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Abolish the police? Organizers say it's less crazy than it sounds.

Maya Dukmasova

August 25, 2016 |

The Chicago Reader |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Police abolitionism, an idea that strikes many as fanciful and dangerous, lies at the root of many community projects in Chicago that have demonstrated on a small scale the ways that problems can be solved without police involvement. Run by acolytes of Mariame Kaba, these projects provided dispute resolution services, mental health responses, and a bond fund that uses donated money to bail pretrial defendants out of jail. The key idea is to demonstrate ways to scale back police powers, rather than wait for institutions to reform themselves.

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Meet the Full-Service Social Media Secretary for Prisoners

Maurice Chammah

June 29, 2016 |

The Marshall Project |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Toledo, Ohio

"A social secretary for people who have been deprived of the forms of communication that are now ubiquitous almost everywhere except for prisons," Renea Royster is part of a network of organizations (including Pigeonly, Infolincs, Inmatefone, and Phone Donkey) helping prisoners keep in touch with people on the outside.

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In Philadelphia, healing trauma is intense, difficult work: Pathways to Peace

Brie Zeltner

June 07, 2016 |

Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Healing trauma has never been an easy process but programs like Healing Hurt People help to promote recovery in traumatized, angry young men. This program, in partnership with local medical services, aims to provide therapy in place of violence, which would only cause more trauma down the road. Those who stick with the program have found great success in overcoming their pasts.

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How a Police Detective Helps Inmates Prepare to Live on the Outside

Simone Weichselbaum

June 02, 2016 |

The Marshall Project |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Gig Harbor, Washington

In the United States, the incarcerated feel like they have no voices and their mistakes that led them to jail go unacknowledged. A documentary film spotlights the IF Project, a writing program that encourages female inmates and recently released felons to write down what they would have done to change the path they went on. With police and teachers as mentors, the convicted have support transitioning into society and can reflect on what they can do to change their lives for the better.

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Meet the Thai Sex Workers Fighting for Their Right to Earn a Living

Jean Friedman-Rudovsky

March 28, 2016 |

Vice |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Province

Empower, a sex workers' rights organization with over 50,000 members, has been steadily pushing to improve the working conditions of women in the sex trade in Thailand. In addition to advocating for decriminalization of the trade as the best option, Empower focuses on equipping sex workers with the tools they need to assert their independence, including English classes and HIV prevention. The organization's approach is starkly different than other popular theories, such as brothel raids or the Nordic model of criminalizing the customers.

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How an unlikely alliance of Jewish settlers and Palestinian activists are trying to bring peace to Israel

Linda Solomon Wood

February 16, 2016 |

National Observer |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Palestine, Gush Etzion, West Bank

Grassroots organizations are helping Palestinians and Israelis to meet and discuss their experiences with each other, often for the first time. Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian, co-runs one of these groups with two Israeli settlers. He describes their center is a place where “the enemy is transformed into a neighbor,” a process he says must happen before lasting political solutions to the conflict can be reached.

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Can Prisons Reduce Recidivism by Inviting Victims of Crime to Talk to Prisoners?

Mark Obbie

July 19, 2015 |

Slate |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

A Houston man whose sister was murdered created a way to help his own pain and possibly foster more empathy and understanding among inmates. The restorative justice program, Bridges to Life, has grown to hundreds of volunteers throughout Texas, which includes crime victims who tell their stories and work with inmates to impress upon them the harm that their actions can inflict on others. The prisoners are encouraged to open up about their own lives with the idea that both groups will find healing.

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An antidote to IS recruitment of women

The Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board

May 19, 2015 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Morocco, Casablanca

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.

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4 Out of 5 Black Women Are Overweight. This Group Has the Solution.

Catherine Cheney

December 19, 2013 |

NationSwell |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Henderson, North Carolina

Obesity has become a health crisis for many women in the African-American community, but a group known as GirlTrek is working to change this by making exercise a social norm and creating supportive connections between women with shared goals. This new organization, which works to identify barriers that many in this community face, channels African-American history to encourage black women to walk their way toward better health.

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Trusting Families to Help Themselves

David Bornstein

July 19, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

To give support to struggling families without prescribing solutions requires respect and discipline. The Family Independence Initiative (F.I.I.) encourages low-income families to define their own goals and work towards them in mutual support groups, while carefully documenting their successes.

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