We See Changemakers Everywhere

E E S E W GEMAKERS N A CH YWHERE R E EV

ALL AMERICA Ashoka invites you to see the country through the people making it better

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the bad news in our country.

Violence, racism, mistrust. But that is only one story. The other story— not told or celebrated often enough—is one of abundant solutions coming from all across America. It is the story of changemakers in every human community, of problems being solved by the people who live them, the people who imagine a different future and build it for everyone, for the good of all.

For more than 30 years, Ashoka has supported and connected changemakers like these across the world and right here in America. In the pages that follow, we invite you to look at your country from their perspective, and into a future full of possibilities.

where others see a map of problems...

HALF OF SOUTH DAKOTA NATIVE AMERICANS IN POVERTY

IN MINNESOTA’S FOSTER SYSTEM,

(Lakota County Times, 2016)

(Star Tribune, 2015)

KIDS GO FROM BAD TO WORSE

VET’S SUICIDE

NEARLY HALF OF YOUNG BLACK MEN

DURING WAIT FOR VA APPONTMENT, FRIENDS SAY

GIG WORK COULD PREVENT WORKING POOR FROM GETTING AHEAD

IN CHICAGO OUT OF WORK, OUT OF SCHOOL: REPORT

(The Des Moines Register, 2016)

(Crain’s Detroit Business, 2017)

(The Chicago Tribune, 2016)

SEATTLE SCHOOLS HAVE ONE OF NATION’S LARGEST EQUITY GAPS, NEW STUDY SAYS (Seattle Times, 2015)

MARYLAND GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR OPIOID CRISIS

RACE TO RETIREMENT:

(Washington Post, 2017)

SENIORS STRUGGLE WITH SOCIAL ISOLATION (USA Today, 2017)

MUSLIM STUDENT ROBBED AT SDSU IN APPARENT HATE CRIME

NATIONWIDE HOUSING SHORTAGE MOST DIRE FOR THOSE AT THE BOTTOM

(San Diego Union Tribune, 2016)

(UrbanCincy, 2017)

NAVAJO NATION’S NUTRITION CRISIS: 1 IN 3 ARE DIABETIC OR AT RISK (Al Jazeera America, 2015)

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ALAMO HEIGHTS STUDENT SAYS SHE CONTEMPLATED SUICIDE AFTER BEING CYBER BULLIED

FOOD DESERTS ARE A BIG REASON BEHIND OKLAHOMANS’ POOR HEALTH

(News4 San Antonio, 2017)

(Oklahoma Policy Institute, 2016)

TOP CEOS MAKE 300 TIMES MORE THAN TYPICAL WORKERS (Economic Policy Institute, 2015)

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

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we see A MAP OF solutions!

First Book has

On Pine Ridge Indian

At Anu Family Services,

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

BMe builds caring

At a time when more

Reservation, young

every person involved in

of America (IAVA) shepherded the

and prosperous

than 50 million

people are at the

the foster care system—

Clay Hunt Bill that passed the

communities inspired

Americans are

center of a community

from administrative staff

U.S. Senate unanimously. This

by black men

independent workers,

revitalization plan

to the kids themselves—

bill provides suicide prevention

and the positive

Freelancers Union

that represents

internalizes the role of a

resources and help for veterans

contributions they

provides them with

a new framework

healer of trauma.

struggling with mental health.

make to the country

a voice, rights,

every day.

protections and

for economic

distributed more than 160 million new books to children from low-income families in order to spark

growth rooted

professional benefits,

in spirituality

paving the way for

and defined by

new employment

entrepreneurship.

options.

an early passion for reading and close the equity gap.

Encore is a movement of millions of older Americans who use their passions, skills, energy, and decades of experience

Amid Baltimore’s

to make a difference

opioid crisis, the

in their communities.

city prescribed the drug Naloxone (restores breathing and consciousness) to every adult in the city, effectively increasing the response team from a few medical professionals to everyone. Now any Interfaith Youth

Next Step works with

citizen who sees an

Core has built a

home manufacturers

overdose can take

national movement

to create new product

action to save a life.

where religious

lines of high-quality,

and philosophical

energy-efficient and

traditions

affordable manufactured

become bridges of

housing designed to

cooperation and

save $360 up to $1,800

pluralism rather

per year in energy

than barriers to

expenses when replacing

understanding.

an old mobile home.

A grassroots

The Momentous School

Wholesome Wave’s

Current and former

initiative developed

is just one of a

‘Double Up Food

employees are full

in New Mexico is

national network of

Bucks’ initiative

owners of the more

behind the first-ever

Changemaker Schools

doubles the value of

than 1,000 Publix

successful junk food

that prepare students

SNAP dollars spent

grocery stores across

tax in America and

to practice empathy

at farmers markets

the Southeastern U.S.

reinvests tax revenue

and other 21st

across Oklahoma and

(Publix is also the

into community health

century skills.

17 other states,

most profitable grocery

both increasing

store in the U.S.)

programs.

access to healthy food and benefiting local farmers.

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David Lubell Decatur, Georgia

“Our job is to remind people of what our values are. We are a welcoming country.”

Ashoka Fellow David Lubell started Welcoming America in Nashville, Tenn. to support communities around the country to adopt inclusive policies for immigrants and refugees.

His network, now active in more than 160 U.S. cities, shows why it’s important for all of us to welcome newcomers.

