Project Description

Deaf Youth USA is committed to social justice through media and activism. Deaf Youth USA (DYUSA) is a new and "emerging" organization exclusively for deaf youth in America, between the ages of 18 - 30. DYUSA strives to empower, educate, and inspire deaf youth in making a difference in their own communities, through giving tools. We aim to have our first event this summer, which will be a 4-day camp, with forums, discussions, and workshops.

There are 47,000 deaf youth in the 18 - 30 age group and there is no advocacy, activism, or at least an organization to address their needs, visions, and ideas. This summer, it's going to change. Deaf youth will finally have an organized voice and tools.

Today's deaf youth are an intelligent, vibrant, ambitious group, yet we still face prejudices. Deaf youth face different kinds of issues - accessibility, respect, equality, and chances for opportunities in our every day lives. There are a lot of ignorance out there or a lot of people who feel "being deaf" is a sad or a bad thing. It isn't! All that should change, but who is to change it? Deaf youth! As advocates of human rights, DYUSA aims to educate, support, and have a hand in social change, all for social justice.

In light of today's youth - internet and media are powerful tools - and DYUSA aims to educate deaf youth, from a grassroots level to the college-educated level, on how we can create our own media, our own voice, and make it accessible for all.

The core philosophy of DYUSA is: ABOUT deaf youth, BY deaf youth, and FOR deaf youth!

Project Description

Background :
Currently there is a health crisis facing our country’s youth. Poor health habits in diet and exercise are contributing to a rising trend in obesity that increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and threatens to seriously shorten life expectancy. Moreover, there is growing evidence that the burden of disease falls disproportionately on both minorities and the economically poor. Health Advocacy Program aims to address this growing problem by empowering youth with the knowledge and skills to be proactive about their health through good nutrition and physical exercise.

Project:
We have been developing HAP since the Spring of 2007 and began piloting the curriculum this past fall. With the help of Citizen Schools, which operates a national network of after school apprenticeships, HAP teaches two 10-week sessions per school year (2 hours per week), targeting 25-30 students at McCormack Middle School in Dorchester, MA a low-income neighborhood in Boston. Out of 700 students, over 90% are minority students and over 85% are eligible for either free or reduced-priced lunch, indicating that there is great potential to develop habits that can build a healthier generation.

Outcomes and results of the project in the targeted community:
Each semester, Health Advocacy Program makes it a goal to develop concrete hands-on projects to engage the students in actively learning about nutrition and physical fitness. In the fall semester, a group of 12 students brainstormed ways to strengthen their school’s health education efforts. They interviewed the school nurse and principal, put together a petition to replenish the soap and paper towels in the bathrooms, presented their ideas for substituting lunch menu items with healthier alternatives, put up flyers around the school to remind students and staff about good hygiene, and wrote a newsletter on healthy habits that was distributed to their peers. In addition, the students put together a film that documented this whole process and revealed what they have learned.

Currently this spring, a group of 15 students is putting together a Healthy Lifestyle Magazine with recipes and exercises that they have made themselves. Each week, half the class is dedicated to an Iron Chef competition with a different theme (i.e. smoothies, wraps, guacamole-salsa, pita pizza and trail mix). The students break up into three teams, come up with a recipe based on the ingredients the teachers bring and then the make the item accordingly. The team with the healthiest and tastiest recipe wins and gets to have their recipe put into the Healthy Lifestyle Magazine. Thus, by the end of the semester, the students will each have a book of easy, fun recipes that they can share with their friends and families at home to promote, fresh healthy diets.

In addition, students engage in discussion with guest speakers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard College Food Literacy Project. In the remaining half of the semester the students will also participate in a yoga class to learn about exercise and stress management and will take a field trip to the local grocery store to learn how to plan and budget while shopping.

Challenges and ways of working:
Teaching a group of middle school students after a long day of classes is not an easy task. Many of the students are tired and have been up since 6:00 am and their attention span is at its minimum. We have recognized this concern however, and have used it to make our program strong. Good food is often what will keep kids energized so making snacks and adding some competition through the Iron Chef activity achieves just that, while also providing an excellent avenue to teach about healthy diets.

Moreover, the fact that the students have to work together in small teams forces them to learn how to cooperate and how to make their own recipes by thinking through proportions of ingredients. Having a final Healthy Lifestyle Magazine by the end of the semester is a concrete way for the students to take ownership of what they have learned and is an easy means of sharing their knowledge with family and friends. Thus, HAP is a very innovative and unique way of achieving health literacy in this community.

