From our sister publication in Southwest Michigan comes a new series elevating youth voices on climate change: Planet Z. Take a look at the first three installments:

Congratulations to @soapboxcincy.bsky.social for winning first place in healthcare reporting in the Ohio's Best Journalism contest! Soapbox was recognized for the Health Justice in Action series: soapboxmedia.com/series/healt...

Something remarkable is happening in Ramseur, North Carolina. 🌊After years of conservation planning, partnership, and patient work the river is flowing free.

IFF, the Midwest’s largest community development financial institution (CDFI), is helping Indiana nonprofits complete energy-efficient building upgrades that reduce utility costs and improve community facilities.

The U.S. just hit a huge clean energy milestone: It got more power from solar panels than from coal plants in May.

Even with significant limitations to alternative transportation in Fort Wayne, could early exposure to the benefits of cycling and public transit be a long-term solution to an ingrained car-centric mindset?

"It’s something that brings enrichment to people’s lives, and at the heart is a message of unity," says Peacenic volunteer Jamie Kelsey. "It’s about how we move through things successfully, how we can reach prosperity together."

Immigrants are more likely to start businesses than native-born US citizens, filling critical local gaps, fueling economic growth, and fostering local vibrancy. Supportive programming and resources can help accelerate this growth:

This early education program centers on building a culturally affirming environment where students and families feel seen, supported, and connected before children ever enter elementary school.

As another school year comes to an end, we're thinking back on some of the coolest and most impactful programming for students that we've had the chance to report on this year. Some recent examples:

Even with the growth of the Pride festival and increased social acceptance of LGBTQ+ lifestyles, the community still faces significant anxieties. Fultz notes that the rights of the transgender population, in particular, have been under attack during the second Trump administration.

Our Voices of Youth program offers young people the chance to train and work as journalists—complete with pay and bylines. In Grand Rapids, a special Voices of Youth cohort is sharing stories of students' family migration stories. Read more about the project:

Long before the spotlight, these Cincinnati neighborhoods built their institutions. From community councils to development corporations and nonprofits, neighborhood leaders created the organizations that continue to drive local progress today. soapboxmedia.com?p=39857

In California, frontline social workers can spend years building trust with people with severe mental illness. Their persistence pays off. https://reasonstobecheerful.world/care-court-california-mental-illness/

GLOW began as the first Indivisible group organized in Michigan in January 2017. There are now more than 30 groups in Genesee County.

"What Simon and Leonard have been working on for the past few months is not a one-off problem. In fact, when it comes to questions about neighborhood associations – starting them, reactivating them, maintaining them – finding the right answers is not a matter of Googling it."

More Black women and babies die from birth-related complications than any other demographic. But mothers who have a doula have better labor and birth outcomes and are less likely to have complications. Here's how one organization is supporting Flint moms:

G2 is a “community rowing concept” modeled after Boston’s Community Rowing, Inc., connecting people of all ages and abilities with history, community, and nature.

The power grid is ready for a hot summer ahead — and it’s not because of fossil fuel plants running past their planned retirements.

From @soapboxcincy.bsky.social: A unique blend of public art, community engagement, and recreation took over the Riverfront Rink at Sawyer Point in April. PaintNSkate invited residents to celebrate creativity and civic pride in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary.

From the serious to the silly, here's how schools are improving attendance:

The cemetery was founded in 1946 by local pastor Garther Roberson, Jr. during the Jim Crow era. “Pastor Roberson decided to purchase a plot of land and give them honor they often didn’t experience in life. At least they could have honor and dignity in death.” -Deborah Covington, AACHM chair

Tampa’s hottest new club is…the Riverwalk. On any given evening, the Tampa Riverwalk is a Gen Z fashion show, a first date circuit, a stroller parade, and a workout track. It’s also one of the most ambitious pieces of public infrastructure Tampa has built in the last half century.

In the midst of an invisible crisis in youth mental health, a disturbing question arises: What if we’re going about it all wrong? That’s the idea behind putting youth at the center of the conversation on mental health.

