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This Philly-based video-chatting platform helps older adults stay connected during socially isolated times

Courtney Duchene

September 22, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

OneClick.chat is an online video chatting and live events platform, with 50,000 users in over 30 countries, that helps older adults connect with old friends and meet new people. The technology is designed to be easy to master, with key features such as chat, mute, and screen-share buttons more obviously placed, easy to access, and remaining accessible throughout the conversation. Meeting scheduling is also made to be simple. Users, who pay $15/month for the service, get a unique meeting room URL that never changes. Using the services doesn’t require people to download software or create an account.

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Old school still rules: Lee-Harvard's high census response rate could teach other neighborhoods a few tricks

Lee Chilcote Conor Morris

September 22, 2020 |

The Land |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

The high census completion rate in Lee-Harvard, as high as 70%, compared to Cleveland’s 50% as a whole, is the result of regular meetings, pre-pandemic, to educate residents of the benefits of the census and dispel common myths. After the pandemic, volunteers at the community center’s monthly food distribution provided census-related information. A group of retired women, called the Ward 1 Volunteer Navigators, also went door-to-door to make sure everyone got counted. Because many of the residents are long time homeowners, neighbor-to-neighbor relationships also led more residents to complete the census.

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How a neighborhood collaborative transformed a small town

Katie Ellington

September 21, 2020 |

Richland Source |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fulton, New York

Residents are using dollar-for-dollar matching grants to spruce up their homes in Fulton, NY, resulting in higher home values, higher morale and the formation of neighborhood collaborations. The grants are granted to entire neighborhoods with the condition that at least half the residents sign up for the challenge. The initiative strives to create a ripple effect that eventually revitalizes the city.

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Hi, There. Want to Triple Voter Turnout?

Tina Rosenberg

September 19, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Vote Tripling is a get-out-the-vote strategy where volunteers set up outside of polling places, a safer pandemic option, and ask voters to text three friends with a reminder to vote. A randomized trial showed turnout was nearly 8 percentage points higher among people receiving texts. The message to vote holds more weight coming from a friend and it empowers those doing the texting, who also receive an election day reminder to send the texts. To be most effective, the technique requires a busy polling place where proximity to the polling place is legally allowed.

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How schools are finding thousands of students they couldn't reach when the pandemic began

Jennifer Sanders

September 18, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Leander, Texas

For one school district in Texas, using personal relationships established before the pandemic, proved the best way to reach bilingual students in rural parts of the district who weren't showing up to remote classes. One librarian and a parent “went door-to-door there to track down students and find out how they could help families transition to virtual learning. They also had parents fill out note cards showing how many children lived in the home to make sure no child was left behind.” Other Texas districts are similarly relying on home visits to check on students. Data shows those methods work.

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Can an Algorithm Help Solve Political Paralysis?

Julia Hotz

September 18, 2020 |

Scientific American |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Citizen assemblies bring together residents for in-depth discussions about solutions to social issues. This alternative form of democracy led to policy changes in many countries, including legalizing abortion in Ireland. In the UK, an algorithm was applied to form a 110-person “climate assembly.” In a multistage process, the algorithm selected a representative sample of the U.K.’s population, sometimes oversampling harder to reach groups to ensure inclusion. A small stipend was also offered to offset costs for people with lower incomes. The group submitted a final report with climate policy recommendations.

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Camp Resilience, a local life-changer for vets

Roberta Baker

September 17, 2020 |

The Laconia Daily Sun |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Gilford, New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, a healing and bonding program is offering veterans and first responders experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder ways to cope with their stressors. From social interactions to equine therapy, participants have reported that the program has had a positive impact on their wellbeing.

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'It's like family': Swedish housing experiment designed to cure loneliness

Derek Robertson

September 15, 2020 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Helsingborg

A multigenerational housing program in Sweden aims to combat social isolation of seniors and increase understanding between native Swedes and the young refugee population. About half of the 72 residents are over 70 and the rest are aged 18-25 from culturally diverse backgrounds. To live there, residents must agree to socialize for at least 2 hours a week. The coronavirus revealed a need to ensure all residents take precautions to protect the higher-risk seniors but is also revealed the strength of the relationships formed, where the younger residents helped run errands and care for their senior neighbors.

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Are You Liberal? Are You Sure?

Will Doig

September 15, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

“Deep Canvassing” is an approach to political organizing based on the idea that our political beliefs may be more flexible than we think. Canvassers go door-to-door but instead of rallying identified supporters to go to the polls, they approach people who hold opposing viewpoints for meaningful conversations, including substantial active listening. Even though people start out attached to their own opinions, these meaningful connections have shown that people are usually willing to adjust their beliefs towards the center in a quest to find common ground.

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Zeničko udruženje Naš most potpomaže zdravo starenje kroz umjetnost

Lidija Pisker

September 15, 2020 |

Inforadar |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zenica

Udruženje Naš Most koristi inicijative iz kulture i umjetnosti kao borbu protiv usamljenosti među starijim osobama. Više od sedam godina, neformalni sedmični sastanci pretvorili su se u formalne kurseve slikanja i rukotvorina, a članstvo je poraslo sa 30 na preko 100 starijih osoba. Udruženje također organizira događaje na kojima se izlažu radovi članova i sarađuje s drugim grupama kako bi stvarali i razmjenjivali podcaste, organizirali koncerte i ponudili druge umjetničke događaje starijim osobama.

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