idealist.org

Ami Dar...

... is the executive director of Action Without Borders / Idealist.org. He was born in Israel and grew up there and in Peru and Mexico. At 18, he was drafted into the Israeli army, where he served as a paratrooper in the Lebanese war of 1982. The misery and senseless destruction he saw in Lebanon, combined with the extreme poverty he had seen growing up in Latin America, led him to start Action Without Borders as an organization that would make it easier for people everywhere to take action on the issues that concern them. In 2000 the Stern Family Fund awarded Ami its annual $100,000 Public Interest Pioneer grant (renewed in 2001) to help support his work with AWB. In 2002, 2003, and 2004 the Nonprofit Times included Ami in its annual list of the 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector, and in the fall of 2004 Ashoka invited him to join its global fellowship of social entrepreneurs.

Stephanie Nyombayire...

... is a representative from the Genocide Intervention Network and a Rwandan student at Swarthmore College who has worked tirelessly to help end the genocide in Darfur. She speaks from experience, having endured the trauma of losing dozens of family members in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

In 2005, Stephanie was asked to introduce President Bill Clinton at the Campus Progress National Student Confernece on behalf of GI-Net. Highlighting Clinton's apology for the world's inaction during the Rwandan genocide, Nyombayire encouraged the audience to "always follow our words with action."

Also in 2005, Stephanie traveled to Darfurian refugee camps in Chad after she was denied entry to Sudan. Her trip, along with fellow students from Georgetown and Boston Universities, was documented in the film "Translating Genocide," which premiered on MTV on March 12, 2006.

...is the Founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based not-for-profit organization that is working to build an international interfaith youth movement devoted to religious pluralism. He is a weekly contributor to Newsweek/The Washington Post's online conversation forum on religion, "On Faith", and has been featured in a range of additional media, including the BBC, CNN, The New Republic, Harvard's Divinity Bulletin, and the Journal of Muslim Law and Culture. Eboo serves on the Boards of the Aga Khan Foundation USA and Duke University's Islamic Studies Center and is also an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Religious Advisory Committee. He is a sought-after speaker whose addresses include the keynote speech at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum with President Jimmy Carter and the Baccalaureate Service Address at the University of Pennsylvania. He is author of the upcoming memoir, "Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, The Struggle for the Soul of a Generation", to be published by Beacon Press in June 2007. Eboo received his doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes Scholarship. He is also an Ashoka Fellow, part of a network of social entrepreneurs with ideas that have the potential to change the world.

...is a Rutgers University political science major and a Campaign Coordinator with NJPIRG's Campus Climate Challenge. She began working with NJPIRG as a freshman by volunteering with the Hunger and Homelessness Campaign, organizing Rutgers students to provide direct aid to the hungry and homeless in New Brunswick and advocate for federal programs to fight poverty. Her favorite experience so far has been organizing the 2006 Hunger Clean-up, a "serve-a-thon" which raised $10,000, brought together 130 Rutgers students for a day of community service, and even attracted a Senator and MTV-U!

Although Sarah has been involved with several issues including social justice, global warming, and affordable higher education, her passion is getting politicians to pay attention to young peoples' voices by getting out the youth vote. She is excited for the Campus Climate Challenge to persuade Rutgers to adopt a plan to become climate neutral by 2050.

The Giving Tree Band...

... is a socially and environmentally conscious group of Chicago folk musicians with a sound described as "all natural progressive acoustic earth music." Using songwriting and performing as a vehicle for community service, the band's mission is to spread education on natural, healthy and sustainable living. The economically and ecologically sound decisions of the band include playing instruments built from naturally fallen trees and recycled woods, connecting consumers with local organic farmers at shows, and producing the double CD, Unified Folk Theory, with recycled materials at the wind-powered studios of Earthology Records (the only environmentally friendly label and CD manufacturer on the planet).  Proceeds from their concerts have supported a variety of non-profit charities and organizations including Hand in Hand USA, Literacy Works, Illinois Renewable Energy Association, Illinois Environmental Council, and Grow ing Home Farm, which provides training and employment opportunities in organic agriculture for homeless and low-income people in Chicago.   The music of The Giving Tree Band is an acoustic tapestry of different folk traditions threaded with the lyrical themes of love and understanding with the hope of inspiring harmony among people and cultures.

KELLY ZEN-YIE TSAI...

...is a Chinese Taiwanese American spoken word artist based in Brooklyn. She has featured at 190+ performances across the US, Canada, and Kenya including three seasons of "Russell Simmons' HBO Def Poetry." She has shared stages with Mos Def, KRS-One, Sonia Sanchez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli, DMX, Michael Eric Dyson, Suheir Hammad, Wyclef Jean, Tracy Morgan, Kenny Lattimore & Chante Moore and more.

