At Transitions, we seek to raise awareness about Solutions Journalism and provide training, mentoring, and support for journalists in Central and Eastern Europe who want to get involved. To date, we have helped to include a solutions-oriented perspective in the reporting practices of journalists in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, and Turkey. We see a need for Solutions Journalism in this region where traditional reporting and news are often met with apathy and distrust. We believe solutions-oriented stories can serve as a catalyst for promoting accountability for regional problems and can better inform communities.
In addition to supporting local solutions stories we focus on collaboration with journalism schools and universities to integrate Solutions Journalism into their curricula. We provide capacity building and training for educators as well as lectures for journalism students from around the region.
So whether you are an educator, a news organization, or a freelance journalist looking to get involved with Solutions Journalism there is something we can do for you!
Transitions and Solutions Journalism
Transitions first became involved with Solutions Journalism in 2016 when Ashoka Czech Republic introduced the Special Award for Solutions Journalism to the Czech Journalism Awards. A year later in 2017, Ashoka Fellow and co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network, David Bornstein, visited Prague to present this innovative approach. Soon after Transitions began closely cooperating with Ashoka CEE on promoting Solutions Journalism in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. In 2018 several guest speakers visited the region to present Solutions Journalism to local audiences, including Pulitzer Prize winners David Boardman and Tina Rosenberg. As of 2019 Transitions has taken over the full coordination of regional activities in this field and provides local journalists with training mentoring, and support when bringing solutions perspective into their reporting practice.
Examples of solutions journalism from Central & Eastern Europe
Czech Republic
- Energy Pioneers (Lucie Čejková, Deník Referendum, 2022)
- A Czech city Litoměřice leads the way in alternative energy, saving money and improving the air.
- the story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- Filling an Education Gap (Kateřina Lánská, 2022)
- Student teachers from Czech universities help combat pandemic-caused learning disruptions.
- the story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- Czech City Eases Burden on Migrants (Fatima Rahimi, Deník Referendum, 2021)
- Since 2017, the Brno City Hall has been employing a group of intercultural workers for several foreign communities. Their job is to create a bridge between foreigners and public institutions – and thus contribute to better coexistence in the city.
- the story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- the story has been added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Smart Czechia (Aktuálně.cz, ongoing project)
- which provides reports on possible solutions to the burning problems of the school system in the Czech Republic and offers examples of good practice in implementing reforms in education. There are more and more of them and they prove that change is possible and that it pays off.
- Give Us a Chance (Jan Novotný, Euro.cz, 2020)
- After pilot testing in the city of Brno, the Housing First principle began to spread through the Czech Republic, thanks to which people in need get to stable housing and can return to active life.
- the story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- the story has been added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Nejsi sám / You Are Not Alone (Nikita Poljakov et al., Aktuálně.cz)
- 2019 winner of the Czech Award for Solutions Journalism
- a project focusing on male suicides and how to reduce them
- part three of the series “How A Customized Approach Prevents Suicide” (here in English) describes a new approach to treating patients at high risk of suicide, based on targeted care offered through local mental health centers.
- the story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- the story has been added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Let Me Help You Find Bliss (Petra Dlouhá, Finmag)
- 2019 winner of the Special Award for Solutions Journalism in the Czech Republic
- how sexual assistance is helping the disabled to satisfy their sexual needs
- the story has beed added to Solutions Story Tracker
- The Sweet Fruits of the Chilean War on Sugar (Tomáš Nídr, Reportér)
- In the most obese country in Latin America, warning black octagons on food packaging have made people shop healthier. The Chilean model – a warning symbol for sweet foods as well as those with large amounts of salt and saturated fats – is gradually being introduced by some other countries.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- the story has beed added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Daring to Be Different in Czechia (Lucie Fialová, Transitions)
- A school in a deprived area earns accolades for breaking down traditional barriers between educators, parents, and pupils.
- A Simple Mask (Jiří Nádoba, Petr Horký and Tomáš Brolík, Respekt)
- In the Czech Republic, a seamstress named Michaela Moudra encouraged people across the country to meet their nation’s acute need for face masks to reduce COVID-19 transmission. From her Facebook group Czechia Sews Face Masks, which now has tens of thousands of members, Moudra inspired hundreds to start sewing masks.
- the story has beed added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Symbiotic Relationships (Barbora Cihelková, Novinky.cz)
- Symbios, a group home in Brno, Czech Republic, aims to equip young adults who grew up in children’s homes with life skills by pairing them with college-aged adults, who come from traditional home environments. Within the affordable flat, participants are paired by gender, given their own private room, and those who came from children’s homes to learn basic skills like cooking, finding furniture for their unfurnished quarters, and being responsible for their own bills. The experience also allows residents to learn more about people who grew up differently, sharing similarities and differences along the way.
- the story has beed added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Deradicalizing Militants the High-Tech Way (Tereza Engelová, Hlídací Pes)
- Czech Technical University’s online learning platform, HERMES, combats terrorism based on proven methods of deradicalization of former jihadists and preventing recruitment of new people to terrorism. Interactive exercises and other tools teach prison and court officials to separate radical jihadists from other prisoners. As thousands of people imprisoned on terrorism charges finish serving their sentences and are released from prisons, the programs also target community-based spread of radical thought, including with job opportunities for former prisoners.
