SVA Impact!: Week 2

SVA Impact!: Week 2

As the initial wonder and excitement of my first days in New York slowly escapes me (but I still walk around starry-eyed), this past week has managed to knock the stars out of my eyes.  I am here to work.

The term "intensive program" has really come to fruition.  We've identified our two projects (personal and team), continue to pursue client meetings, attend field trips, sit in multiple lectures, and somehow find time for the "suggested" reading (3 recommended books a week!).  I find myself at school nearly 10 hours of my day (not including the 1 hour commute each way) and by the time I get home I'm ready to collapse.  Not to mention that I try to make it out to the Bronx every chance I get to research our project and to generally hang out since I really love the group of people out there doing good things.

But this is why I came here.  I applied to be filled with information, listen to amazing guest lecturers, meet worldly like-minded individuals, and to be challenged in my own capabilities as a human being to make a difference in the world.  I asked for it and I got it.

I did however manage to find time to watch Inception at Times Square.  Amazing, but it made me think even more instead of help relax my mind!  But I guess that's what weekends are for!  Time to set aside "School Anna Mae" and bring out "Weekend Anna Mae!"

Concert: Raphael Saadiq & Aloe Blacc

Concert: Raphael Saadiq & Aloe Blacc

Finally had some free time on the weekend so what's the first thing I do, go to a free concert in Central Park. Raphael Saadiq was performing so I HAD to go! He is always so good live! It was soooooo hot out but I was surrounded by fantastic music and made some new friends!

For more photos, click here.

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

SVA Impact!: BLK Projek

SVA Impact!: BLK Projek

On a particularly hot Friday afternoon, my team and I made the trek out to South Bronx to meet with Tanya Fields of the BLK Projek. Her organization seeks to address food justice, public & mental health issues as they specifically relate to under served women of colour through culturally relevant education, beautification of public spaces, urban gardening and community programming.

Having a similar upbringing with issues of immigration, under served women of colour, and community involvement, I felt a very strong connection to use my skills to help this organization.

After speaking to Tanya at length about the current situation in Hunts Point (a low-income neighborhood of mostly a hispanic and black population), we took a short walking tour of the neighbourhood and was introduced to the other organizations working in the community such as the Majora Carter Group, the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, the POINT, and Mothers on the Move (MOM).

We then crammed into Tanya's hot van and drove around the industrial area that is dominated by the New York City Terminal Market, Hunts Point Cooperative Market, New Fulton Fish Market, Spofford Juvenile Centre, and the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Centre, an 800-bed barge currently used as part of the New York City Department of Corrections. It is designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells.

We will be sure to return again to talk to the people in the neighbourhood to find out their most pressing issues and how we can help them sustain their community.

BLK Projek
Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: charity : water

SVA Impact!: charity : water

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years.

We met with its founder, Scott Harrison, and learned how they help billions of people everyday. They start with one.

charity : water
Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: Class of 2010

SVA Impact!: Class of 2010

Meet the motley crew of worldwide do-gooders.

All photography and post-processing done by me!  Such a fun and creative photoshoot!

Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: Milton Glaser

SVA Impact!: Milton Glaser

The legendary Milton Glaser enlightened us with his extensive personal and professional experience with design and his view on what is a citizen's responsibility to culture.  His work has spanned decades; reflecting the social reforms and issues of their time.

Milton Glaser was awarded the National Medal of Arts on February 25, 2010. The award was presented by President Obama in the East Room of The White House.  Milton was the first designer to receive this honour.

Milton Glaser
Impact! Design for Social Change

 

SVA Impact!: Democracy Now!

SVA Impact!: Democracy Now!

We had the great privilege of watching a live broadcast of Democracy Now! and a tour of their beautiful space. So we met at 7:45am (this is 4:45am Vancouver time and I haven't adjusted yet so that's early!) and start our day with news about an anti-immigrant list targeting Latinos in Utah, how Arizona has become a laboratory not just for immigration policy, but a broad range of issues, global warming, and the melting Himalayan glaciers.

Democracy Now believes that for true democracy to work, people need easy access to independent, diverse sources of news and information.  But the last two decades have seen unprecedented corporate media consolidation. The U.S. media was already fairly homogeneous in the early 1980s: some fifty media conglomerates dominated all media outlets, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, music, publishing and film. In the year 2000, just six corporations dominated the U.S. media.

In addition, corporate media outlets in the U.S. are legally responsible to their shareholders to maximize profits.

And U.S. "public" media outlets accept funding from major corporations, as well as from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has attempted in the past to exert political and editorial influence on public news producers.

Democracy Now! is funded entirely through contributions from listeners, viewers, and foundations. They do not accept advertisers, corporate underwriting, or government funding. This allows them to maintain our independence.

We had the honour of having award-winning journalist Anne Goodman speak to us at length about Democracy Now and their future goals and endeavors for their organization including the constant need for increased awareness to independent news media and viewership.

Democracy Now!
Impact! Design for Social Change