There is a lot of scope and potential for HAP to scale up elsewhere. We are planninng to expand the curriculum to other schools and communities.

This spring and summer we are planning to produce a healthy lifestyle magazine, create and maintain a website for the project and work with other communities to expand the project.

Project Description

I chose "Healthy Living" as the cause because, without a home, parents, and many times single parents, are forced to raise their children from community shelters and sometimes even the streets, living day to day. It's our job to try to raise awareness of the alarming homelessness rates while building homes for as many families as we can, helping put someone back on their feet.

Project Description

Who we are
The newly established Kirksville Bike Co-op is a student-run, university supported program/facility at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. The Co-op was created in response to the small town, rural location that is great for biking as recreation and transportation, but had no services to support cyclists. The nearest bike shop is 90 miles away, leaving Wal-Mart as the only place to get a very small selection of tools and parts and no mechanical help.

Mission Statement
The Kirksville Bike Co-op is a service and educational organization committed to community involvement through cultivating the development, use, and promotion of sustainable transportation. The keystone of our service hinges on providing a space where bike culture and knowledge is facilitated through both independent experimentation and collaborative hands-on discovery in a safe, supportive learning environment.

Campus objectives
➢ Increase bike usage on campus, therefore decreasing the need for parking spaces and improving air quality.
➢ Establish a place where students may learn bike maintenance skills and obtain quality replacement parts.
➢ Provide communal bikes for student usage, available through the residential halls.
➢ Create meaningful volunteer opportunities for students, increasing student involvement on campus and within the Kirksville community.
➢ Encourage an enjoyable form of exercise and promote healthy lifestyle habits.

Community objectives
➢ Offer a much needed service in Kirksville. Currently the nearest bike repair shop is 90 miles away and the only place to get even a limited selection of parts is at Wal-Mart.
➢ Encourage students to explore Kirksville, specifically the downtown area, and value their “home away from home”. Attachment to the community will increase the number of students who remain here over the weekends, academic breaks, and summer semesters.
➢ Increase the feasibility of affordable transportation for students and community members.
➢ Offer programming and services to the community (particularly the school-age audience), reinforcing the link between the university and the community while building healthy living behaviors.
➢ Cut city green house gas emissions by exchanging car trips for bike rides.

Bike co-op operational description
Mechanics are trained through an apprentice program that pairs head mechanics with volunteer mechanics. Once an individual can demonstrate proficiency in all designated areas, they are promoted to a head mechanic position. As volunteer staff allows, we have open hours at set, advertised times. Students and community members are welcome to drop in, work on their own bikes, or learn skills by working on a Co-op bike. Small parts and safety equipment are available for purchase at below-industry prices. Members also have the option to place special orders through the Co-op account, with a percentage of the wholesale distributor price going to the Co-op. Periodically, shop volunteers/mechanics will offer more comprehensive workshops. Programming for Truman students and the community is based on the interest and skills of the current co-op members.
Access to shop equipment and all of the other Co-op services are free with a co-op membership ($20/year for community members, free for students).

Project Description

As Founder/President of Global Youth H.E.L.P. Inc (Health Education Leadership Program) I conduct tobacco awareness educational programs, train youth peer leaders, and provide educational and sports supplies to improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of disadvantaged youth in the US and in developing countries. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths and the most difficult addiction to overcome. Most smokers start before they turn 18 and tobacco consumption rates are rising among American youth including college students. According to the WHO, by 2030 smoking related deaths will rise to 10 million a year, and 70% of those deaths will be in developing countries. My goal is to protect children from second hand smoke and prevent and reduce tobacco consumption among youth around the world. Through presentations and advocacy workshops, more than 10,000 young people have been educated about the hazards of tobacco use. Tobacco education presentations have been conducted in the US, India, Mexico, West Indies, and Finland. Leadership training programs have been conducted for girls in foster care and for village children in India. Other projects include, building a library and donating school uniforms, books, sports equipment, tooth brushes and toothpaste to children living in villages and slums in India While focusing on health, I work with youth leaders and volunteers to educate young people about the hazards of tobacco use to prevent them from starting. I initially selected this very important health issue, because as an asthma suffer I had great difficulty breathing in smoking restaurants and public places. As a sophomore in highschool I founded the Anti-Tobacco Action Club (ATAC) and mobilized youth support for the successful passage of Delaware’s Indoor Smoking Ban. For the past six years I have trained youth peer leaders, spoken at national and international conferences, and conducted educational workshops at schools and at colleges. As tobacco is a ‘gate-way drug’ it can lead to use of other addictive products, through Global Youth H.E.L.P. programs I focus on building self-esteem, making healthy life-choices, and training young people to become health advocates and leaders in their communities.

