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Weekly email with three solutions stories illustrating responses that work, pivoting off the latest news moments.
SolutionsU® connects you to solutions stories about responses to the world’s challenges.
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Against the grain: why millet is making a comeback in rural India
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/feb/25/against-the-grain-why-millet-is-enjoying-an-indian-revival-nagaland
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
The Guardian
25 February 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
By reviving millet farming, farming communities are adapting to climate change. In India, the Millet Farmers Group, organized by a women’s rights nonprofit, the North East Network (NEN), helps farmers cultivate millet, an ancient grain that is less water-intensive than white rice. NEN Nagaland helps farmers from around the Nagaland district share knowledge about growing millet and obtain the necessary machinery to dehusk the grain.
Teaching Children How to Reverse an Overdose
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/us/opioids-tennessee-narcan-training.html
Dan Levin
The New York Times
23 February 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
In Carter County, Tennessee, where an opioid crisis is underway, elementary-aged children and teenagers are being taught how to administer the overdose reversal nasal spray, Narcan. Although this strategy has faced opposition from some local residents, at least 100 students have administered the life-saving treatment.
Teachers use meditation to inspire and calm: 'Imagine a voice coming from your heart'
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/imagine-a-voice-coming-from-your-heart-teachers-use-meditation-to-inspire-and-calm/2020/02/22/e08d5c8e-4dbd-11ea-9b5c-eac5b16dafaa_story.html
Hannah Natanson
Washington Post
22 February 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Across the United States, mindfulness programs are gaining traction in elementary school classrooms as a strategy for students dealing with stress. As the approach spreads, some religious groups are raising concerns.
A weekly meetup aims to keep black male teachers in the classroom
https://hechingerreport.org/a-weekly-meetup-aims-to-keep-black-male-teachers-in-the-classroom
Bracey Harris
The Hechinger Report
21 February 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
Male teachers of color are often called on to do extra disciplinary work and mentor students of color in other classes in addition to their own. A weekly virtual meetup for Mississpi's male teachers of color provides a forum for instructors to discuss their unique experiences and share strategies.
Bringing a New Vibe to the Classroom
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/education/learning/teachers-classroom-cultural-differences.html
Kerry Hannon
The New York Times
20 February 2020
800-1500 Words
Some educators and organizations are challenging traditional elementary and high school curricula by incorporating new, more diverse perspectives and texts into lesson plans. Teachers are talking about race and racism and working to empower students from all cultures and backgrounds.
These Students Are Learning About Fake News and How to Spot It
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/education/learning/news-literacy-2016-election.html
Alina Tugend
The New York Times
20 February 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Some schools are formally adding media literacy education to their curricula. Lessons train students to spot fake news and navigate the non-stop media cycle.
Money trees: U.S. cities find new ways of valuing urban forests
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cities-trees-trfn/money-trees-us-cities-find-new-ways-of-valuing-urban-forests-idUSKBN20E1A1
Carey L. Biron
Thomson Reuters Foundation
20 February 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and corporate heads have recently undertaken efforts to increase urban forestry. Urban trees decrease energy use, protect storm drain infrastructure, decrease noise, and help boost wellbeing. City Forest Credits in Seattle assesses urban tree projects for carbon credits that companies can purchase, while Baltimore has recycled trees into park furniture, and Sacramento continues to uphold its reputation as the “City of Trees.”
High School Health Workers? It Works
https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/world-we-want/2020/02/19/high-school-health-workers
Claire Jarvis
Yes! Magazine
19 February 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In Georgia, where residents of underserved, largely minority neighborhoods lack adequate access to health care services, a program is training local high school students to serve as community health workers equipped to identify chronic illnesses and connect patients with appropriate resources.
Has one of the Valley's poorest districts figured out how to keep kids in school?
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article239683693.html
Manuela Tobias
The Fresno Bee
19 February 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
A school attendance campaign in a rural California district relies on buy-in from a variety of community partners. For instance, administrators supported the construction of a new health clinic next to the school, concentrating multiple key resources on one block and making it easier for parents to access health care for their children.
How Farms Turn Food Waste Into Renewable Energy
https://www.nbcboston.com/investigations/massachusetts-farms-food-waste-renewable-energy/2078887
Ally Donnelly
Jim Haddadin
WBTS-TV
19 February 2020
Broadcast TV News / 3-5 Minutes
Food waste diverted from the landfill to anaerobic digesters can be used to create electricity. In Massachusetts, farmers and businesses participate in a waste-to-energy project in partnership with Vanguard Renewables. Discarded food waste is mixed with cow manure and fed into a digester. The gasses created are then used to power electric generators.
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