This weekend I'll find myself in Austin, Texas teaching and inspiring local youth on how to find, craft and tell stories that matter to them.

As the Storyteller in Residence for Awake Aware America, I'm excited to kick off the first of their conscious content camps with a focus on water sustainability.

The schedule for the weekend is jam packed and of course I'm excited to be hands-on with the students all weekend long.

You can follow on Twitter @AwareUp or by checking out the #AwareUp hashtag.

Here is the official press release:

STEM Friendly Sustainability Event Connects Students, Technology and Social Media.

(Austin, TX) - Awake Aware America (A3) www.awakeawareamerica.com, an educational outreach program promoting STEM education and socially responsible behavior kicks off a fifteen month national tour on Friday, April 25^th in Austin, TX.

Through a series of Conscious Content Camps, A3 participants comprised of high school students, Net Impact college students and socially conscious influencers from various community organizations will take part in a weekend of immersive, learning seminars focusing on pressing sustainability issues. Each seminar will be conducted by leading sustainability experts and digital content creators.  A3 equips students with the tools that add their voices to the larger conversation about the importance of sustainability.

In each camp, students explore a locally relevant sustainability issue, define a related socially conscious practice to pursue, and receive expert instruction in creating compelling digital content about their insights.  Following each camp, teams are tasked with utilizing their knowledge and social media skills in order to create and engage a digital audience in pursuit of a chosen socially conscious practice.

“A3’s purpose is to expose emerging student leaders and young professionals to the science, technology and economics behind sustainability,” said Brad Powell, founder of the award-winning initiative. “Our hope is that students will not only develop a practical understanding of how individual consumer action affects the planet, but that each will also gain the social media skills to spread this critical message through engaging digital stories.”

With a focus on water issues, campers will study and create content at multiple dynamic venues across Central Texas.  The Circuit of the Americas, North America’s only Formula One Track; Aquarena Springs, home to 8 endemic species listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened or endangered; and Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin provide a rich classroom for experiential learning.

Campers will also receive hands-on instruction from several of Texas’ most recognized conservationists like Dr. Andrew Sansom, Executive Director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment; and Chief Sustainability Officer of the City of Austin, Lucia Athens.

“Austin is committed to sustainability as a guiding principle in how we do business and plan for the future,”  noted Athens.  “Engaging youth in becoming a part of the sustainability movement is critical.  We need creative young minds focused on the challenges of today and what is to come.  New ideas and fresh perspectives will help us build the bright green future we desire.”

World renowned speaker, author and humanitarian C.C. Chapman serves as A3’s lead social media guide.  “Programs like A3 really excite me because kids are having technology put in their hands to use,” said Chapman. “Too often classes talk about the how without ever having the experience of doing − A3 empowers kids to do!”

From Austin, A3 ventures north to Boston, MA to study climate change.  Portland, San Francisco, Denver, Raleigh-Durham, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C. will follow. Aligning with local university Net Impact chapters in these leading Clean Technology cities, A3’s curriculum expands to incorporate the in depth study of air, energy, food, the ethical economy, natural resources and conscious policy.

“Net Impact is a community of more than 50,000 student and professional leaders creating positive social and environmental change in the workplace and world,” said Dr. Janet Hale, faculty sponsor of the Texas State Net Impact chapter.  “Joining A3 on a national journey blending social media, technology and sustainability, we are setting the standard for 21st century sustainability action!”

The combination of an experiential, science based curriculum with an innovative storytelling platform is the ingredient that distinguishes A3 from other programs addressing the issues of STEM and sustainability.  The event can be followed real time through social media channels Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #AwareUp. From the diverse social creation of blogs, tweets, articles, photos, and videos, A3 campers tell the stories that are shaping the future of our world.

Contacts:

Brad Powell, Awake Aware America P: 512.680.0751 brad@mortalsol.com

Janet Hale, Texas State University P: 512.924.3627 jh29@txstate.edu