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Create A New Collection

Collections are versatile, powerful and simple to create. From a customized course reader to an action-guide for an upcoming service-learning trip, collections illuminate themes, guide inquiry, and provide context for how people around the worls are responding to social challenges.

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  • Add to your collection over time and share!

1. Name your collection

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2. Add Stories

Add stories to your collection from your list of Favorites below, or add stories directly to a collection from Search or Discovery. Anytime you see the collection icon you can add a story. Just click the icon and follow the instructions on your screen.

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Solutions Story Tracker®

Welcome to a curated database of rigorous reporting on responses to social problems.

15,700 stories produced by 8,900 journalists and 2,000 news outlets from 89 countries. The stories cover responses in 192 countries, in 17 languages. This resource is made possible because of a growing movement of journalists who use solutions journalism to illuminate both problems and evidence-based responses to them.

Learn more about the Solutions Story Tracker.


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  • Friends Transform Vacant Building Into Popular Community Center

    Martha Pskowski
    2018-06-17 00:06:30 UTC
    0

    January 09, 2018 |

    Yes! Magazine |

    Multi-Media |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Mexico, San Agustín, Ecatepec

    Abandoned buildings hold great potential. In Ecatepec, friends got together and transformed an empty commercial space into El Banco, a bustling hub of arts and recreation activities open all day for local kids and families. The community center offers a valuable gathering space amid government neglect and high rates of crime.

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    • 4136

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  • Kenton Women's Village Provides Homes To Homeless Women

    Allison Frost, Andrew Dorn
    2019-11-21 15:11:56 UTC
    0

    December 18, 2017 |

    Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

    Multi-Media |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

    Providing people with safety and stability can help to break the poverty cycle. In the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, the Kenton Women’s Village provides shelter and support for homeless women. The community is supported by staff of the Catholic Charities and the Kenton Neighborhood Association, but is largely run by the women who live there.

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    • 8625

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  • With few resources, block clubs find ways to stabilize and rejuvenate communities across Detroit

    Aaron Mondry
    2018-12-12 13:53:24 UTC
    1

    December 11, 2017 |

    Model D |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

    Block clubs act as a more approachable way for residents of a certain area to come together, “and they’re also one of the most essential.” In several neighborhood of Detroit, block clubs have made impactful local changes. From handling safety issues without necessarily involving the police to caring for vacant properties to advocating for brighter street lights, these block clubs are making their communities better.

    Read More

    • 5905

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  • Pedal to Porch

    Jill Harkins
    2017-12-13 22:37:12 UTC
    2

    December 04, 2017 |

    The Philadelphia Citizen |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

    In Detroit, Michigan, residents reduce the effects of gentrification through physical activity and shared storytelling. The non-profit Pedal to Porch encourages residents to bike to their neighbors’ homes and record their memories. The effort helps retain some of the identity in Detroit’s changing communities and establishes new connections for the city to grow. Founder Cornetta Lane notes, “communities are more likely to bounce back from social and natural disasters when they know each other.”

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    • 3107

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  • In Woodlawn, a Ground-Up Approach to a Healthier, Safer Community

    Brandis Friedman
    2018-07-04 15:19:34 UTC
    0

    October 11, 2017 |

    WTTW-PBS |

    Broadcast TV News |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

    Urban areas that have more trees tend to have lower crime rates, attracting more investment and have higher income levels. They also make neighborhoods nicer places to live so that’s why Blacks in Green, a community group in Chicago, is focused on building more gardens, planting orchards and trees with the help of the Morton Arboretum, which works with community groups around the city. Blacks in Green has combined the initiative with efforts to provide more jobs for the community’s young people as well.

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    • 4334

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  • In Flint, Block Clubs Make a Difference Worth Millions

    Scott Atkinson
    2018-06-26 14:48:08 UTC
    0

    August 10, 2017 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Flint, Michigan

    Instead of relying on Flint’s municipal government for basic services that it does not have the money for, residents are “picking up the slack” by joining block clubs. These community groups maintain parks, mow lawns, and clean up garbage, saving the city $4.3 million from 2015 to 2017. Though it’s not a permanent fix, block clubs are nonetheless making a significant positive impact on the city.

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    • 4255

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  • This Kansas City neighborhood wrote the blueprint for transforming a community

    Nikhil Swaminathan
    2017-08-21 13:43:11 UTC
    0

    July 25, 2017 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

    The Kansas City neighborhood of Ivanhoe was once plagued by blight, illegal dumping, drug trade, gun violence, and neglect; neighbors lived in fear or moved away. Inspired by one compassionate and proactive family, the Youngs, the community stepped up, partnering with the local university and a charitable foundation to map out a tangible blueprint for sustainable change. They are working with police and the city council to tackle the blight and revive their neighborhood through affordable housing, park space, and a renewed sense of community.

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    • 2689

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  • Lafayette Farmers Market returns with farmer incentives

    Carah Wertheimer
    2018-04-27 01:31:51 UTC
    0

    June 07, 2017 |

    Boulder Daily Camera |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Lafayette, Colorado

    After taking a year off, the Lafayette Farmers Market in Colorado is back in action and piloting a new type of incentive program that is based on guaranteed-minimum sales for participating farmers. A first of its kind, this program aims to act as a safety net for farmers during the market season by encouraging a community-supported agriculture system.

