TPP grantees demonstrate and capture the beauty of placing matters into the hands of the community and how to reconfigure present and future moments with the resources and opportunities that currently exist. Taking charge of the current moment is how to create future possibilities. No action, word or emotion is lost. TPP grantees understand this sentiment and apply intentionality and mindfulness in the experiences they create, the ideas they foster and the people they interact with. They have a desire to consciously commune and an appetite for innovation. Enjoy the below individuals and group projects that affect the motion of the earth!
Francis Manguya – Stinging Nettle Majic Project – SNMP
Stinging Nettle Majic Project – SNMP – project in Western Kenya engages local farmers to establish stinging nettle plantations on poor soils with low soil fertility and non-arable steep slopes, where farming rarely takes place. Stinging nettles produce sustainable clothing through dying. Coupled with its medicinal and fungicide purposes and small scale farmers are also afforded opportunities to boost their environment and income.
In addition, stinging nettle contributes to environmental conservation, which is something that inspires individuals. Furthermore, it covers crops that prevent soil erosion, water run offs, and conserves biodiversity through offering homes for certain animals and insect species. A grant from The Pollination Project will provide the needed resources to propel this project to the next level.
Micro Galleries – Disrupting Climate Disruption: Global Day Of Creative Action
Tired of the inaction, Micro Galleries has started a new movement: A global day of creative action in response to one of the biggest threats of this generation. On the 21 September, to coincide with the U.N Climate Summit and Youth Climate Summit 2019, Micro Galleries will have artists all over the world – from Kenya to Gaza, to Australia to the Philippines – mobilising within communities to develop, present and document a public, creative response to climate disruption.
The works will span across all practices such as murals, installations, music, movement, and projection art – with a particular focus on the involvement of creatives from those in climate vulnerable countries. They are providing an accessible and engaging creative platform to create space for more voices, perceptions and interpretations. This will ignite more ideas and exposure about solutions, adaptations, and mitigation strategies that are taking place using technology and diverse cultural, and traditional.
The process and public response will be documented and captured online to be part of a virtual exhibition, and form the basis of a micro documentary. This project will culminate with a virtual conference involving participating artists and organisations. Climate Disruption art will transform the biggest threat to our existence into a cultural reality, and a participatory medium. So, on 21 September, while people sit in rooms discussing the urgency of slow change, Micro Galleries will be all over the world, creating small change with urgency!
Afriknit Dolls, Meshack And Susan – Afriknit Dolls
Susan, a professional tailor, and her husband Meshack discovered that their drainage systems and surrounding environments were littered with rugs and plastic papers and bottles. Much of the other wastes were being picked up for recycling, however rugs and cut-offs were not. As a result, this contributed to extreme environmental pollution and blockage of drainage systems. Together, they were inspired to make a difference.
They hope to reduce physical fabric waste that is released into the environment and smoke that is emitted into the atmosphere from burning rugs and waste fabric. They are creating dolls from African wear cut offs fabric with African hair styles to help spread the African culture and heritage throughout the world. They are able to convert what is considered waste fabric into dolls to keep the community clean while showing tribute to their community. In the future they will use volunteers and create a youth support center.
Their target clients for the dolls are schools, church Sunday schools, hospital therapy departments, salons which can use the dolls for braiding lessons, parents with young children, supermarkets, and children’s homes. The seed grant will help with purchasing materials, an embroidery machine and allow more people to work at the same time.
Fire Ventures – Freedom In Restorative Justice And Entrepreneurship
There is an unprecedented economic crisis facing system-impacted families in the nation. The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, creating the largest population of system-impacted families globally. Over half of incarcerated people have at least one child under the age of 18 while serving their sentence in prison. There is a moral responsibility to address the economic injustice system-impacted families face in prison and the economy. Mass incarceration is an economic issue now more than ever before in history.
National efforts to end mass incarceration through restorative justice must also begin including innovative economic solutions for system-impacted families. Fire Ventures is building pathways towards freedom in restorative justice and entrepreneurship. They are building a network of entrepreneurs to champion economic and restorative justice for system-impacted families. They are driving transformative solutions to end mass incarceration with bold and innovative ventures and hope to restore the economic wellbeing of system-impacted families.
