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For non-swimmers, a chance to jump in the water and learn

Joel Wolfram

May 10, 2019 |

WHYY |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To better serve all communities and increase safety for families, the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation is offering free swim lessons at community pools. Building off of the success of University of Pennsylvania's We Can Swim summer program which offers lessons to "Philadelphia children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn," the idea has already been deemed a success given the enrollment numbers.

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Making Playgrounds a Little More Dangerous

Richard Schiffman

May 10, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

In the United States, most playgrounds are equipped with the same types of monkey bars, slides and swings, but a few are replacing these typical options with "dismembered store mannequins, wooden packing crates, tires, mattresses" among other things. Following the success of similar "adventure" or "junk" playgrounds in other countries, the research thus far is showing positive results such as fewer injuries and longer physical playtime.

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The First City to Remove and Replace a Confederate Monument

Gabriel Furshong

May 09, 2019 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Helena, Montana

Earlier this year, Helena, Montana became the first city in the United States to both remove and replace a confederate monument. A group called the Equity Fountain Project will replace the old monument with a public art project, a "Sphere of Interconnectedness" that will have steel strands on a round millstone.

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New Salmon-Challis Smartphone App Lets Users Take Forest Information On The Go

Monica Gokey

May 09, 2019 |

NPR |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Salmon, Idaho

Visitors to the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho can now access the wealth of information in a guidebook with the convenience of a smartphone app. The app, which contains valuable information on history, visitor stops, trailheads, and camp sites, will be especially helpful in much of the national forest where cell phone coverage is spotty.

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How to Inspire Girls to Become Carpenters and Electricians

Hallie Golden

April 22, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

A Portland program for girls aged 8-14 aims to inspire interest in trade fields such as construction, plumbing, and electricity with a week-long spring break camp. The camp was founded by an organization called Girls Build in 2016 and has since proven to be a success with over 400 participants and half of those being returnees. Girls Build seeks to rebalance the gender inequity in trade professions as well as source skillsets for an industry that is currently lacking supply of.

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Community buy-in stamps out elephant poaching in Zambian park

John C. Cannon

April 22, 2019 |

Mongabay |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Zambia, Luangwa Valley

In the North Luangwa National Park in Zambia, a conservation team worked with local communities to bring the rate of elephant poaching in the area down to zero in 2018. Poaching had surged in the Luangwa Valley in 2014, and since then the group has protected the elephants by placing the decision-making and benefit-reaping in the hands of the community members. They use financial incentives to stir the economy without depending on poaching money, work with the government to revise policies that redirect any income for the area to benefit the residents, and they patrol the park for any poachers.

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Barcelona wants to build 500 superblocks. Here's what it learned from the first ones.

David Roberts

April 09, 2019 |

Vox |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

Calming traffic reduces noise and brings new public spaces to urban neighborhoods. Across Barcelona, Spain, neighborhoods designated as superblocks—where through traffic is prohibited—now serve as shared-use spaces. Existing superblock projects, created through years of collaboration between Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona and the city’s administration, serve as pilot programs for the city’s broader vision to create hundreds of such spaces.

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New Jersey high school opens doors every Friday night to keep students off streets

CeFaan Kim

April 05, 2019 |

WABC-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Newark, New Jersey

In Newark, NJ, kids are opting to stay late at school on Friday nights to hang out. This is possible because of West Side High School’s Lights On program, created to give students structured entertainment and to protect them from gun violence and crime.

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This All-Female Surf Club is Shifting the Paradigm in Sri Lankan Surf Culture

Ashtyn Douglas

April 02, 2019 |

SURFER Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay

Support from the international surfing community has empowered women in Sri Lanka to push back against patriarchal social norms and participate in outdoor recreation. Working to change a culture that discourages women from surfing, the Argument Bay Surf Club became the first official all-female surf club registered in Sri Lanka. The club, started with help from members of Surfing the Nations, that not only encourages women to pursue a hobby, but also engages in projects like beach clean ups and hopes to empower women to seek jobs as surfing instructors.

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This city bans cars every Sunday—and people love it

Alma Guillermoprieto

March 27, 2019 |

National Geographic |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Bogotá, Capital Region

Ciclovía (Bicycle Way) is a well-known initiative from Bogota, Colombia that allows citizens to take over the public space once a week — roughly 75 miles of public streets. Citizens will bike, run, walk, dance, eat, people watch, and more in a weekly tradition that has turned into an egalitarian celebration imitated all over the world in countries like New Zealand and China. Proponents say that the Ciclovía increases the patience and cooperation of citizens are well as enhancing the feeling of community.

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