The Year in Cheer (reasonstobecheerful.world)
‘Chattanooga, Tennessee, has transformed empty public school classrooms into 12 child care “micro-centers” for the children of school teachers and other staff.’
‘A mental health peer mentor program in Great Falls, Montana, is responsible for a 95 percent decrease in the number of sixth graders struggling with depression and anxiety that are presenting to the ER.’
‘An immersion center in North Carolina is printing its own books to combat the loss of the 85 symbols that make up the Cherokee syllabary.’
‘82 percent of participants in a program promoting weekly conversations reported feeling less lonely, and 100 percent reported feeling a sense of community. Some said it was the first time they’d felt heard in years.’
‘‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary. Afloat on boats they built themselves, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube River and its tributaries.’
‘To give new asylum seekers a meaningful way to spend time and connect with the community, a group of Austrian locals and refugees convinced a municipal government to give them a 2.5-acre plot of land abutting a refugee center for an intercultural garden where folks can cultivate flowers and friendships.’