Inspiring Stories

All 6 articles in this section

The Teenagers Who Sued Their Governments Over Climate — And Won Some

The Teenagers Who Sued Their Governments Over Climate — And Won Some

Youth climate litigation has moved from symbolic to consequential. A handful of cases have produced binding rulings, and the legal reasoning is more interesting than the coverage suggests.

Priya Patel · 4 min read
The Girls’ Coding Clubs That Outlasted the Funding

The Girls’ Coding Clubs That Outlasted the Funding

Thousands of programmes were launched during the coding boom. The small number still running a decade later share a structure that had nothing to do with coding.

Sarah Williams · 4 min read
What Happened to the First Women’s Football Teams That Were Banned

What Happened to the First Women’s Football Teams That Were Banned

Women’s football drew enormous crowds in the years after the First World War. Governing bodies then prohibited it for decades, and the effects of that prohibition are still measurable.

Rachel Cohen · 4 min read
The Schoolgirl Who Mapped Her Own Neighbourhood’s Air

The Schoolgirl Who Mapped Her Own Neighbourhood’s Air

Low-cost sensors have made environmental monitoring accessible to school students. Several such projects have produced data that changed local policy, and the method is replicable.

Meera Krishnan · 4 min read
Women Who Were Not Credited: A Short Catalogue

Women Who Were Not Credited: A Short Catalogue

A pattern of contribution without attribution recurs across scientific fields. Examining the mechanism is more useful than the individual stories.

Michael Johnson · 4 min read
The Girls Who Rebuilt a Village Water Supply

The Girls Who Rebuilt a Village Water Supply

Community water projects run by young women have been documented in several countries. What makes them work is maintenance capacity, which is the part that usually fails.

Priya Patel · 4 min read