LOCAL INSTITUTIONS

How a Community Center Helps a Town Rise Again

Residents of Fort Lawn, South Carolina used a community development model to identify 51 actionable goals to improve their town. Today, they’re checking off the list, one by one.

BIG LITTLE IDEAS

'Uniting Americans through Service: How California is Leading'

California's Chief Service Officer discusses the California Volunteers' initiatives -- the impact CalVols is having in the state, and how it serves as a model nationwide at Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit event at the University of Redlands.

EDUCATION

Reviving America, One College Town at a Time

How symbiotic relationships between colleges and their communities have reaped rewards in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Waterville, Maine.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

3 reasons local climate activism is more powerful than people realize

Research and history suggest that local action is more powerful than many people believe.

COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

‘How America’s Towns are Writing the Future of the Country’

Residents, coaches, reporters discuss local-level community revitalization initiative at Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit event.

Big Little Ideas

How Local Governments Can Engage Residents of All Ages

When community members can't, or don't, or won't, go to town halls to attend local government meetings, some local elected officials have found a way to go to their constituents.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Unlocking Potential

At-risk youth in North Carolina hold the keys to flipping a decommissioned prison into a sustainable farm and community asset.

COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

Kershaw invests in community with new ideas in old spaces

A train depot that’s a museum. A bank branch building that’s become a library. Another former bank that is serving as an early education center. Here is how this South Carolina town is repurposing buildings of the past to build up its future.

CIVIC LIFE

To Both See and Tell the Country: From the Road through North Carolina to South Carolina

Why seeing more of America matters.

ARTS

An Outsider Works with Insiders: Examples from Akron and Cleveland

Mac Love, who has spent much of his life outside Ohio, uses new technologies to bring community residents and college students together. That collaborative approach is now helping citizens’ voices be heard and is driving meaningful change in their neighborhoods.   

RURAL & REGIONAL

Q&A: How to Support Rural Students Pursuing Higher Education

Matt Newlin is a higher education consultant and founder of the podcast The Rural College Student Experience. He advocates for rural students pursuing college.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

The Paper Clips Project: Students Bring Holocaust History to Southeastern Tennessee

Whitwell, Tennessee has become the center for a world-renowned cultural education project and Holocaust memorial.

RURAL & REGIONAL

Inside Our Towns: Jason Neises

Discussing opportunities, real and perceived challenges in small-town America, and the impact of Community Heart & Soul in Iowa.

EDUCATION

Real Mississippi podcasts: Having the Grace to Find a Sense of Place

Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science student Christina Zhang explores how a church in Biloxi serves as a space to share and celebrate Asian-American culture.

EDUCATION

Real Mississippi podcasts: You Can Go Back Home Again

Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science student Raegan Calvert explores the challenges and opportunities in her hometown of Wiggins, Mississippi