News Highlights

"Amazing Grace" Documentary Teaser

HONORS

President Obama "Lifetime Achievement Award" Honoree, 2017

NV Magazine "Mover and Shaker", 2017

Globe Faculty Fellow,

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016

TED Talk Speaker, 2015

CNN Hero Award Nominee, 2014 and 2013

International Roots Festival (Delegate)

#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS (Speaker)

The Republic of The Gambia, 2014

InfluenceHer "Community Award", 2014

Facing Sex Trafficking: Atlanta's Dirty Little Secret (Artistic Director), 2014

Human Trafficking Education Day (Speaker)

Our Lady of Missionary Sisters, 2014

Complexd Magazine's (UK)

"10 Most Inspiring Women", 2013

Real Player Video Visionary

Humanitarian Award, 2013

U. S. State Department "Youth Leadership" Grant - Namibia and Botswana, 2012

Global Health and Humanitarian Summit (Speaker), 2012

U. S. State Department "American Speakers" Grant - Namibia and Botswana, 2011

CARE National Conference (Speaker), 2011

USAID Africa Regional Conference

Tanzania (Speaker), 2010

change rocks

FOUNDATION

AUGUST 2015 - We recently executed the 2nd phase of our sustainability project in Abuja, Nigeria. Recognized as the first organization in the world to provide emergency relief education for Boko Haram conflict refugees in the Durumi IDP camp, we trained youth, educators and college volunteers. We were also honored to meet the founders of the "Bring Back Our Girls" Campaign. The first phase of our project (June 2015) in Lagos with The Makoko Project, provided social entrepreneurship training for participants (ages 14-21). All of this work is being captured by award-winning filmmakers the Horne Brothers in our forthcoming documentary "Amazing Grace: Freedom's Song".

AMAZING GRACE

DECEMBER 2016 - This past fall, Ms. Austin was appointed as a 2016-2017 Globe Faculty Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University. During her fellowship, she created and taught "The Art of Change" - a 3-credit course that taught students how to develop high social impact business models for the Department of Global Education. VCU students created solutions for socio-eoconomic issues in Botswana, Africa online with University of Botswana and Class Volunteers Foundation students. They will have a chance to put these skills into action with a study abroad trip to Botswana (December 26, 2016-January 12, 2017) directed by Austin.

THE ART OF CHANGE

"AMANI" MEANS PEACE

FEBRUARY 2017 -- The U. S. State Department awards founder Yewande Austin with an "Arts Cultural Envoy" grant to produce youth empowerment programs in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this initiative, she and producer Marc Baldwin will conduct programs for former child soldiers in the DRC and orphans of the Rwandan genocide while giving live concerts and conducting multicultural programs in both countries.