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S TAT E S P O T L I G H T

georgia (on my mind)

FACT S & FIR ST S

MODERN-DAY FREEDOM SCHOOL Laura Emiko Soltis leads a university for undocumented young people who are denied access to public higher education. Freedom U is a new model for what the right to education can

Founded in 1836, Wesleyan in Macon was the world’s first college chartered to grant degrees to women.

look like: students get a tuition-free education while

The world’s busiest airport since 1998, HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International handles 270,000 passengers on average daily.

learning to lead social movements.

INCLUSIVE CONSERVATION Angelou Ezeilo is making sure that people of color have

The Atlanta University Center Consortium is the world’s largest association of historically black colleges and universities, comprised of member institutions Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College.

opportunities to pursue roles (and jobs) as environmental stewards. She’s fixing a big disconnect: Americans of color make up about 40% of the country but are rarely part of groups like

In 1943, Georgia became the first state to lower the voting age from 21 to 18.

the National Park Service, mainstream environmental organizations, or even outdoor industry companies.

FRESH FOOD FOR ALL Wholesome Wave Georgia partners with farmers like Chelsea and Bobby Losh-

Georgia is one of the top states for womenowned businesses and was the first to give women full property rights in 1866.

In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist Dr. John Stith Pemberton developed a syrup to mix with carbonated water. The name of the new beverage, Coca-Cola, has become one of the most recognized words in the world, along with “hello.”

Jones of Babe & Sage Farm in Gordon, Ga., to transform

On January 27, 1785, the University of Georgia in Athens became the first state-chartered university in the country.

the state’s food system by connecting families who can’t comfortably afford fresh fruits and vegetables with a growing network of farmers markets and small farms across the state.

DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE

“I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.”

A new center at Gerogia Tech

— Ray Charles, music legend, Georgia native ­

the natural environment.

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brings Jason McLennan’s Living Building Challenge to Atlanta.

The project will serve as a living-learning laboratory for students and faculty, offering hands-on educational and research opportunities to reimagine how our buildings are designed and coexist with

In 2017, Atlanta ranked third among U.S. cities with the most Fortune 500 company headquarters.

The Girl Scouts started in Savannah in 1912 with 18 girls. Today, the organization’s nearly 60 million American alumnae include changemakers Serena Williams and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.

Two Georgians have won Nobel Peace Prizes: Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1964 and Jimmy Carter in 2002.

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S TAT E S P O T L I G H T

MONTANA NATURE-INSPIRED INVENTION Janine Benyas popularized biomimicry, an emerging

FACT S & FIR ST S

discipline that emulates nature’s designs and processes to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Where does she get her inspiration? From the ecosystems that surround her Western Montana home. Here she inspects a drought-tolerant plant whose tiny hairs selfshade and block evaporative winds on the leaf’s surface.

A great inspiration for watersaving human-made inventions.

SMART GROWTH AND WILDFIRES

In 1917, Montana’s Jeannette Rankin became the first 1904 world championship title woman elected earned by women’s to the U.S. Congress. basketball team of tiny Fort Shaw Indian School in northwest Montana.

(Rezball remains popular on many The state reservations.) constitution

Headwaters Economics, started by economist Ray Rasker, helps communities like this one in Montana’s Lewis & Clark County integrate wildfire mitigation into land use planning. The group’s data and online tools support similar efforts in California, Oregon, and beyond as the fire

Montana has the highest number of U.S. military service members per capita in the nation.

threat spreads. (The U.S. Forest Service spends $3 billion per year on wildfires, three times the amount a decade ago.)

NEW ROLES FOR ADVENTURERS Explorer Gregg Treinish started Adventure Scientists in Bozeman, Mont. to give outdoor enthusiasts— avid hikers, kayakers, surfers—

Elk, deer, and antelope outnumber humans in the state.

recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians.

Montana is home to approximately 60 operating one-room school houses, about a third of the country’s total.

ways to steward as well as enjoy

Home of Yellowstone, the world’s very first national park established in 1872 and one of America’s greatest ideas.

wilderness areas. Volunteers collect essential data from hardto-reach places, allowing the group to monitor contaminants like microplastics and inform industry and conservation practices.

PREDATOR-FRIENDLY

Montana is among the top states in Peace Corps volunteers per capita.

According to the Kauffman Foundation, Montana had the most startup activity of all U.S. states in 2016.

RANCHING Hilary Anderson of Montana’s Tom Miner Basin is among the West’s “range riders,” women and men who herd cattle on the West’s vast ranches. She is championing new herding practices that don’t rely on shooting predators like

It’s one of the top states for producing lentils.

wolves and are better overall for cattle and the people tending them.

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S TAT E S P O T L I G H T

new mexico CHANGEMAKER EDUCATION Kara Bobroff is the founding

FACT S & FIR ST S

principal of Native American Community Academy, a public charter school network dedicated to Native American student success. It’s part of a national network of pioneering changemaker schools that prioritize empathy and community-led engagement. Kara is Navajo/Lakota.

RURAL HEALTH CARE Sanjeev Arora, an infectious

Chaco Canyon was a major cultural and economic center in the region during the 1100s and has archeological sites dating back to the mid-800s.

disease specialist, started Project ECHO to get quality health care to patients who live far from urban medical centers. The Project ECHO method he pioneered was signed into federal law in 2017. Now rural patients across the U.S. benefit from this Albuquerque-inspired innovation.

