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Philadelphia's Secret Ingredient for More Civic Engagement: a Lot of Food

Andrew Small

November 16, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Food and common passions are bringing people together for solutions-oriented conversations about the communities they live in. The Knight Foundation’s “On the Table” series started in Chicago and has now expanded to 30 cities. It’s an all-day event to encourage civic dialogue.

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To solve its housing affordability crisis, Boston has turned to residents

Lauren Greenawalt

November 09, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

When local policy initiatives fail, it is often because they are not meeting local needs in a way that residents want. The Boston Housing Innovation Lab, know as the iLab, seeks to combat this challenge. So far, it has used creative approaches to let residents “experience” a policy- such as walking through an example compact house to give feedback on its design. This process informed feedback that otherwise would have been difficult to glean. By constantly seeking to understand users, the iLab and local Boston housing groups will be better equipped to create policies that actually help community members.

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Make Voting Easy

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

November 07, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Voter turnout is higher where voting is made easy. Consider one innovation: vote-by mail. States that allowed mail-in ballots had an average of 10 percent more voting in the 2016 election than other states. More innovations include pre-registering young voters, automatically updating a voter’s address when they move, automatically registering citizens unless they opt out, and same-day voter registration.

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The Country That Can Jail You For Using Plastic Bags

Sam Judah

November 06, 2018 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Kenya

Countries across the world are aiming to reduce their plastic waste. African countries, however, are leading the way with a variety of techniques. Kenya in particular has taken one of the most drastic approaches by having plastic bags in one's possession punishable by $40,000 or even jail time.

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The Seattle Experiment

Kenny Malone

November 02, 2018 |

NPR |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Seattle’s “Democracy Vouchers,” funded by a ballot measure to increase property taxes, provide money for residents to make campaign contributions, which increases civic participation and helps people running for office without political connections fund their campaigns. Every city resident receives four 25$ vouchers that they can sign over to the candidate of their choice and mail back in a pre-stamped envelope. Even though only 3% of vouchers were actually used, the number of people contributing to campaigns tripled and several non-establishment candidates were able to run campaigns and get elected.

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Women in tech are mobilizing to improve access to abortion providers

Rina Raphael

November 01, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Davis, California

A collaboration between pro-choice activists and tech workers is—in the face of increasing restrictive policy—creating access to services and information. Events like the Abortion Access Hackathon provide a means for collective action to create websites detailing the location of clinics and each state’s law regarding abortion.

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Disappeared

Molly Priddy

October 31, 2018 |

Flathead Beacon |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Crow Indian Reservation, United States, Helena, Montana

In Montana, officials are taking legislative steps to address the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Among the bills being introduced is “Hanna’s Act,” which would give the Department of Justice the power to assist with missing persons cases. Also included is expanded access, both to national crime databases and to social services, provided by the Office of Indian Services to more than 50 tribal communities.

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Solutions: Federal Policy

Tristan Scott

October 31, 2018 |

Flathead Beacon |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

In the United States, federal policies are expanding as a response to growing awareness of the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The Violence Against Women Act has expanded to include a statute called the Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction, which gives Indigenous communities the authority to provide criminal jurisdiction to non-Native Americans who inflict abuse and violence on Native Americans. Added in 2013, advocates and legislators seek to reauthorize the statute.

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The cost of keeping Singapore squeaky clean

Tim McDonald

October 29, 2018 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Singapore

Singapore maintains its state of cleanliness through fines, public education, and an army of low-paid cleaners. Fifty years ago, the Keep Singapore Clean campaign was the first time the government used fines as a method of social control. Now that the city is wealthier, the fines aren’t as effective. Singaporeans rely on cleaners to do the majority of the work.

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This Could Be The Most Progressive Country On Earth

Angela Cuming

October 24, 2018 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Wellington

In New Zealand politics, families, children, and the environment come first. Amidst the rise of right-wing populist governments, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stands out for her energy fighting for progressive values and positivity. Her track record already shows a raise in paid parental leave to 26 weeks, time off policy for victims of domestic violence, and a ban on new exploration of oil and gas. Though she admits change is slower than ideal, Ardern stands out for being a leader that voices the need for change and then acts on it.

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