writing credits. There has been some interest from experimental film festivals and Seattle International Film Festival to accept this unique film and its process.

Ottawa – Buddy Bench

2015-06-11T00:00:00Z

June’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Jenny Guth, to support a “buddy bench” for Stittsville Public School. “For many students,” explains Jenny, “recess is often the best part of the school day. But for others, it can be a very lonely time. The buddy bench is an ordinary bench placed in the schoolyard. Children who are sad or looking for playmates can sit on the bench to signal they would like someone to come talk to them or ask them to play.” Buddy benches originated in Germany, and have been implemented in schools around the world. They are meant to be symbols of inclusion and kindness in the schoolyard, and are used to teach students about empathy and friendship for all. Jenny is the mother of a junior kindergarten student at Stittsville Public School. “When I was a little girl,” she says, “I was excluded at school — a lot. I eventually learned to stand up for myself and others,” says Jenny, “and am now a lawyer.”