Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1913 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Take Me Out To The Ballot Box

Nathaniel Rakich

November 03, 2020 |

FiveThirtyEight |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The coronavirus made cramped or high-risk polling locations untenable so at least 39 sports arenas have opened up their facilities for voting. Their expansive size allows them to welcome large numbers of voters while maintaining social distancing protocols. Many are outdoors, which lowers the risk of transmitting the virus even further. Prompted by calls from athletes, arena owners’ site the summer’s racial-justice demonstrations as inspiration for supplying the spaces since voting is a key way to create definitive changes. Voters were thrilled to cast their ballots in a sports arena.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Gamification in Urban Planning: Participation Through Minecraft

Laura von Puttkamer

November 03, 2020 |

Urbanet |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden

Urban planning using gamification is a viable way of engaging diverse parts of the population and placing people and communities at the center of the process. “Block by Block” is a collaboration between UN Habitat and the game company Mojang that holds participatory workshops, where people design public spaces using the game Minecraft. Over 25,000 people from diverse backgrounds and age groups have participated. Professional advisers are present and they adjust the designs for implementation. The method has been used by the City of Stockholm and to create the first skatepark in Kosovo.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Cities deploy dedicated teams to combat racial disparities exposed by Covid

James Peterson

November 02, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder, Colorado

Several cities across the U.S. have organized Racial Equity Rapid Response (RERR) teams to address and combat "the racial disparities exposed and exacerbated by Covid-19." Although each city's version of this team looks slightly different, some commonalities exist such as enacting the teams at the municipal level and relying on community connectivity to drive impact.

Read More
Go to Original Story
This Medical Team Is Working To Reach Those Most At Risk For COVID-19

Eleni Avendaño

November 01, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hawaii

A group of health care workers and social workers formed to help connect hard-to-reach communities in Hawaii to COVID-19 testing and information about the pandemic. So far, they have been able to test more than 200 people who were showing symptoms or who had been at high risk of exposure. The director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority has also reported that compliance with mask-wearing and other safety measures has increased since the effort began.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Michigan, Undocumented Immigrants Form Learning Pod So They Won't Lose Their Jobs

Michelle Jokisch Polo

November 01, 2020 |

NPR |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Undocumented parents face unique challenges to pandemic learning. Some don’t speak English or might not have access to Wi-Fi. To help, an activist in Michigan created an in-person learning hub for students of undocumented families in grades K thru 12. The hub was hosted in a church and provided 24 students with computers from the district, and support from teachers and tutors. The hub was funded through donations from the community.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Chennai Ran Out of Water — But That's Only Half the Story

Erica Gies Dhritiman Mukherjee

October 30, 2020 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

The city of Chennai in India is engaging in wetlands restoration and stormwater management by using traditional knowledge and community action to reduce flooding and ensure that people have access to drinking water. Through a development program called Water as Leverage, they are implementing “slow water” projects that restore flow paths for water, which could provide greater water resiliency for humans and protect and restore natural ecosystems. While it can be difficult to get government engineers to embrace green solutions, public awareness of the environmental work is helping move the projects forward.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Community rallies to create free learning pod for Philly students

Jessica Blatt Press

October 28, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A new learning pod at a church is serving at least 30 students in Philadelphia. The idea for the pod was the result of a listening tour with the community. “We heard directly from parents and caregivers about their needs.” Now, students are learning lessons they had missed out on before they joined the pod.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Bus Stop Shakespeare

Dorota Salus

October 26, 2020 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Poland, Gdansk

A program at the Gdansk Shakespeare Theater in Poland is creating job opportunities for people with Down syndrome after partnering with the city and a local foundation that supports job training and coaching for special-needs individuals. The project has not just benefited the participants – patrons of the company as well as other businesses are realizing "that people with Down syndrome who have the appropriate skills can prove themselves at work."

Read More
Go to Original Story
Colville, Washington Survived the Timber Wars. Now It's Tackling Wildfire

Jake Bullinger

October 23, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colville, Washington

A collective of timber companies, conservationists, and forestry professionals has made the adjacent national forest more resilient to wildfires by focusing on small-diameter trees while preserving old growth. In 2019, the Northeast Washington Forest Coalition allowed for the harvesting of 87.1 million board-feet from the forest and 16,561 acres underwent controlled burns and mechanical thinning to mitigate the risk of wildfires. The group’s record of compromise and innovation could offer a blueprint for other areas looking to boost the resilience of fire-prone forests and rural economies.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Youth Vote Goes Virtual

Charlotte West Ilyne Castellanos

October 23, 2020 |

Voices of Monterey Bay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

California Students Vote Project, a public-private partnership, encourages college students to vote. Covid-19-adjusted strategies include sending out multiple emails, using social media, and encouraging peer-to-peer contacts to inform students about how to register to vote and the ways they can actually cast their ballots. Group representatives also visit Zoom classrooms to share information and some students have organized virtual events, such as political trivia night, to foster student engagement. Over 65,000 California students have registered to vote since August, triple the number from all of 2016.

Read More
Go to Original Story