Zimbabwe in Perspective: Assisting small-scale business owners and social entrepreneurs in a failed economyEmmanuel Magara '11 (B.A. Biochemistry)
I intend to go to Zimbabwe and conduct research interviews with some of the Zimbabwean small-scale business owners and social entrepreneurs. The Zimbabwean economy is currently in shambles with an annual inflation rate of about 231million percent. The situation has forced everyone to be very creative in figuring out ways to survive on a daily basis. Businesses, non-profit organizations and young social entrepreneurs have had to drastically develop creative new ways of operation that are not in most conventional entrepreneurship text-books. I intend to learn how small-scale businesses and social entrepreneurial ventures are surviving in such a failed economy and some ways they could be assisted.

Sustainable Volunteering: Winter Term with Sankofa Mbofra FieSarah Frank '09 (B.A. Theater)
Elizabeth Woodbury (B.A. Theater)
Rebecca Balmer '09 (B.A. Theater, Comparative Literature)
For Winter Term, we will lead a group of 8 Oberlin students on a service-oriented trip to Ghana to work with the organization Sankofa Mbofra Fie (www.sankofachildrenshome.org), an orphanage and school.  Sankofa Mbofra Fie exemplifies what "development" and "community service" should entail because it is staffed entirely by Ghanaians and implemented at the grassroots level.  While we are there, we will work with the director on capacity building and will provide supplemental education and mentoring to the students at Sankofa School.  Our focus will be to develop framework for how we can make our work sustainable and lead to the creation of more infrastructure for Sankofa Mbofra Fie.  The project will include cultural immersion learning opportunities for Oberlin participants, and will build the foundation for future Oberlin students to volunteer effectively in Ghana.

So What Magazine Madeleine Davis-Hayes ’09 (B.A. English and Art History)
Matthew Evans ’08 (B.A. Comparative Literature)
Brittany Taylor ’08 (B.A. English)
So What aims to provide a forum for theoretical discourse in emerging art and culture So What is less a question than a suggestion for understanding what goes on. The name So What is an homage and response to Tel Quel ("as is"), a radical post-structuralist literary journal started in 1960. In the Sixties these theorists took on the task of explaining things as they were. Today, we must move beyond explanation and analysis and truly reflect upon the relationship between culture and art and the ways in which that relationship continually and rapidly changes. A recurrent conversation between artists, writers, and critics is necessary to engage in our cultural perspectives as they relate to the aesthetic experience. So What is more than just a magazine; it provides a space for artistic and critical dialogue.
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The King's Chapel Community Music SchoolMark Shuping '07 (B.M. Music Education)
The King’s Chapel Community Music School is a faith-based music school in Akron.  Its goal is to serve the Akron community and provide services at little or no cost to students enrolled in the school.  Co-founded in February, 2008 by Mark Shuping (’07) and Brother Howard Harris (Pastor of The King’s Chapel), the school began as a dream of Brother Howard’s when he began his ministries in Akron.  The TKC Community Music School offers instruction on violin, viola, cello, bass, trumpet, clarinet, flute, drums, and piano for beginning through advanced students.  The first session of the school was completed in May of this year with a performance by the beginning students and the advanced students.

Research for the Center for Creative ReuseJames Rowell '09 (English)
Anna Gonick '09 (B.A. History, Latin American Studies)
This Winter Term, James and Anna will conduct research for the future development of a Center for Creative Reuse where donated and discarded materials are redistributed for creative re-use, and where artists and students, through free workshops and community outreach programs, can use these materials to create and display their art. Throughout the project, they hope to bring awareness to growing ecological and environmental problems of waste and consumption by providing affordable and creative means to reduce waste and increase the reuse of discarded materials.

Spin It InDavid Midler '09 (B.A. Religion)
Noah Goldman '09 (B.A. Sociology)
Spin It In is project designed to put an urban perspective on the sport of tennis. Our current business plan is to market our clothing line, which has hip, funky, flavorful styles. Check for updates at www.spinitin.com .

afrikedu website Assiatou Diallo '08 (B.A. African American History, Gender and Women's Studies and Pre-Medicine)
Afrikedu.org is a college resource website geared specifically for African students studying in North America.  My goal for the website is to serve the needs, as best as possible, of the students applying and institutions receiving applications.  It will serve as an informational center for students, and a recruitment tool for US universities.  It will also serve as a network and mentoring site, connecting prospective, current and graduated African students in the US. The goal is to facilitate the access to higher education for African students while supporting a community of soon to be African professionals working for the betterment of Africa.

Trans-masculine Self-Representations: Images of IdentityClara Brasseur ’08 (B.A. Music Composition and Physics)
Amy Caes ’08 (B.A. Comparative American Studies)
Trans-masculine self-representations: images of identity was an exhibit that displayed works by Eddie Gesso, Melsen Carlsen, and Cobi Moules. These artists address representations of trans identities through different media, exploring the ways in which bodies and gender are understood and visually presented. This exhibit took place in Azariah’s Café in Mudd Library from 4 April 2008 through 28 April 2008 and had a closing reception on 25 April 2008 that included spoken word and musical works related to body and identity.

A second part of this project was the printing of an exhibit catalogue which also included the work of an additional artist, Emmett Ramstad. The catalogue was made available at the exhibit and is being placed in LGBT archives and academic libraries around the country.  Catalogues can also be acquired directly by emailing us at imagesofidentity@gmail.com.

Kantara Crafts Alia Kate ’08 (B.A. Politics)
Over Winter Term I traveled to Morocco on a Small Business Development project in which I was conducting market research on the start-up of my fair-trade exporting business called Kantara Crafts. Throughout the month I traveled to 6 different villages in Morocco's Atlas Mountains and spoke with female artisans at each site. From my site visits, I was able to gain a more concrete idea of not only the prices and styles of individual rugs, but also of the politics of what it means to be a female artisan that works in a weaving cooperative in Morocco.