The Solutions Story Tracker® is a curated database of rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. We collect and tag every story, providing you with the ability to find coverage of effective or promising ideas and approaches— by issue, location, journalist, and success factor (strategic insights that emerge as patterns).
https://humangle.ng/the-polarised-city-1-how-2-jos-communities-struggle-to-unite-after-years-of-crises?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Nathaniel Bivan
HumAngle
12 April 2021
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
With help from nongovernmental organizations, the people of two communities who clashed violently since 2001 found ways to coexist peacefully since 2019. Violent attacks and reprisals between the Christians of Unguwar Balakazai and Muslims of Mai Damisa claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed homes repeatedly. Elders trained by the Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse told youth stories about peace in Jos in the past. Youth ambassadors trained by the Jos Stakeholders for Peace Centre met and agreed to lay down their weapons.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/12/minneapolis-little-earth-police-alternative?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Robert Klemko
The Washington Post
12 April 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Little Earth Protectors is one of several community patrol groups that emerged in Minneapolis' unrest after George Floyd's death in police custody. Named for a mostly Native American neighborhood with high rates of violence, the Protectors filled a vacuum left by short-staffed police who had lost support in the community. Patroling the streets, usually unarmed, the Protectors mediate disputes, discourage drug and prostitution activity, and guard against property destruction. Seven larger groups doing this work have been given city contracts to provide their services if civil unrest breaks out again.
https://gradynewsource.uga.edu/madison-county-locals-see-change-after-lobbying-pollution-concerns-to-legislators?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Jared Gilstrap
Grady Newsource
9 April 2021
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
After Georgian residents raised concerns about a pollutant that was being emitted by a nearby biomass plant, they banded together to pass legislation that effectively put an end to the practice. These concerned residents founded the Madison County Clean Power Coalition to raise awareness of the effects of creosote burning, which, when breathed in, has shown to increase the risk of lung and heart disease. Their lobbying efforts resulted in the governor signing into law a ban on burning creosote-treated wood.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/courtwatch-prince-georges/2021/04/08/dc63e064-2e96-11eb-bae0-50bb17126614_story.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Katie Mettler
The Washington Post
9 April 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Court Watch PG acts as a traditional court watch program for Maryland's Prince George's County, but with a twist: the two formerly incarcerated women running it turned adversity, in the form of the pandemic's shutdown of trials, into opportunity in the form of a nationwide crew of volunteers watching over Zoom. The watchers attend bond hearings, where people jailed on pending charges try to gain pretrial release. After observing thousands of hearings, Court Watch PG has exposed flaws in the system, which it pushes to reform through the more than 100 "accountability letters" it has sent justice officials.
https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/gun-violence-missouri/article250368781.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Kaitlin Washburn
The Kansas City Star
7 April 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Seven teen suicides in one county over a two-year span prompted residents whose lives were touched by suicide to form DeFeet, an educational and advocacy group devoted to the message that suicide is preventable. Thanks in part to its trainings, public speakers, support groups, public education campaigns, and advocacy for gun safety, local schools now screen all students for suicide risk starting in middle school. A local health clinic now screens all patients and credits DeFeet, named for its annual 5K memorial walk, with creating "an environment where we are not as afraid to talk about suicide."
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/climate-in-crisis/seaweed-diet-for-cows-lowers-how-much-methane-they-produce-study/2512745?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Marianne Favro
KNTV-TV
7 April 2021
Broadcast TV News / Under 3 Minutes
Researchers at University of California, Davis found that cows that were fed a small amount of seaweed in their diet drastically reduced the amount of methane they emitted, which could be a low-cost climate solution for farmers. They saw an 82 percent reduction in methane in beef cows and there was also no detectable difference in the taste of the beef. More research is needed to be done to see how these results apply in other settings.
https://gradynewsource.uga.edu/how-one-atlanta-news-station-is-fighting-against-fake-news?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Trey Young
Grady Newsource
7 April 2021
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
11Alive, a Georgia news station, runs a program called "Verify" that helps residents get accurate information and slow the spread of disinformation. Viewers submit a form online or via an app to request any piece of information be debunked or verified. If deemed a verifiable request, a 13-member team of reporters, editors, and producers investigate it by reaching out to experts and other sources. Since disinformation spreads quickly, “Verify” uses Google Analytics and search engine optimization (SEO) to get the most exposure and gain traction when a verification article is posted.