Project Description

The ultimate goal of "The Singer Twins - Making A Difference," is to help cure diabetes. To accomplish this goal, my twin sister, Mollie, and I, focus on four primary areas: Awareness, Advocacy, Fundraising and Mentoring. However, by nature, Mollie and I are shy. Luckily, we are able to draw on our musical talent with which we have been blessed to help us overcome our shyness, ultimately enabling us to reach larger audiences and communicate our positive message.

Awareness:
Awareness is for both diabetics and their family, friends, and peers, as we help diabetics realize the importance of living a healthy lifestyle by means of a positive attitude and proper diabetes management and we educate non-diabetics as to the complications, difficulties, and fears diabetics face on a daily basis, as well as, how they can be helpful and supportive in a diabetic's life. To begin with, we created www.jackieandmollie.com (soon to be: www.jackieandmolliesinger.com) where we help others learn about us and our activities, explain diabetes at great length, and encourage them to join us as we “Make A Difference.” Additionally, we speak at public forums, support groups, and schools, to students, teachers, and administrators in an attempt to educate them as to the needs of a diabetic in the educational and work environment. Moreover, for approximately two years, we filmed an ongoing Video-Diary for ABC’s Good Morning America, about living with diabetes and overcoming the struggles and fear of a child wearing an insulin pump. We also participated in multiple educational documentaries for newly diagnosed children and teen diabetics and their families that are designed to replace the fear a newly diagnosed diabetic experiences, with a sense of hope that a cure will be found and the belief that they are not alone. Furthermore, we have filmed several PSA’s, readily give interviews to educate the news media about diabetes related topics, and at 11 years old, Mollie and I wrote a booklet entitled, “The Road To The Cure,” which explains to children everywhere, no matter their age, that like us they too can “Make A Difference.” Finally, we created the first chapter of The Diabetic Angels, a club for diabetics of all ages, but especially young diabetics that teaches a diabetic’s family, friends and peers what it is like to live with diabetes. In order to become a diabetic angel, one must agree to learn about diabetes, know what to do in emergency, agree to be their diabetic’s advocate, and above all, show compassion and understanding to everyone, especially those whose lives are more challenging.

Advocacy:
At the age of 7, Mollie and I began advocating for a cure for diabetes locally and nationally. Over the past 11 years, the two of us organized an extensive letter writing campaign to Former President Clinton that was written by hundreds of children, met with President Bush on three separate occasions and successfully lobbied many of the members of The U.S. House and Senate. We went on to testify twice before Congress, asking them to increase funding for diabetes research. In so doing, we helped to obtain congressional support on a variety of medical and technology related bills that have and will continue to benefit diabetics everywhere. We continue to lobby congress having most recently met with John Porter and Shelly Berkley and this past May, we met with two members of the President’s Domestic Policy Council at the White House and spoke with them regarding the urgent need to increase funding for NIH. This successful meeting was in reference to funding new and innovative technology that will improve diabetes management, i.e. insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and hopefully in the near future, implantable insulin pumps and monitors. Due to the severity of this devastating disease, and our determination to cure diabetes in our lifetime, for Mollie and me, advocacy is not an option, but a way of life.

Fundraising:
Mollie and I began our fundraising efforts at the age of 6, when we opened a lemonade stand outside our home which at the time was under construction, and over the course of the summer (Las Vegas summers are VEERRRYY long and hot) we successfully raised over $2,000.00; we were instantly convinced that this was enough to cure diabetes, but of course our bubble burst and reality set in that we would most likely be continuing our fundraising endeavors for some years to come. Shortly thereafter, we began regularly speaking at CEO Breakfasts (Major Donors) explaining to the executives what it was like to live with diabetes and how it impacted the diabetic’s entire family and their way of life. We also demonstrated exactly how Mollie poked her fingers with a lancet to test her blood sugar and informed them that in order to stay healthy and maintain good diabetes control, she needed to test her fingers 10-15 times a day and even more often when she was sick. We explained to the CEO’s that by financially supporting our efforts and those of JDRF that they could be the ones to “Make A Difference” in the life of so many diabetics. That same year we organized our first Walk Team raising funds as we participated in JDRF’s Annual Walk to Cure Diabetes. Over the years, we continue to organize and grow our Walk Team and its supporters, known as “Mollie’s Mafia,” who raise funds by the slogan, “GIVE US A CURE WE CAN’T REFUSE!!” Further fundraising efforts include organizing, participating, and performing at special events and benefit concerts, such as this year’s outdoor concert, “Rock The Walk.” All in all, it is gratifying to know that over the past 11 years, our resolve to cure diabetes has resulted in our raising more than a half a million dollars ($500,000.00) for diabetes research and medical technology!