COMMUNITY-INSPIRED HEALTH Denisa Livingston is a tribal member of the Navajo Nation, where 99% of the area is a food desert and 1 in 3 adults

Home of the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which started with 13 balloons in 1972 and now has more than 600 and is one of the world’s most photographed events.

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is diabetic or pre-diabetic.

Undaunted, she helps communities take charge of their health and introduced a first-ever tax on junk food, the funds from which

New Mexico is the state with the highest concentration of PhDs. 48.5% of the state’s population identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 83% of them were born in the United States.

are reinvested in community-led health initiatives.

HEALTHY MOMS AND NEWBORNS Kathryn Hall-Trujillo created Birthing Center USA to promote health among newborns of color and their mothers—in New Mexico and beyond—by linking mothers with each other and a broader support system. (Infant mortality in the United States

Approximately three-quarters of New Mexico’s roads are unpaved.

Nineteen Pueblo tribes currently live in New Mexico in some of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen formed Microsoft in Albuquerque in 1975 and then moved their fledgling company to Bellevue, Wash., in 1979.

New Mexico is home to several places with exceptionally starry nights that are designated International Dark Sky Parks, making them destinations for astronomers.

In 1950, a bear cub rescued from a forest fire in the Capitan Mountains became a living symbol of Smokey Bear.

is higher than in any other industrialized nation.)

1 de cada 3 familias en Nuevo Mexico hablan Español en casa (mayor porcentaje que cualquier otro estado).

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S TAT E S P O T L I G H T

wisconsin LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES

FACT S & FIR ST S

Todd Bol put up the first little free library in his Hudson, Wis. yard in 2009, a tribute to his school teacher mother who loved books. The movement immediately caught on. There are some 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide, including 70 countries and all 50 U.S. states.

END-OF-LIFE PL ANNING Medical ethicist Bud Hammes set out 20 years ago to help people better prepare for endof-life decisions. He sparked a major cultural shift within the Gundersen Health System and the broader La Crosse, Wis., a town of 52,000, moving the conversation from taboo to a friendly discussion point among neighbors. Now, 96% of adults of all ages have advance directives in place. (Nationwide, it’s closer to 30%.)

FOLK SCHOOL REVIVAL

Wisconsin was the first state to require seat belts to be installed in cars, starting with the 1962 model year.

The 32-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail opened to the public in 1967 and is regarded as the oldest rails-to-trails project in the country.

There are now nearly 23,000 miles of railsto-trails nationwide.

Wisconsin was the first state to base college tuition fees on family income.

It produces more cheese than any other U.S. state.

Folk schools are making a comeback, thanks to changemakers like carpenters Michelle and Ken Workowski of Driftless Folk School. Begun 11 years ago, it’s one of the pioneering schools in a new wave that is popping up across the country.

DIY (DO-IT-YOURSELF) ENVIRONMENTALISM

Home of the Green Bay Packers, the only publicly owned major professional sports team in the country.

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When Milwaukee native Shannon Dosemagen and her friends used kites and cameras to document the BP oil spill during a media blackout, they did not know it was the beginning of Public Lab. Today, thanks to Public Lab’s national community of makers, scientists, and citizens, anyone can access DIY tools to monitor

The country’s first kindergarten was founded in Watertown in 1856 by Margarethe Meyer Schurz, who taught students in a small local building.

The QWERTY keyboard was patented in 1878

by Milwaukee newspaper editor and printer Christopher Latham Sholes.

In 1982, Wisconsin became the first state in the country to make it illegal for businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

Alvan E. Bovay, a lawyer in Ripon, helped start the Republican Party in 1854 by convening an anti-slavery public meeting at the local church.

Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, founded Earth Day in 1970. The bipartisan initiative drew 20 million participants nationwide in its first year.

air, water, and soil quality and take action. Like the citizens of New Auburn, Wis. who are monitoring potential harm caused by dust from a mine.

In 1911, the State Legislature passed one of the country’s first worker’s compensation laws as well as the Groves Act for unemployment compensation in 1932.

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that are transforming communities 18

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idea #1

The Walking Revolution Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison want to inspire 1 million women to walk for their health in Cleveland, Dallas, Atlanta, and many more towns and cities.

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The Pledge: “I will walk in my neighborhood each Saturday and encourage others to do the same.

I will use #GirlTrek to tell my story and wear ‘superhero blue.’ We will be one million strong by 2018 and re-establish walking as a tradition in our communities.”

G I R LT R E K B Y:

the numbers

438

61% 5,432

Thousands of black women and girls are donning superhero blue shirts, lacing up their sneakers, and taking to the streets.

Every week, the trekkers connect for self-care and to support each other.

100,074

TEAMS

TREKKERS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE

TREKKERS FOR #SUPERHEROSATURDAY

WOMEN WHO HAVE TAKEN THE GIRLTREK PLEDGE

Following in the footsteps of their civil rights-era mothers and grandmothers, these women walk together for health, to inspire families, and to reclaim their neighborhoods.

It’s a matter of life and death. Around 80% of black women in the United States are overweight, and nearly 57% over age 20 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for black women, and diabetes is No. 4.

The Washington, DC-based organization GirlTrek, cofounded by Ashoka Fellow Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, offers a way to overcome those stats. This isn’t a fitness organization, the founders insist. Instead, GirlTrek is a national campaign for healing.

the dictionary

“I walked my way to freedom from depression, stress, and that vicious cycle,” Theresa, a reverend from Princeton, N.J., told the organization. “I walked and walked until 230 pounds of burdens lifted from my body.”

