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By Forgiving Warrants and Fines, Communities Give People a Fresh Start

Keith Griffith

April 09, 2019 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Stand With Dignity, a grassroots, community organizing group in New Orleans, has coordinated warrant clinics for those driving with suspended licenses. These clinics have forgiven $2 million worth of traffic fines and reinstated licenses for hundreds of individuals, in the hopes of breaking the cycle of unpaid fines, which is often a driver of unemployment and poverty.

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A.I. Joins the Campaign Against Sex Trafficking

Tina Rosenberg

April 09, 2019 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Online buyers of sex now have a great chance of running into the NYPD's latest initiative to combat trafficking amongst prostitution: a chatbot called Freedom Signal. Originated by an organization called Seattle Against Slavery, this bot collects solicitors' phone numbers and warns them of arrest, as well as using strategically-placed ads and text conversations with real trafficking survivors. The bot is 1,200% more productive than a full-time staff, 10 times more effective than on-the-street outreach, is currently being used in 13 cities, and makes buyers 50-80% less likely to be caught a second time.

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They Found a Way to Use Science in the Fight for Human Rights – and It's Working

Alison Kotch

April 08, 2019 |

NationSwell |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

A special cross-sector collaboration has emerged with the On Call Scientists Hotline by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Human rights advocates call the hotline when they're in need of data to back up their findings, and on the receiving end are volunteers with expertise in areas like forensic chemistry, public health, refugee trauma and food/environmental toxins. This immediate response with analyzing research, filling in data, and reviewing reports helps those on the frontline of human rights make stronger arguments in service of their cause.

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Energy Equity: Bringing Solar Power to Low-Income Communities

Maria Gallucci

April 04, 2019 |

Yale Environment 360 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Dozens of states across the US are adopting programs that offer solar power for low-income communities in order to cut down on their utility costs and provide renewable energy that they previously would not have had access to. Some of these programs also incorporate other social goals into their programs, such as offering job training or developing sites of backup energy should there an outage. Solar development is currently one of the fastest growing industries in the US, and analysts predict that the nation will be able to hold over 2,000 megawatts of solar capacity this year alone.

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Perfectly good food was going in the trash, so an Indiana school turned it into take-home meals for hungry kids

David Williams

April 03, 2019 |

CNN |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Elkhart, Indiana

A community organization in Indiana called Cultivate "rescues" food from local caterers, hospitals, casinos, and businesses to then be packaged into take-home meals for students at Woodland Elementary School that come from food-insecure homes. Cultivate is in its second year of existence, has three staff and 400 volunteers, and hopes to expand beyond their pilot program to reach all 21 schools in the district.

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SEPTA quietly decriminalizes jumping turnstiles, lowers fines

Maura Ewing

April 03, 2019 |

WHYY |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Transit Authority, SEPTA, has decriminalized fare evasion, with those who are caught facing a $25 fine. This is down from the prior $300 tickets that were issued in the past. The move toward decriminalization is part of a larger shift in the region for the criminal justice system to be less punitive and more rehabilitative, focusing more on addressing root causes of behavior.

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School district turns unused cafeteria food into frozen, take-home meals for kids

Ashleigh Jackson

April 03, 2019 |

KPHO-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Elkhart, Indiana

Elkhart Community Schools in Indiana has teamed up with a nonprofit called Cultivate to provide meals for students who may go without food over the weekend. In this pilot program, 20 students will receive a backpack full of eight frozen meals made up of "rescued" food from the cafeteria that was made but never served. This initiative helps reduce food waste and ensure that students will not go hungry.

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This All-Female Surf Club is Shifting the Paradigm in Sri Lankan Surf Culture

Ashtyn Douglas

April 02, 2019 |

SURFER Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay

Support from the international surfing community has empowered women in Sri Lanka to push back against patriarchal social norms and participate in outdoor recreation. Working to change a culture that discourages women from surfing, the Argument Bay Surf Club became the first official all-female surf club registered in Sri Lanka. The club, started with help from members of Surfing the Nations, that not only encourages women to pursue a hobby, but also engages in projects like beach clean ups and hopes to empower women to seek jobs as surfing instructors.

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Fighting Sex Trafficking at the Truck Stop

Tina Rosenberg

April 02, 2019 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Findlay, Ohio

Truckers Against Trafficking are making an impact in reducing sex trafficking in the US by educating truckers, their companies, and the law enforcement that intersect with commercial drivers on how to spot sex trafficking and how to respond. To date, this 10-year-old organization has trained more than 700,000 truckers, and does further outreach with initiatives like "Man to Man" (which trains truckers to talk to other men about the issue) and "The Freedom Drivers Project" (a mobile museum about sex trafficking that goes to events like trucker conventions).

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CCare affords students flexibility with contraception

Ariana Sinclair

April 01, 2019 |

Daily Emerald |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

Students at the University of Oregon have the option to apply for the Oregon ContraceptiveCare Program - referred to as CCare - to receive free birth control and contraceptive consultations. The program is available for students at or below the 250 percent of the federal poverty level and allows students to receive free birth control, condoms, and Plan B after a quick application process.

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