Consider This...

Minnesota Public Radio has created a variety of online interactive tools to help community members consider their personal spending choices during the current economy. They include Transportation Savings Calculator, Car Cost Comparison Calculator, Health Care Reform and Small Business, and Miles per Gallon Calculator.

Other ideas to consider:

Chicago-area Vocalo.org threw an event called How not to lose your House Party. Guests received practical advice for the current housing situation, food and drink, and a chance to hob-nob with a popular DJ. Entrance fee was a canned good to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. See the recap.

KALW 91.7 uses the "power of the public" to gather stories in its initiative The Economic Edge — documenting the downturn. Volunteers in the San Francisco Bay Area choose a community meeting from an online list, attend the event and report back via detailed phone message. KALW shares the messages on the air and online so disparate segments of the community hear one another and better understand the scope of the crisis. Learn more or listen to Street Team members talk about their participation in a My Source spot.

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is helping its community address economic challenges by implementing a multi-year financial education initiative. Visit the Labyrinth, a math game for kids, for an example of how MPT delivers educational content in appealing and accessible ways.

A collection of tools and resources to support the CPB Public Service Media Economic Response Initiative to help stations serve communities.


	A Makers Quest 2.0 (MQ2) project, The Corner: 23rd and Union transformed an abandoned Seattle corner into an outlet for sharing diverse perspectives. Learn more

Additional TOUGH TIMES
STORIES OF IMPACT

As part of the Facing the Mortgage Crisis initiative, KERA television and radio pooled their resources to support North Texan families through job loss and potential foreclosure.
Read the story.

WCNY in Syracuse inspired unemployed citizens and helped some get back to work through an initiative called Community Intervention. Read the story.

Seattle’s KCTS convened over 30 community organization to implement “Tough Times: Rising Above the Financial Crisis” and link citizens with much-needed economic resources. Read the story here.

WEDU Project Offers Hope: Through WEDU’s Blue Sky Project, Tampa-area professionals without jobs can take on meaningful work at the station to network and fill the hole created by unemployment. Read the story.

VPR Motivates Community to Reach Out: VPR encouraged Vermonters to support one another through the harsh economy with the station-wide initiative Reaching Out. The engagement connected people to resources and confirmed VPR’s role as essential to the community.
Read the story.

Involve Community for Radio Pledge Success: WTIP-Northshore Community Radio in Grand Marais, MN revolutionized its recent membership drive with a new format and an “Acts of Kindness” community engagement component. As a result, the station connected with community members in a new way while reaching its funding goal despite local economic struggles. Read more

Researching Community Needs

The economic crisis is affecting young Americans in unique ways. To help them:

Check out a new Pew Research study for insight about how young adults in your community are responding to economic challenges.
Also, help your local college graduates find work, internships and volunteer opportunities by posting www.aftercollege.com on your station Web site.

Economic Support Efforts
Around the Country

Check out our Google map to see the many regions across the country where stations are engaging their communities around economic issues. The map is color-coded to depict stations involved in two major economic initiatives: Engaging Communities on the Economy Grant efforts in green and Facing the Mortgage Crisis efforts in yellow.

Engaging Communities on the Economy Grantees are meeting their community’s unique challenges through a variety of activities. Visit the list of stations and read summaries about what they plan to accomplish to get ideas for your own economic efforts.

CPB awarded 34 Facing the Mortgage Crisis grants to public radio and television stations in those markets hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. Click here to see the regions involved.

Use free public data sources to better understand your community’s needs, especially as they relate to economics.

Engagement Ideas & Resources:

With the youth unemployment rate at its highest level since 1948, growing numbers of teens in your community are looking for things to do. Read the details and consider how you can engage them.

For ideas about what to do with teens, see repository entries: IPB’s Engaging At-Risk Youth Through Digital Media Production.

Share Recovery Act Opportunities with your community, including recovery-related jobs, contracting projects, grant information and more.

The National Consumer Law Center offers a Student Loan Borrower Assistance Program. Put it on your site as a resource for borrowers who want to know more about their options.

This LA Times article is a helpful resource for citizens to find important information about COBRA.

NPR’s The Joy of Work offers a perspective you may not have considered—the increased difficulty of finding a job when one is developmentally disabled.

Community needs shift as homelessness increases in suburbs and rural areas, as reported in USA Today

As an annual event in Lansing, MI, Be a Tourist in Your Own Town is a model demonstrating that connecting with your community can help stimulate the local economy.

Capital Public Radio interviewed homeless community members at a local health and information event. CPR’s Living Homeless features stories that contradict stereotypes of the homeless population and show people who are generous and hopeful despite hardship.

Help community members decipher today’s economic terms by linking to NPR’s Planet Money Glossary.

Connect your community to resources like this informational site about new educational opportunities for unemployed workers; and this assessment tool for people to learn if they’re eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Get inspired by learning how some U.S. regions are using their stimulus funds. The Columbia Journalism Review compiled stories from 10 local news source to showcase the myriad of uses, from green building to alternative energy and iphone technology.

The New York Times reported on the economy-related rise in emotional health problems. Read the article to understand how to support these community members.

Learn how to manage volunteers more effectively using online tools. Listen to the podcast from the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Don’t overlook the Exurbs (outer Suburbs) when considering target communities for your Mortgage Crisis engagement. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Exurbs are some of the communities most in need of help.

The home-foreclosure crisis isn’t limited to urban and suburban areas, but has also affected rural America. Read the Wall Street Journal article for details that will help you serve rural families in need.