Online buyers of sex now have a great chance of running into the NYPD's latest initiative to combat trafficking amongst prostitution: a chatbot called Freedom Signal. Originated by an organization called Seattle Again...

A suite of new voting apps are bringing new technologies to old organizing methods, like asking (or shaming) friends to vote and finding community leaders to encourage voter turnout. These old methods, now called "rel...

The lack of technology and app solutions for social problems is beginning to change thanks to the help of a growing group of technology accelerators (also called incubators) aimed at tech companies focused on social i...

Smartphone technology levels the playing field for low-incoming people, utilizing services that manage SNAP food-assistance budgets, pay parking tickets on time, payday loans, and more. Applications like Fresh EBT wor...

Publishing various perspectives fosters civic discourse. In Poland, Projekt Spiecie addresses the challenge of ideological isolation by creating a network of magazines across the political spectrum that all agree to p...

Australia has a major mosquito problem which has resulted in a rise of dengue cases, but adding more mosquitos to the ecosystem may be the solution. The city of Townsend has been experimenting with the release of bact...

In times of political gridlock, individuals have stepped up to make meaningful changes in their communities, with their solutions inspiring others around the world. From ground-up political action that decreased gerry...

Short-term volunteering trips, especially those that involve working directly with vulnerable children, can do more harm than good. Instead, volunteers should look for opportunities to support staff and primary caregi...

Casa Viva is an organization in Latin America that prioritizes family reunification over adoption. They have placed about 640 children with foster families, “60 percent of those went back to their biological family o...

When it comes to helping H.I.V. patients, Britain's National Health Service is able to keep prices for treatment much lower than the United States does by encouraging the use of generic drugs. The National Health Serv...

Voluntourism, or the practice of western volunteers paying to do service in developing countries, seems like a moral, do-good activity. However, the practice has been proven to have consequences, including reducing th...

When it comes to job training, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and its partners believe in a holistic approach. LISC offers not only skills courses, but also child care assistance, financial competency le...

After hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fled to Europe in 2015, wealthy European countries became more invested in fixing a broken immigration system, something which had traditionally fallen on poorer countr...

To make neighborhoods safer, New York City is attempting to strengthen "collective efficacy." Research shows that an engaged community, where residents feel they can trust each other and the government, can help lowe...

Partnering police agencies and advocates for survivors of sexual assault in cities like Philadelphia and New York City has helped to solve some of the difficulties investigators have faced in cases of sexual assault w...

A program that trains girls and young women how to defend themselves against rape has proven highly effective in Kenya and is spreading to other countries, including Canada and the U.S. No Means No Worldwide trains gi...

Flip the Script is a program utilized on college campuses that trains women to prevent sexual assault. The program educates young women on setting their own personal boundaries, recognizing the early signs of a sexual...

Being in a gang or selling drugs is risky and often poorly paid, but many people caught up in it see too many obstacles in alternate paths to change. Readi Chicago addresses these barriers with cognitive behavioral th...

Most tough guys with guns don’t want to shoot. Trained violence interrupters can therefore jump in and find alternative ways to mediate disputes. Hired from the same neighborhoods in which they work, violence interrup...

Coding positions can provide a stable job with a middle class salary, however—due to a lack of opportunities, the cost of education, and the culture at tech companies—women and especially women of color have a difficu...

To decrease the amount of gun-related fatalities, cities are focusing on joint efforts with their communities and police departments to target those most at risk for shooting or being shot on the streets. Known nation...

It's known that technology can help aid efficiency in a variety of sectors. One area where it's proving to make an impact is within police departments. Although two different ventures, ShotSpotter – a realtime geo-loc...

In cases where funding is short for social programs, social impact bonds are becoming an increasingly appealing funding mechanism. Private investors and philanthropic institutions invest money upfront to fund a social...

Two initiatives in Philadelphia have been developed to treat heroin users and, above all, keep them alive. While a prescription for Suboxone—a drug that can safely ease withdrawal symptoms—is widely available from Phi...

Politicians across the country draw voting maps to favor their own political parties. In Michigan, a state with extreme congressional gerrymandering, voters are saying enough is enough. A nonpartisan group called Vote...