Public Service Grant Commission

We Know Who They Are... (WKWTA) is an immersive art exhibition presenting 21 Ukrainian artists responding to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Featuring a diverse collection of artist practices–from oil paintings to readymades—the exhibition thematically focuses on the alleged wartime atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people. Artifacts from the frontlines of the invasion, such as a fragment of a Russian attack aircraft, have been displayed alongside these works, proposing a dialogue between reality and creative response.

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Alongside the exhibition, co-curator Benjamin Cunningham is conducting academic research with Dr. Michelle Kelse of Sociology, Human Services & Social Justice, and International Affairs at George
Washington University. This research will explore how wartime artists employ creative expression as a means of resistance and survival. Moreover, it will allow us to gauge the communicative strength of artwork in the context of advocacy and international crises.

Emily and James are second-year students in association with the Honey W. Nashman Center at the George Washington University as part of the 2023 Civic House cohort, a first-year program for students interested in developing themselves as active citizens who are engaged in their communities. LAYC's Medical Assistant Training Program provides students with the professional skills that are in demand and necessary to garner an entry-level position in administrative, clinical, or laboratory areas in the healthcare field. Using the Public Service Grant Commission, they will provide students from LAYC with high-quality CPR training, as well as the resources and certifications needed to make this a sustainable program. Knowing CPR is a requirement to complete LAYC’s Medical Assistant Training Program, and a necessary skill to promptly intervene in medical emergencies. Additionally, increasing access to CPR providers in a community is a major contributor to the recent increase in survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

GW students Zahra Malik, Nikita Roy, Lauren Skoglund, and Manasa Sharma developed their project alongside completing a 5-week GROW (GrassRoots On-site Work) internship at the non-profit organization Set Her Free (SHF) based in Kampala, Uganda. Set Her Free equips Uganda’s most vulnerable girls and young women with the knowledge, skills, and resources that they need to build resilience, lead self-determined lives, and make informed sexual reproductive health choices, forever breaking the cycle of poverty. During this experience, the GROW team worked closely with Set Her Free to learn about and assist with their daily operations and ongoing projects.

During the GROW internship, the team learned about non-profit organizations and management, developed interpersonal skills, and honed skills in cultural competency. The team visited all of Set Her Free’s sites, including their project to combat child trafficking in Karamoja, where it was critical to understand the values, norms, and needs of the community to make valuable contributions. Returning to GlobeMed at GW, the team plans to advocate for and support Set Her Free further by fundraising in GW and DC.

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