When Will Aliva got out of prison, he’d paid his debt to society - but that didn’t help him pay his bills. Like many ex-cons, he struggled to find companies that would take a chance on hiring him. Too often, this roadblock results in ex-cons winding up back behind bars as they turn to old illegal activities to make ends meet. He decided to tackle the problem head on and founded a landscaping company, Clean Decisions, that clears a path for returning citizens to a successful life on the outside. Not only do they provide employment, they help train people for successful careers - and provide a strong, positive community where people can share their struggles and help support each other. It’s made a huge impact on the lives of those who participate in it, and it’s also helping clean up Washington, DC: they’re fast becoming a leading contractor for landscape work in DC.
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Wolves are not often thought of as therapy animals, but Wolf Connections is changing that perception while helping young people…
Wolves are not often thought of as service animals, but Wolf Connections is changing that perception while helping troubled youth in the process.
Wolf Connection is a wolf sanctuary that provides an education and empowerment program geared towards teens who are struggling through a variety of behavioral issues. At-risk youth from all walks of life learn about nature and conservation, they’re able to work through the challenges in their lives,…
Blistering speed. Big money. 11-year-old world champions. Is drone racing the next big sport?
Yes, drone racers are a thing and they’re amazing. The Drone Racing League has gone from a dream to ESPN in a few short years. We met world champion Paul Nurkalla, aka Nurk FPV, and got an inside look at how the DRL is striving to be the next big sports league.
Somewhere between esports, NASCAR and Star Wars sits drone racing, also known as FPV racing. It’s a breathtakingly…
Epidemiologist Dr. Gary Slutkin of Cure Violence says we need to treat violence like a public health crisis and employ…
Epidemiologist Dr. Gary Slutkin of Cure Violence says we need to treat violence like a public health crisis and employ the same types of strategies we use in medicine to treat violence.
Her organization is bringing together a new generation of prosecutors with a shared vision of fair, compassionate, and responsible criminal…
Her organization is bringing together a new generation of prosecutors with a shared vision of fair, compassionate, and responsible criminal justice reform.
Join us as we go inside the criminal justice reform movement for an up close look at the people trying…
There has never been this much energy and momentum behind criminal justice reform as there is today. In nearly every aspect, there is excitement and renewed optimism about delivering real reforms to help those who have suffered from a broken system for far too long. Freethink’s Criminal Justice Reform Week is focused on highlighting the most innovative reformers and ideas that are making real progress in reforming our criminal justice…
Meet the people helping incarcerated mothers read to their kids.
Having a parent in prison is incredibly hard for families. The Women’s Storybook Project is trying to relieve some of the stress on kids and moms alike by simply enabling mothers to read to their kids. Volunteers in central and east Texas visit women’s prisons once a month to record the mothers reading stories, then bring the recordings - along with the books - to the families.
Founded in 2003,…
Smoking kills off good bacteria and upsets the balance of power your gut.
Smoking kills off good bacteria and upsets the balance of power your gut.
Researchers at Cambridge University have finally figured out how the brain stops stressful thoughts and memories from taking over our…
Researchers at Cambridge University have finally figured out how the brain stops stressful thoughts and memories from taking over our minds.
Much of our shared understanding about drugs and addiction came from a series of studies done in the 1950s and 60s on lab rats. But a skeptical researcher has designed his own study that involves, well... essentially an amusement park for rats, and the surprising results may show that everything we think we know about addiction is all… wrong.