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    • 3836

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  • No-go zone? Here's how one of Sweden's roughest areas edged out its drug gangs

    Emma Löfgren
    2017-12-18 22:46:54 UTC
    2

    June 07, 2017 |

    The Local |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Sweden, Malmö

    The Seved district of Malmö, Sweden used to be one of the roughest in the nation, with drug crime and gang violence making the neighborhood uninhabitable for many and preventing basic services, such as the post, from functioning. Thanks to a community-wide effort in collaboration with local police, the district has been able to turn things around, booting out crooked landlords, cleaning up streets and buildings, and pressuring the gangs away.

    Read More

    • 3133

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  • Why Boston Is Paying Ex-Gang Members To Go To College

    Andrew Zaleski
    2017-06-26 14:53:15 UTC
    2

    June 02, 2017 |

    Bloomberg CityLab |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

    Dorchester, the Boston neighborhood with the highest poverty levels, struggles to keep kids in school from engaging with gangs and crime. But College Bound Dorchester (CBD) is fast rewriting the solution to high drop out and recidivism rates, paying ex-offenders a weekly stipend to enroll in and complete a diploma program and proceed to (and through) college. With "core influencers" -- ex-gang members who have "left behind their troubled pasts" -- as role models in the community, CBD emulates similar programs in Chicago and Baltimore, and studies show the initiative is working.

    Read More

    • 2529

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Please sign in via My Profile before submitting a story. This will allow you to view the status of your submission and get notified if the story is added to the Solutions Story Tracker®.
Filter your search by the language of the story. As the Solutions Story Tracker grows, we are working to include more stories in more languages. Your story submissions can help! Submit stories here.
These factors identify the ways communities overcome the big challenges and help you see the insights. Learn more about the Success Factors here.

Solutions Journalism Around the World

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Solutions In Focus

Discover curated content about themes that matter to you, exclusively from the Solutions Story Tracker. Explore collections, resources and more.

  • Climate Solutions

  • Advancing Democracy

  • Youth Mental Health


Go to All Solutions in Focus

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    Video Tutorials

    Learn how to find what you need in the Solutions Story Tracker in español and in français.

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    Submission Guidelines

    This database is powered by user submissions. Submit a story.

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    Custom Story Alerts

    Get notified when new stories match your interests by setting up custom story alerts in My Profile.

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Solutions Story Tracker® FAQ

  • Solutions journalism…
    • Describes a response to a problem and how it works.
    • Seeks to draw out insights that explain success or failure.
    • Presents the available evidence about the effectiveness of a response.
    • Explains the shortcomings or limitations of the response.
    Learn more.
  • The Solutions Story Tracker® is a curated, searchable database of solutions journalism stories — rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. We vet and tag every story in the Story Tracker, which offers an inspiring and useful collection of the thousands of ways people are working to solve problems around the world.

  • You can learn more about how we source, vet, and tag stories here, as well as how we share them. We also have video tutorials in Spanish and French that show how to use the Solutions Story Tracker to find what you need.

  • Story collections are curated by our staff or other partners to explore a theme, pattern, or trend via selected solutions stories and external resources. Some story collections focus on an in-depth exploration of a topic with solutions journalism; others highlight journalists and how they report on topics. Certain story collections include discussion questions and notes, so that educators and community discussion leaders can lead learners to fully engage with the stories.

  • The Solutions Story Tracker® is powered by user submissions. We encourage submissions from journalists, as well as from anyone who has an eye for solutions journalism. Click here to submit. (Why submit? So many reasons!)

  • You can submit a story directly on the Solutions Story Tracker®. You will be prompted to register or log into the Solutions Journalism Network website, if you are already logged in. (It is free to register!) Logging in allows you to track the status of your submissions under My Profile, as well as save your favorite stories, create story collections and story alerts, and access other helpful features of our website.

  • After you submit a story to us and assign it a topic, it is sent to one of our Solutions Story Tracker team members. Our team member evaluates the story for the four qualities of solutions journalism, and on the basics: The story must come from a news outlet and have a date and a byline. If the story meets our criteria, our team tags it accordingly and adds it to the database. If the story falls short of the mark, our team will include the reason why. We include stories in the Story Tracker that meet our standards of solutions journalism. Inclusion does not mean we support the initiatives, policies, organizations or approaches featured in those stories.

    Discover common reasons why a story may miss the mark for inclusion in the Solutions Story Tracker®.

    Learn more about the history of the database.

  • Solutions Journalism Network features these stories in the searchable database making them publicly accessible to anyone who wants to search for rigorous reporting on solutions to social problems. Any story that is added has the potential to make more impact than its original purpose. Added stories are used in journalism trainings, school curricula, research projects, and independent analysis on issue area trends. This now includes artificial intelligence tools, which are applied for educational value to find stories and support story vetting, as well as to extract insights from the stories. SJN has digital products and newsletters that give new life and exposure to the stories meeting people where they are at. Story data also is used to develop innovative tools to reach the general public with solutions journalism as well as some specific research projects requested by researchers. If you have any questions or concerns about our use of story data or added stories, please contact Lita Tirak.

  • News outlets determine whether all users can access their stories — and some limit the number of stories that anyone can view, or require a subscription. The majority of stories in the database can be accessed for free.

  • We work with journalists, academic researchers and others who feel that our database will support their research. We are especially interested in research that seeks to develop new insights about solutions journalism and its spread and its impact on social problems. Please complete all sections of the Data Request Form, and we will contact you to discuss your request in greater detail.

  • We do not fact-check the stories in the Solutions Story Tracker®. We do ensure that each story comes from a credible news source that has its own editorial infrastructure.

  • We worked with Tara Pixley and Jovelle Tamayo of the Authority Collective, who developed a guide for using equitable visuals. We follow this guide when choosing images for our website.

  • We welcome your feedback and additional questions. Please use this form to get in touch.

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