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In the Aftermath of Civil War, a Writing Workshop Aims for Peace

Sarah Hoenicke

April 09, 2019 |

Literary Hub |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Sri Lanka, Jaffna

The Sri Lankan Civil War lasted from 1983 to 2009 and bitterly divided the country into two sides between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Years later in 2012, a literary program called Write to Reconcile was created by Sri Lankan-Canadian novelist Shyam Selvadurai to use creative writing as a tool to open up dialogue between the two sides that still have misconceptions and prejudices against each other. Many participants in the workshop, which ended in 2017, testify to how much the program changed their perspectives.

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A.I. Joins the Campaign Against Sex Trafficking

Tina Rosenberg

April 09, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Online buyers of sex now have a great chance of running into the NYPD's latest initiative to combat trafficking amongst prostitution: a chatbot called Freedom Signal. Originated by an organization called Seattle Against Slavery, this bot collects solicitors' phone numbers and warns them of arrest, as well as using strategically-placed ads and text conversations with real trafficking survivors. The bot is 1,200% more productive than a full-time staff, 10 times more effective than on-the-street outreach, is currently being used in 13 cities, and makes buyers 50-80% less likely to be caught a second time.

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Borussia Dortmund: The structures behind the club's fight against the far right

Felix Tamsut

April 09, 2019 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia

A highly popular German sports club named Borussia Dortmund is taking advantage of its fanbase and following to promote anti-extremist messages, praise diversity, and celebrate inclusion. They do so in a variety of ways, including elevating and supporting independent fan initiatives like ballspiel.vereint!, requiring fan clubs and members to sign statues that reject far-right ideology, hosting educational field trips to former concentration camps for youth, and donating over a million dollars to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.

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They Found a Way to Use Science in the Fight for Human Rights – and It's Working

Alison Kotch

April 08, 2019 |

NationSwell |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

A special cross-sector collaboration has emerged with the On Call Scientists Hotline by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Human rights advocates call the hotline when they're in need of data to back up their findings, and on the receiving end are volunteers with expertise in areas like forensic chemistry, public health, refugee trauma and food/environmental toxins. This immediate response with analyzing research, filling in data, and reviewing reports helps those on the frontline of human rights make stronger arguments in service of their cause.

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Energy Equity: Bringing Solar Power to Low-Income Communities

Maria Gallucci

April 04, 2019 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Dozens of states across the US are adopting programs that offer solar power for low-income communities in order to cut down on their utility costs and provide renewable energy that they previously would not have had access to. Some of these programs also incorporate other social goals into their programs, such as offering job training or developing sites of backup energy should there an outage. Solar development is currently one of the fastest growing industries in the US, and analysts predict that the nation will be able to hold over 2,000 megawatts of solar capacity this year alone.

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Perfectly good food was going in the trash, so an Indiana school turned it into take-home meals for hungry kids

David Williams

April 03, 2019 |

CNN |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Elkhart, Indiana

A community organization in Indiana called Cultivate "rescues" food from local caterers, hospitals, casinos, and businesses to then be packaged into take-home meals for students at Woodland Elementary School that come from food-insecure homes. Cultivate is in its second year of existence, has three staff and 400 volunteers, and hopes to expand beyond their pilot program to reach all 21 schools in the district.

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SEPTA quietly decriminalizes jumping turnstiles, lowers fines

Maura Ewing

April 03, 2019 |

WHYY |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Transit Authority, SEPTA, has decriminalized fare evasion, with those who are caught facing a $25 fine. This is down from the prior $300 tickets that were issued in the past. The move toward decriminalization is part of a larger shift in the region for the criminal justice system to be less punitive and more rehabilitative, focusing more on addressing root causes of behavior.

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School district turns unused cafeteria food into frozen, take-home meals for kids

Ashleigh Jackson

April 03, 2019 |

KPHO-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Elkhart, Indiana

Elkhart Community Schools in Indiana has teamed up with a nonprofit called Cultivate to provide meals for students who may go without food over the weekend. In this pilot program, 20 students will receive a backpack full of eight frozen meals made up of "rescued" food from the cafeteria that was made but never served. This initiative helps reduce food waste and ensure that students will not go hungry.

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Fighting Sex Trafficking at the Truck Stop

Tina Rosenberg

April 02, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Findlay, Ohio

Truckers Against Trafficking are making an impact in reducing sex trafficking in the US by educating truckers, their companies, and the law enforcement that intersect with commercial drivers on how to spot sex trafficking and how to respond. To date, this 10-year-old organization has trained more than 700,000 truckers, and does further outreach with initiatives like "Man to Man" (which trains truckers to talk to other men about the issue) and "The Freedom Drivers Project" (a mobile museum about sex trafficking that goes to events like trucker conventions).

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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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