1.  Each of these articles highlighted topics and issues that for the most part had never even occurred to me. Some of these topics really struck me and made me think. 

For example in the story about "A Depression Fighting Strategy that Could Go Viral" one of the key points that stuck out to me is that the writer mentions how depression is often considered a first world problem but that it is actually extremely common and virtually untreated in poor countries. This is something I had never considered before but I realized that I did associate depression and other mental health issues with first world countries. This article definitely broadened my understanding of mental health in poor countries. Another key point from this article is that it was imperative that the solution to aiding with depression had to make it socially acceptable which is why they decided to create a community of peers to act as therapists so that there would not be a stigma. I found this extremely interesting and I see how this process could be implemented in many different countries and cultures.

The second article, about Dutch tiny homes was so interesting to me because I was able to learn about a solution to the housing crises that another country is starting to implement. A major thing that stood out to me  is that I think it was good for me to read an article not focused on a solution in the US because I never get to learn about how other countries are dealing with their social issues. It changed my perspective because I think I fall into an unfortunate mindset where I do not consider ideas from other countries as being applicable to problems in the US because they seem so different. Another key idea that this article lead me to think about is that in the US, tiny houses are usually only associated with mostly quirky, young people. So it is encouraging to think that using tiny homes as a solution like this could become adopted more widespread and help so many more people. 

The third article about tree-planting drones struck me because I found it really interesting and encouraging to see fairly new technology being able to be used to help in more remote villages and communities. I think I often associate cutting edge technology and its benefits only with very developed countries. But this article definitely helped me see what a positive impact this technology has on these small communities. The key factor to prove the usefulness of this idea was that these drones can plant 100,000 trees in just one day and free the community to be able to focus on caring for the already growing trees means that there is a better chance for that community to be able to restore the environment that is vital to their livelihood. 

2. This experience was very informative and I’m glad I was able to read stories about solutions that I hadn’t already heard about. The entire process of going through many different categories of stories and picking out which ones to focus on was very encouraging. This is because it allowed me to see the scope of how much positive action is being taken in order to create solutions to social issues around the world. I wish the stories had included a little bit more information about the people who started the idea and how they were able to implement it because I think this background information would be really interesting and could inspire more people to take the steps to implement their own ideas. Since these readings were so informative to me, I think it would be really cool to get to do some further research into where these ideas are going in the future or where they may have already gone since the publication of these stories. For example the article about the peer-group solution to depression was posted in 2014, so it would be great to get to see an update about where else this idea has been put into action in the past 4 years. 

3. When choosing which stories to add to my collection, I tried to pick from various different categories so that I could see a wide variation in social issues and solutions. This allowed me to have a broader scope of learning from this assignment because I was able to read about housing, the environment, and mental health issues. Each article taught me new things that I had never even thought of before. It was extremely encouraging to get to read about the solutions people have come up with to solve these issues around the world. These readings definitely changed my perspective and helped me see something from someone else's shoes. 

4. One additional story that I added as an external link rather than a main story in my collection was one about revolutionizing education by having diplomas that are based on skills rather than credits earned. I thought this was a really interesting topic, especially since I am graduating in one semester and I can relate to feeling like even though I have taken all the credits necessary I do not feel like I have been equipped with the skills needed to enter the workforce. 

5. I had never heard of SolutionsU and I thought that this assignment was a cool way to get more people to learn about it and read the valuable content that is available here. So many different social issues are addressed and I think there are stories here that would be interesting for everyone.

1. What are three to six key points or impressions that you will take away from these stories?

2. Write a 200-word reflection that engages, analyzes, critiques, expands upon, and/or questions what you read or listened to.

3. Share your reflections on your experience reading, watching or listening to the solutions journalism stories. Did you learn new information; gain new understanding; see things with a different perspective than you had in the past? Did the stories reinforce an idea or thought you'd previously had? Did you meet new people, or learn about opportunities you were previously unaware of?

4. Were there other stories this week that you’d like to give an “honorable mention” -- that you enjoyed, but were not your top choice to share?

5. What else would you like to share?