Mentoring:
Even though Mollie and I are only 18-years-old, we have been privileged to spend the last five years volunteering as two of the few Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s teenage Cyber-Volunteers. Although Mollie and I never offer medical or legal advice, our responsibilities do encompass counseling newly diagnosed diabetics, their siblings, and their friends about everyone maintaining a positive attitude and the importance of the proper diabetes management, so that they are able to support the diabetic in their life. Additionally, we inform them of helpful and educational diabetes resources and the importance of everyone becoming involved in curing diabetes, or engaged in any cause that helps them keep their diabetes in perspective. Instilling a sense of gratitude and hope in a diabetic who may be angry, frustrated, or confused, helps the diabetic appreciate all that is good in their life rather than giving them an excuse to dwell on the negative; being a positive and responsible diabetic means taking control of their disease and not letting diabetes control them. In addition to our volunteer work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, for the past five years we have been mentoring diabetics and their siblings from around the world, beginning with a diabetic Xanga and for the last three years with www.curemoll.com, our diabetes blog, through which we have mentored diabetics and their siblings on six continents. Overall, our goal in mentoring is to convey a message of hope for the future, to be role models by demonstrating the benefits of giving of yourself to help others as a way of maintaining a positive attitude, and ultimately helping all diabetics, their families and their friends obtain the tools they need to be healthy, so that when the cure is found, they will be able to benefit from everyone’s hard work and research.

Mollie and I believe that we have much to be grateful for, and enjoy helping others. However, we hope that the example we set will encourage other young people to give of themselves, for together, if everyone gave just a little, we would cause a rippling effect of caring and giving that would spread around the world, making a difference in the lives of millions.

Project Description

Global ACCESS (AIDS Coalition for Civic Engagement and Smart Solutions) is a leadership development institute to promote civic participation and create a comprehensive communication hub for the global AIDS movement. Global ACCESS is a project of Health Global Access Project (Health GAP).

Global ACCESS is a new formation of old work. For years, as an organizer with Health GAP, I have been training low-income people living with AIDS in advocacy and community organizing skills and bringing them into the fight against global AIDS.

Global ACCESS provides training in:
*concrete leadership skills;
*comprehensive grassroots advocacy and organizing skills, such as AIDS issue based trainings, taught by leaders in the global AIDS movement;
* in-depth skills trainings such as "birddogging" trainings and
* an innovative communication fellowship specifically designed for new leaders who want to make their mark.

Global ACCESS borrows best practices from union and community organizing trainings that offer in-depth and comprehensive leadership, advocacy and organizing skills. Currently, this type of training is not available to domestic and global AIDS activists.

In addition, Global ACCESS creates a comprehensive communications hub for the entire AIDS movement. The communications department will allow us to offer an affordable option for grassroots organizations when they need to develop campaign materials or a media strategy.

Global ACCESS offers selected "fellows" concrete training and skills development in several stages:

Stage 1 includes 20 day-long leadership development trainings, offering concrete advocacy and organizing skills across the United States.

Stage 2 includes weekly virtual classes (using computers and conference calls) on global AIDS issues, taught by leaders and experts in the movement. Professors include Brook Baker from Northeastern University Law School who is a world renowned expert on Intellectual Property Rights and Trade policy which are frequently used as barriers to access to HIV treatment and Dr. Patricia Siplon who wrote the book AIDS and the Policy Struggle in the United States.

Stage 3 includes monthly meetings with decision makers. These can include "birddogging" legislators on issues, or formal sit downs to discuss policy issues.

Stage 4 includes an internship in our communications "department". We see improved, smart communication and media strategy as a need in the global AIDS movement. Global ACCESS thinks our fellows can fill this need and this will provide them with an additional skill not usually learned in other leadership development trainings. We also plan to offer our communication assistance to campaigns we support and for a fee as a way of building in a form of self-sustainability. Our fellows will operate virtually via computers and cell phones reducing the cost of this valuable and needed service.

Global ACCESS has trained 500 people per year across the United States in our Stage 1 one-day local leadership development trainings. It is from this pool that our fellows for stage 2,3, and 4 will be selected for our future component of the work. Throughout my time as an organizer with Health GAP, I have trained over 1000 individuals from across the country

In this next year, Global Access will hold 36 meetings with key decision makers on issues that are most important to the global AIDS movement.

