This week we funded stories and soul around the world. From Kandace Vallejo's Youth Rise Texas project that works with children of incarcerated parents, to Tracie Pouliot's Chair City Oral History project that tells the stories of a working class community in Massachusetts, we are proud to highlight voices that aren't often heard. To all of our grantees this week: congratulations on your hard work, your perseverance and dedication to a world that works for all. Here's who we funded this week at The Pollination Project :
Upcycled Waste Restores City Square in Belles-Anse, Haiti. Alexandra Pierre's project, Upcycling for a Public Square, is inspiring residents of Belles-Anse, Haiti, to restore and rebuild their city's historic central plaza in a creative eco-friendly way. With the help of local non-profits Alexandra is organizing workshops to educate residents about the importance of proper waste management. Following the workshops, Alexandra will organize a citizen-led clean-up campaign. She and her team will use the non-biodegradable materials they collect for the creation of an artistic installation in the newly renovated square.
Empowering Youth Affected by Parental Incarceration and Deportation in Austin, TX. Kandace Vallejo is the founder of Youth Rise Texas, an organization working to empower youth of color who have been impacted by parental incarceration and deportation. Through their "Young People Waging Resistance" (YPWR) summer internship, Youth Rise Texas provides 5 local teens with volunteer positions at organizations working on pressing social issues like inequality, immigration, and mass incarceration. Throughout the program, participants are tasked with assembling oral histories on the impacts of parental incarceration. The stories they collect will ultimately be incorporated into a youth-led monologue series.
First-Aid Relief for Residents in Rural Nepal. Meagan Cain is a current Pollination Project granteewho lives and works in Kumari, Nepal. Following the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, Meagan's has struggled. In the course of their reconstruction efforts, incidences of minor injuries have skyrocketed, leaving many local clinics overwhelmed and undersupplied. Through her newest project, Humanitarian Relief in Nepal, Meagan is providing local residents with the knowledge and supplies they need to support one another by equipping 100 families from the area with first aid training and medical/hygiene kits.
Preserving the Soul of Gardner, MA. Growing up in Gardner, MA Tracie Pouliot's community was predominantly linked to the manufacture of wooden furniture, an important aspect of the community's identity. Through her project, the Chair City Oral History Book Series and Community Arts Center, Tracie is collecting the stories of former furniture workers, community members, and public leaders for preservation in a book about the community's history. Over the next 12 months Tracie will assemble the book with the help of volunteers in the community's first Community Art Center.
Community Composting in Lira, Uganda. Through his project, the Lira Household Waste Management initiative, Angiro Felix is helping the residents of Lira, Uganda, transform their everyday household waste into a valuable commodity: compost. Angiro's program is already providing residents with educational workshops on the benefits of sorting household wastes. Additionally, over the next 12 months Angiro will establish five compost plants at sites throughout Lira, each of which will be staffed by local widows and orphans. Composted materials will be packaged and sold to support the community's ongoing waste management efforts.
Inspiring Global Community Through Online Cross-Cultural Exchange. Building Teju Adisa-Farrar created the website World Unwrapped to counteract the negativity of contemporary mass media by encouraging others to find beauty and inspiration in the world. World Unwrapped fosters global awareness and inspires social, cultural, and urban development by bringing people and their cultures together in one interactive, online space. Through her website, people from all over the globe will be able to share their music, stories, and projects while encouraging social change by highlighting solutions rather than problems.
Empowering Urban Youth in Long Beach, CA. Kehli Berry is the founder of 1-Shine Youth & Community Services (1-Shine), a community-based organization in Long Beach, CA. Through the 1-Shine Summer Leadership Camp, Kehli helps guide, challenge, and motivate students to become future leaders in their community by providing them with quality academic programming, service projects, and hands-on student activities. At this year's camp, Kehli is working with local educators and volunteers to empower over 100 local youth through activities designed to enhance their academic performance, athletic abilities, and artistic talents.
Do you know someone who would be a great candidate for one of our daily grants? We welcome grant applications from anyone, anywhere, at any time!