Project Description

I recently created a website called restoretheworld.com (it is up and running--in beta mode)
This has taken on support from my school, and beginning to spread city wide. So far, RTW has been a resource for kids to go to research different aspects of each global issues, and discuss possible solutions. It could be considered as a "Project Management" site, however instead of tracking progress on business ideas, it focuses on the progress individual people are making in efforts to solve global problems, and shows the "big picture" by the larger progress.
With the grant money I could receive, I would use this to buy resources to allow students accomplish their goals more easily. I would also like to spread Restore the World's message to other cities nationwide.

Project Description

The Omprakash Foundation is a registered 501©3 organization offering a new model of global education that empowers people around the world to become conscious participants in processes of social transformation. Our website, www.omprakash.org, offers an ever-expanding database of grassroots educational projects with which we have established personal relationships. In the democratic, all-empowering spirit of YouTube and Wikipedia, the content of our website is user-generated: as Americans young and old travel the world to volunteer and build relationships with scattered schools and libraries, we invite them to bring these educational projects into the Omprakash network.

Each project is given the opportunity to represent its own needs on our website, and to make public its wish for volunteers, money, curricular materials, and the like. Omprakash responds to these needs simply by helping Americans learn about them: once informed about the many foreign educational projects that need books, buildings, teachers, and other material resources, the many people involved with Omprakash realize that they can make a difference, and are inspired to donate or raise funds and collect other material resources under the umbrella of Omprakash. Likewise, by providing Americans with informational and financial resources that enable them to volunteer around the world, Omprakash also helps foreign projects find the human resources that they need.

However, Omprakash does not only empower grassroots projects in other parts of the world. Its entire methodology also empowers Americans young and old by enabling them to play an active role in processes of social change-- that is, by enabling them to "do something." Omprakash serves as an empowering platform from which diverse Americans can combine their energy and experience to support educational projects in need.

The Omprakash network enables Americans to find volunteer opportunities at different grassroots educational projects around the world, but it is also a great resource for Americans who are not interested in volunteering but want to help in some other way: Americans can use the Omprakash website to learn about the needs of specific projects, and then work to meet these needs by collecting resources under the umbrella of Omprakash. Young or old, rich or poor, Americans who involve themselves with the Omprakash network will suddenly realize that they can change the world-- perhaps by raising money to pay for a new library in India; perhaps by encouraging high-schoolers to consider volunteering at an after-school center in South Africa; perhaps by enabling a small educational project that they know about to represent its needs on the Omprakash website.

Thus, simply by maintaining the Omprakash website and expanding the network of human relationships that it contains, the administrators of the Omprakash Foundation allow a growing number of people around the world to build relationships with each other and with grassroots educational projects. These relationships, as well as the overlapping communities that they have created, are themselves fundamentally educational and empowering: they lead people out of ignorance and passivity and into awareness and activity. Those involved can craft a new role in which they can become conscious, deliberate actors in processes of social change.

Project Description

Hello,

My name is Andrea. In May of 2004, I started a Live Journal community in the likeness of the popular CW television show, America's Next Top Model. In the beginning, this was merely for leisure and fun. I did not expect for the community to take off the way that it did.

The community, which has just completed it's 11th cycle/season, has become a way for people from all over the world that may not normally have the opportunity to model in the fashion industry (or even for the show), a chance to be a model. There are no limitations as to who can partcipate. Everyone is welcomed despite their name, age, sex, race, religious background, height, body type, etc.

Through this site, many friendships have been created or strengthened, models and photographers have had the opportunity to increase their portfolios and receive feedback, many have raised their self-esteem, and it's simply been a way to have fun. Provided are links to the community, a link to the official website, and the links to the official websites of the past two winners.

Community (LJNTM - 1topmodel) - http://community.livejournal.com/1topmodel/

Official Website - www.ljntm.com

Official Website of Danielle (cycle 11 winner) - http://www.ljntm.com/danielle/

Official Website of Calli (cycle 10 winner) - http://www.ljntm.com/calli/

Project Description

P.R.O.J.E.C.T.: T.E.E.N.S. which stands for Peers Reaching Out Joined to Empower the Community Together thru Training, Education, Employment, Networking and Support is a nonprofit organization of teens founded by teens for the empowerment of teens. Our purpose is to help teens define and design themselves. P.R.O.J.E.C.T.: T.E.E.N.S. was started by teens who believed they could make a difference by reaching out and helping other teens to create themselves, joining with those teens to figure out what tools they needed to help them to be successful and empowering other teens to define and design their own path way to personal success. Our Mission is Empowerment in three ways: To Empower Teens, To Empower Themselves and To Empower the Community.