Born and raised in Chicago, Kelly got an early taste of the poetry slam scene, and her experiences as a community organizer, domestic violence counselor, oral historian, and youth worker ground her commitment to social justice, non-violence, and the uplift of youth voices through the arts.  She also hosted the National Poetry Slam Asian American Showcase, Chicago's Louder Than A Bomb Teen Poetry Festival, and Brave New Voices National Teen Poetry Slam.

The author of two chapbooks: Inside Outside Outside Inside (2004) and Thought Crimes (2005), and one CD: Infinity Breaks (2006), publications include: Montage, Monsoon, Tea Party, The Indypendent, Wicked Alice, AWOL Magazine, We Got Issues!: A Young Woman's Guide to A Bold, Courageous, and Empowered Life (Inner Ocean Publishing), WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER WAVE: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists (Seal Press/Avalon), and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux (Sourcebooks, Inc.).

Recognized by the Illinois Arts Council, Urban Artist Intiative NYC, Poets & Writers, Inc., Norcroft Retreat for Women Writers, and Unit One/Allen Hall, Kelly attended the 6th Women Playwrights International Conference in Manila, Philippines and the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.  Current
projects include her solo show, "The Grieving Room," ensemble drama "Murder the Machine" which was excerpted at the 2006 Chicago Hip Hop Theater Festival, and first manuscript of poems.

http://www.yellowgurl.com
http://www.myspace.com/yellowgurl_poetry

Soulfege is...

Instrumentation
DNA - vocalist, rhythm electric guitar
Jonathan Gramling - vocalist, congas
Kelley Nicole - vocalist
Alex Staley - electric bass
Stix Bones - drums


Biography
"It's an African-proud, drum-conscious hip-rap-reggae type of sound"
- The Noise - Rock Around Boston

What would you get if Bob Marley were jammin' with No Doubt on a street corner in West Africa?
Afro-Diasporic Groovalicious Funkadociousness!!!

Blending highlife, reggae, funk, and hip-hop, critically-acclaimed Pan-African fusion band Soulfege has electrified audiences from Boston to Ghana and beyond. The video for their first single, "Sweet Remix," from the album Heavy Structured (Plus), has aired in more than 50 countries across Africa, the Caribbean & Europe and the band has been featured in such major media as BBC Worldservice, NPR, the Boston Herald, MNET Africa, and MTV Africa.

Their latest record includes a remix of the West African classic "Sweet Mother," entitled "Sweet 3Mix" that features Grammy-winning Dancehall star Bounty Killer. 

With nominations for a Boston Music Award, an Independent Music Award, a Boston Urban Music Award and a finalist slot in the 2005 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Soulfege is redefining the sound & image of Pan-African youth music in the 21st Century.

Website
http://myspace.com/soulfege

Discography
Heavy Structured (Plus) - LP 2006
"Sweet 3Mix" - Single 2006
The SMT Presents: Sweet Mama Mix - EP 2005
Heavy Structured - LP 2004
"Sweet Remix" - Single 2004
"Sweet Mother" - Single 2004
PIRATE THIS CD!!! - EP 2003
The Black Rose Project - LP 2001
Sweetheart - Single 2001

Lauren Vinopal...

...is a third year student at DePaul University, studying Journalism, Political Science, and Community Service Studies. As an incoming freshman, Lauren was awarded a community service scholarship through the Steans Center for Community Based Service Learning, where she currently works as a service learning coordinator. Through this position, Lauren was selected for the Young People For Fellowship, through the People for the American Way. At the national summit for the 2007 fellowship class, she met a group of progressive stand-up comedians called Laughing Liberally and made her comedy debut at their show. When she is not doing school or service work, you can find Lauren writing stand-up and sketch comedy. She takes weekly sketch classes through the Second City training center, and showcases her stand up material at various open mics throughout the city.

Currently, Lauren is working on an investigative reporting project involving community issues related to vacant lots. She is working mainly with housing associations, in an attempt to illustrate the need for affordable housing and help turn community eye sores into assets. Over the next year, she will be researching how the political theory of competitive elitism manifests in congressional elections for a conference, and as a part of a former professor's upcoming book. In addition, she hopes to set up a student group of aspiring progressive comedians, or what she describes as a "satirical think tank." In the long term, Lauren wants to develop a progressive publication that offers support to nonprofit organizations through free advertising, focuses on the assets and gifts of typically marginalized communities, and integrates satirical social commentary about politics.