Jerusalem Jews and Arabs bond over backgammon

“Stepping Up” is an “outreach-and-informant” program in that gives Muslim residents in Dearborn a place to call if they suspect someone begins to show signs of alienation or an interest in extremism. This approach is part of a cooperative network through which the Department Homeland Security obtains information to keep the country safe and empowers Muslim communities in the process. The FBI is also piloting a program that helps Muslims on the edge, providing them with social services for mental health and education to locate the roots of the alienation and anxiety that they feel in the United States.

"The Abdullah-X Show" on YouTube is the creation of a former Islamic extremist who says he was attracted precisely to the kind of ideology terrorists espouse these days. He has used the medium to warn potential extremists away from the ideology.

An inner city Detroit program places 90 percent of graduates in well-paying tech jobs by teaching them how to code. It may serve as a viable path for Philadelphia citizens, as well.

Despite overwhelming evidence that play is vital for children’s physical, emotional and cognitive development, in recent decades, due to many factors, children’s outdoor play opportunities have declined markedly. For 15 years, KaBOOM! has been leading playground construction around the country, mostly in neighborhoods where at least 70 percent of children qualify for the federal government’s free and reduced-cost lunch program.

When adults are asked what values they think youth sports actually reinforce most, they say competitiveness and the importance of winning. The Positive Coaching Alliance provides teaching tools that help coaches redefine the idea of “winning” from something that is reflected on a scoreboard to something that is reflected in a child’s character.

Teenagers around the world are at risk of indoctrination by Islamic extremism and volunteering to fight for the Islamic state. Different European nations seek to make Islamic extremism unattractive to youth by bolstering surveillance efforts, internet outreach, and teaching the Islam of peace.

Muslim women in Egypt are expected to marry young and to stay close to home, and if they do not, they can be subjected to abuse or heavy criticism by men in the household. Save the Children’s Choices program offers educational workshop sessions for boys and girls, ages 10 to 14, which help them explore gender identity. Through discussions, the program hopes to change gender norms.

Muslim youths in Denmark were leaving to join ISIS in Syria, feeling they were being persecuted in Europe. Then the police in Aarhus responded in a completely unexpected way: They apologized.

Following terror attacks around the world, a community nonprofit is working to counter violent extremism by bringing diverse communities together with law enforcement to address underlying causes of radicalization and training neighborhoods to create watch systems.

Despite being an island of seamen, Iceland used to experience high numbers of drownings every year, fostering a keen interest in swimming education. The government stepped up and tapped into the underground hot water generated by Iceland’s volcanic activity to create geothermal pools, which quickly became more than a humble municipal investment, but perhaps the very secret to the country’s happiness. Every town now enjoys communal pools, which create a neutral, recreational space that brings all manner of people together.