Jails without guns and wardens, Japan’s ministry of loneliness, Afghanistan’s first special needs school

| Posted on April 28, 2021 |

People who are in recovery playing sports in the courtyard of Colombia’s Bellavista APAC – Photo: Seehaus e.V. Hoffnungsträger

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking Brazil’s alternative prisons where inmates help run the institution, how Japan is following the UK’s example to address social isolation and an Afghani school offering education for the otherwise overlooked children with special needs.

Brazil’s jails reduce recidivism rates without wardens and guns

The inmates are considered to be people in recovery, do not wear uniforms and are involved in effectively running the institution. The approach could now be picked up by the EU.

Source: Deutsche Welle

Japan initiates ministry of loneliness to address social isolation

The country grappling with high suicide rates is now following the UK’s example by officially providing measures to deal with social isolation.

Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful

Normalising special needs: the Kabul school offering hope

Children with special needs do not have the necessary identification to attend regular schools in Afghanistan. Fatima Khalil school welcomes any kind of child with special needs.

Source: The Guardian

Bee population steady in Dutch cities thanks to pollinator strategy

Scheme involving “bee hotels” and “bee stops” reaps rewards as census shows no strong decline in urban population.

Source: The Guardian

Paper made of wheat waste preserves US forests

The alternative to traditional paper made of wood also provides struggling farmers in the state of Washington with an additional income stream.

Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful

Artificial intelligence protects bears and their dens in the Arctic

The technology originally used to find graves of the Genghis Khan era is now being used to identify the polar bear population and fend off climate harming industries.

Source: The Guardian

Algorithm helps protect endangered African elephants from poaching

Together with high-resolution imagery, the algorithm helps scan 5,000 km² to identify the number of endangered elephants, reduces double counting and is less disturbing for the animals

Source: Euronews

‘Time to shake things up’: music industry confronts climate crisis as gigs resume

Huge concerts and nonstop touring mean the music business is in dire need of reform. Performers have begun to lead and hope the industry will follow suit.

Source: The Guardian

US cities to provide affordable housing by buying buildings and easing restrictions

In light of the evictions of the pandemic, more and more cities are buying buildings to combat homelessness and housing disparities.

Source: Fast Company

Early-years school counselling to address child trauma in California

The non-profit organisation Kidango provides trained school counselors to assist teachers in helping children cope with childhood traumas.

Source: The New York Times

UK’s grazing goats promote local biodiversity in Bristol’s city centre

Bristol’s Street Goats graze all over the city, bring together communities whilst providing sustainable milk and meat. The project could be extended all over the UK.