A decade ago, these girls weren't allowed to play lacrosse. Now they inspire a reservation.

Non-profits in California worked together to set up a national network for undocumented immigrants to fight isolation and support legal aid. Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) offers a free confidential hotline to report human rights abuses at detention centers and help families locate each other. CIVIC’s volunteers receive 14,000 calls a month from 210 detention centers in the United States.

A two-year curriculum on interpersonal conflict resolution transformed secondary schools in the province of Jawzjan. Violence between students fell by half. Girl’s school attendance increased. Both boys and girls experienced lower rates of depression. The curriculum is part of a larger project by a local NGO to build mediation skills and human rights knowledge in the conflict-affected province.

Grassroots organization can generate change in carbon emissions practices at the community level. In Phoenix, the Chispa nonprofit organization that promotes environmental and social justice, is working to get schools to apply to Arizona’s Lower-Emissions Bus program, funded by money paid to the state in the aftermath of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal. By mobilizing volunteers to canvass neighborhoods and attend school board meetings, the group has succeeded in getting at least one school district to purchase an electric bus and implement a pilot program.

Kick-off soccer academy provides young people with mentorship, education, and talent development. It was created by a group of young friends during the COVID-19 pandemic after they noticed many young people getting into drugs and alcohol while out of school during pandemic-related shutdowns. The team, who mobilizes parents and caretakers so that they buy into the program’s benefits, serves almost 100 young people. The program develops the athletic skills of the young people but also increases their self-esteem and responsibility.

The Northville Township Police Department and Michigan State Police (MSP) are adapting new autism awareness techniques by participating in the Action For Autism program. The program helps officers better understand people with autism to interact with them without making quick judgments that can result in violence. Officers who go through the training have begun gathering profiles of members of the area’s autistic community to be used in 911 calls and have begun carrying calming bags in their patrol cars. The MSP alone has trained about 1,500 MSP troopers and department personnel.

Genderdoc-M (GDM) partners with a local lawyer to offer legal support to members of the LGBTQ+ community in an effort to promote human rights and continue to work toward a more inclusive society. Every year, about 40 people seek legal advice from GDM on matters ranging from workplace discrimination to physical abuse.

Accelerated by the First Point Foundation, a growing movement is working to increase the number of high school and college men's volleyball programs, a sport dominated by women's programs.

Brown Girls Do Gymnastics welcomes Black and Brown youth to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) for summer camps that hone their skills and give them the HBCU campus experience. The organization also supports schools working to develop their own gymnastics programs as a part of its efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the sport.

The Carolina Athletics Mental Health and Performance Psychology Program works with university sport teams in weekly sports psychology meetings, where student athletes can discuss their mental health concerns and learn ways to overcome them. The Program currently has three licensed mental health clinicians on staff and hopes to hire more.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are life-saving tools in sudden cardiac emergencies, but many students don’t know how to use them. After Michael T. Ellessar, a Massachusetts high school student, died suddenly of cardiac arrest at a high school football game, “Michael’s Law” was passed, requiring schools to practice their cardiac response throughout the year. Several other organizations and legislation have emerged to increase AED presence and use in schools, as only five states currently have mandated AED drills.