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Graffiti-removal company hires only homeless or formerly incarcerated workers

Terri Akman

February 11, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Powered by a workforce made up exclusively of the formerly incarcerated and people experiencing homelessness, Philadelphia start-up company Graffiti Removal Experts gets paid to clean up signs of blight while giving people an employment opportunity they otherwise might lack. Besides cleaning up graffiti, the team removes stickers and fixes broken glass throughout Center City and surrounding neighborhoods. The company’s clients include neighborhood associations, property managers, and individual businesses who pay monthly or one-time fees that turn into $20-per-hour wages for the company’s employees.

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How Fines and Fees Reform Became a Priority for Cities Across the Country

Emma Coleman

February 06, 2020 |

Route Fifty |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

From North Carolina to California, states and cities are taking a new approach to fines and fees – people are having their charges dismissed, warrants for minor offenses cleared, and many municipalities are actually saving money by spending less on collections. With a system that was built because it provided cities and states with revenue, there has been a realization that it disproportionately targets communities of color and often keeps people stuck in cycles of debt. With this national awakening, resources and networks are being created so other places can implement the same change.

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How one Minnesota university more than doubled its native student graduation rate

Caroline Preston

February 06, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has seen its six-year graduation rate for American Indian and Alaska Native students rise from 27 percent in 2008 to 69 percent in 2018, as well as an increase in the number of enrolled students who identify as native. The university credits this achievement to a number of academic and social programs designed to make native students feel welcome on campus, initiatives to increase empathy and understanding by teachers of issues facing native students, a summer institute for indigenous high school students, and more.

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Family business: the women starting afresh in Cairo's creative sector

Nour Ibrahim

January 30, 2020 |

Pioneers Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Cairo

An initiative run by the UN Refugee Agency in Cairo called NilFurat teaches women in countries around the Nile and Furat rivers creative skills for them to make a living. The women learn skills like hand sewing, machine sewing, product design, startup management, and financial literacy. The program focuses on supporting artisans who come from disadvantaged or underemployed backgrounds and works to foster a supportive community amongst women coming from Egyptian, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese backgrounds. The group is growing quickly and still faces challenges, but its members are optimistic.

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As Seattle Seeks to Tax Amazon (Again), What Can It Learn From California?

Gregory Scruggs

January 24, 2020 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In 2018, a per-employee tax levied on Amazon and other Seattle businesses making over $20 million a year was struck down by council members with unfavorable polling. In 2020, that same referendum is being brought back to life with renewed support. This article compares Seattle's past failures to San Francisco's current success in implementing a tax inspired by Seattle's. The processes differ in many areas, and this article considers what would happen if Seattle now followed someone else's lead.

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How 17 Outsize Portraits Rattled a Small Southern Town

Audra Burch

January 21, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Newnan, Georgia

The small Southern city of Newnan, GA considered themselves to be a fairly open and accepting place. This attitude was shattered when 17 huge portraits of ordinary people who make up Newnan were hung across the city and prompted a racially-tinged backlash. The purpose of the portraits was to open up a dialogue around the diversity in the city, but it also exposed new and hidden racial tensions. The portraits were ultimately allowed to stay up, but the conversations surrounding the issue are ongoing.

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Can You Cure a Domestic Abuser?

Matthew Wolfe

January 17, 2020 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Duluth, Iowa

Duluth’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Project has served for decades as a model for men’s counseling groups that courts often mandate in lieu of incarceration after abuse leads to criminal charges. But a deep look at its methods, which are rooted in challenging men’s patriarchal views and pushing them to take responsibility for their behavior, shows that its rejection of other behavioral influences calls into question its entire approach to truly solving the problem. A solid body of research finds the approach minimally effective, at best, and that other forms of group therapy can be more effective.

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Reducing Fire, and Cutting Carbon Emissions, the Aboriginal Way

Thomas Fuller

January 16, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Cooinda, Northern Territory

With the dramatic increase in wildfire danger in Australia causing international distress, officials look to an ancient Indigenous fire-prevention technique that reduces the risk of large wild-fires. This Aboriginal technique - which involves lighting small, controlled fires throughout the year - eliminates excess debris that can easily catch fire in a wildfire, and it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from wildfires in the Northern region of the country by 40%.

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What it Takes to Keep Independent Grocery Stores Open in Rural Communities

Stephanie Parker

January 07, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wimbledon, North Dakota

Small, rural grocery stores around the country keep their doors open by using creative, cross-sector financing, recruiting local volunteers, and thinking outside the box as many residents move closer to urban areas. One such store in Wimbledon, North Dakota re-organized as a non-profit and applied for government funds as well as opened a community cafe within the store to boost traffic and revenue.

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Restoring Harmony in Haida Gwaii

Jason G. Goldman

January 03, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia

Scientists from the Haida Nation, Parks Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, researchers from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and representatives from the commercial fishing sector, are all collaborating to help restore the two large reserves in Canada. This collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike is helping to create statistical models that target the most beneficial conservation efforts.

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