Exploring Identity: Teen Voices brings diverse adolescent peers together where each can celebrate their own ethnic – racial identity by learning digital storytelling, connecting with each other in a cross-cultural exchange, and educating the community at large about social acceptance.
Pittsburgh Family Liberation seeks to foster a community of mutual aid, family empowerment, self-advocacy, and community-based participatory defense for families dealing with the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth, and Families. We empower families to advocate for themselves through political and systems-navigation training, peer-to-peer support networks, and systems accompaniment and advocacy. We look to disrupt the historically racist and classist tenants of the family policing system while building thriving, interconnected communities in which families are supported, children are given autonomy, and accountability can be fostered. The goal of our project is to build a network of people creating a system of mutual aid and fighting against all systems causing oppression.
We create a space where families affected by CYF can: meet and discuss their cases; help each other better understand the systems they are navigating and the language of those systems; help each other address resource needs that are hindering case resolution; offer practical help, like transportation to visitation, accompaniment to medical appointments, or even help moving from one home to another; accompany each other to court, meeting with lawyers, social workers, and other systems professionals, in order to document and help navigate these often fraught interactions; provide emotional support and debriefing during what is an extremely painful and stressful experience for families; and create a deep community of care and resistance that not only advocates for each other but celebrates each other in our victories, both small and large.
What is Drone Soccer?
Drone soccer is a thrilling indoor team sport played with radio-controlled quadcopters in protective
exoskeletons designed for collisions. Five-player teams face off in a netted arena where they ram and
block the opposing team to prevent them from scoring. Before pilots can compete, they must first learn
to build, code, fly, and repair high-performance drones, gaining engineering skills towards exciting
careers in aviation.
Drone soccer is the only educational robotics competition that is also an internationally sanctioned team
sport. U.S. Drone Soccer products and training services help schools adopt aerospace career pathways
with classroom enrichment programs as well as after-school teams. U.S. Drone Soccer is headquartered
in the “Olympic City, USA” of Colorado Springs, Colorado, along with more than 60 national and
international sporting agencies. Drone soccer continues to grow in the US and is now officially
recognized as a STEM.org accredited educational experience.
Our Plan
We plan to augment existing STEM programs at Pittsburgh area schools by introducing drone soccer,
which allows for additional programming for students to participate in a team-oriented sport,
potentially engaging youth who have not found traditional robotics or esports programs appealing.
Drone Soccer is an equal opportunity activity for all and can increase enrollment of underrepresented
populations, including minorities, girls, and individuals within the disability population, in aviation and
STEM.
Drone piloting requires the following skills: the ability to think in 3D, strong concentration skills, the
ability to remain calm under pressure, IT skills, math skills, the ability to make quick decisions in
emergencies, give accurate instructions, and accept considerable responsibility. The skills developed in a
program incorporating drone operation are transferable to various settings in the fast-changing future
workforce.
Drone soccer is being used as a fun way to get students involved in a STEM activity while gaining all of
the benefits and skills that come from a team sport and environment. The program includes building,
coding, and flying the drone – all aspects are covered, and when in competition, whether at a club or
league level, the students will need to troubleshoot and repair their drones to get back into the
competition.
The Future
The program will eventually provide a path of learning for students to apply and test for their FAA 107
drone piloting license. This opportunity will open many potential employment options, from
photography and videography to infrastructure inspection services, first responder drone systems, and
many other industries that could benefit from the use of drones. We have a vision to impact and change
the life trajectory of students and families within western Pennsylvania and beyond!
The Awakening is a poignant reflection of a condition deeply ingrained in African American families, where young men, swayed by peer influence, veer into violence. Written by local playwright Lorenzo Boone, The Awakening delves into the life of Jason, a young man caught in the grip of gang influence and struggling to find a way out. Set against the backdrop of an African American community, the play explores Jason’s intense pressures and choices as he battles between loyalty to his gang and the love of his family through a journey of self-discovery and redemption, offering a powerful message of hope and the possibility of change.
Sponsors enable us to provide free tickets to at-risk youth and their parents, build community partnerships, and offer sustainable models where playwriting is a catalyst for social change. Please consider one of the sponsorship packages in the document linked below:
If you have any questions about the sponsorship packages, please contact Lorenzo Boone, CEO, at 724-624-2527, or lorenzoboone@gmail.com.
Gold Pyramid recognizes the importance of low-income and at-risk youth to attend arts and cultural events and believes that our work is crucial to shifting the narrative without our communities. Through your generosity, we will have a profound impact on our youth by providing an option for them to attend for free. It is our hope that their experience at one of our productions will change lives and save lives.
Founded in 2016, Gold Pyramid Screen and Stage LLC works to produce screenplays, stage plays and teleplays that will instill pride in African American ancestry, motivate real change, and provide insights that will deeply move an audience.
Gold Pyramid also provides training and employment opportunities that would not otherwise exist or be available for our community including opportunities for African American writers, actors, and technicians.
Since 2016, Gold Pyramid has been supported out of pocket and the occasional generosity of private donors. Please consider making a recurring or one-time charitable donation through our recent partnership with New Sun Rising by clicking the link below.
