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 75 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Learning life skills through art

Aria Surka

November 16, 2022 |

Grady Newsource |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Athens, Georgia

At Lovecraft, adults with disabilities have the opportunity to create and sell their art while learning important life skills such as communication in the process. The organization has served 40 adults since opening in 2018.

Read More
Go to Original Story
People in Solitary Confinement and Volunteers Team Up to Garden, Imagine a World Without Prisons

Roshan Abraham

May 27, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

The Solitary Gardens project started in New Orleans and has been copied in multiple other places as a combination art exhibit and therapeutic link between incarcerated people and the outside world. People on both sides of the prison walls collaborate in pairs to design a garden that grows flowers and herbs chosen by the incarcerated person. The gardens match the tiny dimensions of a solitary-confinement cell. The healing herbs are used to help others, and the exercise overall gives incarcerated people a sense of connection to the earth, part of the project's prison-abolition message.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Huge success for Mother's Day bailout, as annual Philly effort blows past fundraising goal

Michaela Winberg

May 06, 2021 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund freed more than 400 people from jail in 2020, thanks to $3 million donated amid the COVID-19 crisis and racial justice protests. Organizers of the Black Mama's Day Bailout, an annual targeted campaign that gave rise to the community bail fund five years ago, expected donor fatigue this year might limit their work. But they exceeded the 2020 Mother's Day campaign, freeing 25 women, in part from sales of art made by formerly incarcerated women in a partnership with an arts co-op. Cash bail penalizes people too poor to afford to remain free before trial.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How therapeutic clowning injects humour for a different kind of healing

Sarah Treleaven

March 05, 2021 |

Broadview Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

A growing therapeutic clowning community is helping to bring emotional relief to children and the elderly who are in hospitals and eldercare facilities. While not all patients are receptive to this play therapy, of those who are, some have shown both emotional and medical improvements in their conditions.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'Let children be children': Supporting young refugees' mental health in Wales

Marta Silvia Viganò

December 15, 2020 |

The Local |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Wales

In Wales, the African Community Centre which has previously offered culturally competent mental health care services to youth in the African community in the city, has expanded its services to "Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) young people from asylum backgrounds, ranging from three to 18 years old." The center focuses on using play therapy and one-to-one counselling, but amid the pandemic, they have also introduced online options.

Read More
Go to Original Story
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.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The happy hug of a clinic clown

Priti Salian

September 25, 2020 |

MintPress News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Auroville

Clinic clowns aren't just bringing joy to elderly dementia patients, they are also fostering a sense of wellbeing and positivity while helping them recall memories from their past through the use of art, music, and improvisation. Because many are volunteers and don't have medical training, a clown academy is now offering a specific training course where clinic clowns can learn about "patient psychology, dealing with care facilities and working in tandem with a medical team."

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Prison, Learning Magic by Mail

Annalisa Quinn

August 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

A community of incarcerated magic enthusiasts formed spontaneously around a column published by a magic magazine, thanks to their own initiative and the willingness of Joshua Jay, the magician/columnist, to respond to fan mail. The incarcerated people formed an underground exchange of tips on magic tricks and how to make props from the limited availability of materials in prisons. By perfecting their skills, this community used magic as performative art therapy, easing their sense of isolation and increasing their sense of power and personal worth. One even went pro after his release.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Surfing for a better life

Richard Kenny Lily Freeston

May 04, 2020 |

BBC |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town, Western Cape

A program in Cape Town, South Africa is helping children learn life skills and provide mental health resources through 'surf therapy.' The program called Waves for Change starts each session with some grounding meditation and energizing chants in order to prepare the group before they venture out into the sea, which for some kids was a prior source of fear. For many kids, this has been a way to learn to communicate better and a chance to improve their self-esteem.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A Second Life for Flowers

Miriam Zoila Perez

March 10, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Horticultural therapy – a mix of art therapy, wellness activity, and a way to reuse viable flowers – is gaining popularity amongst hospitals and nursing homes due to its nature-centric therapeutic benefits. Although medical research is limited, some studies have shown that it can have a positive impact on one's mood and participants have expressed sentiments such as, "It relaxes me. Just holding the flowers takes me away from my situation."

Read More
Go to Original Story