Streaming into the void

"Songs in the Key of Free" is a program in a Pennsylvania prison brings together inmates to play music and write songs that they perform inside, while professional musicians also play the songs in venues outside prison. The program is just a year old and is based on a successful theater program in California that cut recidivism rates and helped decrease prison infractions. The founders of "Songs in the Key of Free" are creating an album of the work, but after that, future funding is unclear.

Layette is replatforming itself to embrace local culture over a dangerous oil dependency. CREATE, a voter-approved initiative in the city, funds cultural events and festivals to create new economic drivers and to promote the cultural legacy of the region. The fund draws upon money designated from a larger pool of surplus property tax revenue, as well as from philanthropic donations.

DOROT is a non-profit organization that matches seniors with younger adult volunteers for social visits to combat isolation and loneliness and to promote intergenerational friendships. Many of the seniors are widowers and social isolation can lead to negative health consequences. The organization also delivers fresh meals and holds other events, but was unable to operate as usual once the Covid-19 pandemic hit, so DOROT helped seniors set up Zoom for online conferencing. The group has matched 500 seniors with volunteers and advises similar programs across the country. Many pairs have formed deep friendships.

Two medical professionals, one in New York and one in the Phillipines, have launched a free online seminar that aims to help Filipino and Filipino American frontline workers who are experiencing mental health concerns due to coronavirus stressors. The program is just one of several that is helping medical professionals reduce the stigma around talking about mental health.

Wine bars and cheese shops in the Detroit area are taking their businesses online during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering virtual tasting classes to their customers. The Royce and Marrow, a wine bar, is connecting viewers with winemakers around the world with their “At Home With Wine” series and Mongers’ Provisions, a cheese shop, set up tasting classes about cheese, chocolate, and charcuterie, with tasting samples delivered to homes or collected via curbside pickup. While there are learning curves for hosting online classes, many shops enjoy connecting with their communities.

Bronx shelters have teamed up with industry professionals to put together an after-school program offering students an opportunity to receive mentorship. In the program, which is based around video game-themed writing workshops, students are able to practice their writing skills, while being able to manage pandemic-induced isolation by connecting with other students and instructors.

What began as informal online gaming sessions grew into a group of hundreds of LGBTQ gamers, calling themselves Charlotte Gaymers Network, that fostered community and a safe place to gather during the pandemic. Though most of the network's events had to be held virtually, that ended up meeting a need, as more traditional in-person meeting spaces for Charlotte's LBGTQ community had shut down. The group promotes inclusivity in gaming designs and uses events like a tournament to build its following.

Dalit hip-hop musicians are using their art and social media to propel the Dalit rights and anti-caste movements to the forefront of mainstream conversation.

Restring Appalachia matches people who lost their instruments to Hurricane Helene with donors offering up instruments of similar quality. So far, roughly 175 people have signed up to donate about 400 instruments, with about 20 delivered to Asheville so far, though the need still outpaces the supply.

In Morocco's desert oasis, combining traditional ecological knowledge (communal groundwater management, rainwater harvesting, sustainable agriculture) and cultural renewal (a music school and festival) helps combat desertification, encourages youth retention, and strengthens community resilience, although evidence of long-term ecological restoration is still limited.