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  • Peace Studies Program Attracts Young Iraqis Eager for Social Change

    In Iraq, where unemployment is high for recent grads, students gravitate towards science and math degrees. But, a new program in peace-and-conflict resolution is the first and only of its kind in the country. It teaches students about peace-building. Close to 250 people have enrolled. "For many undergraduates in the new program at Duhok, that means working side by side to create a more inclusive society. “It’s important for people in our society to know how to deal with conflict.”

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  • The birth of a movement: how activists are winning the battle to make abortion a right

    In a country with a history of strong religious opposition to abortion, Argentinian pro-choice activists have begun to shift the political landscape around reproductive rights by leveraging young organizers, diversifying their movement, using technology to share information and support, and building visible solidarity through "green" symbolism. To bring Catholics into the effort, organizers emphasize the public health risks of keeping abortion illegal, a rhetoric that has led to government changes such as the creation of a ministry of women, gender and diversity that includes pro-choice activists.

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  • How one Minnesota university more than doubled its native student graduation rate

    The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has seen its six-year graduation rate for American Indian and Alaska Native students rise from 27 percent in 2008 to 69 percent in 2018, as well as an increase in the number of enrolled students who identify as native. The university credits this achievement to a number of academic and social programs designed to make native students feel welcome on campus, initiatives to increase empathy and understanding by teachers of issues facing native students, a summer institute for indigenous high school students, and more.

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  • Family business: the women starting afresh in Cairo's creative sector

    An initiative run by the UN Refugee Agency in Cairo called NilFurat teaches women in countries around the Nile and Furat rivers creative skills for them to make a living. The women learn skills like hand sewing, machine sewing, product design, startup management, and financial literacy. The program focuses on supporting artisans who come from disadvantaged or underemployed backgrounds and works to foster a supportive community amongst women coming from Egyptian, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese backgrounds. The group is growing quickly and still faces challenges, but its members are optimistic.

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  • Students in the U.S. and Iraq Discover Common Ground

    A program that was inspired by rising racial tensions is helping students from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Mosul in Iraq erase misconceptions about each other’s cultures. Participants of the “World in Conversation Program,” gather for virtual conversations and talk about their issues, concerns, and daily life. The program is helping them dismantle stereotypes they might have of Arabs and Americans. “I want to show them who we really are, beyond the stereotypes in the media.”

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  • Important lessons for Philadelphia from Chicago's three-year decline in gun violence

    Since 2016, Chicago has seen a 37% decrease in homicides with a comprehensive, targeted approach toward violence. The city developed a multi-pronged approach, including a collaboration between foundations and funders, a partnership that analyzed police decision-making, resource allocation toward a new gun-violence-focused prosecution unit, and targeted investment in high-risk individuals. With such success, cities like Philadelphia – also experiencing an increase in homicides – look to Chicago for lessons learned.

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  • How Beitar Jerusalem's football club owner took on racism and won

    Ending discrimination in football requires directly addressing some of the negative aspects of fan behavior. In Israel, the owner of the Beitar Jerusalem football club has threatened to take legal action against the La Familiar fan club, claiming damages to Beitar’s brand. In addition to the threat of lawsuits, the team promotes a youth club, known as the Team of Equals, which encourages connections between young Jewish and Muslim football fans.

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  • The Real Cost of Diversifying College Rosters

    The rosters of sports teams at small liberal arts schools are often predominantly white and wealthy. Amherst College in Massachusetts has made a concerted effort to stop recruiting from the same "pay to play" pool and reach more student-athletes of color and student-athletes from different socio-economic backgrounds.

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  • Water Warriors

    After an energy company began exploring New Bruncwick territory for oil and natural gas, Indigenous tribes and white people worked together to protect their water and ban fracking. They held protests at government buildings and set up road blocks to prevent equipment trucks from getting out. Some of the protests included violent clashes with police, which made national news and drew more supporters. As a result of their actions, the government put a moratorium on fracking in the Canadian province.

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  • A Police Department's Difficult Assignment: Atonement

    The city of Stockton police department has embarked on a number of initiatives in the hopes of building trust between them and the communities they work for. With initial funding from the Department of Justice, the department began truth-and-reconciliation processes, including workshops, departmental reforms, public apologies, and community conversations. Actual reconciliation is hard to measure, and yet their efforts to atone for their part in historic and systemic racism have shown positive results.

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