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    Code for America’s Jen Pahlka on the selection of Detroit, Macon and Philadelphia as partners for 2012 program

    Published September 7, 2011 by

      Jen Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America writes: As we are nearing the end of Code for America’s inaugural fellowship year, we’re excited to announce the forward-thinking city governments we will be partnering with in 2012. Today we’re honored to share that the cities of Detroit, Macon and Philadelphia have been selected as partners for the Code for America program next year. At the core of Code for America is a belief that we live in an age of participation, but that our public institutions haven’t benefited equally from the technologies and approaches that have so dramatically changed the business and social landscape in the past decade.  We are blessed to have the support of an institution that also believes fundamentally in the power of civic engagement to create a better world. The John S. and James L Knight Foundation is supporting Code for America’s engagements in these three cities, through its Technology for Engagement Initiative, which funds projects that help communities use technology to take action.
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    BME Challenge: Philadelphia father fights against domestic violence in honor of his only daughter

    Published September 7, 2011 by

      Philadelphia father William Spratley is raising his three grandsons after losing his only daughter. Recently, Spratley uploaded a video as part of the BME Challenge to talk about how his daughter’s death spurred him to be an advocate for eradicating domestic violence.  “Whatever it takes me to do, to make sure I have my voice heard and listened to, I plan on doing it,” Spratley said in the video.    
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    Communication is Aid video illustrates the importance of information for communities in crisis

    Published September 7, 2011 by

    An animated video, Communication is Aid, makes the case that in crises, knowing what’s happening, where to go for assistance and who to call for help is crucial to survival and recovery. The video points out that during a natural or manmade disasters, information itself is as crucial to people’s survival as other types of more traditional aid. It also describes the positive impact of two-way communication in a crisis. The video was produced by Infosaid, a collaboration of Internews and the BBC World Service Trust.
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    Painted Bride provides

    Published September 6, 2011 by

    Embarking upon the Painted Bride Art Center this First Friday, Sept. 2, was definitely a great decision. If you were to follow the DJ’s beats through the doors of the Bride this past weekend, you would find a real double whammy of an event. First, you would run into the...
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    Interactive workshop in Akron fosters a greater sense of community

    Published September 6, 2011 by

    Knight Foundation recently hosted an interactive workshop to foster a greater sense of community in Akron with speaker Peter Kageyama. Over 200 people attended. To assist the effort, the team from The Civic Commons, a Knight-funded civic engagement platform, captured Akron residents’ sentiments prior to the workshop through a “nametag project”. During the workshop, the Commons put up its Mobile Engagement Studio and interviewed participants throughout the event about what might transform Akron and what they love about their city. You can check out the ongoing conversation here.   
  • Article

    Have a Big Night in Little Haiti

    Published September 6, 2011 by

    The next edition of Big Night in Little Haiti takes place Friday September 16th. Each 3rd Friday since March, the Little Haiti Cultural Center fills with Haitian music, art and culture – and an enthusiastic crowd of more than a thousand people. For the Rhythm Foundation staff and our regular...
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    Mosaic Youth Ensemble performs for President Obama

    Published September 6, 2011 by

    This Labor Day weekend, Detroiters and metro-Detroiters may have faced power outages, but there was no shortage of exciting cultural happenings. With Knight Arts grantee The Detroit Jazz Festival, Arts, Beats & Eats and the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival keeping the streets alive, the most concerning problem was choosing which...
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    Romare Bearden Park will transform a city block

    Published September 5, 2011 by

    Friday September 2, 2011 was a beautiful day in uptown Charlotte to celebrate the groundbreaking of the long-awaited Romare Bearden Park. It was very appropriate, because this particular day marked Bearden’s Centennial birthday. (This celebrated artist was actually born in Charlotte not far from the park site.) [caption id="attachment_23833" align="alignnone"...
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    Behind the scenes with Caballero & Doud

    Published September 5, 2011 by

    This past Friday, I had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a rehearsal for "If You’re Going to Pull A Knife, USAlo,” a new play by South Florida artists Carlos Caballero and Elizabeth Doud. The play, which opens next Thursday, Sept. 8 at On.Stage Black.Box Theater at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium,...