For years, local governments have been caught in a “paperwork purgatory,” losing out on millions in funding because they lacked the staff to navigate the federal grant maze. Syncurrent is ending that struggle:

Happier, more connected communities start right in the front yard A study of nearly 1,000 front yards in a Buffalo neighborhood found the livelier and more open the front yard, the more content and connected the resident. soapboxmedia.com?p=39535

“A bunch of other child care providers have reached out to me [about ditching gas appliances, too],” Lerned Zint told Canary Media. “We make sure to share all this information with each other. We’re a real community who all care about the health and safety of the kids that we take care of.”

As federal safeguards for voting rights continue to erode, grassroots organizations are working to empower underrepresented communities at the polls:

At its core, startup Cincy Carbon is built around a simple concept: treating carbon dioxide not as a byproduct to eliminate, but as a resource that can be reused. The company captures CO₂ emissions and processes them into industrial chemicals that can be used across a range of applications.

Well-intentioned state and federal mandates require municipalities to replace lead service lines — but the price tag is high. Here's how two pilots are providing insight and guiding strategies that can help communities across the country:

The students have worked to create an official National Positive Affirmations Day to be celebrated every year on the day after Labor Day. Their goal is to encourage schools and communities to spread positivity, reduce bullying, and remind people that small acts of kindness can go a long way.

This spring the city of Ann Arbor is taking sustainability goals into its own hands by launching a Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) that will generate its own renewable power for residents. The SEU is the first of its kind anywhere in the nation.

Windrose Exchange works at the intersection of food, hands-on work opportunities, and community to change outcomes for people with disabilities.

Team leader Keith Platte says the all-volunteer group spends their Saturdays rehabbing houses “because we care about others. We care about helping others become homeowners, become self-sufficient, break the rent cycle, and become wealth builders, which is all wrapped up in home ownership."

The incubator model emphasizes ownership, helping residents build businesses that circulate money and resources within the community.

From our new series, Point of Entry, exploring the lived realities and vital contributions of immigrant communities across Southeast Michigan:

🤠 Line dancing as an engine of community connection, physical fitness, and economic impact:

This #EarthDay here’s some good news on environmental progress in the #EvergreenState – after years of efforts led by the Stillaguamish Tribe (and supported with funds from the Climate Commitment Act), chinook salmon populations are bouncing back www.cascadepbs.org/the-newsfeed...

Are generators old news? In Vermont, home batteries are keeping the lights on during outages – and helping the whole grid stay stable.

From waste to resource: Cincy Carbon looks to reshape Ohio manufacturing. The idea for the company came from a shift in how entrepreneur Molly Rizkallah viewed carbon itself. soapboxmedia.com?p=39342

Vast stretches of rural Michigan are reeling from extreme weather. A mid-April spate of storms included tornadoes, melting of record snowpack, and heavy rains, leading to widespread property damage, power outages, and flooding. Amidst the wreckage, here's how communities are coming together:

You've heard of art fairs, and you've heard of book fairs... but have you ever heard of an Art Book Fair? Learn more about this experimental event:

Infrastructure is more than a municipal background task — it's critical to the success of growing commercial corridors. See how one local organization is powering small business resilience with streetscape improvements, stormwater management, and energy upgrades:

The Universal Childcare without Conditions coalition is a statewide effort to reimagine how child care is funded and accessed, centering affordability for families, sustainability for providers, and equity across communities.

As his platform continues to grow, George’s message to other young children, and himself, stays simple: “Grab a pen and paper and start writing what comes to your mind.”

The communities are part of the first Michigan Recast Leaders cohort, a focused regional approach to helping cities build their local economies.

GR Tech Swap started as a fledgling company to alleviate the stress of selling old tech. Now, the business is helping hundreds of products a month find new homes.

A mall at full capacity? In this economy? Here's how one owner did it:

"We asked the people what they needed, and they responded. People started talking, and they weren’t ashamed." -Miosha Robinson, Good Laundry Executive Director

You don’t need a farm to grow food. We’ve got 40 ways to cultivate a bountiful urban garden on your block, in your back yard, or even on a petite front stoop. https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/urban-gardening-philadelphia/