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Chimney Sweeps Attack Deadly Pollution Crisis

Nansalmaa Oyunchimeg

December 06, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

After banning the burning of raw coal as a way to reduce air pollution in Mongolia, residents of Ulaanbaatar switched to refined charcoal to heat their homes. However, that coal also wasn’t the cleanest and contributed to hundreds suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. To fix that, the government teamed up with a private company to hire more than 1,600 people to clean and inspect people’s chimneys and stoves. While critics say the program doesn’t solve the country’s pollution problem, the service has provided jobs to those who didn’t have steady work and helped those who aren't able to clean their stoves.

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A sustainable refocus helps a historic Chicago community rebuild

Audrey F. Henderson

December 02, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Green developement has breathed new life into a once-declining town that suffered from the exodus of manufacturers. A comprehensive 10-year plan revitalized the local economy of Pullman, creating jobs and bringing new manufacturers into its abandoned buildings. Housing, transportation, public safety, and recreation were also part of the plan which was funded by tax increment financing in addition to federal funding and investments from companies located there.

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A Philly jobs program lost six to a year of violence. Can it still help young people thrive?

Samantha Melamed

December 02, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PowerCorpsPHL and Mural Arts' Guild have notched impressive results in job placements of young people with criminal records. The programs' employment training, paid apprenticeships, and art therapy classes have all been disrupted by 2020's pandemic, social unrest, and street violence. Private grants have largely made up for budget cuts from the city of Philadelphia. But the lack of face to face training and counseling has been disruptive. Both programs and their trainees are persevering despite longer odds, with workarounds that keep the programs afloat in difficult times.

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From prison to star employee

Jo Mathys

November 17, 2020 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Frustrated by a tight labor market, two locally owned Grand Rapids employers discovered the virtues – economic, not just moral – of hiring formerly incarcerated people, whose gratitude for an opportunity translated into excellent performance and less risk of adding to rapid turnover. The employers helped guarantee success by paying for support services that made post-prison transitions easier. The employers then talked hundreds of other local employers into doing the same. Besides providing a business advantage, the program changes lives and is evidently contributing to much lower rates of recidivism.

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Crowdfunded solar puts Red Lake Nation on a path to energy sovereignty

Frank Jossi

November 13, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota

The Red Lake Nation in Minnesota is building a 240-kilowatt solar array on top of a workforce training center, which will generate about half of the building’s electricity. This project was financed through crowdfunding, where they raised $250,000 from religiously inclined microlenders. The goal: to allow the tribe to have energy sovereignty, create higher-paying jobs, and maintain a healthy environment.

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An Ohio Mill Town Lost Its Identity. Can Youth Sports Restore It?

Kevin Williams

November 03, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hamilton, Ohio

The promise of a youth sports facility in Hamilton, Ohio, is already prompting financial development in the once-bustling city. The indoor sports complex, Spooky Nook, will be the biggest of its kind in North America. Currently, a complex by the same company has provided a significant boost to the economy in Mannheim, Pennsylvania. In Hamilton, vendors who had once given up on the economic revival of the Rust Belt town are now returning with high hopes for the local economy, especially now that 35 weekends in 2022 are already booked for events at the stadium.

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For those with disabilities, shift to remote work has opened doors

Jingnan Peng Laura Kiesel

October 27, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many businesses moving their operations to remote-based work, which has consequently expanded access and eliminated barriers for those with disabilities. Although working from home isn't a silver bullet to solving workplace barriers for people with accessibility needs, it has created an "unprecedented level of accessibility in their employment."

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Bus Stop Shakespeare

Dorota Salus

October 26, 2020 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Poland, Gdansk

A program at the Gdansk Shakespeare Theater in Poland is creating job opportunities for people with Down syndrome after partnering with the city and a local foundation that supports job training and coaching for special-needs individuals. The project has not just benefited the participants – patrons of the company as well as other businesses are realizing "that people with Down syndrome who have the appropriate skills can prove themselves at work."

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For these employers, there are no background checks, no drug tests, no interviews, and no problems

Beth Adams

October 20, 2020 |

City Newspaper (Rochester) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

The Greyston Center for Open Hiring teaches businesses to fill entry-level positions using only a wait list, hiring whomever is next on the list without an interview, background check, or drug test. The open-hiring program, which started in Yonkers, N.Y., and expanded to Rochester, promotes lowered barriers as a benefit both to workers and employers. Employers report lower turnover and greater loyalty among employees whose criminal records frustrated their job searches through traditional channels. The center also provides services to help employees succeed.

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Yemen's ‘microgrid girls' power community amid war and COVID-19

Veronique Mistiaen

October 18, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Yemen, Abs

A solar-grid station is powering rural Yemeni communities on the front-line of the war and in the midst of COVID-19, while also empowering women who typically have very few professional opportunities. The microgrid project supplies the community with affordable and clean energy, replacing expensive diesel generators which are bad for the environment. Electricity bills have been cut by 65 percent, an impressive gain in one of the world's poorest country. Thousands of entrepreneurs have generated income based on the new electricity source and many more have benefitted from new services and products available.

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