- This story was nominated for Czech Special Award for Solutions Journalism for 2019
- the story has beed added to Solutions Story Tracker
- The school was threatened with closure, it survived thanks to an unknown “trick” (Kateřina Zemanová, SeznamZprávy.cz) – soon in English, please use Google Translate
- School – the key to the village’s survival, thinks many mayors. But small communities often cannot afford it.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- Czech Schools Defeat Bullies With Understanding (Václav Štefan, Český rozhlas)
- Students and teachers in the Czech Republic are learning what it takes to reduce bullying in their schools. Sokolov elementary school students reported well below the national average as having experienced bullying. Administrators saw a reduction in bullying after they added assistant teachers to classrooms, and got police and social workers involved whenever there was a serious agression — in order to demonstrate a rapid response. Teachers are also attending training to break down their own biases and incorporate anti-bullying into their curriculum.
- the story has beed added to Solutions Story Tracker
- Watch Out for Refugees & November in Germany (Tomáš Lindner, Respekt) as part of a special issue Exodus
Slovakia
- From Settlement to University (Veronika Folentová, Denník N)
- There are many stories of failure of Roma children, this is a story about how these children can be helped. Roma Education Fund helps Roma children to reach higher education by providing stipends and mentoring.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
- Life after coal (Ria Gehrerová, Michaela Barcíková, Denník N)
- As coal mining is phased out, a Belgian example could inspire Slovakia’s mining towns to seek innovative approaches to their post-industrial future.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
- So close and so far. How did Poles achieve the Finnish level of education? (Denisa Gdovinová, Týžďeň) – soon in English, please use Google Translate
- 2020 winner of the Special Award for Solutions Journalism in Slovakia
- Twenty years ago, Poland completely reformed it’s education system. Today, Polish students have similar results as the Finns. What was the principle of the reform on and what are its benefits and limitations?
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- If We Were Roma, We Wouldn’t Come Back From Britain (Denisa Gdovinová, Filip Olšovský, Týždeň)
- 2019 winner of the Special Award for Solutions Journalism in Slovakia
- Slovak Roma children in English schools speak perfect English, want to be policemen and doctors, and are supported by all the people around them. What is it that the British do differently?
- This is how a good teacher works (Juraj Koník, Denník N)
- 2018 winner of Slovak Special Award for SJ
- Teach for Slovakia program sends young people after university to teach children that need help. They visit also places that teachers have not visited yet – the students’ homes.
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
Belarus
- Our Bodies, Our Wen-Do (Hanna Liubakova, Transitions Online)
- With domestic violence rates in Belarus among the highest in Europe and few legal protections, some women are turning to self-defense classes.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
- In Minsk, A Hidden Refuge for Battered Women (Hanna Liubakova, Transitions Online)
- In this house there is no violence and no men. And it is absolutely free. The address is a well-kept secret. Privacy and anonymity are essential for making sure the women here stay safe.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
- In Gomel, a Home With Heart (Eugenia Dolgaya, Transitions Online)
- A residential home for disabled children in Gomel, Belarus is setting an example for similar facilities by changing the model of care. Designed with the goal of reuniting the children with their families, the facility uses a model of education that aims to support, not substitute families while still emphasizing a “family atmosphere.”
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
Hungary
- Hungarian Program Connects Seniors With Stand-in Grandkids (Eszter Katus, Atlatzo)
- The How Are You Today? program connects elderly Hungarians with young people who are also deprived of social connections during the Covid-19 pandemic. Festival Volunteer Center joined with Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta to connect about 70 pairs for regular, supportive conversations to alleviate loneliness. Volunteers are trained to maintain boundaries to avoid certain emotional risks, however many participants have formed strong bonds and want the program to continue in some form after the pandemic. The organization is working on sustainable funding solutions to enable long-term operations.
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- As a team sport, basketball brings independence – especially if you’re in a wheelchair (Judit Ruprecht, Atlatzo)
- How to go about helping those who lead isolated lives, and integrate them into a community that will give them a sense of belonging and of being equal members of society? This is the challenge that the Rolling Basket wheelchair basketball team in the southwestern Hungarian city of Pecs set out to tackle.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
Poland
- Bus Stop Shakespeare (Dorota Salus, Transitions Online)
- In Gdansk, people with Down syndrome are finding jobs thanks to an innovative collaboration between NGOs and the private sector.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
- Polish Drivers Beware: Road Work Ahead (Kacper Sulowski, Gazeta Wyborcza)
- How the Lithuanians started fighting road pirates – Lithuania’s success in bringing down the number of traffic deaths shows that speeding tickets are not the only efficient solution to reduce the number of car accidents. Over the past few years, traffic rules have grown harsher, but Lithuanian drivers have been compensated with better road infrastructure: drivers no longer have to rush and can simply enjoy the ride.
- This story was produced with Transitions’ support within our SJ microgrants & mentoring program
Romania
- In Search of the Lost Pulse (Adina Florea, DoR)
- A private healthcare facility in Romania is helping to bring specialty surgeries to the region’s children by arranging for doctors from other parts of the nation and world to convene on a rotating, but regular, basis. The surgeons, many of whom specialize in pediatric corrective surgery for congenital heart defects, perform hundreds of surgeries per year financed by the Polisano Foundation.
- this story has been added to the Solutions Story Tracker
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