Feel Good Friday - Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)

You probably know February is Black History Month but do you know who founded it? Well, happy Feel Good Friday, you're about to find out!

ASALH is the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Their mission, as explained on the website is "to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community."

They've been doing it since the organization was established in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson. He's known as the "Father of Black History" because it was his idea to publicly recognize African American achievements back in 1926! What began as a weeklong celebration 90 years ago became a monthlong event in 1976.

In addition to setting the annual theme for Black History Month, creating a resource package and hosting an annual convention and luncheon, ALASH is active year round. They manage a professional speaker's bureau, promote local history projects and produce a variety of educational publications including the Journal of African American History and the Black History Bulletin, which is designed as a resource for teachers.

To stay in touch with ASALH all 12 months of the year, like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @ASALH.

Feel Good Friday - La Cocina

Two things I enjoy are hearing stories of people doing what they love and food. (Mmmm, food.) That's why today's Feel Good Friday organization is La Cocina!

Formed in San Francisco's Mission District in 2005, La Cocina's mission "is to cultivate low income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their businesses by providing affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance and access to market opportunities."

Rental rates at La Conina's kitchen are $15/hour, versus a more typical $45, and provide people who are running informal businesses out of their homes an opportunity to scale up. As they explain on their website, "We focus primarily on women from communities of color and immigrant communities. Our vision is that entrepreneurs gain financial security by doing what they love to do, creating an innovative, vibrant and inclusive economic landscape."

Kitchen space isn't the only thing La Cocina has to offer. There is also an incubator program that helps women create self-suffcient businesses in the food industry. Participants go through a 4-step process:

1. Application and enrollment.
2. Pre-incubation, focusing on business areas such as marketing and finances as well as the product.
3. Incubation, which includes technical assistance and mentorship for their business along with access to the kitchen.
4. Graduation.

The program works! Statistics from the video below state that, "In 2013, La Cocina businesses generated 4.1 million dollars in revenue and created 155 jobs."

Those of you in the Bay Area may recognize some of the current participants and graduates. You can check this map to find a La Cocina business near you or visit their kiosk in the Ferry Building.

No matter where you live, you can learn more and meet some of the women involved by watching this SFGovTV video Quick Bites: La Cocina or visiting their press page. They also have a Facebook page to like and you can follow them on Twitter @lacocinasf. As for me, I'm inspired to go eat some food from the La Cocina participants. See you next week!

Feel Good Friday - ArtTEK Tanna

One of the things that makes me feel good no matter what the day of the week, is the fact that I know so many people involved in Feel Good Friday activities! Today, we take a look at an organization run by my friend Janna Olson - ArtTEK Tanna!

TEK stands for Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Tanna, Vanuatu may sound familiar because in March, 2015 the island was hit by cyclone Pam, one of the worst in recent history. The people of Tanna are working to rebuild their communities and TEK Tanna - a presence before and after the cyclone - is helping.

As explained on the website, "TEK Tanna is a non-profit based in New York City working with the Lume Rural Training Center and five South Pacific tribes to build and operate a Resilient Societies Center located on Tanna, Vanuatu in the Melanesia. Its mission joins traditional and modern solutions from the world's most sustainable communities to fortify climate and cultural resilience."

Two of the community members are in the United Arab Emirates right now because one of their projects, a youth and community training lab, was a finalist in the Zayed Future Energy Prize! Although the team didn't win the cash prize this year, TEK Tanna still has the goal of creating the Naihné Resilient Societies Center (named after the founding tribe). It will offer youth programing which includes:

• Renewable energy systems
• Permaculture for food security
• Construction with rapidly renewing materials
• Cultural perpetuation in a country with 110 languages

All of the projects at the Lume Rural Training Center focus on developing cultural skills, renewable energy skills and professional skills for global citizens. The group really embodies their motto, "Creativity is the ultimate renewable resource."

To learn more about TEK Tanna and stay current on their activities, sign up for the email newsletter here or Tweet your heart out! #TEKTanna