David Lynch’s foundation reportedly is offering $1 million in scholarships for students who want to study meditation at a university in Iowa. Although best known for his dark, disturbing films like Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet, Eraserhead and The Elephant Man, Lynch is also a huge supporter of Transcendental Meditation. His foundation is helping students study special meditation techniques taught at the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. America has more than enough war colleges promoting the science of destruction. The nation urgently needs at least one university to teach the science of peace and to actually promote peace in the world, Lynch said on his Web site.

Cardboard Citizens changes the lives of homeless and displaced people through theatre and the performing arts.

Mission:
- Present plays performed by homeless and displaced people, to share experiences and problem-solve together.

- Work in partnership to widen the reach of the company’s work and underpin its support for participants.

- Make theatre for general audiences so a wider public can share in the company’s learning and understanding of the issues faced by homeless people.

- Enable excluded people to develop skills and confidence through projects and workshops.

- Meet the practical needs of homeless and displaced people, supporting them in matters of housing, education, employment, health, career and personal development.

Vision:
- Cardboard Citizens strives to be a world leader in its field, creating great theatre that makes a real and positive difference to our society and those living on its margins.

- They know that theatre can be a catalyst for change, growth and learning for participants and audiences.

- They are working to further develop theatre projects in and out of hostels for a wide range of audiences, focussed on the lives of homeless and displaced people.

- They will be supporting people in diverse ways, helping homeless people to play their part in the world, and society to understand how life is lived on the margins.

- Their ambition is to enable every hostel resident in London to be able to access the company’s work, as audience or participant.

- And to offer all homeless or displace people who become involved with the company individual help and support.

- They will produce theatre-based and site-specific productions on a regular and sustainable basis, telling stories of the excluded.

- Every audience member at a Cardboard Citizens show will learn about issues affecting the displaced and homeless people they work with.

- The company will be fully engaged in national and international networks, where appropriate joining in alliances and campaigns to bring unheard voices to the fore. 

- All their partners, peers and friends will have the opportunity to share best practice, knowledge, skills and expertise, and to travel further with us on Cardboard Citizens’ future journey.

http://cardboardcitizens.org.uk/p1.html

The British DJ & MC Academy is a fresh, innovative, youth arts social enterprise that has been set up since February 2008, starting from an eight-week course with just five students. Now, more than 2,000 young people have now been involved and the Academy is having an impact on the estates and communities of the streets of London.

DJ Trickles (Krissy Simms) & Lady MC (Kerry O’Brien), both award nominees and artists for fourteen years, who have hosted their own radio show on the award winning Kool FM started the Academy. They worked together for five years and decided to set-up the academy to help other young artists who find it hard to get into the business. As the organisation developed, the duo realised that music was a huge engagement tool to capture young people who may be at risk from negative activities and going down the wrong path. They music to guide young people back into education, training or simply by offering positive activities to express emotions and to be used as a positive channel deterring reactive behaviour and attitudes.

The academy is now working in partnership with two colleges, the top three housing associations in the UK, seven boroughs across London and over ten youth organisations and charities targeting young people aged 11-25 of all ethnic backgrounds, who are not in education or training. Youth can take part in workshops and accreditations up-to BTEC and NVQ Level 4. The courses offered range from radio presenting, music production, positive lyrical writing to drama and dance workshops.

The Academy is unique because we guarantee on-going support in any area of young people’s lives through partnership organisations, who work as referrals to offer sustainability using the courses as a stepping stone. The academy is supported by KAM and RWD Magazine, which offer free materials for the young people and features in the magazine. In return, people perform at their events such as the Plasa Exhibition 2008 and Notting Hill Carnival.

http://www.djandmcacademy.com/