Check out our blog http://projectteensdetroit.blogspot.com

Like what you read about P.R.O.J.E.C.T.: T.E.E.N.S. email us at with questions or comments. We'd love to hear from you.

Project Description

Butte County is located north of Sacramento. In my community, there is a high percentage of youths drop outs in high school and there is a very small fraction of those who attend college. My goal is to start a youth committee through our Hmong Cultural Center here in Oroville. I want to create a youth center that is easy going and open after school and on weekends so that youths can hang out, study, and create positive networks. In here also, I want to create a committee of youths for youths. The objective of the youth committee is to be a representing voice of youths in this county who will speak up for the youths during community events or adult council meetings. The youth committee will be composed of youths from different backgrounds who want to initiate and strengthen youth collaborations and networking.

The key idea is that the youth committee will be a physical entity of resources to connect and expand youth power throughout the county as a starting point for other youths to speak out and have their ideas and goals implemented to create a stronger, youth supporting community.

Project Description

The Boston Latin School Youth CAN (Youth Climate Action Network) was founded on January 23rd, 2007 as an extra-curricular global warming club at BLS. It was formed in response to increasing awareness about the problem of global warming. At our first meeting, over 90 students showed up, and formed seven specific committees to take action. Less than a year later, our membership has swelled to over 300 students, and 16 separate committees!

Our accomplishments last year were equally remarkable. For example, our Energy Committee organized an NSTAR Save A Light drive that sold over 65 cases of compact fluorescent light bulbs. They raised over $5,000.00, and the funds were used to help pay for a Global Warming Youth Summit. BLS Youth CAN did all of the planning for this Youth Summit in partnership with the Technology and Culture Forum at MIT. For more information about the particulars of the summit, take a look at the schedule at http://www.blsyouthcan.org/First_Youth_Summit.html
You may also view a special edition summit newsletter, at http://www.blsyouthcan.org/Newsletter/Newsletter.html
or summit photos and video footage at http://www.blsyouthcan.org/Photos_%26_Video.html

This year, Youth CAN has taken on even more ambitious goals. In addition to planning for a second annual global warming youth summit at MIT in late March or early April; Youth CAN is also competing in the Keyspan Foundation’s Environmental Sustainability Competition during the month of October; participating in Focus the Nation on January 31st, a nation-wide effort to generate global warming awareness; Coordinating with Apple and Mayor Menino to recycle computers at UMass Boston on Earth Day; and attempting to earn solar panels for BLS by participating in New England Wind’s Solar Challenge; not to mention trying to figure out how we’re going to raise sufficient funds for this year’s summit (last year’s summit cost us more than $10,000).

Although the date of the summit is yet to be announced (MIT assures us it will take place on a Saturday some time in late March or early April - watch the BLS Youth CAN website for further details www.blsyouthcan.org), the Youth Summit Planning committee is already well underway in organizing the 2nd Annual Summit. This year the youth summit will include programming specifically aimed at growing the network of Youth CAN member groups. We are also planning breakout sessions for educators as well as students. BLS Youth CAN meets with our partner at the MIT Technology and Culture Forum, Patricia Weinmann at BLS on November 14th. We strongly urge students from Boston Latin School to attend this event, and last year, many of the attendees were from our school, although we did have representation from 46 other schools. We see the Youth Summit as an awesome day to educate ourselves, our school, and greater Boston’s students in general.

Project Description

In Hudson, FL toward the northern half of Pasco County, we are located just across from a elementary, middle and highschool complex. After school we must get about 150-200 kids on Fridays. We are not sure why the huge numbers, butby the looks, these teens are simply looking for something to do. Little that we are budgeted for could even come close to interesting to this age group. With this grant we could get some video game systems and keep these teens interested with something they are familar with. Much cheaper than building a skate park, this would aid us in so many ways. The average teenager that frequents the park is looking for something to do. Some resort to breaking the plants apart or writing on the walls or playground equipment. We had the luck of having a few teens bring their own systems in for a day and the response was unreal. The same teens that would rather be doing something distructive, should organizational skills and teamwork that suprised us all. Just by providing them with something that they could relate to. I am looking forward to researching this grant more and will provide anything that is required to show we are worthy of such a grant.