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

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  • A Country That Welcomes Migration

    In a time when many Western countries are closing their doors to refugees, Colombia has been particularly welcoming to migrants and refugees. The country has enacted a series of laws that make it easier for incoming Venezuelans to find work and become a Colombian citizen. One policy, called Permiso Especial de Permanencia, or PEP, provides legal status to Venezuelans who entered the country without a visa. Nearly 600,000 Venezuelans had been granted PEP as of October 2019.

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  • In a brilliant move, Penn Museum hires refugees as guides to exhibits from their homelands

    The Penn Museum in Philadelphia not only hires museum docents from the regions being showcased, but they also hire refugees and immigrants. As a result attendance has increased with some people coming expressly for that, and other museums have begun following suit.

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  • Young Somalis Step In Where Government Fails

    After three decades of war and famine, Somalia's capacity to respond to emergencies and rebuild its country has been significantly diminished. To pick up the slack, young Somalis, many of whom have returned home from abroad, are stepping in to volunteer their services, from rehabilitating child soldiers, sparking tourism, addressing humanitarian crises, and even organizing book fairs.

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  • Crazy Mascots Flooded Japan. Can This Grouchy Boar Survive?

    Kumamon, a black bear with rosy cheeks, is a mascot for a Japanese town who helped sell millions in merchandise, drive up tourism, and increase tax revenue because citizens can direct some of their income taxes to the locality of their choice. As a result, hundreds of towns rushed to create mascots to cash in on the approach to enticing visitors and investment. Towns spent a lot of money on these oftentimes whacky characters, however there has been no evidence that the vast majority of characters deliver any economic benefits, and therefore most are quietly being discontinued.

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  • Seattle nonprofits and Zillow launch affordable housing search tool

    The City of Seattle partnered with Zillow to create a searchable database of affordable vacant rental units. Case managers are using the tool to get homeless residents into housing.

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  • The Green Miles

    After strip-mining for coal devastated Kentucky’s forests and planting grass didn’t revive Appalachia’s ecosystems, a federal employee reversed course and spearheaded an ambitious reforestation effort. By planting trees on used mine land, Patrick Angel and his nonprofit Green Forests Work are providing employment for out-of-work miners and are helping prevent frequent flooding. They have planted more than 187 million trees on about 275,000 acres of former min

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  • How America's shrinking cities can 'rightsize'

    Once-bustling cities contend with population decline by rethinking their use of space for those who remain. Baltimore, New Bedford, and Youngstown have implemented strategies that range from knocking down abandoned houses and factories to developing community gardens and creating public waterfront spaces. Racial and class tensions have arisen when choosing where to spend limited government funding.

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  • Rome's ‘invisible' immigrants offer an alternative view of the Eternal City

    Guide Invisibili is an audio storytelling initiative by Laboratorio 53 that increases understanding of Rome’s refugee and immigrant communities. 40 young people, who left their home countries due to conflicts and instability, record their perceptions of the city and point out similarities between life in their home cities and Rome. The free audio tours include moderated discussions with the storytellers and are opportunities to break down barriers, especially with anti-immigrant sentiments and racially motivated attacks increasing. Despite not being well known, 2,500 people have participated.

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  • Beer Waste Helps Montana Town Save Money On Water Treatment

    Finding ways to reuse brewery waste can save water treatment plants money. In Havre, Montana, Triple Dog Brewing has entered into a partnership with the town’s wastewater treatment plant, supplying discarded barley to feed the plant’s microbes. The barley replaces commercial bacteria feed, which would have cost the plant thousands of dollars. The town was also able to avoid having to do costly upgrades to its water treatment plant. Other towns are looking to this process for inspiration.

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  • Marin ‘Safe Harbor' program creates model for marinas

    California coastal towns address homelessness by supporting individuals who live on their boats - and those who want to move back to land. While many counties destroy or condemn boats that have been anchored long-term, areas like Half Moon Bay and Marin county work with individuals who want to find stable housing.

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