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Behavioural science and nudges could make kids better readers

Amar Diwakar

April 23, 2019 |

Apolitical |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Enrolling parents in simple, scalable ways can improve early child learning outcomes. Building on a model used in the US state of California, firms in the UK are developing an SMS-based curriculum geared toward parents of children entering kindergarten. The method involves sending parents text messages that explain short, easy tasks that both instruct and motivate children, encouraging positive cognitive and behavioral development.

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Tech for Turnout

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

April 17, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Illinois

High tech tools offer low cost ways to reach many voters and mobilize turnout, especially in mid term elections. From applications that allow campaigns to deliver personal text messages to hundreds of people at once, to new digital platforms for online polling and campaign management, many of the successful campaigns launched across the country during and after 2016 have leveraged these tech innovations to engage with voters.

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Anyone Who Needs Help Seeing Has 2 Million Pairs of Eyes Available With This App

Monica Humphries

April 17, 2019 |

NationSwell |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Denmark

Using the camera of a smartphone, individuals who are blind or visually impaired can receive quick and easy help from volunteers. The Danish company, Be My Eyes uses a smartphone application to connect those who are blind or visually impaired to an international network of sighted volunteers ready to assist. The on-demand access to assistance provides visually impaired individuals with more independence in their daily lives.

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Use of Safe2Tell, created in response to Columbine, is growing as front line tool in school safety

Kevin Simpson

April 11, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

What started as a telephone tip line, Colorado’s anonymous tip program, Safe2Tell has now become an app that is publicly funded and part of the Attorney General’s office. The program gives students a way to report potentially dangerous situations they hear about or read online. While Safe2Tell does receive some false reports, overall, it has bolstered a sense of trust and protection in schools across the state.

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A.I. Joins the Campaign Against Sex Trafficking

Tina Rosenberg

April 09, 2019 |

The New York Times |

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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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Inside the Crowdfunded Charity Helping Refugees by Topping Up Their Phones

Alissa Greenberg

March 20, 2019 |

Pacific Standard |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Calais

For many refugees living in camps and on the move, mobile phones can be a life line to families and the outside world. Phones can help organize political activities, arrange medical supplies, and so much more. But although SIM cards are fairly cheap now, data can be expensive. To address this, a Facebook group called Phone Credit for Refugees and Displaced People, or PC4R, raises funds for refugees to top up their mobile phones to support free and dignified communication.

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“WhatsApp has come in to fill the void”: In Zimbabwe, the future of news is messaging

Julia Thomas

March 13, 2019 |

Nieman Lab |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, messaging app WhatsApp makes up almost half of all internet usage in the country. That means it's a prime way to distribute news, especially to those who would otherwise not have access but outlets are finding that the distribution model comes with its own challenges.

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Be a geofence: The story behind the technology that millennial-led Mississippi Votes uses to help more young Mississippians vote

R.L. Nave

March 12, 2019 |

Mississippi Today |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

Geofencing, a smartphone technology typically associated with retail marketing, offers an innovative way to educate and register voters. In order to help mobilize voters in the face of shrinking turnout, the Mississippi nonprofit, Mississippi Votes, has implemented digital tools such as geofencing in its campaign. The initiative is part of the organization’s larger mission to create a culture of civic engagement.

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In India, New Tactics Are Being Implemented to Prevent Human-Elephant Clashes

Vasudevan Sridharan

March 07, 2019 |

Pacific Standard |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Valparai

Elephant-human interaction has too often led to conflict or danger in India. New research supports a forest authority’s early-warning system to send text, phone, and visual alerts when elephants are nearby. The integrated system has reduced fatalities to almost zero.

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If you die early, how will your children remember you?

Dougal Shaw

March 05, 2019 |

BBC |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada

Experiencing the death of a parent is oftentimes extremely traumatic, but an app created by a woman who personally experienced this type of loss, aims to bring some sense of help and closure for family members. Implementing a simple design and based on question prompts, the app known as RecordMeNow has been widely used and shown to specifically impact those diagnosed with terminal cancer as well as Motor Neurone Disease.

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