The '1975' project helps Vietnamese refugee families open up about their past

India Lost and Found is a crowdsourced photography project that documents India's thousands of overlooked historical monuments through volunteer contributions. Launched in 2018, the initiative recruits volunteers through university partnerships and social media to photograph, research, and share stories about lesser-known historical sites. The project has grown to 500 active volunteers across Indian cities, with 30-35 new volunteers joining monthly and over 80,000 Instagram followers. The visual archives are also being used to drive structural assessments and restoration when needed.

Project 1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Commemoration Initiative is a public art installation to memorialize the Vietnamese who fought alongside U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War, as this group is often forgotten. The memorial tells stories from the perspective of the Vietnamese, highlighting the impact of war on families and communities.

Ten Mile, a community in South Carolina settled by freed slaves after the Civil War, is fighting climate gentrification and flooding by preserving land through forestry projects, land trusts, and greenbelt initiatives. Saving green spaces this way maintains the character of the historic Black neighborhood while promoting flood resiliency.

A team of Western art conservationists trained a community in Tibet how to restore historic monasteries that were crumbling due to the effects of climate change. Over decades of restoration work, the team sparked a cultural renaissance in the region and is providing economic opportunities for women.

Student organizers with Chi Youth 4 Justice facilitated PzTalks, a series of forums at Chicago high schools to encourage conversation around Israel and Gaza and build bridges between Jewish and Arab American students. The events were held at 10 public high schools around the city and were tailored to each school’s population and priorities, with some drawing on restorative justice techniques to encourage open, respectful dialogue.

Through the Better for Democracy campaign, which is organized by Greater Cleveland Congregations, neighborhood “captains” are tasked with contacting low-propensity voters in their area at least five times each with phone calls, door-knocking, texts, a printed voters’ guide, and a follow-up thank you call. This relational approach to organizing resulted in 56 percent of those who were contacted showing up to vote in 2022, as compared to a 30 percent turnout rate for the city as a whole.

HEAR/HERE is a mobile digital history project that documents and shares the stories of Black Oaklanders. The HEAR/HERE truck visits community events and gathering places and asks attendees to answer questions that are designed to help them connect with their neighbors.

The République des Hyper Voisins, or the Republic of Super Neighbors, is an experiment organized by residents of Paris's 14th arrondissement to encourage community engagement, combat social isolation, and improve how the neighborhood functions. The group has organized mutual aid efforts, installed compost collection points, facilitated the launch of a new health clinic, and given residents opportunities to weigh in on local development projects.

When the rise of Ebola in West Africa strict protocols when handling those who were dying or had died from the disease, public health officials began working with anthropologists and other social scientists to increase trust and influence people’s willingness to seek treatment. At the center of the success was the social scientist's recommendations for burial services which addressed concerns about first responders disrespecting the dead. Today, these social scientists are providing similar consult for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although many mutual aid networks have formed to serve a need during the coronavirus pandemic, the concept has been in practice for centuries and has "deep roots in communities of color." While these grassroots community efforts aren't always referred to as mutual aid, they have nonetheless come into existence to provide economic stability for communities and individuals when governmental structures have failed to do so.