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Local initiative helps folks with cannabis-related charges find jobs—while pushing to decriminalize pot

Courtney Duchene

December 22, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When Pennsylvania's largest medical-marijuana dispensary, TerraVida Holistic Centers, struggled to find enough employees, given the state's ban on the industry's employment of people with marijuana convictions, TerraVida joined with the Urban League of Philadelphia to expand aid to the formerly incarcerated. Through Urban League's Out4Good program, the partnership helps people expunge their drug convictions. It also counsels and financially helps groups of 10 trainees at a time, dozens of whom have started careers and stayed out of trouble. The group also seeks a longer-term fix: marijuana legalization.

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Could matching skilled immigrants with employers help fill the gaps in Sweden's workforce?

Léopold Salzenstein

December 07, 2020 |

The Local |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden

MatchIT helps prepare skilled immigrants for jobs in fields where Sweden has a shortage of labor. Highly educated immigrants are provided with a 22-week training in programming skills, Swedish language classes, and 10-week internships. The program is aimed at filling a need in Sweden while helping immigrants better integrate into a xenophobic society.

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Kibera ropes project keeps children out of mischief, supplements families' income

Zeddy Odanga

December 07, 2020 |

Impacthub Media |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kibera, Nairobi Area

Concerned with a rise in misbehavior by students who were staying home much more due to the coronavirus pandemic, a resident of Kibera started a rope-making project that both engages and employs the children. "I felt the need come up with a project to keep the children busy and also generate a little income for the families to shield them from the effects of the pandemic,” the founder of the program explains.

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This App Pays Young People Without Housing to Build Life Skills

Emily Nonko

November 24, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Haven, Connecticut

Youth experiencing unstable housing in New Haven, Connecticut can build life skills in exchange for gift cards through an app built by a nonprofit. DreamKit incentivizes positive change for disadvantaged young people who have competing priorities. The nonprofit is building a pipeline which will allow them to gauge which skills employers are looking for, provide those skills through the app, and then present a list of trained youth to employers.

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Revolutionizing Representation in Documentary: The Making of 'Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen'

Kristal Sotomayor

November 20, 2020 |

Documentary Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The production model of the documentary Disclosure prioritized diversity, inclusion, and empowering transgender people both on screen and behind the scenes. Over 120 trans people contributed to the film. Nine trans Fellows, many of whom have since made their own films, received stipends, mentoring, hands-on training, and networking opportunities. Trans representation behind the camera increased interviewee openness and all interviewees were compensated for their time. While a controversial practice in documentary film making, it was implemented to avoid exploitative and extractive storytelling practices.

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What happens after the police stop? People of color with disabilities face higher risks

Vicky Diaz-Camacho Catherine Hoffman Cody Boston

November 11, 2020 |

Flatland |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

Crisis intervention training for Kansas City police officers does not reach the majority of the department and can fail to address a critical reason that police might use excessive force on people with disabilities. Although the 40-hour training includes a segment on dealing with people with autism and developmental disabilities, the combination of racial bias and some people's eccentric behavior can cause officers' "compliance culture" to kick in and make them overreact to perceived threats. Training without culture change, advocates say, is doomed to have short-lived effects.

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Innovative program helps Lawrence, MA, get off the mat

Tom Condon

November 02, 2020 |

The Connecticut Mirror |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Lawrence, Massachusetts

A program in Lawrence, MA has helped hundreds of families to enter the paid labor force by connecting with them via their children’s’ schools. Using a $700,000 grant, the program connects with parents when they register a child for school. Schools offer programs through resource centers that help them get the training and connections needed to find a job. Oftentimes the parents also get an actual job referral. A key component of the program is English language training as well as skills courses in healthcare, education, manufacturing, and other fields.

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Police de-escalation training gaining renewed clout as law enforcement seeks to reduce killings

Tom Jackman Dan Morse

October 27, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Louisville, Kentucky

A de-escalation training program from the Police Executive Research Forum, used by 85 police agencies already, was shown in Louisville to reduce police officers' use of force by 28%. The training resulted in 26% fewer injuries to residents, and an even larger drop in injured officers. The training focuses on incidents where the person is not armed with a gun but often is in a mental-health crisis. Contrary to traditional training that emphasizes command-and-control tactics with escalating shows of force, PERF's approach teaches officers to slow and calm the situation in ways that can avoid a shooting.

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Money in jeopardy for program helping Wyoming adults go back to school

Camille Erickson

October 24, 2020 |

Casper Star-Tribune |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wyoming

The Wyoming Works Program has helped adults afford to attend college and find better jobs. When the program started in 2019, the state government allotted $5 million dollars and since then $3 million have been used for student grants. "Individual student grants range from $1,680 to $3,360 per academic year."

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Behind prison walls, cats and inmates rehabilitate each other through animal care program

Jordan Erb

October 19, 2020 |

IndyStar (The Indianapolis Star) |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pendleton, Indiana

In Indiana's maximum-security Pendleton Correctional Facility, the FORWARD program (Felines and Offenders Rehabilitation With Affection, Reformation and Dedication) puts incarcerated men in charge of caring for cats rescued from abuse or the streets while the cats await adoption. The men learn job skills and can feel empathy for a dependent animal, which research has shown can improve behavior both inside prison and afterward. The caregivers say their job gives them purpose and greater self-esteem. About 20 have been hired after prison by Indiana's Animal Protection League, which helps run the program.

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