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From prison to star employee

Jo Mathys

November 17, 2020 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Frustrated by a tight labor market, two locally owned Grand Rapids employers discovered the virtues – economic, not just moral – of hiring formerly incarcerated people, whose gratitude for an opportunity translated into excellent performance and less risk of adding to rapid turnover. The employers helped guarantee success by paying for support services that made post-prison transitions easier. The employers then talked hundreds of other local employers into doing the same. Besides providing a business advantage, the program changes lives and is evidently contributing to much lower rates of recidivism.

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Gold star for you: New Zealand council puts stickers on bins of best recyclers

Eleanor Ainge Roy

November 16, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Christchurch

Officials in Christchurch use a public reward and shaming system to motivate proper recycling sorting after only 48% of recycling was able to be accepted. Residents who correctly sort contents receive a large gold star on their bin while those who do not are given a warning. After three warnings, bins are confiscated and residents must sign an agreement to recycle properly to get their bin back. 155,000 bins have been spot checked, with 26% receiving gold stars, 61% receiving warnings, and 246 bins have been removed. The percentage of recycling content that can be accepted has increased to almost 80%.

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Native history is WA history, and tribes are helping schools teach it

Manola Secaira

November 16, 2020 |

Crosscut |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

In order to better educate students about indigenous history, in 2015, Washington passed the “Since Time Immemorial” (STI) curriculum, the law requires schools to teach a tribally developed curriculum. This has led to some school districts collaborating with local tribes and more students learning about indigenous people. “There are still Native people around today — we’re here.”

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Manhattan Mental Health Court offers lifeline to those with serious mental illness — but they have to get in

Chelsia Rose Marcius

November 14, 2020 |

New York Daily News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Manhattan Mental Health Court was created in 2011 to divert felony criminal cases to treatment, and away from prison, for people in need of mental health treatment. But few people with serious mental illness ever benefit from it. Too few defense lawyers know to request the intervention or do it correctly. Prosecutors act as gatekeepers in deciding who gets the help, and many do not see its value. And, once cases are admitted to the court, they can sometimes take years to be resolved. Covid restrictions on the courts have only aggravated these problems.

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Youth advocacy groups kept voters safe and informed on Election Day

Lauren Hernandez

November 13, 2020 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

Civic participation by youth advocacy groups registered tens of thousands of young voters and educated many more on election-related issues, including local and state ballot initiatives. Events held on zoom provided registration information and helped students connect with their peers, where they made pledges and plans to vote. Arizona PIRG Students New Voters Project educated 10,000 students this way, while CALPIRG Students' 500 volunteers registered 10,000 students, provided voter information to over 150,000 students, and made over 90,000 peer to peer Get Out the Vote contacts.

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Bosnian Seniors Fight Loneliness Through Arts and Crafts

Lidija Pisker

November 09, 2020 |

Inforadar |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zenica

Nas Most uses artistic and cultural initiatives to combat loneliness among seniors. Over seven years, informal weekly meet-ups turned into formal painting and handicraft courses and membership grew from 30 to over 100 seniors. The association also organizes events to exhibit members’ works and partners with other groups to create and share podcasts, organize concerts, and offer other artistic events for seniors. Cultural exchanges with organizations in Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, and Serbia also help build social connections, which provide physical and mental health benefits for seniors.

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Where Housing, Not Jails, Is the Answer to Homelessness

Sarah McClure

November 09, 2020 |

70 Million |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Even while Los Angeles police criminalize homelessness with "sweeps" to clear encampments from public property, state and local programs have helped thousands of people find housing and receive services like counseling and criminal record expungement. Programs like LA DOOR and Project Roomkey use public-health and housing-first approaches to address people's underlying problems rather than subject them to endless cycles of arrest and incarceration, all of which cost far more than the helpful strategies while remaining far less effective. Street outreach is done without police escorts, to build trust.

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‘Anti-racist coalition:' the movement to integrate public schools across the country

Kerri O'Brien

November 09, 2020 |

WFXR-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Richmond, Virginia

Despite segregation being deemed unconstitutional, nationally, many schools remain segregated along racial and class lines. Integrate Schools, a national grassroots movement, is focused on integrating schools.

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It Took a Group of Black Farmers to Start Fixing Land Ownership Problems in Detroit

Rhonda J. Smith

November 06, 2020 |

Planet Detroit |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Two urban farmers launched a GoFundMe and raised $55,000 to help provide land security to Black farmers in Detroit. Through the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund, they will select applicants to grow crops for five years and provide technical assistance to growers who want to purchase their own land. The amount raised is not enough to help everyone who needs it, but organizers hope city programs make land more accessible to neighborhood residents.

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On Election Day, Facebook and Twitter Did Better by Making Their Products Worse

Kevin Roose

November 05, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites defended against election-related disinformation campaigns by quickly identifying and removing fake accounts and putting labels and warnings on posts that made false claims of voter fraud and premature claims of victory. Instead of frictionless usability, they slowed or shut down core parts of their products such as limiting political ads, tweaking recommendation algorithms, and/or preventing sharing and comments on questionable posts. Threats will continue in the weeks ahead, but the companies have prevented widespread disinformation campaigns so far.

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