Serving Up Dignity: A Soup Kitchen Set Up Like a Restaurant
The Kansas City Community Kitchen has been serving the community as a soup kitchen for 30 years. But this February, it re-opened its doors with a new restaurant-style initiative that allows the homeless to "dine with dignity." The new process includes greeters, waiters, and menus that lets diners choose what they want to eat.... posted on Mar 27 2016, 10,110 reads

Seeking Wholeness
Sometimes it's hard to believe how much more there is to us than the day-to-day solver of our life's problems. While certain parts of ourselves are at work every day, pushing the darker aspects aside whenever they pop up, there are also friends within that we never think to contact. Read further to find what efforts can lead to a greater sense of wholeness. ... posted on Mar 26 2016, 16,275 reads

Teach Girls Bravery Not Perfection
"[M]any women I talk to tell me that they gravitate towards careers and professions that they know they're going to be great in, that they know they're going to be perfect in, and it's no wonder why. Most girls are taught to avoid risk and failure. We're taught to smile pretty, play it safe, get all A's. Boys, on the other hand, are taught to play rough, swing high, crawl to the top of the monkey ... posted on Mar 25 2016, 25,237 reads

Camden Sophisticated Sisters
In the former industrial center of Camden, New Jersey, a city with the highest crime rate in the United States, Tawanda Jones drills over 300 children at Camden Sophisticated Sisters. Practice starts at 5pm, but doesn't really get going until 5:30pm, after "Miss Wawa" has hugged and kissed all the kids. Jones sets a tough standard: each team member must complete 200 hours of community service, kee... posted on Mar 24 2016, 2,991 reads

Seed-Saving Farmers Who Pass Land Down to Their Daughters
In northeastern India's mountainous state of Meghalaya, youngest daughters inherit the land -- and the ancient food heritage of their mothers. Enjoy this article and photo series featuring the beautiful people and ancient food tradition of these matrilineal tribes.... posted on Mar 23 2016, 11,776 reads

Six Ways to Help People Change
"Often in life, you may find yourself trying to help other people change. Whether you're acting as a mentor, a parent, or a well-meaning spouse, you hope to exert a positive influence and assist someone in reaching their goals. What's the best way to do this?" Read on for six scientifically-backed tips. ... posted on Mar 22 2016, 26,424 reads

The Poet Sarah Kay on How We Measure Creative Success
When discussing the legitimacy of her poetry, Sarah Kay answers, "I think my work, from a broad perspective -- by this I mean my work as a writer, teacher, organizer, human -- is about trying to invite people in and create spaces where people feel welcome and comfortable with poetry, but are still creatively challenged. When that's happening, that feels like success to me." This piece offers a li... posted on Mar 21 2016, 6,116 reads

How Nature Can Make You Kinder and Happier
""People have been discussing their profound experiences in nature for the last several 100 years -- from Thoreau to John Muir to many other writers," says researcher David Strayer, of the University of Utah. "Now we are seeing changes in the brain and changes in the body that suggest we are physically and mentally more healthy when we are interacting with nature." While he and other scientists ma... posted on Mar 20 2016, 27,069 reads

Lawrence Bloom: Captain Planet
"Meet Lawrence Bloom. His team invented today's ubiquitous hotel cards that promote towel reuse. But the businessman turned earth guru doesn't plan to stop there; he's on a lifetime mission to save us from ourselves." Alicia Buller reports on Bloom's insights from a transformation which began one introspective day, many years ago, as Bloom sat in his luxury Mercedes, parked outside his seven-bedro... posted on Mar 19 2016, 11,830 reads

Ten Counterproductive Behaviors of Well-Intentioned People
"We are not all privileged or all oppressed. We are complex people with complex identities that intersect in complex ways. Therefore, we all show up in problematic ways with our privilege. I own that my background is from the higher education setting, but I think the points below can be useful for all folks interested in creating dynamic change in the communities around them." This article shares ... posted on Mar 18 2016, 39,593 reads