(v.) To heal our bodies, inspire our daughters, and reclaim the streets of our neighborhoods

GirlTrek set the goal of reaching 1 million women by 2018. With 100,000 women already pledging to participate in Saturday walks, change is afoot.

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GirlTrek \gûrl-trek\ (v.) To lace up our sneakers and walk each day as a declaration of self-care

(v.) To re-establish walking as a healing tradition in black communities as tribute to those who walked before us (n.) A health movement organized by volunteers across America to inspire 1 million women by 2018

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idea #2

Caring Across Generations Building a world where everyone can age with dignity, and caregivers are respected and supported.

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Ai-jen Poo is out to build a more caring country.

She is calling for all of us to improve the quality of life of our people as they get older—and to respect and value those who care for them.

Is it fair to say you are working on something that

The second level is to strengthen the care infrastructure

affects every American?

through policies and programs that support families

There are very few issues or experiences that touch

to access great care and ensure a sustainable care

everyone. But the need to care for our children, our aging

workforce that is professional, trained, and valued.

loved ones, and our loved ones with disabilities is almost universal. When you have something that affects hundreds

What is something most people don’t know about the so-

of millions, that’s a powerful force for change, and the

called “caring economy”?

question is how you harness that force into a movement.

Most people don’t know that we are at a juncture in American life where we need more care than ever before.

01 Ai-jen and her team passed the first-ever Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in New York (now in other states as well) which guarantees domestic and home workers basic protections like sick leave and overtime pay

02 Nearly 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, and we will soon face a care crisis where we don’t have enough trained care workers to help people age independently and with dignity

03 We could save 25% or more of the $3 trillion we spend on health care each year if we took proper care of people 04 The average annual income of someone who cares for an elder is $13,000

How do you even begin to build a more caring country?

Baby boomers are aging and living longer, with 4 million

What is Step 1?

Americans turning 65 each year. Meanwhile, millenials are

I think about change at two levels: First, we have

now having children at a rate of 4 million babies per

to change a culture that doesn’t adequately value or

year. And this at a time of growing inequality, when 75

recognize the work that goes into raising families or

percent of our workforce earns less than 50k/year, the

caring for the elderly. Despite being an enormous stress

average cost of child care is 25k/year, and 75% of kids

for people—financial and psychological—we don’t prepare

grow up in households where all the adults work outside

for it as a society or economy. So we’re helping people

the home. The numbers just don’t add up. We’re entering

see care as perhaps the most fundamental infrastructure

a care crisis.

that is needed for working families to participate in the economy.

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“There is so much power in remembering our interdependence—none of us is here of our own volition, we are all supported by a web of caregiving relationships that make everything else possible.”

— Ai-Jen Poo

If caring for our loved ones is one of the most human

We start all of our gatherings by sharing a personal

things we do, how have we drifted so far?

care story. There is so much power in remembering our

Part of it is that we haven’t kept up with many of these

interdependence—that none of us is here of our own

changes to our workforce and economy. Whereas there used

volition, we are all supported by a web of caregiving

to be someone home to care for children or an aging

relationships that make everything else possible.

parent, there rarely is anymore, and there’s no extra money to pay for care. And it’s also the result of taking

What can each of us do to support a caring America?

for granted work that has historically been associated

All of us can champion policies in the workplace that

with women, generation after generation.

support people who are caring for their families—from child care and elder care benefits to good family paid

At a time when the country feels especially polarized,

leave. And of course, each one of us can be part of

what gives you confidence that caring will prevail?

the culture change process by honoring our caregivers

This is one of those precious few issues that can unite

with the simplest acknowledgements of their time and

us as humanity. We focus on the power of story because,

dedication to the people we love. Right now, this very

at the end of the day, the need for care is both human

moment, you can extend this gratitude and become a

and humane. If we can anchor the conversation in people’s

culture changer.

lived experiences and keep it out of the abstraction that leads to division, then we can overcome division.

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A source of inspiration: Ai-jen and her sister spent summers in Taiwan with their grandmother, a nurse who cared for others throughout her whole working life.

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idea #3

A Fisherman Reimagines the Catch of the Future An innovation from Long Island Sound is transforming how (and what) we harvest from our oceans.

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Raised a fisherman, Bren Smith saw that the industry wasn’t on a sustainable course.

Now he is reinventing it. He champions 3-D ocean farming as an alternative and helps fishing families transition to new roles and livelihoods as stewards of the new “blue-green” economy.

kelp is the new kale Kelp is one of the fastest-growing and most carbon absorbing plants on earth / High in protein / Vitamin B-12 / Harvestable in 2 weeks / Tasty / Zero inputs / Carbon-absorbing / Low in fat / Omega-3 fatty acids / Grows 2 feet per day

the next wave

“It’s time to reimagine the dinner plate based on what the planet can provide.”

Restorative ocean farming helps heal the ocean, mitigate climate change, and create jobs. With more than 10,000 edible plants growing in the water, here’s what GreenWave sees on the horizon: / Expansion of sea greens hatcheries to supply farmers with reliable seed / Increased investment in R&D for restorative species / Development of solar-powered boats with large harvesting capacities / Creation of sea greens processing facilities to bring product to market / Proliferation of distribution centers near 3-D ocean farms

The back of Bren’s bright red tee reads “kelp is the new kale.” He hauls a bountiful harvest aboard his modest boat, pulling up ropes full of glistening dark green seaweed. Smith pioneered an approach known as 3-D ocean farming that uses the entire water column to grow restorative species like scallops, clams, oysters, and, of course, kelp.

