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When get-out-the-vote becomes get-out-the-vaccine

Hannah Grabenstein

June 17, 2021 |

MLK50 |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Memphis, Tennessee

The Shelby County Voter Alliance, who was used to using publicly available information to run get-out-the-vote and voter registration drives, pivoted to door-knocking to increase vaccination rates. Using a grant from Civic Nation’s Made to Save initiative, SCVA went to people’s homes to answer questions about vaccines and let them know about community vaccination pop-ups. They worked with local churches and set up at a Juneteenth celebration, where vaccines were offered. While canvassing, volunteers use a “research-based script” from Made to Save that especially helps them talk with “hesitant people.”

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For Black Voters Matter, the goal is greater community power

Haleluya Hadero

June 02, 2021 |

Associated Press |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Georgia

Black Voters Matter raises money to support organizations and initiatives that are often too small for institutional funders to notice. The group has given millions to community-based groups in 15 states—mostly in the South—to register voters, canvass neighborhoods with voting-related information, run phone banks, and even rent buses to drive people to the polls. They’ve raised tens of millions of dollars, mostly in small donations from about 90,000 unique donors. The group, who seeks to strengthen organizations for the long run, also funds activities like free grocery distribution for those in need.

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A Mexico Housing Community With No Police

Mayu Ruiz Rull

May 31, 2021 |

What's Next Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

On the outskirts of Mexico City, the self-governed Acapatzingo Housing Community prevents crime and resolves disputes without any involvement by the police. The community, founded at an abandoned mine to provide housing to people living in poverty, sits adjacent to a neighborhood that suffers thousands of violent crimes per year. But the housing community and its citizen-guard patrols, mediators, and network of walls and fences manage to limit the number of crimes and conflicts to about 60 per year. The police are viewed as unresponsive and corrupt, while the community's security is rooted in trust.

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This Nonprofit Eliminated a Simple Barrier Keeping New Orleans Teens From Their Summer Internships

Emily Nonko

May 27, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Onerous paperwork and required legal documents keep many youth - especially those not living with legal guardians - from taking part in city internships, so YouthForce NOLA worked with the city to pilot an internship program with fewer barriers. The streamlined application included workarounds for common issues, like allowing public school records to certify residency, accepting approval from non-legal guardians, and providing a checklist with exactly what records they need and how they can get them. The added support reduced anxiety among the youth and significantly increased retention in the internships.

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Bogota crowdsources a green transport future to cut emissions

Anastasia Moloney

May 26, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Bogotá

Citizen participation in meetings, door-to-door surveys, and via an open-source online platform where residents could edit and add to draft plans resulted in 7,000 citizen proposals to redesign one of Bogota’s major, car-choked, 23-km thoroughfares. Residents as young as 10 years old contributed to design plans that will cut climate-changing emissions and pollution by adding more bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and electric buses and cable cars. City officials spent substantial time listening to residents’ ideas and concerns, including talking with populations that are often ignored by those in power.

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Online Town Halls Likely to Survive Beyond the Pandemic

Brooke Staggs

May 25, 2021 |

Orange County Register |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Orange County, California

Orange County congressional members increased the number of town halls they hold since the coronavirus pandemic forced them to from in-person to virtual events. Going virtual increased the frequency of citizen’s access to hear from their representatives and also allowed many more people to tune in, especially those unable to attend town halls due to work or physical ability. A virtual event held by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) was attended by 100,000 people, whereas in-person events pre-pandemic drew about 400 people. Live-streamed virtual events are faster to arrange and less expensive to host.

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Reimagining a Better World After George Floyd's Death

Anoa Changa Laura Rosbrow-Telem

May 24, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Two ways that communities affected by police violence and racial injustice responded to the uprising after George Floyd's murder were block-by-block organizing and participatory budgeting. The first, used in Minneapolis, provided public safety and mutual aid when neighbors formed networks to guard buildings, put out fires, mediate disputes, and deliver aid to people living through a period of unrest. In participatory budgeting, 30 cities turned over control of $400 million in public spending to communities, which set policy based on communal decisions and directed financial priorities.

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In New Hampshire, young adults are finding their voice

Evan Edmonds

May 22, 2021 |

Concord Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Hampshire

Barriers to participation are keeping millennials from civic engagement in New Hampshire. Unaffordable housing, a lack of childcare, uncompensated civic engagement, office and voting hours that conflict with work schedules, and convoluted processes all prevent both the young and diverse populations from participating.

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Washington School kids receive lesson on ‘Participatory Budgeting'

Beverly Barela

May 13, 2021 |

Merced County Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Merced County, California

Student leaders formed the Participatory Budget Committee at a Merced River School and ran the voting process for students decide which initiatives would be funded. The students had a budget of $5,000 to allocate and used actual county voting booths. The winning project was the modernization of campus restrooms. Students learned about participatory budgeting and brainstormed a set of four projects they felt were most needed at the school. They held regular meetings, highlighting the importance of civic involvement.

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The Ferguson movement is on the cusp of revolutionizing political power in St. Louis

Rebecca Rivas

May 06, 2021 |

Missouri Independent |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

Frustrated at the slow pace of criminal justice reform after the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, the grassroots group Action St. Louis formed to seize political power and make change happen from the inside of the system rather than pressuring for change from the outside. After years of organizing and politicking, it flipped key offices – St. Louis city and county prosecutors, the Board of Aldermen, and the mayor – outflanking the police union's candidates with officeholders committed to re-imagining public safety policy.

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