Project Description

Uhuru means liberation in Swahili. This unique camp aims to teach our children to be self-sufficient as individuals through a variety of practical skills, while nurturing their imaginations and creative capacity through the richness and diversity of African culture.

Camp Uhuru is five-week camp imed for children ages 6-14 who will be immersed in a learning and play environment. Educational and fitness activities include African language instruction 3 times per week, West African dance 2 times per week, African hair-braiding or soccer 2 times per week, and African Cooking once a week. This cmp combines these lessons with other elements such as art, films, reading & literacy, and several guest speakers. The children will engage in these activities throughout the first four weeks of camp, in preparation for the final week which will consist of festivities, and a display of the children's newly acquired talents and skills. Finally the entirety of this camp is to take place on the campus of the University of Illinois where the children can get the feel of being on a college campus and see the opportunities higher education has to offer.

The intention of Camp Uhuru is to create a space for the youth in our community to learn from the wealth of African history, so as to guide them as individuals identifying with their own culture and heritage. When we use the term 'uhuru' it is in the truly African sense that true freedom can only be attained through a collective consciousness formed by community participation. Therefore in addition to the educational, fitness, and health aspects of this camp, we will also be instilling the important values of respect, cooperation, awareness of community and others, and integrity in every activity.

Project Description

The "Just Us" Conference is a weekend conference, including various arts-based workshops for young adults, mainly high school students, primarily located in the Hudson Valley. The workshops and conference work towards youth empowerment through the arts, as well as guidance in how to create and form youth groups, and getting college scholarships, for example. The conference this year will also end with visits to college campuses. Because of the length of the conference, all three basic meals are included in the activities of the day.

Project Description

Arroyo Seco is a small town in mountains of Northern New Mexico. In recent years, the town elementary school has closed, leaving the community children with out a park, playground, or play space.

We are raising money to build a circus themed children's play space and community mural next to the Seco Pearl Teahouse and Community Garden. The playground will house two trapeze bars, a safe-style tightrope, a few swings, and a huge play box with hula hoops, juggling balls, costumes, puppets, roli-bolis and more.

We are arranging a work party with local adults and children to paint the surrounding fences in a Circus theme. In addition, we want to invite several of the local middle and high school youth to work with local artists to create a large community mural on the side of the building that borders the west wall of the playground.

The Seco Pearl Teahouse and Boutique is a locally owned store as well as serving as the community center for our town. The Pearl offers many free children activities, art and music classes. The staff from the Pearl, as well as activity leaders will supervise the playground. In addition, there is a two-acre community garden on the property, providing youth with opportunities for hand-on educational experience.

We will involve many of the local youth graffiti artists in the making of the mural, providing them with a huge workspace of which they can feel proud. The younger kids will be invited to paint the surrounding picket fences, helping to develop their artistic courage early on.

Wise Fools Performance group, a nearby circus arts theater, will be invited to give performances and workshops in the playground area on the trapeze, tightrope, and other circus items. We hope to make these events free to all youth.

We believe in creating safe, supportive and silly spaces for young and old to play alike. In times of the loss of small schools, open spaces, and the arts programs in schools, we see our responsibility to take up the slack and take care of our children.