These species absorb large amounts of carbon and come packed with vitamins and minerals that are vital to humans.

Requiring zero inputs (except sun and ocean water), a 3-D ocean farm can be started with as little as 20 acres, a small boat, some seed, and $20,000. End uses for seaweed and microalgae, which Smith calls “sea greens,” range from tasty snacks and animal feed to toothpaste and fabric treatments. The sea greens industry is already estimated to be worth $10 billion globally.

Bren, executive director of the award-winning organization GreenWave and owner of Thimble Island Ocean Farm in Connecticut, wants you to get in on what he refers to as the “least deadliest catch.” His organization offers farmers guaranteed purchasing of 80% of their crops at triple the market rate for the first five years. Bren said, “I had a head start, so I could have become the kelp king. But that’s not who I am. My life’s work is to help others replicate this until I’m not needed anymore.”

Learn more about becoming a restorative ocean farmer at greenwave.org.

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it off e k a t n a c you t to! if you wan

and now...

what’s your story?

Wherever you are on your journey, this toolkit includes insights and inspiration from changemakers everywhere.

“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”

- J.K. Rowling

idea #4

Start Where We Agree This former Miami crime beat reporter started Arms With Ethics with the belief that when it comes to guns we agree on more than we think. Her mission: move us all past polarization.

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Guns in America: A Snapshot

Casey Woods started Arms With Ethics to address gun violence in America by focusing on the 85% that we do agree on—rather than get stuck over and over on the 15% that tears us apart.

HALF OF GUN-OWNING AMERICANS RANK PERSONAL PROTECTION AS THE MAIN REASON THEY OWN A GUN (USED TO BE HUNTING)

GUN THEFT IS A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF CRIME GUNS

500,000 GUNS ARE STOLEN EACH YEAR

300 MILLION GUNS ARE OWNED BY AMERICANS

NEARLY 100 AMERICANS ARE KILLED EVERY DAY

BY GUNS

As told by Ashoka Fellow Casey Woods: I’m from gun country.

I grew up in an extended Arkansas family full of hunters and farmers.

Guns were a normal part of my childhood.

Years later, I became a reporter for a local newspaper covering a police beat. That meant late nights at crime scenes and witnessing the emotional aftermath of drive-bys, carjackings, and accidental shootings.

The monotony of violence in a big city breaks your heart and numbs you all at the same time.

I’ve seen up close both sides of what guns can mean in America. The side that is wholesome, where guns mean fresh meat on the table and a deep sense of independence. And then the other view where lives are ruined and a family’s happiness fractures in a savage instant.

What I’ve discovered is that when it comes to guns, most people are

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motivated by the same two things: love and fear. We love our families, and we fear for them. We want to protect them and our communities the best way we know how. For some people, that means picking up guns. For others, it means fighting for a world with fewer of them. The ferocious debate ensues.

But there is another truth I’ve learned, one that really drives our work: when it comes to guns, we agree on more than we disagree. That may seem like a radical idea, but it is something I have witnessed first-hand.

At Arms With Ethics, we go into local communities with the premise that there are aspects of the gun violence issue that can bring all sides together to work on solutions. We’re creating programs that focus in on those shared goals. Along the way, we’re showing that you can come at a polarizing problem with new ideas and new allies—and achieve a consensus that progress is possible.

THE U.S. GUN HOMICIDE RATE IS 25X THE AVERAGE OF OTHER DEVELOPED NATIONS

3% OF THE POPULATION OWNS NEARLY HALF THE GUNS (THEY ARE CALLED “SUPEROWNERS”)

Casey’s work at Arms With Ethics builds common ground to prevent the illegal flow and illegal use of guns, particularly by tackling a major issue: gun theft. An estimated 500,000 guns are stolen each year in the United States.

Many end up used in crimes.

Arms With Ethics brings together an unlikely group of allies that includes police, gun owners, gun dealers, researchers, doctors, and community changemakers to produce cutting-edge research and develop new practices to stop the flow of stolen guns into crime.

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idea #5

From Time Served to Time Saved The power of ordinary people to end mass incarceration.

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“We’re not out to prove that what we’re doing is extraordinary. We’re out to prove that it’s ordinary— something that anyone can contribute to and lead.”

— Ashoka Fellow Raj Jayadev

What would you do if someone you love were accused of a crime? You would probably do everything you could to represent her or him in the best light. Raj and his team are building a movement of “participatory defense” that does just that: provides families and friends of the accused a way to contribute significantly to the direction of the case and its outcome. The approach shifts the balance of power in our court system while providing emotional support to everyone affected.

Participatory defense is being practiced in 11 cities across the country, often in partnership with public defenders who find themselves overwhelmed by their caseloads. It is a powerful example of how ordinary citizens can become changemakers when the stakes are as high as they get.

01 The United States imprisons more people per capita than any other country in the world.

02 Participatory defense involves close partnerships with public defenders across the country.

03 Participatory defense can be housed in any trusted community space: youth centers, churches, neighborhood associations.

04 A creative tool Raj uses is the social biography video, where a courtroom has the chance to see the full human being, not just the suspect, before making decisions about justice.