Our mission is to support women and caregivers in the Greater Pittsburgh area who have experienced trauma or loss around childbirth, and foster a culture of love and connection through collaborative songwriting.
We host group and individual songwriting workshops and community concerts, where we explore the hopes, fears, dreams, and challenges of parenthood through song.
Our goal is for these musical experiences to serve as a grounding point for families, one that improves the mental health of the parent and the linguistic, social, and emotional development of the child, thereby improving the health of the entire family.
Since our beginning in 2022, we have worked closely with Dr. Tracey Vogel, an obstetric anesthesiologist at Allegheny Health Network, and have developed additional partnerships with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas, the MAYA Organization, Maddie’s GEMs, and other local nonprofits. We are a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
You can watch a video overview of our project here.
To learn more about Lullaby Project Pittsburgh, you can visit us at lullabypgh.com. If your organization is interested in partnering with us, please email Claire at lullabypgh@gmail.com.
2024-2025 Sponsorship PacketA gift of $50 will provide lunch at one of our workshops, so our participants can have the time they need to create, reflect, and recharge during a songwriting session.
A gift of $150 allows a family to create their own personal lullaby. A lullaby is worth a thousand moments of love and safety for a child, and helps parent and child bond for a lifetime.
A gift of $250 will make one group songwriting session possible! These playful workshops are an abbreviated take on our traditional sessions where up to six families explore music and create one song all together.
A gift of $500 will make an entire month of our educational outreach programs possible! These programs are opportunities for young children to explore and play with music in a warm environment, developing crucial emotional and social skills.
A gift of $1,000 will make our traditional songwriting session experience possible for six families in the Pittsburgh area. The songwriting workshop allows participants to not only create their own personalized lullabies, but to bond with other parents by sharing stories with one another.
A gift of any amount is greatly appreciated. No gift is too small! Thank you for supporting new mothers and families in Pittsburgh.
Arts Excursions Unlimited is a grassroots community arts project in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Hazelwood. Approximately, 150 community members of all ages collaborate on the planning and implementation of arts and cultural excursions in the region and beyond, creative activities for community events and festivals throughout the city, and temporary public art projects. We’ve been going strong since 2015.
Established in 2022, the West View Urban Farm is the first of its kind in the borough. Led by a group of community volunteers, the farm is an opportunity to grow fresh, healthy food, build community, and provide for those in need. The farm is the site of the Casper Reel cabin, which was completed in 1794. The property is the ancestral lands of the Iroquois, as well as the Shawnee and Lenape. We acknowledge their forcible removable from their ancestral home and work to honor the ancestral stewards of this land as we farm and create community on this site.
Maude’s is creating community space for LGBTQIA+ folx in Millvale and beyond! Our goal is to support members of the LGBTQIA+ community on their individual journeys of healing and growth while also fostering community connection. Through events like Queer Coven, Found Family, Queer Prom, and Sober Sundays, we hold space for individuals who crave connection and haven’t yet been able to find a support system that fits their needs and wants. We support the trans and nonbinary community specifically by offering space for exploring gender in a safe and uplifting environment. We want our community to thrive and are honored to be able to create space for them to do so.
PBH Affinity Circles was designed in 2017 and realized in 2022. Our program is meticulously crafted to offer personalized support, comprehensive training, and valuable resources, cultivating an environment of resilience, healing, and equitable wellness. Placed-Based Healing Circles program aims to prepare support communities to take advantage of supportive opportunities while establishing a place-based opportunity zone that is geographically local and has the resources to create pathways to family-sustaining careers.
Our Mission:
To support the improvement of individuals quality of life and foster equitable access to holistic wellness by providing support, training, and capacity building.
Our Vision:
We envision a community of empowered individuals who can achieve their fullest potential through accessible and inclusive pathways to prosperity and collective growth.
Youth in urban communities often think there are only two ways out: athletics or working the streets. And most schools in these communities do not offer career training and exposure in tech-related fields. Beta Builders helps to address systemic issues by raising the consciousness of youth towards healthier, more sustainable pathways for employment and wealth-building.
Find out how you can get involved!
SolarPunk Future 2024: Shaping a Brighter, Sustainable Tomorrow
SolarPunk Future returns to Pittsburgh in 2024, bringing you an evening full of interactive art, innovation, and sustainability. This event is part interactive art show and part job fair, designed to inspire a collective vision of a greener, more sustainable future. Join us for captivating performances, engaging exhibits, mesmerizing art installations, and thought-provoking discussions. It’s an opportunity for all ages and backgrounds to explore the possibilities of a sustainable future. Organized by a consortium of esteemed organizations, SolarPunk Future aims to provide a hopeful alternative to the climate challenges we face. Stay tuned for updates and mark your calendar for this exciting event in the heart of Pittsburgh.
Our Vision is to train Community mentors who will teach at-risk youth to fish at local lakes and build our community one kid, one fish, and one family at a time. Strengthening family relationships through fishing will impact the issues of today with great future benefits.
Our Mission is to restore Inner-city lakes for fishing so youth in the urban community will progress mentally, socially and physically. Fishing is a great educational tool.
Our Goal is for urban youth in Pennsylvania to have fishing opportunities.