ABLE 365 – ABLE 365: Don’t Dis My Ability
ABLE 365 will be a place where all abilities can participate in a community of fellowship, acceptance, and love. ABLE 365’s equipment is manufactured and/or modified for individuals with physical and/or cognitive ailments such as wheelchair users, amputees, individuals with cerebral palsy, autism, and/or spina bifida. The entire layout of both the exterior and interior of the facility will accommodate the aforementioned providing more than just a space in the parking lot or a button on the door.
ABLE 365 derived from an obsession for fitness and the joy of helping others achieve physical goals, that they previously deemed impossible. Every so often when training clients, Antonio Fore would notice individuals within the “Differently-abled” community putting forth an effort to participate in physical fitness. However, there seemed to always be a discouraging barrier implemented by space, the equipment accessibility, and/or lack thereof. Both inspiration and frustration propelled him to research and become hands to provide an option that would cater to the “handi-capable”.
The differently-abled community is both vast and widespread. Being diagnosed disabled is not limited or restricted to any age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. With such a huge population why are they overlooked within the area of physical fitness? Unfortunately many individuals don’t consider the daily plights of the differently-abled, only becoming effected if they’re affected in some shape or form. This is why there is a need for ABLE 365. Currently to try to combat the absence thereof, Antonio transports mobile equipment to handi-capable clients in addition to creating the viral campaign/challenge #amillion4amillion.
If anything is taken from the movement, besides the obvious to create a state of the art facility for the differently-abled, ABLE 365 wants to spread awareness in the absence of options for physical fitness independency within the handi-capable community. This is why the grant from The Pollination Project will be such a vital addition to the development of ABLE 365. It will allow them to acquire 501(c)3 status and become eligible for potential philanthropic and government funding, as well as more exposure. If the financial projection is completed, and Antonio has to spend the next 20 odd years completing the reps himself, he still wants no recognition. ABLE 365 is a vision he was blessed with but the victory will belong to the differently-abled.
Tamara Block And Chris Bentleyu – Outreach Brochures
Wings for Widows empowers widows to gain control over their finances to smooth the transition from heartbreak and loss to a future of hope and possibility. They offer free counseling with a volunteer financial advisor and other volunteer widows to help wade through the financial and legal steps they may encounter in the first year of being a widow. The outreach brochures are used to spread and share these services to their communities and beyond.
Youth Potential South Africa – YOUPSA – Words Can Change Worlds Literacy Program
Youth Potential South Africa – YOUPSA – is an education non-profit that paves the way to awaken the creativity, potential, and purpose of South African youth. They partner with disadvantaged rural schools and farms in the Gamtoos Valley area, Eastern Cape Province, impacting over 900 disadvantaged children, their communities, school principals and teachers.
South Africa has a literacy crisis with 80% of grade 4 children not able to read for meaning. At the age of 13, 58% are completely illiterate. Imagine not being able to read a medication label, the ATM, the phone, a road sign, a voting ballot. Without being able to read, people fall behind academically and struggle to economically contribute to society. The children that YOUPSA works with are from farm workers’ families and grow up in very poor circumstances with hardly any educational opportunities. They have almost no access to books yet would love to read. When they recieve books and read stories together, they are absolutely over the moon and can’t stop reading!
To improve literacy in the poor villages, an innovative intervention outside of the school context is urgently needed. YOUPSA’s Mobile Village Library and Reading Clubs program gives children the chance to read what they love. It provides a platform outside of school for young people to experience reading, learning, listening, researching and discussing. A Mobile Village Library consists of a strong carrier bag containing 30+ beautiful and exciting books for all ages, plus a lending register. This book bag can be taken from village to village, from home to home. Children can gather together to read and form a Village Reading Club. An important aspect of the club is the focus on reading for enjoyment, allowing children to choose what they love to read.
As Co-Founder of this organization, Ray Schöne is passionate about giving disadvantaged children the opportunity to learn to be creative, to think, solve problems and envision a future. The idea for the Words Can Change Worlds Literacy Program was formed when some of the village children approached Ray and asked for books to read. A few weeks later Ray was so touched when they gave their enthusiastic feedback about the stories they read.
This Pollination Project seed grant will allow YOUPSA to start the Mobile Village Library and Reading Club program, providing the children with the literacy materials and environment where they can access new worlds and grow.
