10 exciting projects from the new batch of Open Society Institute fellows

A pantry for babies and a new effort to end ignorance are among the initiatives getting support from the Open Society Institute.
OSI-Baltimore named a new class of 10 fellows last week, providing support to ideas that address underserved communities in the city. Each social entrepreneur will receive $60,000 over 18 months.
Here are the 10 fellows, with info from OSI:

• Melissa Badeker will expand the Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap, which provides an exchange for school supplies. She previously received support from Johns Hopkins’ Social Innovation Lab.
• Eliseba Osore is creating ShareBaby Baby Pantry, which collects and redistributes diapers and other baby items for families who need them.
• Jermaine Bell is set to work with Exit the Apple, an art space in Barclay. Bell plans to create programming for underserved artists, who are primarily African-American. Bell previously worked at Impact Hub Baltimore.
• Deborah Ramsey is set to establish the Penn North Violence Prevention Youth Center, which will provide youth with structured programming outside of school.
• JC Faulk is set to expand a series of conversations called An End to Ignorance/Circles of Voices. The goal of the session is to “engage Baltimore City residents in consciousness raising discussions around racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism and other challenging issues.”
• Gianna Rodriguez will expand Baltimore Youth Arts, which provides arts and an employment program to youth ages 16-21 who are transitioning out of juvenile and adult detention centers.
• Katie Miller plans to establish the Latino Food Alliance to address food access issues in the city’s immigrant community.
• LaMarr D. Shields is set to start Teacher Exchange, a student-to-teacher coaching program. It’s a partnership with ConneXions: A Community Based Arts School.
• Isa Olufemi is hitting the ground with the Poet Pride Run Club. It’s a partnership with Paul Laurence Dunbar High School to engage students in community-building through running.
• Jennifer Will-Thapa is planting the seeds of the Common Ground Farm Project to provide urban farming opportunities for youth in the juvenile system.