Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1167 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Iowa Election Snafu: What Happens When IT And Cybersecurity Best Practices Are Ignored

    The wireless application that malfunctioned during the Iowa caucuses highlighted lessons that election officials must apply in future caucuses. The app skipped or was deficient in most of the established best practices for developing software systems. Software should meet minimum privacy and security standards and it should be tested for functionality and security, with access to regular maintenance as needed. Officials should understand the importance of the best practices and standards when making IT decisions and regular testing to identify vulnerabilities, which are promptly addressed, should take place.

    Read More

  • To Sway Swing Voters, Try Empathy

    Deep canvassing goes beyond talking points, encouraging empathetic dialogue. The New York-based organization, Changing the Conversation Together, trains volunteers in the practice of deep canvassing. Instead of just focusing on a candidate’s talking points in an effort to mobilize potential voters, deep canvassing promotes conversation, listening, and empathy. Canvassers are taught to relay a personal story, a message of love, as a way to connect with the people they meet.

    Read More

  • Mountain athletes push progress over perfection in climate fight

    Since 2007, Protect Our Winters (POW) has engaged outdoor athletes to advocate for climate change. They believe in “imperfect advocacy,” in which they focus on corporate polluters whose habits can create larger-scale change, rather than putting the impetus for change solely on individuals. In doing so, they have been able to successfully engage athletes in their mission, build a partnership with the Climate Action Corps, a coalition of outdoor outfitters working for change at a corporate-level, and host rallies to sway public officials.

    Read More

  • A Group of Mothers, a Vacant Home, and a Win for Fair Housing

    Moms 4 Housing, a collective of women and their children, occupied a vacant 3-bedroom house in Oakland to secure housing for themselves and call attention to the Bay Area’s lack of affordable housing. Despite being removed and arrested by heavily armed deputies, the movement grew and the developer has agreed to sell the house to Oakland’s Community Land Trust at market value and offer the right of first refusal on other properties. The group also urged state senator Scott Weiner to introduce amendments to a bill currently under consideration that would protect affordable housing from developers.

    Read More

  • There's a nationwide shortage of poll workers. Cities are relying on teens for help

    Many cities are turning to 16- and 17-year-olds to address poll worker shortages. Election officials say the students are also more tech savvy, racially and ethnically diverse, and enthusiastic. 400 students in Minneapolis, which has the highest turnout in midterm elections, made up 16% of all poll workers and were at 131 of its 132 polling places. Milwaukee has had less success recruiting students. In 2016, the last year they reported this data, students made up just 1% of poll workers. Structural barriers caused by high poverty rates and much lower compensation than other cities likely limit success.

    Read More

  • A Vision for a Just recovery - La Marana's work Post Hurricane Maria

    La Maraña, a nonprofit in Puerto Rico, created a model for how communities could recover from disasters like the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. By including community voices in the design and planning process of recovery projects — which can focus on water, food, energy, roads, communication, or security — the organization hopes the projects are more likely to succeed and promote longterm community civic engagement.

    Read More

  • Ranked Choice Voting Gains Traction For 2020

    Already adopted in eighteen cities and five states, ranked choice voting, a system where voters rank candidates running in an election from their first to last choice, is growing in popularity across the United States. Those states and municipalities that have ranked choice voting claim that this system is fairer and more democratic and the electorate is more satisfied as a result.

    Read More

  • Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops

    In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a coalition of organizers and community members called Reclaim the Block advocates for divestment from the city's police force and into more community-based initiatives and services. Advocates for the group argue that rather than solving issues like homelessness, opioid addiction, and mental health crises, policing can actually make the situation worse off. The broad coalition successfully petitioned the city to move funds out of the police force and into the newly created Office of Violence Prevention.

    Read More

  • 'Scary Moms' Are Part Of The Citizen War Against Pollution In Pakistan

    In cities across Pakistan, smog and air pollution are dire health threats but the country's government hasn't done enough to take it seriously - so citizens are pushing back. Initiatives to crowd source air quality data and a push from local mothers to encourage parents to use school buses for their children to lower transportation emission is raising awareness and producing results.

    Read More

  • 'You Are Killing Us? We Will Make You a Joke.' Meet Ahmed Albasheer.

    Ahmed Albasheer is an Iraqi journalist who uses a combination of humor and grassroots organizing to teach youth in Iraq and across the world about their government's corruption with his show, "The Albasheer Show.” He has been compared to Jon Stewart in how his weekly series airing on YouTube and satellite television engages young people through his comedic timing and straight-forward manner of speaking. As a result, protests have erupted, and the government has killed protesters in response, but Albasheer continues to boost morale and amplify their voices in solidarity.

    Read More