05 Mothers, brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors—they are the changemakers in this model, and they gain a new sense of power and agency.

06 Raj’s team uses new language about “time saved” (instead of time served) to quantify the years of prison they’ve saved people from— more than 3,000 years in the United States so far.

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Ramon Vasquez still remembers the moment he heard the number in court: “80 years.” This was the sentence he was facing when he stood trial for a murder he didn’t commit.

In 2008, Ramon, then 29, was a delivery-truck driver in San Jose, Calif. Despite having no criminal history, he was picked up at gunpoint based on the detective’s matching description of an “average Hispanic male” with a tattoo on his neck.

Ramon had never been to the scene of the crime and knew the evidence proving his innocence was out there. But neither the expensive private lawyer whom his family had to eventually let go nor the public defender he ended up with seemed capable of finding it. In fact, like in the vast majority of arrests in America, the public defender urged Ramon to plead guilty so he would be eligible for parole within eight years.

Ramon was ultimately cleared of all charges, and he has his family to thank. Working closely with the San Jose-based Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project, his wife and in-laws were trained in gathering evidence and personal stories that played a key role in his acquittal. Their work is part of a growing movement called “participatory defense,” in which the families and communities most affected by mass incarceration learn how to build stronger legal defenses for loved ones both wrongly and rightly accused.

BY THE NUMBERS

2,300,0oo

0 32 95%

3,015

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ESTIMATED NUMBER OF AMERICANS BEHIND BARS

NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD THAT IMPRISION MORE PEOPLE PER CAPITA THAN THE UNITED STATES

NUMBER OF MINUTES A PUBLIC DEFENDER IN DETROIT CAN AFFORD TO SPEND ON A GIVEN CASE

PERCENTAGE OF CASES RESOLVED BY PLEA BARGAIN IN OUR MODERN COURT SYSTEM

CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF YEARS “SAVED” FROM PRISION AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATORY DEFENSE

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Glimpses of what’s next in education, media— even death and dying

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the future of the classroom

Expeditionary Learners @ELeducation

Our world is changing faster than ever. And yet a shocking number of our classrooms look exactly as they did 100 years ago. What will—or should—our future learning spaces look like? What skills will they nurture? Inspired students, teachers, principals, coaches, and parents across the country are testing out new ideas all the time. Some will spread and define a new normal in 10 or 15 years. Here’s how one illustrator friend imagined the elementary classroom of the future. What would you add?

Tomorrow’s Leaders @RootsofEmpathy

Young Changemakers @BUILDNational

Global Citizens @WorldSavvy

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“I learned a lot of the skills I use today during recess: how to resolve issues with my friends, how to lead, how to step up and do something. Play is the missing piece of human development that helps us become engaged citizens.”

— Jill Vialet, Ashoka Fellow, Playworks CEO & Founder

These Houston secondgraders are learning to lead in new ways—and with recess! With support from Playworks, teachers and principals at their school and other schools across America are helping kids develop empathy, a key 21st century skill, through play.

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“Education should be a field obsessed with the possibility of every person.”

— Andrew Mangino, Ashoka Fellow, The Future Project CEO & Co-Founder

What if school were the most inspired place on earth? This is the question Akua Soadwa (pictured) and her colleagues at The Future Project ask every day in schools across the country. As “dream directors,” they help students and everyone else in the school community create the thing that makes them feel most alive, whether it’s producing a film, forming a student group, or creating a community garden.

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the future of media Media changemakers are inventing new ways for us to walk in each other’s shoes with greater ease and skill.

� FACEBOOK TEAMS COLL ABORATED WITH DEFY VENTURES TO BRING US A VIRTUAL REALITY FILM ABOUT LIFE IN AN AL ABAMA PRISON.

Catherine rohr Founder, Defy Ventures

I’m Jake Shapiro CREATOR OF:

I’m David Bornstein RadioPublic PBC.

MY FIRST GIG IN MEDIA: MARK ZUCKERBERG:

One of the most powerful side effects of VR is empathy—the ability to understand other people better when you feel like you’re actually with them.

“Step to the Line” is an Oculus VR for Good film made with Defy Ventures and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. It puts you face-to-face with real inmates so you can experience their stories first-hand and understand what it’s like to be a part of the criminal justice system today and how hard it can be to build a better future.

When I was in Alabama as part of my “Year of Travel” challenge, one of the most powerful experiences for me was meeting Anthony Ray Hinton, a man who was exonerated and released after 30 years on death row. There’s nothing like meeting someone like Anthony in person, but VR can get you pretty close. It’s a reminder of how much work we have to do to guarantee equal justice for all.

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As a producer for “The Connection with Christopher Lydon” on WBUR/NPR. The future of media would be participatory.

10 YEARS AGO, I SAID: TODAY, I SAY:

It’s performatory.

WHAT EXCITES ME ABOUT WHERE MEDIA IS HEADED: I’m excited

by diverse expressiveness, micro communities, and crowdfunding business models; and I’m anxious about platform hegemony, destructive commercial incentives, and black box artificial intelligence.

PRODUCT/INNOVATION/TREND THAT I LOVE/CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT:

Podcasting’s third wave has crested, and a deeply impactful medium is poised to change the media world for good.

I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE:

What Barack Obama does next.

