When you think of volunteering, you likely picture someone ladling up hearty bowls of soup at a food pantry or caring for pups at an animal shelter. But while these are among the most popular opportunities out there, there are myriad other ways to give back to society in your free time — and no […]
Can giving homeless people $750 a month to use any way they choose help them move into long-term housing? I am the director of the University of Southern California Homelessness Policy Research Institute. My research team, in partnership with Miracle Messages, a San Francisco social services nonprofit, set out to answer that question in a study that will be published in an upcoming peer-reviewed issue of Social Work Research.
What will it take to build a better future? According to TED2026, everyone — which is why “All of Us” was this year’s theme. The weeklong conference, held April 13-17 in Vancouver, Canada, assembled some of the world’s most inspiring thought leaders for what TED Fellow Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz described as “Christmas for the brain.” “TED’s
On Sunday, Clarke Reynolds was one of over 14,000 people who participated in England’s Brighton Marathon. But completing the 26.2-mile course wasn’t the only thing he achieved: The 45-year-old also marked a technological milestone, becoming the first blind person to run a full marathon with the help of volunteers guiding him through his smart glasses.
Jason VanRuler is an author and psychotherapist specializing in communication, attachment, and relationships. Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking to yourself “That went really well,” only to learn later that the conversation did not actually go well? I can remember early on in my marriage having a challenging talk about relocating to
In 2016, wild cat conservation organization Panthera recorded a jaguar for the first time in the Merendón Mountains between Honduras and Guatemala. A decade then passed with no camera sighting of the elusive species — but on Feb. 6, a jaguar was finally documented once again in images shared with the public this week. Taken
Our human footprint on national parks is undeniable: a crushed can littering the ground in Denali, a lone flip-flop left behind in Zion. Trash sullies these sights of natural beauty, but eco-artist Mariah Reading has found a way to merge the two and promote mindfulness about our environmental impact. At public lands across the country,
When Leon Wang’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a disease that impacts over 7 million Americans, the science-minded teenager’s interest in researching treatments was piqued. He then decided to pursue that interest through his high school’s research program — and last month, his resulting project was awarded eighth place in a prestigious nationwide STEM competition.
When Megan Keaveny didn’t get a great response to the flyers she posted asking strangers to share their good news using a QR code, the New York City transplant opted for a more direct approach. She took a black marker to some poster board and wrote “Tell Me Something Good.” Then she stood on the
When life feels overwhelming, many people instinctively turn to nature. A walk in a park. Sitting by the ocean. Watching a sunset. Is this just a pleasant feeling, or is there something deeper at work?
