Hello, Tucson. Let’s talk.
I want to hear what you think our biggest problems are here.
For instance, what is the most common challenge you face in your everyday life?
Do you belong to a neighborhood, nonprofit, government or community group that’s working to fix a problem or address an issue?
I became the Arizona Daily Star’s solutions reporter six months ago, writing about responses to social problems in Southern Arizona.
We wanted to create this new beat in part to shine a light on people and groups working to make our community a better place and to help rebalance the news by focusing not just on problems, but rather on potential solutions.
So far, I’ve written about a community collaboration to support Spanish-speaking victims of gender-based violence; efforts to bridge the gap for families struggling with the spiraling cost of child care; a local court program that pushes rehabilitation over punishment for drug arrestees; the hiring of more counselors in local schools to address mental-health challenges in kids and teens; a nonprofit working to build tiny homes for foster youths; ongoing efforts to reduce the jail population and to address racial disparities in Pima County’s criminal justice system; and much more.
The response from you, our readers, has been great, but as I continue to develop this beat, I want to make sure I’m writing about the problems for which people need solutions. The problems affecting our community the most.
That’s why I’m asking for your help.
I’ve partnered with the Solutions Journalism Network to shape this solutions beat into one guided by the community. We created a short survey to identify problems and solutions in Southern Arizona. If you’ve enjoyed my work — and especially if you haven’t — I want to hear from you.
I’ll be hitting the streets in upcoming weeks to post flyers, and we’ll be sending out postcards to make sure we’re reaching as many people as possible, but I can’t reach everyone on my own, so I’m hoping you’ll share the link with your local family and friends.
If you’d like to talk more after taking the survey, I’d be happy to do that, and in upcoming months, I’ll be hosting conversations with community members based on feedback from the survey.
So, please help me make sure our solutions coverage is as relevant, rich and effective as possible.
Again here’s the link to the survey.
