A Chance to Go From Hard Lives to Healing

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/a-chance-to-go-from-hard-lives-to-healing

Patricia Leigh Brown

The New York Times

18 September 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

A novel way to help young men growing up in communities in which concentrated poverty, violence and unemployment are well-documented barriers to health and longevity: male youth of color are trained to be the emergency response team to help stabilize street victims before doctors or nurses begin procedures.

The pop-up designs changing the city landscape

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/aug/03/pop-up-designs-architecture-london

Rowan Moore

The Guardian

3 August 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

Pop-ups, temporary constructions intended to enliven public places, can often be used as temporary structures and events as marketing tools, and as camouflage for their larger and less charming permanent developments. But young architects in London, their talent and energy outrunning their employment opportunities, initiate, design and build pop-ups as glimpses of what a better city – more open, more social, more pleasurable, more surprising – might be

Canary in the Code Mine

https://medium.com/backchannel/canary-in-the-code-mine-903884eca853#.u2e7ysj0n

Lauren Smiley

Backchannel

18 November 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

As the U.S. shifts away from coal, thousands lose their jobs and live on unemployment. BitSource, a tech startup in Kentucky, is teaching ex-miners how to code.

How One Weekend in Dallas Sparked a Movement for Urban Change

http://nextcity.org/features/view/how-one-weekend-in-dallas-sparked-a-movement-for-urban-change

Mike Lydon

Next City

20 April 2015

Text / Under 800 Words

A Dallas urban neighborhood was dilapidated with abandoned storefronts and offered no vitality for pedestrians. A group of artists and community members created Build a Better Block, in which local artisans and small businesses took over a vacant block and transformed it for a limited time to encourage the ingredients for more permanent urban renewal.

How Seattle Made Dark Alleys Safer—By Throwing Parties In Them

http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/how-seattle-made-dark-alleys-safer-by-throwing-parties-20150826

Araz Hachadourian

Yes! Magazine

26 August 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Alleys in Seattle were once places of illicit, illegal, and unsanitary activity. The International Sustainability Institute in Seattle began organizing music and art events to bring in people, which, in turn, cleaned-up the crime and garbage. As an urban development strategy, adjacent vacant storefronts re-opened for business and beautification could be seen in new gardens.

How to Build a Better Neighborhood

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/how-to-build-a-better-neighborhood

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

18 June 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

The Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas suffered from recession-closed businesses and crime. Then community members used placemaking, in which people shaped their own environment to improve the quality of life, and the concept of Build a Better Block, which was a pop-up event showcasing art, food, music, and local faire. The idea gives citizens a fresh look at the possibilities through which to transform the space in which they live, and it has attracted attention across the country and around the world.

Out of Jail, and Into a Job

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/out-of-jail-and-into-jobs

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

28 March 2012

Text / 800-1500 Words

Most programs to cut recidivism don’t significantly reduce rates of repeated arrests or incarceration, but one called the Center for Employment Opportunities that started in New York City is making a dramatic dent. The program provides newly-released prisoners with transitional services - most significantly, distinct working crews where they can be constructively monitored and learn teamwork - effectively helping keep them out of jail and transition back into society.

Police 'de-escalation' training — how it could help Chicago

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-police-training-las-vegas-chicago-met-20160324-story.html

Annie Sweeney

Chicago Tribune

25 March 2016

Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words

As Chicago faces one of the worst policing crises in its history, it is looking at Las Vegas as a model as it prepares de-escalation training for its cops.

Seeding Dreams with Self-Esteem: Building New Opportunities for Women in Rural Appalachia

http://appvoices.org/2014/08/10/seeding-dreams-with-self-esteem

Kimber Ray

Appalachian Voices

10 August 2014

Text / Over 3000 Words

A girls camp in West Virginia and a residential program in Kentucky help Appalachian women build self esteem and enable them to turn their life around through mentoring, stem classes, and job counseling.

How To Turn Adult Education Into Careers, Quickly

http://www.npr.org/2013/11/02/241897572/how-to-turn-adult-education-into-careers-quickly?sc=tw&cc=share

Kavitha Cardoza

NPR

2 November 2013

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

When adults want to return to school, they face many challenges including the experience of long waitlists for classes, and poor relevance to the job skills they need for future employment. The Washington state community college system has started a program known as Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) that instead teaches in two parts: academic content and basic soft skills.