Philanthropic horticulturists and other prison community leaders

For three days each summer, the Girls Embracing Mothers (GEM) camp near Dallas gives girls an escape from their daily reality of being denied a normal relationship with their incarcerated mothers. Founded by a lawyer whose own mother was incarcerated, GEM combines typical summer-camp fun with trust-building exercises. During camp and afterward, the girls become part of a community of peers who understand each other's trauma – which puts them at higher risk of dropping out of school, mental health problems, and homelessness – in a place where they need not feel shame for their mothers' status.

Amplifying local culture, history, and food through the arts increases tourism and can revitalize areas struggling with depopulation. The Hammana Artist House, a collaboration between a philanthropist and Collectif Kahraba, a local theater non-profit in Hammana, Lebanon, has resulted in an arts program that attracts new visitors to the town. In addition to the village’s historic cherry festival, the collaboration has resulted in a new artist residency program and projects that enhance the identity and visibility of the community.

In Ohio’s Wayne County Jail, people serving sentences can access CADET, which stands for Chemical Addiction/Dependency, Education and Therapy program. With nearly 20% of Wayne County bookings involving drug-related offenses, CADET provides participants with the support they need to overcome addiction, including cognitive behavioral treatment, crisis assessment, and case management. The program is offered in partnership with the nonprofit, OneEighty, and is often part of the term’s of some individual sentences.

In Detroit, a new program is offering homeownership for just $1 per square foot to marginalized and vulnerable people, including those who are unhoused, people with disabilities, or the formerly incarcerated. After proving an income of between $7,000 and $12,000 and the abilities to pay rent, as well as financial classes and volunteering, people can qualify to live in tiny homes, which are then handed off to the resident mortgage-free after seven years. So far, the program has built six tiny homes.

YouthBuild El Salvador is a program, partly funded by the United States, that teaches participants leadership and marketable skills, with an underlying emphasis on empathy, responsibility, and conflict resolution. In a country wrought with violence and gang activity, the hope is to give participants another option. At the end of their time in the program, participants are more likely to find employment – something that is hard to come by in the country.

How does an organization go about reducing incarceration rates, and eliminate racial bias? Hiring the people affected by the prison system: former inmates. That’s the strategy that ACLU is taking in Philadelphia.

Activists, and lawmakers have been proposing ideas for prisoner reentry, or supporting former prisoners by finding work, housing, and healthcare, in order to reduce the trend of prisoners being released, committing another crime, and returning to prison. Philadelphia, which has a high recidivism rate, is one of the cities that is already implementing solutions.

Food security has increasingly become an issue for many families across the country, as economic instability and other factors contribute to the rising costs of living. Catholic Charities in Mansfield is taking a more comprehensive approach to addressing the multifaceted challenges of food security. They provide a food bank that offers the needy the option to choose foods that suit their lifestyle and needs, in addition to support services such as housing and medical assistance, and financial and career workshops that can help break the cycle of poverty long-term.

Two columns on microconsignment, a new variation on microcredit that helps poor people living in developing countries - particularly women in rural villages - start small social businesses without taking on debt or requiring previous business skills. The organization, Soluciones Comunitarias, partners with a non-profit and a university student program to manage the supply chain and other components of the business necessary to support the social entrepreneurs in successful micro-ventures.

Project Avary is a free summer camp founded in 1999 for children of incarcerated parents that combats the isolation this population experiences by bringing them together. Through outdoor activities, skills workshops, and structured peer bonding, the program serves roughly 150 children each year. Its intergenerational mentorship model also turns alumni into counselors, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of support across generations.