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ACTIVIST/COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

Cliff Ginn – After his first life as a music composer and environmental justice worker, Cliff decided to earn a law degree in order to pursue a career in policy and organizing. He co-founded Opportunity Maine, a groundbreaking organization working to expand educational opportunity and upgrade the skills of Maine’s workforce. OppME is currently organizing a major campaign to create 10,000 good-paying green-skilled jobs and cut energy bills by at least $10 billion. “I helped found Opportunity Maine because I believe that progressives needed to start using the citizen’s initiative as an organizing tool, to overcome legislative inaction and conservative dominance in framing public debate.” In his spare time, Cliff enjoys spending time with his young children. FMI on OppME, visit www.opportunitymaine.org.

Lauren Grousd – Through Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Lauren coordinated the first of four national pilot programs called Real Life. Real Talk. This community-based coalition mobilizes groups and parents in the Portland area. “Real Life. Real Talk. aims to increase open, honest, and balanced public discourse about sexuality with the goal of creating a social change movement leading to improved sexual health for young people and families.” Lauren is also the Chairperson of the Children’s Advocacy Council which promotes the well-being of kids and families, including providing support for gay and lesbian parents and their kids during this Fall’s referendum. When not advocating for healthy youth, attending graduate school, leading training for Boys to Men, or attending Board meetings of Add Verb, Lauren enjoys making jewelry. Check out www.me.rlrt.org.

Katy Jayne – Katy began working as a full-time organizer on the Marriage Campaign for the Maine Civil Liberties Union in September of 2008. She is the coordinator for the Religious Coalition, a group of over 200 clergy who support marriage for same-sex couples and oppose Question 1 on this November’s ballot. “Out of all the organizing I have done, I feel most inspired to continue working with this influential population of faith leaders. Through collaborative meetings, open conversations, and shared understanding of the power of faith in social justice advocacy, I believe that we can continue to make a strong impact in Maine.” Katy’s aspiration for the Religious Coalition is to take part in developing it into a sustainable organization with statewide organizing capacity. In her spare time, Katy enjoys visiting Maine beaches at dawn. Check out the Coalition’s facebook page here.

ARTIST

Jennifer Bourgeault – Collective Motion – Wanting to introduce dance into the community in new and more accessible ways, and noticing a lack of group-sized collaboration in the dance community, Jennifer created Collective Motion. It is “a modern, innovative company of artistic dance which embraces and furthers the spirit of the collaborative arts through the promotion of area dancers in roles of both performer and choreographer.” They obtain rehearsal space, costumes, props, and other performance items through donations and trades. Collective Motion works with local musicians to accompany their performance pieces, offers apprenticeships to local high schoolers, and collaborates with other local artists. The company is presently creating a show based on political, economic, social, and environmental justice, due to debut in early 2010. Check out a recent rehearsal at www.youtube.com/user/collectivemotion. When not dancing, Jennifer likes watching silly movies and spending time with her two daschunds, Wally and Fannie.

Kris Johnsen & Bryan Bruchman – Portland Pins – Kris and Bryan are the brains and nimble fingers behind Portland Pins, a unique effort to share affordable, local, wearable art. They put out a call to local artists to submit their own hand-made designs for 1″ buttons, then mixed the end results all up in a gumball machine so people could buy unique artwork for only 25 cents. Each month, a second machine finds a new home, with the location changing in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk and other special events. Bryan works as a photographer, musician, freelance web designer, and runs the music blog HillyTown. Kris works as an artist and graphic designer at Emblem Studio.

Dave Marshall – DAM Fine Art – Dave’s boldly colorful paintings of the Portland area are perhaps the most recognizable artwork in the region. “My artwork depicts the drama of nature, the intricate architecture of humankind, and the blind optimism that I feel for the earth and its inhabitants.” You will often see Dave painting en plein air – directly from nature on sight – or selling his artwork in the farmer’s market, carting his gear around by bicycle. He is the first professional artist elected as a Portland City Councilor, where he advocates for Creative Economy funding. Dave also collaborates with community members on murals for community revitalization projects, teaches as a guest artist with non-profit organizations, and owns Constellation Gallery, a Maine artist collective in the Arts District.

