Project Innovate: Social Entrepreneur Incubator for Youth

Chattanooga is the entrepreneurship capital of the Southeast, right? Well what about the underprivileged youth? We definitely need more. Project Innovate will empower underserved youth with social entrepreneurship skills to create solutions to problems that their communities face. Students will develop their own ideas for a product or program addressing the issue they choose and will pitch it to a panel of community leaders. The top 3 projects will be awarded $400 dollars each for implementation. Add in refreshments, supplies and marketing and you have our $2,050 grant to fund this winter 2017 event.

Who is making this happen? Anjali Chandra (Seriously, click her name and read a paragraph about her). At 11 she created the non-profit GlobalEXCEL with a mission to equip underprivileged youth with the resources and skillsets they need for a healthy, financially secure future. Like whoa. In December 2013 she won an UNFoundation grant for a program called PowerIt Up, you can read all about how much Mayor Berke loved it here. When she accomplished this feat she was a junior in high school. Today she attends Harvard. Yes, the Harvard.

Forest Kindergarten: Winter Gear

Forest Kindergarten is an early childhood education model that allows children to learn in and through the natural environment. 20 kids at Red Bank Elementary are lucky enough to be a part of this phenomenon right now in its inaugural year. Similar to the original German model where 100% of class time is spent outdoors, this model is a bit different with 2.5 hours each day spend outside. While outside, students will have the opportunity to practice the content that has been taught in the classroom through their own exploration.

Now that you know what it is, I bet you're wondering how we helped? Winter gear. Waterproof gloves, wool socks, warm hats, gaiters. The UNFoundation, warming hearts and hands. 

PLAY Chattanooga: Police and FIrefighters Coach Flag Football

PLAY Chattanooga discovered that by changing the relationship between law-enforcement and inner-city youth through sports, we can transform lives in Chattanooga. With several events under their belts they applied for a grant to fund a Spring Flag Football league. Lead by our local police officers and firefighters, kids will be lead to make great life choices, develop leadership characteristics and transform the perception of law enforcement in their communities.

What will the money go towards? PLAY Chattanooga plans to use the money to pay their dedicated coaches and referees. Funds will also be used for equipment such as cleats, league apparel, and travel to compete with out-of-town teams. Our $1,500 grant was matched 50% (another $750 for you math challenged friends) by Causeway, so in total the impact for PLAY is $2,250. Want to help? You can! DONATE HERE. 

Toyvention: An Adaptive Learning Toy Workshop

The Enterprise Center, in an effort to show off the new Edney Building have fueled something amazing. 225 toys were hacked to help disabled children of Chattanooga. Partnering with Signal Centers, Art/Dev, and PEF, The Edney Center hosted a day-long workshop to adapt new electronic toys for use by children with disabilities. During the workshop, volunteers took the toys apart, install adapted switches on them and then reconstructed them.  All 225 toys at the November 12 Toyvention workshop have been hacked and will quickly be placed in the toy lending library of Signal Centers, making them available for holiday distribution to families of children with disabilities.

The UNFoundation grant played a role in purchasing toys for this event. Even though our grant couldn't fund the entire project we were so pumped to be part of this inspiring and heartfelt project.

Anti-Gang Weekly Mentor Program Books

Raised in Chattanooga, for 18 years Chris Newby was a high ranking member of one of the most violent gangs in Chattanooga and America, the Vice Lords. Working with him is Reginald Peck, a former member of the Bloods. They have created a weekly mentor program through Fathers to the Fatherless for what Orchard Knob, Tyner, and Brainerd call their most high risk students. They have 20 students at each of the schools- half boys and half girls. Meeting for 1 hour during the school day every week for the whole school year they are running programs on conflict resolution, negotiation skills, self confidence, positive collaboration and communication.

Sounds pretty amazing, right? What do they need? Books. We will be purchasing 4 books for each student. These aren't just any books, these are relevant and highly sought after books (we know because one of our trustees is a librarian). On the docket to read is The Skin I'm In, Tears of a Tiger, Monster, and Bronx Masquerade. The goal? To create a love for reading that comes from books chosen just for them.

Brainerd Farmers Market Double SNAP

Since 2009 the Brainerd Farmers’ Market (BFM) has been providing a platform for fresh, healthy, local food each Saturday from 10am to noon. The Market began to accept SNAP funds from patrons receiving food assistance in 2012 and has, thanks to grant funds and individual donations, matched dollar-for-dollar what SNAP patrons can spend at the market with the "Double SNAP" program. What does this mean? Use your food stamps at the market to buy $40 worth of groceries and instead get $80 worth of groceries.

Our $1,500 should sustain Double SNAP through the end of the regular market season on December 3rd. We are so proud to help bring fresh food to those that might otherwise not have access to it. 

The Passage: A mobile learning classroom

Hardy Elementary School is the proud new owner of a used short bus that is being converted into their new mobile classroom. Once tricked out and put into use this educational tool will be called The Passage. At the helm of The Passage is Colleen Ryan and Brittany Harris, teachers at Hardy. The kind of teachers you hope your child gets when they go to school. This was their idea. And they are going to volunteer their time to make a difference. And other teachers and volunteers as well. The Passage will help parents learn essential and effective strategies with their student and a teacher together. Their goal? Have 90% of third grade students reading on grade level.

They already had the bus, so how did we help? Oh you know, little things like Chromebooks, mobile wifi, a generator, a compressor, and some other supplies. We are pumped to fund applications from do gooders like Brittany and Colleen trying to make a difference in the education of our kids. Rock on, ladies.

East CHA Makers - 3D Printing/Modeling on Glass St

East Chattanooga Makers lives on Glass St just down the road from Hardy Elementary School. The space is designed to be a kid friendly environment to foster creativity and learning using technologies typically not available in the neighborhood. Spearheaded by Ron Fabela, ECM will be open every week for 'free learning' time and in the future have milestone based projects where they bring together multiple sub-skills to work a community project. The UNFoundation turned up the dial on it just a tad. Our grant will provide 3D printers along with some necessary filament to kickstart more technology adventures. 3D printing and modeling will have an immediate impact on the kids in the neighborhood. Engaging our youth is paramount. When sports, art or reading aren't for you, maybe this will be.

Imagine a technology center in East Chattanooga. Whoa. It's happening folks.