Activism, Meet Impact.

Handful // Did you know that child marriage is illegal in the Dominican Republic, but not in the United States?

On today's episode, Brylie explains how a lack of federal regulation concerning child marriage allows this practice to continue in many states.

Read more here: https://novelhand.com/child-marriage-in-the-united-states/

Small Island Developing States, known as SIDS, are a group of 58 territories recognized by the UN as developing with specific social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities. Jamaica, Samoa, Singapore, and Puerto Rico are all islands classified as SIDS.

Their small geographic size, remoteness from international markets, reliance on biodiversity and natural resources for tourism, and weak economic diversification make them particularly vulnerable to economic and climatic shifts. These characteristics decrease their resistance and resilience to impending global climate and environmental changes.

Learn more from Delia's article: https://novelhand.com/vulnerable-small-islands/

Erika talks with Alexa (her older sister!) about some of the articles she has written over the past 11 months as a contributor to Novel Hand focusing on technology and social impact. 

One of Erika's first articles was about applications of virtual reality for social impact. In today's episode, Alexa and Erika discuss how virtual reality could be used to build empathy in our increasingly digital world. 

Next, they discussed potential uses of hacktivism and how this form of activism utilizes collective action to create change. Erika also talks a bit about big tech and our role as consumers in creating change. 

For many of us in the United States, late January tends to be that time of year when we find ourselves cooped up inside, wishing for warmer weather, and generally ready to be done with winter now that the holiday season has passed. 

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to socialize outdoors, these cold winter months can feel like a drag, but they have more serious consequences for the roughly half a million Americans experiencing homelessness on any given night.

To address this issue, some city governments and charitable organizations across the U.S. have turned to tiny houses over the last few years. Now the downsizing novelty often associated with HGTV shows has emerged as a serious and promising solution to help people experiencing homelessness in urban areas.

Read more here: https://novelhand.com/tiny-houses-and-homelessness/

Valerie asks, "Can Privatization Aid the Government in Providing Water?" | Learn more: https://novelhand.com/the-water-dilemma-can-privatization-aid-the-government-in-providing-water/

Coffee, sports and your bank account aren't neutral. Alexa explores the question, "Is there a humanitarian side to everything?" | Learn more about the Listenable audio course: https://novelhand.com/listen-now-the-humanitarian-side-of-everything-on-listenable/ | Access the course here: https://frstre.com/go/?a=76205-87a7d9&s=1331193-33542d&p_affiliate.referral_code=alexabussmann

Where does the US immigration system stand, and how can it be improved? [Part One] | Read more here: https://novelhand.com/united-states-immigration-mpp/

Where does the US immigration system stand, and how can it be improved? [Part One] | Read more here: https://novelhand.com/united-states-immigration-mpp/

Many Native American tribes across the United States are heavily impacted by environmental activity independent of their own communities and reservations. These outside environmental activities include mining, fracking, and drilling, all of which can negatively impact the surrounding environment and the health of Native communities. In today's Handful, Elina explains more about this problem. Read more at https://novelhand.com/native-american-natural-lands/

When did you learn to read? You might have memories of sounding out words like 'cat' and 'bat' in Kindergarten or First Grade. | One in five adults in the United States possess low literacy skills. It's a problem with varied causes, but several innovative solutions. Today on the podcast, Lila explores the problem of generational illiteracy in the US and its possible solutions. Read more https://novelhand.com/illiteracy-solutions-us/