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Extra arts education boosts students' writing scores — and their compassion, big new study finds

Matt Barnum

February 12, 2019 |

Chalkbeat National |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

An initiative in House schools that gives students access to the arts in the classroom has positively affected students' ability to concentrate, write, and even show compassion to one another. The initiative, known as the Houston Arts Access Initiative, encourages schools to provide exposure to dance, music, and visual arts to encourage creative and kind interaction.

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Taxing empty apartments could ease the housing crisis

Adele Peters

February 12, 2019 |

FastCompany |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

Cities with large numbers of empty apartments look to Vancouver's apartment tax, which taxes owners for unused apartment space. After the tax was put in place, the number of unoccupied apartments in Vancouver went down, and the city raised $38 million in tax revenue - most of which will go to affordable housing programs.

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How To Get Meat Eaters To Eat More Plant-Based Foods? Make Their Mouths Water

Maria Godoy

February 10, 2019 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Red meat consumption requires a great deal of water and land resources to produce and is even responsible for a large amount of greenhouse gases. To combat this, the Better Buying Lab is experimenting with marketing strategies to get people to buy more vegetarian and vegan items. After rebranding food with sensory descriptors like "Cuban" or "grilled", sales increased 13% in California and 76% in the UK. Influential brands like Panera are now increasing their efforts to continue this trend.

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Nuns and Nones: A modern religious community

Soli Salgado

February 07, 2019 |

Global Sisters Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The "Nuns and Nones" communities around the United States bring together Catholic nuns and millennial "nones," who don't affiliate with a particular religion, to foster a communal living environment. The program allows religious and non-religious individuals to share ideologies and living spaces, addressing the diminishing scope of religious communities in America.

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Wiggin Street students learn through play

Katie Ellington

February 07, 2019 |

Mount Vernon News |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Mount Vernon, Ohio

Global Play Day for schools is exactly what it sounds like: a full day of supervised but unstructured play. Teachers and scientists say that this kind of play encourages creativity and helps build social skills that kids need like problem-solving and flexibility. Students at Wiggins Street Elementary School play in all classes, including gym and music.

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In Nigeria, documentary films spark social change

Innocent Eteng

February 07, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Port Harcourt

A local, grass-roots art project in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, spreads awareness about and encourages action against government-sponsored evictions in the city's low-income communities. Cinematic films, music, and journalistic storytelling help spread the humanity and character of the communities to appeal to government entities to let people stay.

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The streets weren't safe for drug users. So these countries created spaces for them.

Taylor Knopf

February 04, 2019 |

North Carolina Health News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Geneva

Despite hesitance and not complete buy-in, European countries are seeing signs of success from implementing drug consumption rooms. While the United States has been hesitant to adopt this tactic as a solution for fear of normalization of drug use, countries with these facilities are reporting less “injection-related litter in public spaces,” increased public awareness, less stigma, and fewer overdoses.

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When It's Hard to Make Ends Meet, Can Smart Apps Help?

Tina Rosenberg

February 04, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Elsie, Michigan

Smartphone technology levels the playing field for low-income people, utilizing services that manage SNAP food-assistance budgets, pay parking tickets on time, payday loans, and more. Applications like Fresh EBT work with families to create budgets to better manage their monthly income.

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Smart Grid Experiment Saves Participants the Equivalent of One Electric Bill Per Year

Lynne Peskoe-Yang

February 04, 2019 |

IEEE Spectrum |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Istanbul

Gamifying energy-efficient behavior can help consumers adjust their habits. Project GresBAS (Grid Responsive Society through Building Automation Systems) incentivizes consumers by allowing them to compete against their own personal records, as well as their neighbors. The Project has piloted studies in Turkey and Portugal, signaling the broader possibilities of gamifying user interactions with smart grid technologies.

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Anti-vaxxers are back. Behavioural science could beat them

Edward Siddons

January 24, 2019 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan

As a hesitance to vaccinate becomes a more prominent concern worldwide, Pakistan is experimenting with behavioral science to combat anti-vaccination mindsets. From holding conversations with healthcare workers to changing the times that clinics are open, the country has seen a significant decrease in those that refuse to be vaccinated.

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