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The Unlikely Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor and the Instagram Account That Saved Her Life
https://www.elle.com/culture/a36898189/0086-0088-megan-s-account-august-2021
John H. Tucker
ELLE Magazine
4 August 2021
Text / Over 3000 Words
One woman's use of an Instagram account in her personal journey from sex-trafficking victim to sociology researcher enabled new sources of research, teaching, and victim aid. Megan Lundstrom's community of fellow sex workers formed through Instagram became the source for qualitative research into the experiences of sex workers, without being filtered by authorities. That led to the first peer-reviewed journal article of its kind, a new university program in sex trafficking, and the creation of a nonprofit, The Avery Center, aiding victims and collecting data on the industry.
The Orange Cans That Help Philly Take Out the Trash
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/the-orange-cans-that-help-philly-take-out-the-trash
Solcyre Burga
Next City
3 August 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
As a solution for the garbage littering his block, a Philadelphia resident has launched a much-needed movement to keep the streets clean. Sanitation services have been affected since the pandemic, leading to staff shortages in the face of rising residential trash collection needs. I Love Thy Hood collected signatures and raised money to buy and place bright orange trash cans throughout his neighborhood, keeping excess garbage from littering the streets.
How L.A. cleared most Venice Beach homeless camps and sheltered many unhoused people
https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2021-08-02/venice-beach-homeless-encampment-finding-shelter
Benjamin Oreskes
Genaro Molina
Los Angeles Times
2 August 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
About 200 people camping out on Venice beach were given a place to stay through a ‘housing-first’ approach. Community groups and entrepreneurs along the boardwalk pushed the city government to clear up the beach to attract more business. Temporary housing in hotels has been provided until October.
Shootings and murders are down in Chester as new community-driven program takes root
https://www.inquirer.com/news/chester-gun-violence-down-chester-partnership-for-safe-neighborhoods-jack-stollsteimer-20210730.html
Vinny Vella
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network)
30 July 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
Barely half a year after creating the Partnerships for Safe Neighborhoods, the Delaware County district attorney's office and Chester police have seen a sharp drop in shootings. While multiple factors may affect the violence levels, officials and community members give much of the credit to the new program, which uses a focused deterrence approach to threatening to arrest people at risk of committing violence, but in return offering trade school training, rental aid, and counseling from community partners. The program shows the residents officials want to address the root causes, not just lock people up.
Meet the People Burning California to Save It
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000007770906/california-wildfires-prescribed-fire.html
Emma Cott
Caroline Kim
Elie Khadra
The New York Times
29 July 2021
Video / 5-15 Minutes
Prescribed burns are an ancient method of preventing more destructive, out-of-control wildfires. They fell into disuse for decades, worsening today's wildfire risks. California and federal forestry officials want to "treat" 1 million acres per year by 2025 with tree- and brush-clearing and prescribed burns. But they are running far behind that pace as government resources get consumed by the need to fight wildfires. Private crews could expand the capacity to conduct prescribed burns, but financial liability and other barriers must be removed first.
Beyond Poverty: Fight for the California Dream
https://www.sacbee.com/news/equity-lab/article253074088.html
Jeong Park
Cameron Clark
Sacramento Bee
27 July 2021
Video / 5-15 Minutes
Employment programs that provide extra benefits such as paid training, books, childcare, and rent incentives allow people to switch to jobs in fields that pay living wages. Sacramento’s Digital UpSkill and Jobs Plus are two examples of programs that provide opportunities for those who need the extra support.
Tribaja connects Black and Latinx workers with equitable tech companies
https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/tribaja
Courtney Duchene
The Philadelphia Citizen
27 July 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Tribaja connects a diverse pool of qualified candidates to tech companies that have cultivated supportive work environments for people of color in an industry that has famously lacked inclusion. Tech companies have attempted to draw a more diverse population into their workforce but have met with little success. "Tribaja has helped about 100 people find jobs this past year."
Civic engagement academies helping Kansans train for local government's learning curve
https://klcjournal.com/civic-engagement-academies
Stan Finger
The Kansas Leadership Center Journal (KLC Journal)
27 July 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Civic engagement academies throughout Kansas provide participants with behind-the-scenes views of how their local government operates. Participants meet with emergency responders, learn how city officials put together a budget and hear from those who maintain municipal utilities. Understanding the inner workings of city operations helps citizens become more engaged in bettering those operations and find ways to be involved outside of running for office. Participation often brings to light city resources they didn’t know existed, which they are quick to share with their fellow residents on social media.
Austin youth re-entry program has 15% recidivism rate, compared to 75% nationwide
https://www.kxan.com/top-stories/austin-youth-re-entry-program-has-15-recidivism-rate-compared-to-75-nationwide
Clare O'Connor
KXAN-TV
26 July 2021
Broadcast TV News / 3-5 Minutes
Jail to Jobs pays youth while they get trained for jobs in construction, manufacturing, landscaping, and cooking. The youth come from youth detention, the streets, probation, and foster care and their trainers are formerly incarcerated. Jail to Jobs, with four locations in Austin, has helped more than 600 young people find employment despite their pasts. Only 15% of its graduates have been jailed afterward, a lower-than-average recidivism rate.
NYC is sending social workers instead of police to some 911 calls. Here's how it's going.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/23/nyc-mental-health-911-pilot-program-harlem/8053555002
Ryan W. Miller
USA Today
23 July 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
A pilot project in three New York Police Department precincts of Harlem showed in its first month that it can divert some mental-health crises away from hospitalization and toward other forms of help. Teams of medics and social workers took about one-quarter of such calls, sometimes at NYPD invitation. They sent about half of the people in crisis to a hospital, significantly less often than the police do in such cases. The goal in replacing police is to avoid needless violence and arrests in non-violent, non-criminal emergencies.
The world is full of people and institutions working to advance change. Yet, these emerging ideas can be difficult to find...until now.
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