New Roots for Refugees

inspiremedianu — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:07:31 +0000

Check out this inspiring article in today’s New York Times! Across the country, community farms dedicated to refugees are being established in a variety of towns and cities. Community initiatives such as this help with the transition as more and more refugees attempt to integrate into American society.

MOVE. EAT. LEARN.

inspiremedianu — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:11:05 +0000

It’s Time to Express Yourself

inspiremedianu — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:28:02 +0000

From vibrant and colorful designs to etched on sneakers or a piece entitled Vomiting Tree, Sharpie is encouraging users to express themselves in every way possible. In an advertising campaign that focuses on interactive strategies, Sharpie is urging users to “uncap what’s inside” – reminding people that there is no limit to their creativity.

Sharpie’s campaign is an example of inspiring media in more ways than one. While it might come with a hefty $12 million price tag, the campaign is user friendly and innovative. Sharpie aims to reach consumers by harnessing the power of many types of media including video, Internet, text, audio, and interactive artwork. It will take over YouTube on August 27th to display what users have created.

What might be most exciting, as a recent article in the New York Times focused on, is Sharpie’s ability to to emphasize self expression. One of the campaign’s challenges is “start anything you want.” Do you accept?

One Day

inspiremedianu — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:01:43 +0000

Have you ever had one of those days? You’re running from class, to meetings, to events, to study groups and you feel like you can’t possibly fit one more thing in the day?

Well think about that day in the context of the rest of the world.

That’s exactly what filmmaker Kyle Ruddick did. He organized a massive collaborative filming, where he asked people from all over the world to roll their cameras and expose their lives over a 24 hour period, October 10, 2010. His goal? To document the “human experience” in the big picture.

What started out as a great idea grew into an international community effort. Over 10,000 people submitted footage, and Kyle spent hours in post-production editing the final product.

This film not only gives us a glimpse of life around the world, but reminds us that everyone has a story. So next time you’re feeling crazed and overwhelmed, remember, you are not alone.

Click here to check out the project’s website and watch the movie trailer.

Burn Baby Burn

inspiremedianu — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 05:00:33 +0000

If your house was burning, what would you take with you? This simple question is the basis to The Burning House Blog, a collection of photographs and statements by regular people – from a 27-year-old graphic designed in Italy, a 19-year-old Israeli poet to a mom from Florida. Photography as media is incredibly striking and this is a pure example that delves deep into the soul of people across the world. Some items are practical – a passport, eyeglasses and a computer hard drive. Others are more sentimental – old journals and photographs or trinkets with significance only to the owner. Why bring your broken cell phone? But that is the beauty of it.

The site describes it’s purpose as a sort of “interview condensed into one question.” It reveals a person’s passion, priorities and personality. It makes them somewhat vulnerable, all the more intriguing and ultimately, inspiring.

It All Ends. Or Does It?

inspiremedianu — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:07:56 +0000

Thank you, Harry Potter.

Harry Potter has cast a spell on our generation. We have been fascinated since the first book was published fourteen years ago, and remained enraptured up until July 15, 2011 when thousands of people across the country crowded into movie theaters for the midnight release of the final movie. Many have called the release of Part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the “end of an era,” and for some the “end of childhood.” It’s a worldwide phenomena, a wild ride fascinating audiences young and old, transfiguring what literature and storytelling means. The movie itself is emotionally and visually thrilling, but for some, the real magic is in what comes next.

In a special contribution to CNN, Andrew Slack, president of The Harry Potter Alliance, a non-profit organization seeking “to apply the lessons learned and inspiration from the Harry Potter books to everyday life,” speaks on the gratitude, the adventures and the reality that Harry Potter created. His organization is seeking to destroy “seven real world horcruxes.” Under the tagline, ‘We are the Weapon,’ The HPA is beginning an “epic journey” against child slavery, illiteracy, bullying, the dementor horcrux (looking at depression, low self-esteem and other emotional challenges), starvation wages, the body bind horcrux (about body image) and the climate crisis.

Media like Harry Potter inspires us. Stories of adventure and love, of good versus evil and standing up for what you believe in. It’s no surprise that the boy wizard with the green eyes and lightening shaped scar – the one who brought us together for so many years and captivated a generation – is leading us to do some good. It’s not really the end of an era after all, because we have the chance to keep the magic alive.

‎”When I’m 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I’ll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, “After all this time?” And I will say, “Always.” – Alan Rickman

Inspire’s Film Grant teasers

inspiremedianu — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:05:05 +0000

Inspire gives out a film grant every year, and last year’s recipients produced a documentary about the Native Americans at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Check out some of their awesome teasers!

Post-Dillo Inspiration

inspiremedianu — Sun, 29 May 2011 21:27:54 +0000

Too sleepy to do actual school work after Dillo Day? Check out this documentary about how a culinary class in high school changed the lives of public school students! Inspiring! (and it’s on Netflix Instant play….)

Biking for Change

inspiremedianu — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:49:40 +0000

Here at Inspire, we all love biking around campus. It’s fast, efficient, and what’s a better midday pick-me-up than the feeling of the wind in your hair as you whiz by all of the slow-moving traffic on Sheridan?
Back home in St. Louis, MO, biking is never an option. There are no bike racks, torn up sidewalks, and the simple expectation that you drive anywhere you need to go. The unfortunate truth is that many cities have the same problem.
BUT there is hope! Many cities are implementing a new eco-friendly system known as bike sharing. Participants can pick up a bike at a bike station, and drop them off at another near their destination.
Check out b-cycle, a national chain of bike sharing networks here. You can check out their Chicago locations, and even petition to bring it to your hometown!

It’s time to b-reak the cylce and save the world!

Bombay Flying Club

inspiremedianu — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:22:53 +0000

If a picture is worth a thousand words, as the old cliché says, then the beautiful photojournalistic work of the Bombay Flying Club is worth a couple million. A Danish media collective, the Bombay Flying Club tells untold stories — like those of street children in Romania and those of suicides in Belfast — and tells them through stunning photographs.