Project Description

Rural and Migrant Ministry’s Youth Arts Group (YAG) is a culturally diverse group in which high school-age individuals come together with a determination to create change in our lives and communities. Through engagement in creative action, we are dedicated to the task of influencing other youth to join in our mission to create political, economic and social changes.
Part of our creative action is artistically presenting our political views to voice our ideas and opinions. Four years ago, our group created a mural (8’x20’) depicting the theme of “Breaking the Barrier,” dealing with the topic of racism. Many of our group members have graduated and there is no longer a strong personal connection with the old mural. We have proposed creating a new mural with a theme that relates to the barriers in our daily lives (peer pressure, violence, negative media, racism) We will be working on our mural the week of April 21st-25th and it will be presented at our annual “Just Us” Youth Conference on May 3rd in New Paltz, New York. After, the mural will be traveling to various presentations and conferences with our group. The mural will be painted in acrylic on four panels of plywood. It will be free standing with a wooden frame and able to be dissembled and transported.

Project Description

The Absolute Truth began as an underground newspaper at a high school in upstate New York in response to the overwhelming censorship of the official school paper. Since then, it has spread it's wings, if only slightly. It is currently mailed out to several colleges and universities across the United States every time it's published, where the faithful alumni of the paper pass it on to their fellow students.
The Absolute Truth publishes essentially every contribution it receives, because our core goal is to provide students a medium through which to express their ideas about social issues, politics, religion, and culture to their peers. As such, we which to provide a diverse reading experience with many points of view represented. Having published profiles on intellectuals ranging from Jesus to President James Garfield, The Absolute Truth offers an enlightening experience for students who are normally exposed only to the dull and mundane that the mass media provides. Frequently ignored social issues such as modern-day racism are brought to light, opening the eyes of the youth who take the time to hear someone else's voice.
The editors of The Absolute Truth have a dream of making expanding the audience by publishing online. A proper website, however, will cost several hundred dollars. Also, it has gotten to the point where we can no longer afford to publish as many paper copies because we just don't have any sort of income. The Plum Grant would allow us to convert entirely to online publication, ultimately cutting our costs while greatly increasing our potential audience.

Project Description

Helping out the community or volunteering can sometimes seem difficult to get started in, especially if you have never tried it out before.ME³ stands for Motivate, Educate, Empower, and Engage. Our goal is to make being an empowered citizen and getting involved in helping the community as easy and fulfilling as possible. That’s what our program, Communities In Action (CIA), is all about.CIA is a 'databank' of individuals in Wake County, NC, who have signed up to get involved in helping the community become a brighter, happier place to live for everybody. Individuals who sign up for CIA work with a "CIA Agent" to identify opportunities to help out that match their skills, interests, and schedules. Meanwhile, the service organizations and charitable efforts they are paired with greatly benefit and get the help they need to make an even bigger difference.Individuals in CIA also get opportunities to meet others helping the community at CIA events, and to receive training to improve skills that can greatly help a local cause in crucial ways, such as training in emergency response, charitable fundraising and grant-writing, or building community leadership ability.CIA is great for individuals who have decided they want to get involved in helping the community somehow. Maybe they are not sure whom to call. Maybe they're not sure where to look. Maybe they are worried volunteering would be boring, or they’d get stuck doing something they wouldn’t enjoy. Maybe they are concerned that they don’t have enough time to truly make a difference.CIA is designed to address all of these issues and more. All individuals have to do is sign up, and tell us a bit about themselves and what they are looking for in their ideal volunteer experience. They tell us when they are available. They tell us if they'd prefer to help out doing an art project, working at a soup kitchen, or being a leader in an exciting new local effort that needs their energy and time. They tell us about their amazing talents and how they'd like to use them to help others. And, if they aren't up for the volunteer opportunity available for them at any given time, they can tell us no.

Project Description

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

Be The Change:
"Growth Only Comes When You Transform" is a short reflection on our unique ability to participate in our own evolution. When all is said and done, the only change that will make a difference is the transformation of the human heart.

I want the world to change, why should we be bring each other down. When we can do the complete opposite and bring each other up. You see some one with a frown make them laugh show that you care. Change starts rite here rite now
I Challenged myself to be the change im living up to my Change and I want you to be with me
Darius James

Peace and love

The Act now club was started after challege day came to Huron High School. It changed my life for ever. Act now impacts they way other think of each other. we encourage other to be the change in there school and the cummunity. The John Mayer songs "waiting" States that we way on the world to change. Why wait for the world to Change When you cant be the change. Dont sit back and observe Act. Change occur over time but only if you act to change it. Ill stand up in front of any in the hole world and say why the should get involed. The vision of are club is that every one will leave in a world were they feel self wanted loved and celabrated. My mission and the act now mission is to insire other to be the change to want make a diffrence and do it.

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

Elements in Time is dedicated to creating sustainable social and environmental change with documentary media.

This includes:

1. Educating the world community about self-sustainability models which take into account ongoing global changes in climate and energy availability.

2. Promoting resilience and sustainable adaptation in areas of the world most at risk now and in the future.

3. Provoking sustainable local and worldwide solutions to social and environmental issues, focussing on the quality of life and future for humans and all other species.

Project Description

Although right now, I am only organizing a specific project, Girls Helping Girls, into the future I would like to develop this project into a small nonprofit organization that partners girls in the United States- particularly and initially, girls on Action Teams within the social change organizations of which I am a part- with girls in schools, orphanages, and community organizations in developing countries to jointly identify problems in their communities and develop service projects to address those issues. The two teams would work together to determine a problem that affects both of their communities- it doesn’t matter if one more than the other or by a differing mechanism- and then collaborate in a vibrant cultural exchange by email, snail mail, and phone to offer each other support and ideas to develop viable social change projects in their respective communities. The Millennium Development Goals are one puissant example of the slew of problems that plague people around the world and are not confined to a specific region or nation of the globe. My organization would facilitate team communication and exchanges and provide educational materials and background about the global issue that they select to confront to aid the girls in their research and project development. At the end of the year-long service year- which I hope eventually to culminate on Global Youth Service Day, usually at the end of April- the girls will receive certificates of achievement and recognition for their work.

Project Description

I would like to start a "camp" for low income children in my neighborhood on the weekends. This would assist the children in social skills building, education, and allow them to have fun in a safe environment. At the present time the neighborhood in which I live has a lot of drug dealers, prostitues, and violence. I would like to make a change in the area starting with the children, however I need the funding to do so. I have lived in the same neighborhood for 24 years and have seen it go from an okay neighborhood when I was very young to a dangerous neighborhood at the present time. Most of the children who grow up in this area turn to drugs, drop out of high school, become pregnant as teenagers, and many end up in jail or prison. I want to take back the neighborhood but it has to start with the children. For this reason I am requesting your assistance with this project that I have been waiting about two years to start. Thank you for considering this project for support.

Project Description

Collective Lens is an online photography publication that promotes awareness and education of both domestic and international humanitarian needs through photography and visual media. We will be accepting photographic essays beginning March 15th thru April 16th. Photographic essays should include 8 to 15 photos that depict a social or humanitarian concern relevant to today’s society. Accepted essays will serve as an educational tool to intrigue the public and encourage individuals to become involved. Amateur photographers are encouraged to submit. Please see the submission guidelines at www.collectivelens.com
for more details.