Mobilize Guidelines


MOBILIZE! AWARDS FOR USC STUDENTS 

 

OVERVIEW

Crossing continents, current events, and issues, much of today’s fiercest and most powerful civic activism stems from the courage, leadership, and imagination of young people: Extinction Rebellion’s resistance to climate fatalism in the U.K., Hong Kong students’ protesting of human rights violations, Youth Justice Coalition’s challenge to the current system of mass incarceration in Los Angeles.

To promote and channel the power of youth to affect social change, USC Arts in Action’s Mobilize! program offers awards of up to $500* for current students to channel their creativity toward activism and political engagement projects.

USC students of any major and year of study are eligible to apply, and all art forms are eligible for consideration. Projects can be by individual students or collaborations with recognized student organizations. We especially encourage collaborative work involving teams, including non-USC partners. Deadlines to apply are in October and March.

(*Awards may be subject to tax withholdings.)

 

HOW TO APPLY

For your proposal to be considered, apply no later than 11 p.m. Sunday, October 27. Click HERE to submit your proposal.  We advise covering the following points: 

  • What? Clearly explain your project and the issue(s) it addresses.
  • Why? Why are these issues important?
  • How? Describe how your Arts in Action award will be spent.
  • Who? Tell us who you are and who your key collaborators are.
  • Also include any other necessary information.

We encourage you to discuss your project with someone who has a connection to the issue and can provide feedback. It could be a faculty member, staff from a campus organization, peers engaged in similar work, or partners from a local organization or collective.

Proposals will be reviewed by members of the Arts in Action and Visions and Voices, who will contact you with approval or feedback and steps you can take for approval.


LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION

Mobilize! grants have been awarded to support USC students whose work addresses issues such as voter engagement, public health aid, systemic racism, police reform, and environmental and housing justice. You can find out more about past grantees on page 14 our recent report and read about types of projects below:

Events. At “Water Drop LA,” a student volunteer shared the local organization’s efforts to provide clean water to unhoused residents, farmworkers, and other marginalized communities, also inviting members of Polo’s Pantry, a mobile food pantry, to discuss the nuances of mutual aid, and showcasing the work of like-minded poets, musicians, dancers, and artists.

Workshops. Inspiring mindfulness of our bodies and addressing the chronic back pain that can come from sedentary lifestyles and habitual screen use, the “Back to Basics” workshop taught participants basic yoga stretches to combat it, followed by a creative body mapping activity bringing attention to pain points.

Art installations. The “Emotiphone Booth” was an art activation that served as a communal and cathartic space for the USC student community to express their feelings of self-expression and vulnerability and address their emotional well-being.

Zines. It’s Not Just Hair: An Exploration of a Black Woman’s Relationship to Her Crown is an online publication about identity, aesthetics, and discrimination structured into three parts: history, information, and identification.