Byron Nilsen – Organized Chaos – Byron is the founder of Organized Chaos, a performance art group that performs regularly at The Asylum, The St. Lawrence Arts Center, and with various burlesque and variety shows. Organized Chaos has done fundraisers in the past and worked to heighten awareness around the necessity for anti-hate crime education and legislation. Byron performs solo, with others, in groups, and is all-around a strong organizer in the performing arts scene. www.myspace.com/lord_byron2000

The Toughcats – The Toughcats, a trio from midcoast Maine, play a unique brand of rock n’ roll. Their songs are slow waltzes, banjo-pickers and steel guitar rockers. (They’ve also got some bits of bluegrass, pieces of old flannel, a shred of tobacco or two, and a healthy wallop of moonshine.)” -Jason Mann, Movie Maker Magazine
Most recently, the Toughcats have been booking shows in the Northeast in preparation for a winter tour. They have been featured on NPR’s, All Songs Considered, and also performed in a special live performance of Deerhoof’s Milk Man in North Haven, which was attended by the band itself and garnered international attention from Pitchfork, Billboard, and music lovers alike. (And, apparently, fans of 3rd grade ballet.)

GREEN BUSINESSPERSON

Jonah Fertig – Local Sprouts Cooperative – The consummate community organizer, Jonah helped to start and coordinate multiple local groups before co-founding Local Sprouts Cooperative in 2007. Local Sprouts provides people in Maine with creative, local and organic food and holistic learning through cooking for our community. It is a worker-owned cooperative that uses cooking healthy food to connect with our community, build mutual support, increase access to local food, and grow self-reliance. Their current projects include: the new Local Sprouts Cafe, catering, community food and learning projects, and a Community Supported Kitchen. When not cooking, Jonah enjoys making art and music.

Fortunat Mueller – ReVision Energy – Fortunat Mueller is a co-founder of ReVision energy, providing renewable energy throughout the state with solar electric systems, solar hot water systems and wood and pellet boilers. Their goal is to help people and businesses transition away from an oil-based economy to a sustainable renewable energy economy. ReVision Energy has installed more than half of all solar energy systems in Maine for the past three years. Fortunat has more than 10 years experience in renewable energy technology, including hydrogen fuel cell development and solar thermal and solar electric system design and installation. “Ecology tells us that everything we do has a cause and effect, that the decisions we make create an impact. What impact do you want to make, what do you want to leave behind?”

Joe Walsh – Green Clean Maine – A little over a year ago, Joe began Green Clean Maine, “Professional, Earth-Friendly, Child and Pet-Safe Home and Office Cleaning for Greater Portland.” The company makes all of their non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning products using plant-derived or other natural ingredients. They produce no paper waste, conserve water by using no-rinse formulas and microfiber cloths, and use a vacuuming system with a high level of air filtration. Joe holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Rhode Island, and is very interested in alternative energy and sustainable development.

Brett Richardson – Organic Alchemy Compost – Brett Richardson and his business partner got into composting because it offers them the opportunity to make a livelihood in Portland doing something they believe in. “Our mission is to transform food scraps to high-quality compost and enrich Maine’s soils, while helping clients to “green” their public image and improve their bottom line.” Organic Alchemy doesn’t discriminate in who they accept for clients, from big-name restaurants to mom and pop cafes, from public schools to community non-profits. Their business model is an economic and environmental recipe for success, reducing disposal costs while also making our community more sustainable. When not digging through decaying food waste, Brett enjoys fly-fishing.

START-UP YOUTH PROGRAM

Add Verb’s Queer & Allied Youth Writing Project – Ranging in age between 12 and 24, this unique writing and theater group opens dialogue on difficult issues to effect positive community change. The Q&A Project collects performance texts dealing with the issues of identity, orientation and social change from youth around the country. They then create an entertaining program for youth activists to provide resources, opportunity and action steps. Check out their video posted on MTV’s THINK website! http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF00989E50001700994323/

Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance – The Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance (MEIYA) brings together youth of diverse religious, national, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to create a culture of understanding and peaceful coexistence among one another. The organization is based on the belief that, through dialogue, education and the expressive arts, the shared values of the world’s faiths are revealed. MEIYA seeks to increase cultural literacy, advance social justice, and promote service in our community by engaging its young members in collaborative activities. To learn more about how MEIYA is “preparing Portland’s future leaders with the needed tools to co-exist,” visit them on facebook here.

The Telling Room – The Telling Room is a nonprofit writing program in Portland, Maine, dedicated to young writers and storytellers between the ages of 8 and 18. Their goal is to meet each student’s passion for writing with equal enthusiasm, to provide role models for those looking to further their writing, and to honor the act of storytelling as a vital means of expression and community building.

