:Vocalo.org

I am a musician. I don't make money in the music business (except teaching here and there) but I know it's my calling in life and therefore I say I am a musician. I write songs, compose music and record and produce my own stuff.

RAWR stands for Radical Awesome Writers Resisting. RAWR redefines what kind of story is important and what kind of story is beautiful, what resilience means, and what storytelling can do.

YouMedia [yoo me•de•a] noun 1. A new social learning space @ the Harold Washington Library Center designed specifically for teens, filled with the latest digital media technology.

Project FOCUS, founded in 2006, is a grass-roots initiative of artists, writers, activists, young professionals, and students bound by a common purpose: to educate, inspire, and empower local communities in Southwestern Uganda and the United States. Our work in Uganda extends beyond material support and touches upon the human need to share and reflect on personal experiences with others. Through creative collaboration, personal narratives and exhibition, we hope to support community-initiated programs, actively combat social apathy, and reveal the common humanity within two seemingly different worlds.

http://medillmatters.org, As part of the Chicago Public Schools Renaissance 2010 initiative, Joseph Medill Elementary, in spite of its educational improvements over the last few years, will be closing at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. It will be consolidated into nearby school, John M. Smyth Elementary. Why is this happening? How will it affect the community? How will it affect Medill’s student body? Can good come from this reality? Medill Matters, is an audio documentary created by Medill students with the goal of exploring these questions and expressing their opinions about their school’s closing. 3 Medill junior high students, armed with audio recorders, are participating in a 14-week intensive audio documentary course where they are learning the skills necessary to share their answers to these questions in a meaningful way. It is also an opportunity for them to realize that what they think matters. Student participant Larnell Love puts it this way, “We may not be able to do anything about our school closing, but maybe our story can do something for other schools.” Their audio documentary will be completed before Medill closes its doors and distributed to every family that sends their children to Medill. You can and should hear their stories as well. This project has brought story and opportunity into 3 student's lives and they hope it brings attention to the real effects of changes in the Chicago Public School system. We invite you to explore why Medill Matters. http://medillmatters.org