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Friends Transform Vacant Building Into Popular Community Center

Martha Pskowski

January 09, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, San Agustín, Ecatepec

Abandoned buildings hold great potential. In Ecatepec, friends got together and transformed an empty commercial space into El Banco, a bustling hub of arts and recreation activities open all day for local kids and families. The community center offers a valuable gathering space amid government neglect and high rates of crime.

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Kenton Women's Village Provides Homes To Homeless Women

Allison Frost Andrew Dorn

December 18, 2017 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Multi-Media |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Providing people with safety and stability can help to break the poverty cycle. In the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, the Kenton Women’s Village provides shelter and support for homeless women. The community is supported by staff of the Catholic Charities and the Kenton Neighborhood Association, but is largely run by the women who live there.

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With few resources, block clubs find ways to stabilize and rejuvenate communities across Detroit

Aaron Mondry

December 11, 2017 |

Model D |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Block clubs act as a more approachable way for residents of a certain area to come together, “and they’re also one of the most essential.” In several neighborhood of Detroit, block clubs have made impactful local changes. From handling safety issues without necessarily involving the police to caring for vacant properties to advocating for brighter street lights, these block clubs are making their communities better.

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Pedal to Porch

Jill Harkins

December 04, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In Detroit, Michigan, residents reduce the effects of gentrification through physical activity and shared storytelling. The non-profit Pedal to Porch encourages residents to bike to their neighbors’ homes and record their memories. The effort helps retain some of the identity in Detroit’s changing communities and establishes new connections for the city to grow. Founder Cornetta Lane notes, “communities are more likely to bounce back from social and natural disasters when they know each other.”

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In Woodlawn, a Ground-Up Approach to a Healthier, Safer Community

Brandis Friedman

October 11, 2017 |

WTTW-PBS |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Urban areas that have more trees tend to have lower crime rates, attracting more investment and have higher income levels. They also make neighborhoods nicer places to live so that’s why Blacks in Green, a community group in Chicago, is focused on building more gardens, planting orchards and trees with the help of the Morton Arboretum, which works with community groups around the city. Blacks in Green has combined the initiative with efforts to provide more jobs for the community’s young people as well.

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In Flint, Block Clubs Make a Difference Worth Millions

Scott Atkinson

August 10, 2017 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Flint, Michigan

Instead of relying on Flint’s municipal government for basic services that it does not have the money for, residents are “picking up the slack” by joining block clubs. These community groups maintain parks, mow lawns, and clean up garbage, saving the city $4.3 million from 2015 to 2017. Though it’s not a permanent fix, block clubs are nonetheless making a significant positive impact on the city.

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This Kansas City neighborhood wrote the blueprint for transforming a community

Nikhil Swaminathan

July 25, 2017 |

Grist |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

The Kansas City neighborhood of Ivanhoe was once plagued by blight, illegal dumping, drug trade, gun violence, and neglect; neighbors lived in fear or moved away. Inspired by one compassionate and proactive family, the Youngs, the community stepped up, partnering with the local university and a charitable foundation to map out a tangible blueprint for sustainable change. They are working with police and the city council to tackle the blight and revive their neighborhood through affordable housing, park space, and a renewed sense of community.

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Lafayette Farmers Market returns with farmer incentives

Carah Wertheimer

June 07, 2017 |

Boulder Daily Camera |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Lafayette, Colorado

After taking a year off, the Lafayette Farmers Market in Colorado is back in action and piloting a new type of incentive program that is based on guaranteed-minimum sales for participating farmers. A first of its kind, this program aims to act as a safety net for farmers during the market season by encouraging a community-supported agriculture system.

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No-go zone? Here's how one of Sweden's roughest areas edged out its drug gangs

Emma Löfgren

June 07, 2017 |

The Local |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Malmö

The Seved district of Malmö, Sweden used to be one of the roughest in the nation, with drug crime and gang violence making the neighborhood uninhabitable for many and preventing basic services, such as the post, from functioning. Thanks to a community-wide effort in collaboration with local police, the district has been able to turn things around, booting out crooked landlords, cleaning up streets and buildings, and pressuring the gangs away.

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Why Boston Is Paying Ex-Gang Members To Go To College

Andrew Zaleski

June 02, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Dorchester, the Boston neighborhood with the highest poverty levels, struggles to keep kids in school from engaging with gangs and crime. But College Bound Dorchester (CBD) is fast rewriting the solution to high drop out and recidivism rates, paying ex-offenders a weekly stipend to enroll in and complete a diploma program and proceed to (and through) college. With "core influencers" -- ex-gang members who have "left behind their troubled pasts" -- as role models in the community, CBD emulates similar programs in Chicago and Baltimore, and studies show the initiative is working.

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