3 TRENDS THAT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT BUT SHOULD BE:

1) 67 million people in the United States now listen to podcasts monthly—up 40% over last two years. 2) Dark social—the most interesting stuff is happening beyond the reach of analytics, in Snapchat stories, messenging apps. 3) Kickstarter, “This American Life,” RadioPublic—all public-benefit corporations—a newvehicle purpose-built for mission and scale in the digital age.

CO-CREATOR OF: The Solutions Journalism Network.

MY FIRST GIG IN MEDIA: Reporting for the metro desk for New York Newsday.

10 YEARS AGO, I SAID: The future of media would be changing the news so it both informs and activates citizens, rather than causing them to disengage or feel helpless.

TODAY, I SAY: It’s exactly the same, except we have a name for the new practice—solutions journalism— and we’re working to integrate it into journalism’s DNA. WHAT EXCITES ME ABOUT WHERE MEDIA IS HEADED:

localization of journalism.

The re-

PRODUCT/INNOVATION/TREND THAT I LOVE/CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT:

Trust is not about accuracy, but about relationship. People trust organizations that have their backs.

News organizations need to get back into the right relationship with their audience.

I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE:

What De Correspondent (from the Netherlands) does next.

3 TRENDS THAT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT BUT SHOULD BE:

“In the debate over new media versus old media, the lament is often heard that one of the things we’re in danger of losing from the heyday of old media is muckraking, crusading journalism.

But by enabling participation, new media can actually help fuel stories that lead to real change.”

— Arianna Huffington

1) The need to innovate around the news product itself, not just platforms and packaging.

2) Millennials desire to gather physically. 3) The consistent demand from young people for more journalism that reports on potential solutions to problems.

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the future of media

solutions journalism

What happens when newsrooms and reporters look not only at what’s broken, but cover what’s is actually working.

Photographer Doug Strickland was on the team that captured the spirit and resolve of West Virginians like Ralph Peaks (pictured) for the acclaimed Chattanooga Times Free Press series “The Poverty Puzzle”

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These are some of the stories you find.

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the future of media For the past few years, a growing number of news organizations have been reimagining what good reporting looks like in the United States. Rather than just reporting crises, they are focusing on responses to social problems—what’s working, what’s not, and why.

Begun in 2013, Solutions Journalism Network is a significant catalyst for this new wave. It is an independent network that works to bring rigorous, solutionsoriented reporting to newsrooms

Star Tribune Since 2000, approximately 40,000 people from more than 60 countries have made their home in Minnesota, making this Midwestern state among our most multicultural.

Reporters at the Minneapolis Star Tribune are on it, sharing stories that show the profound change and constructive responses to it.

As told by Mila Koumpilova in “Years With No Nation, 90 Days To Become A Minnesotan,” case manager Katia Iverson helps the Abdullahi family (pictured) through the steps of resettling to Minnesota, from renting a house to teaching the children how to turn on a lamp during their first home visit in Minneapolis.

Photo credit: Renee Jones Schneider,

everywhere and trains and connects

Copyright 2016,

journalists to cover what’s missing

Star Tribune

in today’s news: how people are responding to problems. Here are two stories that illustrate solutions journalism principles.

“We’ve received more unsolicited input from the community on this than anything else we’ve done.”

—Alison Gerber, Editor, Chattanooga Times Free Press

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Chattanooga Times free press This newsroom did something bold last year. It bet on “The Poverty Puzzle,” a 40,000word series told in 8 parts across 1 full year. The bet paid off and the series received a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

The reporting team consulted 250 studies and hundreds of sources in Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

What if this kind of in-depth, solutions-oriented reporting were the norm?

From the series: Olivia Vaughn, who participated in the first year of Reconnecting McDowell’s program before she graduated from high school, talks with her grandmother Laura in their double-wide trailer in Hemphill. Vaughn’s father died when she was 9 and her mother left, so, like many children in this West Virginia county, she was raised by her grandmother.

Photo credit: Doug Strickland, Chattanooga Times Free Press

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the future of dying Benjamin Franklin famously said that the only certain things in life are death and taxes. But how we die—and how we experience the death of others—is not set in stone. Good ideas are emerging that will help more of us and our loved ones die in accordance with our wishes.

Preparing Our Families

Life After Loss

Building Resilience

Our Bodies, Our Choices

Ellen Goodman often shares this headline from The Onion: “Death Rate Holds Steady at 100%.”

Despite death’s certainty, most of us arrive unprepared, having avoided conversations with family and friends about such issues as what medical care we do and definitely don’t want.

The result: we leave the people closest to us to face difficult decisions too late and with few guidelines. Ellen started The Conversation Project to help all of us have “the conversation” early and often. Check her website for free conversation starter kits and other tools.

While a college senior, Lennon Flowers lost her mom to a long illness. Beyond grief, she felt deep isolation, despite support from wellmeaning friends. Lennon started The Dinner Party to fundamentally change the experience of significant loss from an isolating experience to one marked by community support, candid conversation, and forward movement. The Dinner Party grew from a backyard conversation in Los Angeles in 2010 into a community of mostly 20- and 30-somethings active in more than 145 towns and cities worldwide.

Sheryl Sandberg’s husband died suddenly of heart-related causes in 2015 during a family vacation. The Facebook chief operating officer, “Lean In” author, and mother of two has called the days that followed “completely unexpected hell.”

Two years later, she channeled her experience of finding strength in adversity in a new book and online peer community called Option B that addresses a range of life-changing challenges besides death. “Resilience is like a muscle,” Sheryl says. “We’re here to help you build it.”