STUDENT LEADER

Andrew Cole – Andrew is currently a senior at University of New England in Biddeford. Finding incentive from his work with the Southern Maine Chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and in response to bias-related incidents on campus, he helped re-invigorate the University’s Gay-Straight Alliance. It was re-named The Group, with the tagline “Welcoming All People: Gay, Straight, and In Between.” To use Andrew’s own words: “The educational and social programs we have planned for the year, the safe spaces we’re creating for our peers, the amazing conversations we have daily, and the excitement and motivation to make everybody feel welcome on our campus will continue the already successful growth we’ve had.” When not organizing, Andrew aspires to internet stardom through his YouTube videos.

William Nelligan – Will is a recent high school graduate of the first ever graduating class at Casco Bay High School. Tired of seeing his friends and peers excluded the political process, he became an active voice for youth advocacy. He is the Program Coordinator of the Portland Youth Advisory Council (a city board of high school students), where his goals are to recruit a wider spectrum of diversity and create stronger community partnerships. His larger vision is to help create and sustain a collaborative body of community leaders, locally and nationally, to use Portland as a small-scale model of sustainable and successful youth policy. “If we put our heads together and work to generate collaborative solutions to the problems affecting young people, I think we can take an incredible step forward in improving the lives of Portland’s youth.” Will is also the Study Center Coordinator at the Portland Housing Authority, tutors at Portland High School, and loves watching The West Wing.

Simon Thompson – If you’re a Portland High School student, you must know Simon! A senior, Simon is also a student representative on the Portland School Committee. He currently volunteers with Equality Maine/No on 1 Campaign, where he has served as a volunteer captain, leader, and coordinator, running the Thursday summer phone banks and helping plan the LGBT Task Force conference in Portland. His other projects to improve our community include: running a successful donation drive for victims of female trafficking; working to lower the academic requirements for the National Honor Society at PHS, opening the group up to more disadvantaged youths; successfully coordinating a voter registration drive at PHS; and founding the school’s debate team. When not leading the charge in these volunteer ventures, Simon enjoys running cross-country and bicycling.

VOLUNTEER

Jesse Baines & Elliott May – Portland Greendrinks – These two volunteers are the force behind the wildly successful Portland Greendrinks. An informal monthly social networking group built around a common interest in the natural environment, the Greendrinks formula is pretty simple: have fun while building community among people interested in sustainability issues. After almost two years in existence, Greendrinks gatherings now bring 250-350 people together with different host and sponsor organizations each month. Jesse enjoys supporting Portland’s “fabulous local music and foodiness.” In his spare time, Elliott enjoys riding his bicycle incredibly long distances to raise awareness on environmental causes.

Ezekiel Callanan – Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts – As a UMaine Law student, Zeke realized, “Maine has a vibrant arts and cultural community, and there is no one looking out specifically for their rights and business potential. I knew I could help do that.” So he co-founded the Maine chapter of the VLA, a non-profit organization that helps underserved artists find free legal aid. In just over one year since its re-inception, and with close to no budget, MeVLA has gained momentum rapidly, assisting artists across the state. When not running the organization in his roles as President, Treasurer, and a sitting member of three different committees, Zeke enjoys spontaneous fun.

Steve Pogson – Upon moving to Portland only nine months ago, Steve founded First Pier Technology Partners, an information technology consulting and web solutions company. His goal is to enable and empower small businesses to do more with less and become self-sustainable. Steve treats his clients like he does his many volunteer jobs: with patience, by fostering close relationships, treating people with kindness, and practicing discipline (working four days and volunteering one day each week). Steve spreads his volunteer work out between the St. Lawrence Arts and Community Center and the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization. When not volunteering, Steve loves spending time with his dog. Check out Steve’s site here: http://www.firstpier.com/

Johann Sabbath – After working in Washington, DC in the Federal government and the U.S. Senate, Johann became frustrated with national politics and wanted to have a more direct impact. Returning to his home state of Maine in 2008, Johann saw his opportunity for creative outlet in PROPEL, the Portland Regional Chamber’s Young Members Group. PROPEL’s mission is to mobilize young Portlanders around community, business, and economic development. This past June, he led PROPEL’s partnership with over 50 local organizations and businesses to create the first “entreverge entrepreneurship awards.” Due in large part to Johann’s energy, personality, and enthusiasm, fifty-two local businesses were nominated for the awards and over 400 people showed up to the party. Aside from his organizing skills, Johann is also very handy with a hammer and power tools.

Jack Woods – If you’re a progressive candidate or issues campaign with a passion for social justice, then Jack is your man. Working for often little or no pay, he is the self-proclaimed “giant geek” behind many local campaigns and efforts to better our community. No bar is too high for Jack, a man with high values and high expectations: “I want to help build a sustainable economy and community that supports and empowers every human being.” In his spare time, Jack loves jamming out on his guitar.