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

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  • The Feat in Hojancha, the Town that Lost its Forest

    In 1976, the Costa Rican city Hojancha preserved only 2% of its land as forest, and as a result their water supply (the Río Nosara river basin) dried up from the lack of vegetation. Sixteen years into the crisis, two friends conceived and ran an initiative to reforest the land by asking every family in the city to donate ¢1,000 a month until they could buy back the land in full from the ranchers who owned it. Now, the land is thriving again, though the project of regrowing the forest continues still today.

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  • Switzerland couldn't stop drug users. So it started supporting them.

    By prioritizing treatment over law enforcement, Switzerland dramatically reduced its drug problem. In 1994, the country adopted a progressive policy to treat heroin addiction as a public health crisis, focusing on harm reduction, treatment, and prevention in addition to traditional law enforcement. The policy, which embraces medicated-assisted treatment and universal access to services, helped greatly reduce issues such as the incidence of HIV, drug overdoses, and deaths over the long-term.

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  • Rent-a-sister: Coaxing Japan's young men out of their rooms

    In Japan, an organization called New Start employs women that help men who are withdrawn from society. These men, called hikikomori, are often experiencing mental health issues, and cannot leave their homes. That’s where New Start’s rent-a-sister program comes in. These women spend months, sometimes years, with these men, building trust, giving advice, and adjust to society. The organization also provide halfway houses for these men, with 80% successfully re-entering society as independent individuals.

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  • The Brazilian photographer and the 20-year reforestation project of over 2.7 million trees

    A Brazilian photographer and his wife set out to restore devastated land in the late 1990s by replanting the forest, which would in turn bring back the wildlife. To date the pair and their organization, Instituto Terra, have replanted more than 2 million trees, seen the return of over 500 different species of birds, mammals, amphibians, and flora, and brought back to life the 8 natural springs on the land. There only remains 10% of the land to restore, and at the same time they've also developed more than 700 educational projects that reach over 65,000 people across the nation.

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  • The feminist knitting circle in India upending patriarchal norms

    In a mountain village in the north of India, a women’s knitting group formed five years ago to help women reach for financial independence. The group ended up breaking stereotypes, building confidence, and creating lifelong bonds along the way. Many women in the knitting group are now able to support themselves and their children on the money they make from selling their knit products.

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  • For young Native Americans, running is a lesson in their own history

    Wings of America is a New Mexico based organization that uses running as a way for Native Americans to reconnect with their pasts and cultures while combatting pervasive stereotypes. The organization also organizes runs as protest and resistance, giving youth an opportunity to speak up on the issues they care about.

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  • My hometown is going to burn. Here's how my neighbors are preparing

    In wildfire-prone Nevada County, California, community squads that do controlled burns are on the rise. According to the Nevada County fire council, some 23 associations are active, while about 50 more are forming. By reducing wildfire "ladder fuel," these local groups can reduce the severity of future wildfires, all while protecting their homes.

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  • Incarcerated fathers connect with children thanks to local program

    In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the Passages program, part of its larger Fatherhood Initiative, aims to help men become more involved parents. The program, instituted in the hopes of reducing recidivism rates and creating stronger male role models in the community, provides participants with job training, emotional support, and the skills they need to be active parents for their families.

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  • Lawrence reborn: A polluted mill town reclaims its future

    Grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency empower local communities—and workers—to redevelop abandoned industrial sites. These sites, known as brownfields, are often left in disuse because of the presence of hazardous pollutants. In Lawrence, Massachusetts, public and nonprofit job training programs funded by the EPA retool locals in environmental remediation. These new jobs help economically disadvantaged communities platform toward a more sustainable future; and they promote new development, attracting further investment.

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  • This Detroit farm is helping former inmates stay out of prison

    When people are released from prison, they often have a hard time finding work due to time lapsed and prison records. RecoveryPark Farms in Detroit, Michigan aims to change this by providing job training in urban farming which benefits both the individuals and the community.

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