Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 52 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

How Tennessee Is Getting Adult Students Back to School

Emily Nonko

April 29, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tennessee

Tennessee Reconnect, which started as a small-scale "mentorship and financial support program", has now been adopted and expanded throughout the state as a way to help adults start or continue higher education. Now in its second year, the program matches applicants with "navigators," adult mentors who understand the specific student's financial and social challenges and helps them navigate the process every step of the way. The program also provides funding to students to pay for coursework and is now looking to expand its operations to jails and prisons.

Read More
Go to Original Story
National Network Emerges to Feed Frontline COVID-19 Workers

Emily Nonko

April 07, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

The idea of “feeding the frontline” - donating funds to purchase restaurant food that can be delivered to frontline healthcare works amidst the COVID-19 crisis - has spread like wildfire. In cities from San Francisco to Portland to Boston, individuals have stepped up to coordinate efforts and donations. By partnering with World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit founded by a celebrity chef, and Frontline Foods, “an umbrella effort formed to coordinate similar efforts across the country,” these charitable endeavors have gained legitimacy, funds, and the ability to scale.

Read More
Go to Original Story
California's Streamlined SNAP App Pivots to Meet COVID-19 Demand

Emily Nonko

April 01, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

A state’s digital portals can be ways to reach residents’ needs as well as collect data on the real-time effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In California, the state’s SNAP assistance tool, GetCalFresh, emerged as a vital resources in the COVID-19 pandemic. Code for America originally developed the app to simplify access to federal supplemental nutritional assistance programs and is now relaying the needs of citizens as well as providing additional data on economic trends during the crisis.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Art Helps Returning Citizens ‘Cross the Threshold'

Emily Nonko

December 11, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Performance art provides a healing outlet for formerly incarcerated individuals. In New York City, the Ritual4Return program encourages participants to express the transition in their lives through art. Using an artistic expression helps individuals cope with the experience of incarceration and encourages them to reflect on crossing the threshold into the next stage of life. The program operates with the support of grants from universities, foundations, and private donations through a Kickstarter campaign.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Peoria, Green Infrastructure As a Path to Social Equity

Emily Nonko

November 20, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Peoria, Illinois

Green infrastructure provides a return on investment and improves the quality of life in a community. In Peoria, Illinois, the city’s Public Works Department has piloted several green infrastructure initiatives with the help of funding of a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. Projects like the Well Farm at Voris Field, zero runoff streets are proving successful at capturing sewer runoff and creating economic value, while the youth volunteer PeoriaCorps are helping make the projects community-based.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The community hub of the future isn't a library or a shopping center. It's city hall

Emily Nonko

August 12, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Kiruna

In Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost city, a new city hall building is embodying transparency and community engagement. The building boasts a public cafe, seating nooks, studios, and a public art museum among the more traditional municipal offices of typical city halls. There are no barriers in this city hall, and the public has full access to everything except the offices and the chamber.

Read More
Go to Original Story
This Oakland Community Hub Was Designed for Restorative Justice

Emily Nonko

August 08, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Partnerships between nonprofits strengthen efforts to promote economic justice. Working together, several nonprofits focused on economic and restorative justice in Oakland have succeeded in opening Restore Oakland, a community and multipurpose center. The new building, which received funding from private donations and from the Akonadi foundation, provides a space nonprofits like the Ella Baker Center and the Restaurant Opportunity Centers United (ROC United).

Read More
Go to Original Story
Incarcerated Men Write the Stories of Wall City

Emily Nonko

April 29, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Quentin, California

Partnerships between those incarcerated and volunteers from the outside are crucial. Collaborations—such as the one between the Wall City magazine, the UC Berkeley, and the San Quentin Journalism Guild—make it possible for those incarcerated to have a voice. The publication of the newspaper not only informs discourse, it also serves as a way to help rehabilitate and reengage those behind bars.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'The Journey to Trust Is Long'

Emily Nonko

April 08, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Sheriffs' offices can provide resources and encourage underserved communities and communities struck hard by disinvestment to grow their civic capacity. In Alameda County, California, the county sheriff’s office operates a non-profit organization, the Deputy Sheriff’s Activities League (DSAL). The non-profit champions a model of community engagement known as community capital policing, hosting community events and programs in Ashland and Cherryland.

Read More
Go to Original Story
DAs Have This Blueprint for Rethinking Criminal Justice

Emily Nonko

March 28, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Formerly incarcerated individuals, community leaders, and members of San Francisco’s District Attorney’s office, have joined forces to create a collaborative advisory board. The board meets to share re-entry challenges and successes, discuss the DA's work, and develop a deeper understanding of systemic crime in the city. From conversations about mental health to poverty, members are helping create new policies and opportunities for those still incarcerated.

Read More
Go to Original Story