Project Description

Spark the Wave is a non-profit organization that empowers teens through educational programs to be great volunteers and community leaders. Our programs offer teens who are 13-17 years old leadership training in areas such as communication, group dynamics, and leadership, as well as diversity education. Most importantly, Spark the Wave inspires teens to make a difference in their communities. I am currently a senior at Albright College in Reading, PA. Because I'm an education major, I've had the opportunity to observe in several of the schools here. Most importantly, I've worked in an urban middle school that does its best to educate its diverse and underpriviledged students. I would love to bring Spark the Wave's programs to these students.Spark the Wave's two main programs include individual seminars for schools and community groups and a 6-day summer workshop called WAVE Week. WAVE Week offers teens the opportunity to spend a week in intensive leadership training with a service focus. Delegates at WAVE Week are taught how to apply this training to needs in their own communities. Seminars offer schools and community groups like the Girl Scouts the opportunity to train a larger group of youth on more focused issues in a shorter time. Spark the Wave staff members travel to these groups and provide training after school and on the weekends. Last year, I was able to nominate one student from the middle school I was working in to attend WAVE Week. His mom told me that no one had ever recognized him for anything before, and he thanked me for giving him the opportunity to even attend WAVE Week. Throughout the week I watched as this normally quiet student began to build relationships with others, lead in small group settings, and offer insight into important discussions. I watched WAVE Week change him.This year, I'm working to be able to provide this chance for more students from this same urban school. I'm working to bring more Reading teens to WAVE Week through fundraising efforts within the community. Because Spark the Wave's main focus is in the geographic area between DC and Philadelphia, I know that my efforts will bring these same wonderful programs to the students in Berks County, PA, just outside of our main efforts. When I helped start Spark the Wave about 4 years ago, I knew I was involved in something important. Now that I am the Board Secretary, I've enjoyed seeing how Spark the Wave's programs have grown and expanded under our dedicated volunteers. I want to take Spark the Wave just one step farther. For more information on how you can get involved with Spark the Wave or how we can train youth in your community, visit www.sparkthewave.org or email me at [edited by DS Staff]

Project Description

Movies in the Park was a project created originally to have something to do during those long, boring summer nights in our town of "little-to-do." It turned into something great. Deciding others would be interested in viewing classic and enlightening movies, our group made the decision to make "Movies in the park" exactly what it's called. The event (or events as there will be many movies over consecutive weeks) will be held in our local park in the amphitheater. It will allow adults, teenagers, senior citizens and children to support a cause and watch some great movies. Among the moveis we plan to show are Casablanca, Shindler's List and Forrest Gump. We believe these (and our other movies) will attract members of our community to come out to the park and play a few dollars to a charitable organization. We plan to ahve two organizations, one local and one international. The two international organizations we are considering donating to are the ONE campaign and the National Resources Defence Council. This project benefits many other aspects as well. It is community building, it is entertaining for the purpose of giving teens something to do instead of drugs and drinking, it generates awareness for major problems in our world (extinction and extreme world hunger), it has the very likely possibility of inspiring others to "be the change" they wish to see and lastly it is educational. Many forget that cinematography is a very current and interesting art form. With the wide selection of award winning movies that span the century we hope to open the eyes of the viewers to the advancements we've made in the art. What started as just a simple summer get-together has evolvde into something amazing and we are very excited at the prospect of putting on such a function in order to benefit so many things.

Project Description

My friend and I were looking at colleges in Seattle. We were staying in a very run down part of town, by a graveyard. We had a free day and decided to buy some chalk and decorate the sidewalk. This quote was bouncing around inside my head, so I wrote it out in blue. I can't remember what book it's from, but it starts, "Since time began, it seems, one group of man has come together to put down another group who lived, looked or thought differently..." From there the chalk art just naturally seemed to be about how much more peaceful the world could be if we all got along. We covered almost one side of a city block's side walk in drawings and quotes. When ever someone would walk by we would offer them some chalk. A few people joined us. We left our chalk with the other artists. Some of the chalk art was so beautiful and eloquent!

Project Description

The Good Water Fund

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HehjkdCIM6Q

Goals:

- Increase ground-up infrastructure and promote greater availability of water resources for those in the developing world

- Advance social-consciousness in the developed world of pressing global water issues

Actions Abroad:

Larabanga, Ghana; fix three broken handpumps which will provide fresh drinking water to town of 5,000

Rural Cambodia; support rural communities by providing technical assistance and funds to families. All families are granted $100 and are approved for loans once they have raised $50 themselves, a feat that takes years sometimes. This is the core of our sustainable economics model which empowers the locals we aim to help through communal responsibility.

At home:
Continue the fundraising campaign to raise funds for the Larabanga and Cambodia projects. Campaign includes party events, rallies, high-school assemblies and more.