In 2008, Global ACCESS will issue 12 press releases, 6 op-eds and 24 letters to the editor. Our fellows will win victories on campaigns, including increasing funding to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
We are developing and diversifying the entire global AIDS movement here in the United States. Our fellows will understand the importance of having an "inside/outside" strategy. They will have sharp and innovative communication skills and will be adept at creating a media strategy. They will develop strong and lasting relationships with each other and with key decision makers. We believe that our graduates will be able to move into key positions at organizations in DC, and throughout the US to coordinate strategy and, most of all, win.

Global ACCESS will work closely in the next 2 years with a consultant to track our overall contribution to the global AIDS movement, and we will have the students evaluate their courses.

Project Description

In House Freestyle is live and direct! We’re coming with the rawest, realest, comedy around. We talk politics, oppression, media, depression, historical misrepresentation, the struggles of the ghetto, hip-hop, potato salad, and your old 56 year-old uncle that rocks more G-Unit gear than you do.

In House Freestyle is a strong collective of socially conscious artists ranging from the ages of 18-30 that are committed to expressing life from the perspective of urban communities of color. We showcase sketch comedy, dance, music, poetry and direct social commentary to educate as well as elevate the masses of under-served souls in ghettos across the globe.

Project Description

This statement by a group of people with developmental disabilities in Southeast New Mexico says it all:

“We are presumed incompetent because of our disabilities and prevented from taking risks and making mistakes. Decisions are made for us by guardians, family members, interdisciplinary teams, case managers, service providers, the system.

“We are protected, disciplined and babied by [interdisciplinary] team members who treat us as though we are their minor children.

“We live with rules and safeguards that in essence keep us institutionalized. It’s as though we are still waiting to get out.”

People with developmental disabilities are ready to take control of their lives and become full citizens in their communities, but many don't have the knowledge and skills to advocate for themselves. With training in self-advocacy, leadership and community building, people with developmental disabilities can fulfill their own life dreams and help build communities that welcome and use the assets of all citizens.

Matthew Heady has undergone a process of personal development to develop his knowledge and skills, which includes training in public speaking and training techniques. He and other people who have developmental disabilities, with support from some advocates, have developed two training series.

"Let's Take a Power Trip" addresses the following objectives:
• Learn how to support people receiving services to build personal power
• Learn how to become partners in advocacy
• Appreciate the capacity of your community to make positive change for everyone
• Discover your group’s assets
• Understand the importance of communication & teamwork
• Understand what it means to be a leader
• Develop a collective vision for an inclusive community

"No More Waiting on the World to Change" addresses the following:
• Gain insight into the life experiences of people with developmental disabilities
• Understand the importance of knowing someone’s personal story
• Develop awareness of the history of developmental disability services in NM
• Wonder about what’s possible for our future
• Learn the “don’ts” according to people who receive services
• Understand the importance of the language we use
• Understand what people receiving services find most helpful in the way we support them
• Get real about the non-sensical nature of our support to people receiving services
• Think about ways of supporting people that make more sense
• Appreciate what “dignity of risk” really means
• Develop strategies for empowering the people you support

This project will enable Matthew to present these series in 5 New Mexico communities for an unlimited number of people with developmental disabilities, family members, advocates, support providers and general community members.

Project Description

I began working on the Govenor's Substance Abuse and Violent Crimes Advisory Board for the State of Wyoming, in July of 2006, at age 20. I am a strong advocate for youth in crisis and recovery from drug addiction. I started out by traveling around the state, speaking out about meth. I use my personal experiences after being addicted to drugs and being in recovery to help others look at their personal lives and to empower them to make good choices.

I assisted in promoting the "Addiction" documentary that was on HBO in March 2007. I was featured in The Patnership for a Drug-Free America's, Road to Recovery Project, where I was taped for public service announcements which have been released and shown throughout the United States. I was also involved in the Youth Anti-Meth Campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policies, where I shared my personal story, which was used on a poster that is being shared all over the United States. I served on The Community Action Board as a Youth Advocate, where we developed a County Methamphetamine Strategy.

I am now working for the State of Wyoming, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division, where I assist with the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant, meth education and awareness, serve as the Wyoming Affiliate for the Patnership for Drug Free America, and avocate for recovery. I am the President of the Cheyenne Oxford House and the Chairman of Oxford House of Wyoming Chapter 1. I now travel all over the United States, attending conferences and speaking out on drug addiction issues. I am also the Chairman of the Education and Media Committee for the Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Intitiative.

I believe there is alot more work to be done in regard to our youth and drug addiction and I will continue to advocate for those in need.