Nigerian man with diabetes teaches kids with the disease how to live longer

Should police be law enforcers or social responders? Some leaders say "guardian" duty is at least important as purely law enforcement tasks, sometimes known as "warrior" work. That idea is rooted in centuries-old principles of policing.

Police can work better with young people if they understand more about how their brains work. Young people can deal better with police if they understand more about their jobs, and the law. New training and techniques aim to improve those relationships. Some are already being used in Cleveland, and others are on the way.

In Washington, D.C., where only 27% of Black students read at grade level, the nonprofit Everybody Wins DC launched Power Readers, a program that pairs elementary students with volunteer mentors for weekly one-on-one reading sessions. Operating in six schools, the program allows students to choose their own books, receive personalized attention during lunchtime sessions, and access free, culturally relevant reading materials. J.O. Wilson Elementary recorded more than a 10% increase in literacy rates between 2022 and 2024 after implementing the program.

The GreenHouse provides after-school programming for children living in one of Sacramento’s most densely-populated affordable housing communities. Over the past 20 years, roughly 1,000 children have participated in the organization’s programs, including homework help, social events, internship and leadership opportunities, and more.

Through Project Elimu, children in the Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi can take free dance classes that help them develop confidence, teamwork, self-expression, and physical fitness. The organization provides free meals to participants and also offers programming around sexual health, a crucial resource in an area where rates of teen pregnancy are high.

At the Kiishi Readers Club, students in Oyo state can borrow books and attend lectures and discussions to help develop their reading, writing, and leadership skills. Students who have participated in the club say the experience has helped them improve their academic performance and given them more confidence in their public speaking abilities.

A group of D.C. teens produced a short film depicting life in their neighborhood, the final product of a pilot project that teaches filmmaking skills in order to lift up community voices and inspire youth to pursue a career. The program, "Don't Shoot Guns, Shoot Cameras," was started by the uncle of a homicide victim in a neighborhood where violence can feel more prevalent than positive inspiration. The program, which partnered with an existing nonprofit, is now seeking to expand.

In Rochester, NY, the Center for Teen Empowerment, a nonprofit that trains youth in community organizing, personal development, and anti-violence, is working to bring kids off the street and into safety. The program, which started in Boston, is centered on four ideas: jobs (paying the youth hired as organizers), teamwork, agency (letting them build their own activist agendas), and peer influence. While hard to evaluate because of its situational, qualitative nature, city officials, including law enforcement, point to the program as a factor in the decrease in violence across the city.

A South Bronx charter school is trying an innovative approach to educating all students, including the one third of its student body in foster care. By adding teachers, behavioral specialists, and extra academic support and relying on a trauma-informed and repetitive structure, Mott Haven Charter School has gradually seen improvement, with its foster youth outperforming other children in the welfare system.

Since 2007, SIMBA and ASET have connected over 1,000 homeless students living in New York City with academic resources. All students in the 2018 class graduated from high school with multiple college acceptances.