Have you had the conversation? theconversationproject.org

Find or host a table near you! thedinnerparty.org

What happens to our bodies after death? So-called “green burials” and methods like “re-composting” are chemical free, environmentally friendly, and less costly. Do-ityourself casket building gives time to process mortality while tending to a very practical need. Finally, more people are making advance commitments to gift their bodies to medical science and/or their healthy organs to the more than 120,000 Americans on transplant waiting lists.

While more than 95% of Americans say they support organ donation, fewer than half are registered. (One deceased donor’s organs can extend life for up to eight people.)

Prepare for the unexpected: optionb.org

Register to donate! organize.org

A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE DINNER PARTY & NEONHONEYTIGERLILY •

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WWW.THEDINNERPARTY.ORG

http://deathcafe.com/, theconversationproject.org, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540332/, https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/health/ma_eol.pdf, http://www.iha.org/sites/default/files/resources/iha-quality-of-life-conversation-info-packet.pdf, http://search.proquest.com/openview/2c779eec901c02592ac0c043f8e34962,

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2015/04/21/digital-asset-legacy-poll/, https://www.nhpco.org/sites/default/files/public/Statistics_Research/2015_Facts_Figures.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/deaths.htm, https://www.deathwithdignity.org, http://www.famic.org/famic-study/, http://www.pbs.org/pov/homegoings/economics-of-the-funeral-industry/, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247142368_Recognizing_and_Responding_to_Workplace_Grief, https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/Documents/09-0228_paid_leave_sr_fnl.pdf

Temple Grandin Fort Collins, Colorado

Photography: Rosalie Winard

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“This didn’t happen overnight.

The thing about changing something is that it’s long, hard, sustained work.”

Ashoka Fellow Temple Grandin started inventing things when she was in high school, like the “squeeze machine” to calm people with autism like herself. And her early passion for horses and cows led her to redesign slaughter facilities, making them more humane for cattle and safer for workers.

Today, more than half of such facilities in the United States use Temple’s design principles.

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Host

or join a welcome dinner: invite long-time neighbors and new arrivals to the United States. www.welcomingamerica.org/engage/take-action

s ’ t a h W ? b r e v r u o y

Believe

in a young person: be part of a five-person extended family helping students overcome big obstacles and graduate from high school. www.thread.org

Contribute

to scientific understanding and better information about our world: build a spectrometer and gather data for cleaner air and water. www.publiclab.org

Think

of someone who helped you succeed, someone you haven’t thanked lately: call them up right now or send them a postcard.

Stamp

out fake news: constructively speak up when you see or hear something that you know to be inaccurate.

Connect with and support: offer child care, grocery delivery, etc. to a family who needs help while a loved one is deployed. www.bluestarfam.org/neighbors Build a friendly and accessible little free library: put it in your yard.

Restore respect and a spirit of mutuality: commit to really listening to people who have different political views and sharing yours. www.thepeoplessupper.org Lift

up the changemakers you know: celebrate them, connect them to resources.

www.encore.org/encoreprize

The most practical, powerful things you can do right now don’t require that you buy anything or download a how-to guide. They are alive and well in the hands of people just like you. Here are a few of our favorite invitations to action gathered during our travels across the country. Explore away!

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Tell us your changemaker story! #changemakerseverywhere

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! e u s s i next Many creative people and networks across the country conspired to make this magazine possible. This first edition is a labor-of-love project, and we especially want to call out a few friends here—with our full hearts!

YOU ARE: ASHOKA FELLOWS WHO CONTRIBUTED STORIES TO THE MAGAZINE. Thanks to each of you for shaping the country with your vision, ideas, commitment, and invitation to us all to contribute positively to the future.

FRIENDS AT SAPPI IN MAINE, a leading global provider of sustainable paper. Your global design competition Ideas That Matter inspires us every year, and we feel proud and excited to have been recognized this year.

FRIENDS AND PARTNERS AT RITA ALLEN FOUNDATION AND OPEN ROAD FOUNDATION, who backed this magazine, toolkit, and our overall effort to equip changemakers across the country with the inspiration and resources to tell their stories in new ways and inspire others along the way.

Our heartfelt thanks!

KINDRED SPIRITS AT FELICIDAD, our design partner. We are grateful for every opportunity to collaborate with your community of illustrators and designers in the Unites States, Chile, and beyond. We especially thank founder and creative director Piedad Rivadeneira and Antonia Berger for shaping this edition with us and we look forward to more adventures ahead.

ILLUSTRATORS Tatsuro Kiuchi, Matías Prado, Nico González, Nata Acevedo and Jessie Hartland, who helped us imagine and visualize a changemaker future.

And, should the question arise in your mind, who is this “we” that is doing the thanking? We are friends and colleagues of Ashoka, the world’s largest and leading network of innovators for the public. We exist to foster new ideas to old (and new) problems and support the people behind them. All America is our new focus in the United States, designed to celebrate changemakers all across the country, well beyond the usual innovation hubs.

Help us make the next magazine issue happen! We’re excited and ready to roll.

We’re looking for backers, photographers and illustrators, and YOUR stories from far and wide. #changemakerseverywhere

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allamerica@ashoka.org

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by Tatsuro Kiuchi, courtesy heflinreps: A lookIllustration at the U.S. through the peopleofmaking it better