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

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  • Latinx 'promotores' lead the way for environmental action

    A leadership program in the Chesapeake Bay region gives members of the Latinx community to become change makers in the environmental movement. Since 2016, Chispa Maryland has produced more than 100 graduates from its “promotores” program, where they learn the basics of climate justice, advocacy, and community organizing. While the work is difficult and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected operations, the promotores have seen some success in organizing community gardens and lobbying the county to purchase electric school buses.

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  • Smartphones saving the rainforest

    Rainforest Connection makes a smartphone app that is part of a system using solar-powered phones in the rainforests of Brazil, Sumatra, Costa Rica, and Peru to stream audio of suspected illegal logging. This system, using recycled phones, enables the capture and shutting down of logging operations. In Brazil, about 100 loggers have been arrested and a large share of the rainforest has been protected, though many loggers there and in other countries still evade detection. This app is one example of innovations in use around the world to extend the lives of smartphones to benefit environmental conservation.

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  • The Non-Partisan “Pro-Voice” Abortion Space

    An organization founded in Oakland, CA is bringing non-partisan abortion counseling to those who feel isolated by platforms that are designated as either pro-life or pro-choice. The goal of the organization, which is staffed with trained volunteers from across the country, is to help "people process their experiences around abortion without any preconceived notions about what that should look like."

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  • Atlanta's Trying to Support, Not Punish, Its Teenage Water Vendors

    Teens selling water on the sweltering streets of Atlanta are typically dealt with by police officers who often crack down on "unpermitted sales of water by youth." In a new approach, city officials convened a council to offer alternatives to police action and suggested ways to promote and develop the entrepreneurial spirit in teens through a variety of programs. The council looked to a similar program in Baltimore that re-engaged windshield-washing teens in school and re-directed others to full-time jobs.

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  • How a Charlotte Nonprofit Links Landlords With People Experiencing Homelessness

    A real estate developer has teamed up with homelessness service organizations to house working families. The Lotus Campaign gives landlords $1,000 a year to rent a unit to a family that is at risk of homelessness or is already experiencing it. Rent is paid by the organization and any damages to the unit are covered. Landlords taking part in the program waive security deposits, credit checks, records of employment, and provide a 30-day window before seeking evictions. The pilot program intends to demonstrate that the private housing sector can alleviate homelessness if given the chance and the incentive.

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  • Are You Liberal? Are You Sure?

    “Deep Canvassing” is an approach to political organizing based on the idea that our political beliefs may be more flexible than we think. Canvassers go door-to-door but instead of rallying identified supporters to go to the polls, they approach people who hold opposing viewpoints for meaningful conversations, including substantial active listening. Even though people start out attached to their own opinions, these meaningful connections have shown that people are usually willing to adjust their beliefs towards the center in a quest to find common ground.

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  • Policing the Police 2020

    Revisiting Newark police reform six years after an earlier documentary, and after federal intervention, signs of progress provide hope in a year of unrest over police misconduct nationwide. Policies and training were overhauled, civilian oversight was imposed, albeit with limitations. Public trust edged up, and the police claim an increase in use-of-force incidents is due to better compliance with reporting requirements. Violence is down, with more use of community-based prevention instead of just policing. But the root causes of racial disparities remain, unable to be solved just by improving policing.

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  • The luxury of food waste

    At St George the Martyr church in London, an initiative to offer food to people that would otherwise have been wasted is taking on new meaning due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The “community fridge” started in 2019 as a way to combat the environmental impacts of food waste by giving away free fruit, vegetables, milk, bread, and meat, and was helping up to 20 people each week. Now, more than 100 people have turned up because they’re experiencing economic hardship and social distancing restrictions is making it a challenge to deliver food to those who need it.

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  • The Mississippi Program That's Showing How Effective Direct Cash Transfers Can Be

    Families experiencing poverty have been given $1,000 each month in an effort to address the racial wealth gap through the Magnolia Mother's Trust program. The cash payments yield an increase of recipients who were able to earn their GEDs, cook fresh meals for their families, and meet all their basic needs. The payments began prior to the onset of the pandemic but have proven to be a crucial safety net.

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  • The New York City Schools That Didn't Close

    In New York City, “regional enrichment centers,” or schools for the children of essential workers, popped up. The centers provided a place where workers, who couldn’t take care of their kids when schools shut down during the pandemic, could send their children to. Nurses, administrators, and officials quickly created a network of these centers. “It was people who were willing to put themselves at risk in order to serve the city. They were just, like, ‘People need us, so we’re here.’” Fourteen thousand families registered to send their children to one of the 93 centers.

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