Community voices - Project Optimist

Community Voices | Somali Americans in St. Cloud share impact of ICE

The Somali American Rights Coalition launches amid immigration enforcement surge, and a St. Cloud truck driver recounts his story of arrest and detainment.

Two women with dark hair smile as they pose for a photo in front of lilac bushes.

End-of-Life

Community Voices ⎸Project Optimist staff plan for the end — and it feels good

Life goals: Complete health care directives, draft a will, and enroll in life insurance in 2025.

A man in his 30s with brown hair and a brown mustache holds a little girl. She's bundled up in a pink snowsuit with pink mittens. She wears a snowmobile helmet.

Community voices

Community Voices ⎸ Advance planning is one of the greatest gifts my dad ever gave me

“My brother and I didn’t have to wonder what Dad wanted: He told us himself, and we carried out his wishes,” writes Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten.

A graphic of Earth. Bodies of water are shown as blue people, while land is shown as green areas. It's set on a white globe against a blue background.

Community voices

Community Voices ⎸ The pragmatic case for climate optimism

Author Charlie Sellars on how shifting our mindset from “minimizing footprint” towards “maximizing impact” can bring joy back into environmentalism.

End-of-Life

Community Voices ⎸ Emotional whiplash: My big lessons on death came from giving birth

"Never have I been so close to death and birth," writes Nora Hertel, founder and executive director of Project Optimist.

A group of people participate in a drum circle at a community center. They sit on cafeteria table benches with drums between their knees.

Community voices

COMMUNITY VOICES | Become one of the helpers in the wake of political violence

"I think we can choose together to stay soft. We can become the helpers that Mr. Fred Rogers (and his mother) recommended we look for in tragedies," writes Nora Hertel.

Two people wear costumes, one looks like a turtle costume. They hold signs that say "No more fossil fuels."

Community voices

Community Voices ⎸ Cycling infrastructure pays dividends

Creating more cycling infrastructure in cities is one part of the larger puzzle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Nine people pose for a photo in front of banners for the two news organizations that co-hosted the event.

Community voices

Community Voices ⎸ Journalism is for everyone

We believe communities are stronger when people know how journalism works and participate in making journalism however they’re able.

Six people sit in chairs along a wall. They are all dressed in business casual attire. They wear blue identification badges. They are part of a panel discussion at COP29.

Community voices

Community Voices ⎸ Climate change makes water insecurity worse in the Global South

Without the money and resources that the Global North has, countries in the Global South are not able to adapt to or fight back against the impacts of climate change.