Project Description

Description:

Students will participate in a Toronto-area Ultimate Frisbee league. Ultimate Frisbee is played with a Frisbee, with the aim of scoring in an end zone through a series of short passes. The sport has no referees and thus a very strong emphasis on sportsmanship, honesty and “spirit of the game.” Ultimate Frisbee is an increasingly popular sport, with many high school, university, touring and national teams already well established. A league aimed towards middle school students will help establish regular physical activity patterns and support healthy lifestyles.

Objective:

This project aims to introduce middle school students to all the positive aspects of Ultimate Frisbee. The three major aims of the program are:

• to increase physical activity and involvement in sports programs.
• to promote healthy lifestyles and eating habits.
• to encourage teamwork and cooperation amongst students.

Planning and Method:

The students will participate a Toronto-area league, after being coached by their teachers and high school volunteers. They will form a school club and enter a team into the league, whereby they will compete in weekly games and a final tournament against other schools. Playoff winners and the team with the highest “spirit score” (as determined by their opponents after each game) will receive a plaque for display.

As some schools have Ultimate Frisbee teams and coaches in place- as a result of small tournaments that taken place in the last few years- we will build upon that foundation to form a junior players league. We expect a participation level of seven schools within the first year. As resources allow, other schools that show interest in the program will be provided with resources to set up their own program. By taking a developmental approach, junior players will be given the opportunity to advance to higher-level leagues, such as a high school team.

Assessment Strategy:

As they register, schools will be asked to fill out a survey on behalf of their students regarding the average fitness levels of their students, how many participate in sports teams etc. Students will be asked questions regarding their eating habits, the frequency and their enjoyment of physical activity and their value of good sportsmanship.

The coaches and students will be surveyed again at the completion of the program and the results will be analyzed to assess the impact of the program.

Project Description

Global Medical Brigades is a secular, student-led organization that travels to developing countries to perform health care in communities without access to medicine otherwise. Stationed in the United States, and its current focus is on the country of Honduras. Mission: "To lead a holistic model for sustainable health care in underserved villages that conducts preliminary needs assessment, treats patients to the highest ethical standards, sponsors referrals to those with needs beyond our capability, records data for the production of quantitative reports, and works to improve the water, sanitation, and economic infrastructures."

Chapman University is in Orange, CA and plans annual trips to Honduras. There are also various universities nationally that have active groups. www.medicalbrigades.com

Project Description

In 1999, formerly homeless teen Chris ‘Kazi’ Rolle created the Hip Hop Project through New York City’s Art Start program. Despite common struggles faced by inner city youth, the participants produced their own collective hip hop album, and in the process, gained confidence in their abilities, higher knowledge, and life skills towards a positive future. A documentary of The Hip Hop Project (produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah) released in spring 2007 has inspired other cities to create similar programs. Complementary to the original, the mission of The Cipher – Austin’s Hip Hop Project is to build a community of young leaders and socially-responsible hip hop artists and to strengthen the East Austin community in multiple ways. The purpose of The Cipher is to provide participants with the means to envision their future optimistically despite a challenging environment that includes high levels of school dropout and teen pregnancy. The program envisions a group of confident and engaged young people who will gain positive learning experiences, build self-esteem, improve academic performance, and expand possibilities for their future. Our project has recruited 25 young adults residing in this area ages 15-21 that have been referred from probation officers and various social-service organizations throughout Austin. The Cipher connects with these participants by speaking a language that embraces cultural differences, communicating in ways that make them feel more comfortable, and reaching out differently from any other program. Thrilled by a once-in-a-lifetime chance to record their own collective hip hop CD, the skills gained through the program will take them farther in life than they would have thought possible. The writing and communication exercises taught at every meeting serve as a platform for expression that addresses their feelings of powerlessness, isolation, and self-efficacy. Engaging youth in community events, rallies, and festivals and providing opportunities to meet with committed mentors, musicians, poets, and community leaders helps them establish positive relationships, learn positive coping skills, and ways to create their own opportunities.