Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • How Social Media Fact-Checking Limits, But Can't Eliminate, Online Disinformation

    May 20, 2021 |

    Grady Newsource |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Social media companies are using artificial intelligence to help identify misinformation. Once identified, human fact checkers will verify the posts. Facebook uses 60 partnered fact-checking organizations as well as SimSearchNet++ image-recognition system that can identify image manipulation and slight changes to misinformation. Hundreds of millions of posts are flagged every year and those that are identified as “false” or “altered” are labeled with warnings and distribution is reduced.

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  • Jirogasy's solar computers power offgrid schools in Madagascar

    May 03, 2021 |

    Hardware Things |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Madagascar, Antananarivo

    Jirogasy developed solar-powered computers and, maximizing a partnership with an education NGO, has helped expand computer access among rural schools without access to a grid. Using internationally-funded grants, they created the Jirodesk II, a Windows 10 powered PC that can be powered by the grid or charged via a solar panel. The computers are monitored remotely, which allows users to quickly get tech support, and the company monitors usage in Watt-hours for its “pay-per-use-until-you own model,” where users pay per number of Watt-hours used, and after a certain number of Watt-hours the machine is paid off.

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  • ‘What difference would that make?'

    April 30, 2021 |

    The Chicago Reader |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

    A participatory budgeting pilot in ten Chicago Public Schools empowers students to influence change by deciding how small grants, typically $1,000 to $2,000, should be spent for school improvement. Students brainstorm ideas, construct persuasive proposals, and vote on which to implement, providing valuable lessons in civic participation. The proposals revealed student needs that staff hadn’t previously considered. Ultimately, grants supported gender-neutral bathrooms, locker room shower curtains, a peer mentoring program, and spaces for students to reflect and decompress when feeling overwhelmed.

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  • In Dallas' food deserts, community gardens ease — but don't end — food insecurity

    April 27, 2021 |

    Dallas Morning News |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Austin, Texas

    A resolution in Austin, Texas, allows community gardens to use public land. It also created the City of Austin Community Garden Program to help people find partnerships and apply to create a garden. The government support allowed more community gardens to open and help fight food insecurity across the city.

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  • Co-Governing to Build Back Better

    April 09, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom, York

    The city of York trained volunteers to help identify causes and solutions to loneliness and social isolation, an issue with public health consequences. Volunteers conducted research and spoke to 1,000 fellow residents and 100 other stakeholders to identify community knowledge and priorities. Working closely with local partners, volunteers helped design and implement solutions, including pairing young runners with isolated older citizens to serve as coaches and provide motivation. Participants reported positive outcomes, like feeling less lonely and experiencing improved well-being.

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  • 'Virtual rangers' help South African reserve keep poachers away

    March 29, 2021 |

    Reuters |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: South Africa, Johannesburg

    Over 55,000 people have become “virtual rangers,” helping to protect South Africa’s Balule Nature Reserve from poachers. Officials at the reserve teamed up with Samsung and Africam to increase the ability to keep watch over the park, which is home to some of the most vulnerable animals to poaching, including rhinoceros, leopards, and elephants. Camera phones, held in protective cases, are mounted around the reserve and stream images to “virtual rangers” worldwide who have already reported hearing gunshots, which could indicate the possibility of poachers, and seeing trapped animals needing rescue.

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  • How Taiwan triumphed over Covid as the UK faltered

    March 24, 2021 |

    The Guardian |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Taiwan

    Taiwan was among the first countries to respond to COVID-19 with decisive actions that contained the virus’ impact on the population. Its 2003 experience with the SARS virus provided an established infrastructure to focus on eliminating the virus rather than its mitigating spread. In-bound travel was quickly regulated, a centralized office coordinated responses across sectors, and clear communication campaigns limited disinformation. Officials temporarily authorized “intrusive data collection measures” to track, trace, and isolate infections and masks were required and made widely available.

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  • Green space in cities can bring considerable health benefits for communities, but access is unequal

    March 19, 2021 |

    Ensia |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

    Platte Farm Open Space used to be a garbage dumping ground in Denver, but it’s now an urban green space thanks to the efforts from community members, organizations, and the government. This community-led project was able to secure funding to replace the contaminated land with fresh soil that now attracts animals and includes walking paths and a playground for children. This project offers lessons on how to build a green space in a diverse neighborhood and the health benefits that come from such an initiative.

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  • How Jersey City Middle Schoolers Stopped a Flood

    March 12, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Jersey City, New Jersey

    In a science class in a local New Jersey school, students came up with a green solution to a storm water management and flooding problem in their parking lot when it rained. With help from the Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program out of Rutgers University and funding from city agencies, they were able to build planters and install concrete to absorb the runoff. The project galvanized the community, encouraging the school to expand their STEM curriculum.

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  • Road Salt Is Imperiling Aquatic Ecosystems. It Doesn't Have To.

    March 11, 2021 |

    Undark |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Lake George, New York

    An experiment in upstate New York showed how town officials could maintain clean and safe roads during the winter season and protect the environment. By using a salt brine before winter storms, they were able to plow the roads more efficiently and, at the same time, reduce the amount of salt going into waterways that could impact freshwater ecosystems. The effort, launched by the nonprofit FUND for Lake George, required “a culture shift within the towns’ maintenance departments,” but the communities were able to cut their salt usage in half over two years.

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