A Chance to Go From Hard Lives to Healing

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/a-chance-to-go-from-hard-lives-to-healing

Patricia Leigh Brown

The New York Times

18 September 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

A novel way to help young men growing up in communities in which concentrated poverty, violence and unemployment are well-documented barriers to health and longevity: male youth of color are trained to be the emergency response team to help stabilize street victims before doctors or nurses begin procedures.

Building Social Skills, Alone at a Computer

https://medium.com/bright/building-social-skills-alone-at-a-computer-2c100a502ecc

Ellen Lee

Bright Magazine

18 May 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Critics in today's world often say that computers and technology are impeding the social skills of the very young. But Zoo U, a computer game for children, helps kids develop the skills they need such as empathy, impulse control, and communication.

Could adorable tiny tech backpacks save the honeybees?

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0825/Could-adorable-tiny-tech-backpacks-save-the-honeybees

Jessica Mendoza

Christian Science Monitor

25 August 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Concerned with colony collapse syndrome in honey bees worldwide, scientists, farmers and tech companies teamed up in Australia to create a micro-sensor that collects data on the bee's environment.

Behind LA's dramatic decline in gang violence

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/24/gang-violence-decline_n_6656840.html?cps=gravity_2659_7317138142693194709

Ann Brenoff

The Huffington Post

24 February 2015

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In the past, Los Angeles was a dangerous city fraught with gang wars. Lately, though, LA has become a safer city due to six changes enforced by the police cracking down on public violence and gangs.

For Many, a Life-Saving Drug Out of Reach

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/for-many-a-life-saving-drug-out-of-reach

Maia Szalavitz

The New York Times

22 September 2011

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury-related mortality. Naxolone, a drug used to revive overdose victims, is only available by prescription. However, private organizations have distributed Naxolone kits nationally, showing that the drug can save lives when it is more readily accessible.

Gay and Lesbian Liaison Police Unit

http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/ideas-we-should-steal-gay-and-lesbian-liaison-police-unit

Emma Eisenberg

The Philadelphia Citizen

1 August 2015

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Crimes against LGBT citizens have gone underreported in many U.S. cities. Washington DC’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit has employed and trained LGBT officers to represent community members that they protect and serve. After the establishment of the GLLU, the number of reported crimes has increased, demonstrating the comfort and trust that the community has with law enforcement.

Houston's solution to mental health system problems offers a case study for Milwaukee

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/houstons-solution-to-mental-health-system-problems-offers-a-case-study-for-milwaukee-b9928490z1-210715811.html

Meg Kissinger

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

8 June 2013

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In Houston, TX, many individuals with mental illnesses cycled in and out of emergency care while arrested or incarcerated. Houston’s police department has decreased the number of incarcerated who have mental illness by opening a division to mental health called the Chronic Consumer Stabilization Unit. Now Milwaukee seeks to replicate Houston’s results.

How can Milwaukee County's broken mental health system be fixed?

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/chronic-crisis-how-can-milwaukee-countys-broken-mental-health-system-be-fixed-229974841.html

Meg Kissinger

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

5 November 2013

Text / Under 800 Words

Milwaukee County’s mental health system put more resources in expensive emergency care rather than invest in programs that offer continual care. As a result, Milwaukee County identifies nine solutions from other cities that have had success in repairing mental health systems. Solutions include the ending of reliance on emergency care, expand community support programs, change laws, and supportive housing.

How Cincinnati Revitalized Police-Community Relations

http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/policing-police-how-cincinnati-police-community-relations

John Hockenberry

The Takeaway

25 June 2014

Podcast / 5-15 Minutes

After a policeman shot and killed a teenage African American, a community in Cincinnati blamed law enforcement for racial profiling and riots expanded throughout the city. With the help of the Department of Justice as a mediator, Cincinnati made policy changes. The city now has an African American Police Association that brings police officers in communication with representatives of communities.

How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of Geniuses

http://www.wired.com/2013/10/free-thinkers

Joshua Davis

Wired

15 October 2013

Text / Over 3000 Words

Around the world, a new way of teaching and learning is gaining traction – and seeing results. Rooted in educational theory from the likes of Socrates, Piaget, and Montessori, this method is led by students’ curiosity and ability to learn and grow independently; essentially, the students control their own learning. Such methods make success more attainable in places like Matamoros, Mexico, who has seen exceptional improvement from students who experience learning this way.