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What Estonia could teach us about internet voting in a post-pandemic world

Chris O'Brien

June 11, 2020 |

VentureBeat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Estonia

Estonia’s i-Voting system is currently used by 46.7% of voters and allows them to vote from home using a government-issued smart card. To vote, residents need a computer with a card reader or can have their encrypted ID linked to their cell phone SIM card. They can track their vote with a QR code and are able to change their choices any time during the 10-day voting period. Estonia is currently the only country to use this method, in part because eroding government trust has prevented the use of centralized systems that track personal information.

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As coronavirus restrictions loosen, congregations grapple with including older adults

Yonat Shimron

June 11, 2020 |

Religion News Service |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down large gatherings, some churches in the U.S. began offering outdoor services to safely serve their congregations – such as in one retirement community in Florida where members attended services via golf carts. As the weather turns cooler though, churches are finding creative ways to further engage older members such as encouraging them to join Zoom calls for song and worship.

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Balancing out the doom and gloom: Why we're producing more journalism with a glass-half-full outlook

Angela Ross

June 11, 2020 |

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

ABC News in Australia is using a solutions-focused, or constructive, approach to reporting on social problems. Focusing in particular on three areas, affordable housing, stormwater, and obesity, the Hobart newsroom is combating widespread hopelessness and mistrust of the media by highlighting what individuals and communities are already doing to address problems. The approach is used around the world and supported by organizations such as Solutions Journalism Network and the Constructive Institute. While change can be slow, these groups offer newsroom training to help shift reporting perspectives.

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Designed to Save Lives: Artists Craft Coronavirus Messaging for Underserved Communities

Melanie D. G. Kaplan

June 11, 2020 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Photojournalism |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Artists are designing bold and direct messaging to provide Covid-19 information to underserved populations. The messaging is explicit, often highlighting the role of racism in health disparities seen with the virus, and it is culturally specific to the intended audience. Messaging is offered in multiple languages and the information and images speak directly to the cultural norms of specific groups. Messaging is also delivered in a variety of ways, from fliers disseminated in Black churches to including brochures in bags of free groceries to hanging posters in residential buildings.

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Democracy isn't working: five ideas that are already helping to fix the problem

Patrick Chalmers

June 10, 2020 |

The Correspondent |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya

Communities around the world are increasing citizen participation in political decision-making in innovative ways. Participatory budgets allow locals to decide how cities spend money and in some Kenyan cities this has successfully engaged marginalized communities. Citizens’ Initiative Reviews in Oregon and Representative Population Samples in Brazil have allowed the public to weigh in on important policies. In Taiwan, citizen-led digital participation platforms helped to control the coronavirus and avoid major shutdowns. These alternatives require funding and public trust, both of which can be hard to get.

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Promotoras: A community model with heart — and teeth

Alyssa Biederman

June 10, 2020 |

Generocity |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Promotoras is a model used in Latin America since the 1950s, where respected community members perform health outreach and host events to answer questions about healthcare access and treatments. The program seeks to ensure that Latinx communities are not prevented from receiving quality healthcare because of traditional obstacles such as distrust, lack of transportation, lack of insurance, or language barriers. Research and surveys consistently show that this model achieves success by improving access to health services for the majority of people they interact with.

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How the Amazon region, hardest-hit by coronavirus, resumed lessons with classrooms closed

Hanna Liubakova

June 08, 2020 |

Outriders |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Manaus, Amazonia

Aula em Casa, which translates to School at Home, is a television program that features class material for students living in remote parts of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, who likely have televisions, but not access to the internet or a computer. The program, which reaches 450,000 students in Amazonas, features elementary and secondary school lessons transmitted over major TV channels, and is supplemented by teachers through the use of popular messaging app WhatsApp, Google Classroom, and is now being used by at least three other states in Brazil because of the pandemic.

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Out Of The Ruins

Patrick Chalmers

June 07, 2020 |

All Hands On |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Greece

Protests against severe “austerity measures” that were passed after the 2011 economic recession resulted in worker and housing cooperatives to address labor and housing inequities. Citizens protested by gathering in public squares and holding rallies where speakers were randomly selected from the crowd. This is based on an ancient democratic process where citizens are selected at random to speak their mind in regards to politics and public affairs. The organizations that emerged practiced participatory democracy through horizontal leadership, though many were eventually shut down by the government.

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StrongPeople classes strengthen bodies and friendships in rural Montana

Melody Martinsen

June 06, 2020 |

Choteau Acantha |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

A group exercise class known as StrongPeople is helping senior citizens in Montana find community and improve their health through progressive strength training. Participants have reported positive results, while studies have also shown that those able to meet the expectations of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines doubled after people completed the program.

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Diversion program thrives on cooperation, embraces skeptics

Ryan Lowery

June 04, 2020 |

Las Vegas Optic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Alamosa, Colorado

The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program in Alamosa, Colorado, gives police officers the option of sending people to substance abuse treatment rather than straight into the criminal justice system. Used in non-violent cases, the diversion program is based on a harm-reduction model that uses a health-care approach rather than a punitive approach to address the underlying issues when a crime is committed. Some police officers object to the program's mission, but proponents say that forcing compliance would be counterproductive.

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