The Hijabi Monologues: The young Muslims in Britain using the arts to reclaim their culture

“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.

Each year, close to three million dogs and cats are killed in shelters - in some cities more than 70 percent of the animals in shelters are euthanized. Target Zero is a program that works with fellow cities to spay and neuter animals and return them to the streets. Public complaints about animals have plummeted, and many shelters are well on their way to achieving a 'zero-kill' status.

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.

The Islamic State's recruitment of women draws big attention. But less noticed and more important are efforts in Islamic countries to raise the number of women in religious leadership, despite a long tradition against it, as a potential, effective antidote to the IS recruitment efforts – preventing young women (and men) from joining radical groups.

Some communities in Malawi are beginning to fight child marriage their own way—with music, dance, and a few tears, using theater to motivate cultural change.

Arts education programs in the United States are subjected to cutting for maintaining tight school budgets. Technology sectors in Seattle seek professionals who have been trained in problem solving skills and innovative idea generation. In response, Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture collaborate to promote equity in students’ access to the arts.