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/04/07/life-after-the-gunshot-trauma?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Peter O'Dowd
Allison Hagan
WBUR
7 April 2021
Radio Talk Show / 5-15 Minutes
A college professor and a former stabbing victim counsel young men in the hospital soon after they are shot or stabbed. These interventions, based on trust and shared experiences, are meant to prevent repeat injuries, which are common for people with traumatic experiences. Of 116 men they've counseled, one was later murdered, one was rehospitalized, and all the rest have found safety and some measure of success in reorienting their lives -- a far better rate than was the norm at that hospital before the program started. Their work is the subject of a new documentary series, "Life After The Gunshot."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09ck4dp?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Daniel Gordon
BBC
6 April 2021
Podcast / Over 15 Minutes
As human infrastructure continues to threaten animal habitats, researchers are coming up with ways to use artificial structures as bridges for these creatures to get where they need to go. In Indonesia, irrigation pipes help farmers water their crops, but they’re also used by slow lorises to cross over the farmlands. In Brazil, a bridge crossing a major highway will be used by golden lion tamarins to avoid the busy traffic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/world/europe/covid-uk-vaccination.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Geneva Abdul
The New York Times
6 April 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
To discourage the spread of misinformation about the Covid vaccine and decrease vaccine hesitancy in minority communities, religious leaders and other influential people in Britain have launched campaigns to dispel concerns. According to a survey about overall willingness to take the vaccine, the efforts – which include posters, sermons, a help line, and WhatsApp chats – have been working.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/05/coco-de-mer-islanders-rally-to-save-worlds-biggest-seed-aoe?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
The Guardian
5 April 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
A public-private scheme between the Seychelles Islands Foundation and a government agency is allowing residents to plant seeds of the coco de mer, or sea coconut, as a way to save the endangered tree species. So far, 96 seeds have been planted on 26 properties. Despite its extremely slow growth rate, island residents are excited to grow trees for future generations and protect them from poachers.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-05/mobile-vaccine-squad-has-a-mission-find-and-protect-the-neediest?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Sarah Holder
CityLab
5 April 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
In California's Marin County, mobile vaccine teams are helping to deliver vaccines to populations that are "homebound, homeless, and hesitant." The team has been able to administer 8,000 shots so far, which organizers say has been the easiest part. Linda Dobra, who leads a mobile vaccination team, says, “It’s all the logistics that go into planning and consenting and observing and set-up that takes time."
Our issue area taxonomy was adapted from the PCS Taxonomy with definitions by the Foundation Center, which is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International License.
Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:
Fondriest Environmental, David De Wit / Community Eye Health, Linda Steil / Herald Post, John Amis / UGA College of Ag & Environmental Sciences – OCCS, Andy B, Peter Garnhum, Thomas Hawk, 7ty9, Isriya Paireepairit, David Berger, UnLtd The Foundation For Social Entrepreneurs, Michael Dunne, Burak Kebapci, and Forrest Berkshire / U.S. Army Cadet Command public affairs
Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license, and are credited to the following photographers:
Ra'ed Qutena, 段 文慶, Fabio Campo, City Clock Magazine, Justin Norman, scarlatti2004, Gary Simmons, Kathryn McCallum, and Nearsoft Inc
Photos are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:
Burak Kebapci and SCY.
Photos are licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) and are credited to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Conference attendee listening to speaker, Jenifer Daniels / Colorstock getcolorstock.com.
Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Sonia Narang
