1) Boys do cry

“All that ‘real men don’t cry bullshit?’ Yeah, we do. Real people cry,” said this issue’s cover star, ‘gangsta gardener’ Ron Finley, when we interviewed him in Los Angeles via Skype. Ron is just one of the people ‘rewriting the man code’ – redefining expectations of what it means to be a man today. For all the difficulties facing men, from mental health issues to concerns over how the automation of jobs is affecting men’s social roles, there are people working on solutions.

Across a 10-page feature in the new issue of Positive News magazine, we speak to those who are breaking down stereotypes and rebuilding brotherhood. Subscribe to get your copy.

2) Aussies love alcohol-themed emojis, but Russians favour romance

While researching our feature about the surprising positives in emojis, we came across some ?-inducing facts. Australians use double the average number of booze-themed symbols, while Russian speakers use three times as many romantic emojis than most. Which nation tops the chart for their use of emojis? C’est un secret! You’ll have to subscribe to find out.

3) Doggy paddle is an acceptable swimming stroke

This comforting fact surfaced as we put together our feature on the rise of mass participation sports. The Great Swim series has urged thousands of people to dip a toe into wild swimming for the first time, while the parkrun phenomenon has created a new breed of people “who didn’t think they were runners – but they are parkrunners”. Fancy limbering up for an uplifting journalistic marathon? Subscribe here and you’ll be sprinting through all the most inspiring stories of the past three months, in one beautifully designed magazine.

4) We need to know what a beautiful future might look like, as well as what’s wrong

“Our cultural problem isn’t the presence of post-apocalyptic storylines, but the virtual absence of images of a good, decent, beautiful future” suggests nature writer Richard Louv in the new issue. Without knowing what a more fulfilling relationship with the natural world could look like, we won’t reach it, he says.

Trust in good news

As the first media organisation to take good news seriously, we are committed to rigorous standards. Plus we are a media co-op owned by readers and reinvest all profits into our journalism. Support inspiring, trustworthy journalism by subscribing to Positive News magazine.

5) News can be pun-powered

The Positive News pun team were on form this issue, after we created an infographic about the renewable energy revolution. This double page spread, beautifully designed by the Give Up Art studio, mentions ‘green power’s big fans’ – the nations that are most enthusiastically embracing green energy, and describes how Britain is ‘rocking out’ (giving up coal). It also includes a peppering of ‘alternative (energy) facts’ that we’re sure even President Trump couldn’t argue with.

6) A picture tells a thousand words

This issue, we’ve worked with illustrator ‘Pâté’, also known as Paul Pateman: a graphic artist with a quick wit and a strong, simple aesthetic. Paul came up with the striking illustration for this issue’s feature about factchecking, in which he turned the volume down on a certain person well-associated with ‘fake news’. Paul has also worked with the likes of Time Out New York, The Washington Post, Wired Magazine and Transport for London.

And we also worked again with illustrator and printmaker Spencer Wilson, who devised the playful characters for our ‘Change the story, change the world feature. We sent him your feedback about which cliched media narratives you’d most like to see overturned, and Spencer let rip on some great figures that fly in the face of media stereotypes – from a bungee-jumping granny, to a grinning (non-angry) vegan.

7) Carrots may not really be carrots

‘Why do we call carrots that are grown with pesticides ‘carrots’ but organic carrots ‘organic carrots’? asks journalist Lauren Bravo. Why are flesh-coloured tights named so, when they really only refer to white skin tones? And what would happen if we stopped focusing on global ‘development’, and started ‘de-developing’ the world’s richest nations instead? Crunch away at this food for thought in the latest Positive News magazine.

8) It’s time for another summer of love

Our travel editor Aaron Millar donned his grooviest flares and flowers in his hair to catch up with some of the summer of love’s big characters over in San Francisco. They chewed the fat about the 1960s-utopian dream and why it matters in current political times. “Dream big, but then make those dreams real by living them,” advises Carolyn Garcia, the then-partner of Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead. Feeling game for a re-run of the 1967 Human Be-In? Turn on, tune in and sign up to read the feature in full.

9) Investigative journalism is alive and well

As public faith in the mainstream media wobbles like never before, we tracked down five leading investigative reporting outlets. They’re doing inspiring work, from the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism which has influenced changes to British policy on refugees, housebuilding and care homes, to the Storm Lake Times: a family-run local newspaper that won a Pulitzer Prize for uncovering the dodgy funding links between agricultural corporate giants and local government. Scoop-tastic.

10) Our community is positively fantastic

This issue, we catch up with the psychiatric ward that is switching to Positive News. NHS occupational therapist Mal Ure explains why she and her colleagues decided to improve patients’ media diets at the psychiatric ward where she works in Somerset.

While we fire up the coffee machine and toil late into the night to meet our print deadline: your support makes it all worthwhile. Whether it’s investing in a print subscription for yourself, giving somebody a gift subscription, ordering bulk copies to leave in your workplace, doctors’ waiting room or a local cafe, you are helping us change the news for good. Thank you! Now on to issue 91.

Support journalism that shares your values

As the first media organisation to take good news seriously, we are committed to rigorous standards. Plus we are a media co-op owned by readers where all profit is reinvested in our journalism. Support inspiring, trustworthy journalism by subscribing to Positive News magazine.

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With sensual, sophisticated images photographed for Positive News by Tara Moore, issue 89 of the magazine features a cover story about the movement for positive sex education. From the porn star with a safe sex message, to campaigners in countries where sex is strictly taboo, Positive News editor Lucy Purdy asks the ‘pleasure pioneers’ why it’s time for change.

Published on 5 April, a central theme of the issue is the value of focusing public conversations more on what society wants, as well as on what it rejects.

Issue 89 of Positive News magazine is packed with stories of how society is capable of healthy renewal

The magazine includes candid interviews with former neo-Nazis who transformed their hate-filled lives and are now supporting others to do the same. While a wave of nationalism sweeps the globe, a network of these former far-right extremists is growing too. As Brexit negotiations begin, the interviews with the ‘formers’ who have rebuilt their identities offer powerful insights into how social divisions could be healed. Powerful illustrations by Sébastien Thibault accompany the feature.

Another key article considers how we could be moving into ‘the age of the citizen’. From digital democracy to community-owned businesses, an infographic reveals the steps being made towards a more creative and participatory society.

Editor-in-chief Seán Dagan Wood said: “At a time when the identities of the UK and other nations are volatile, issue 89 of Positive News magazine is packed with stories of how society is capable of healthy renewal. From the Londoners who want to reclaim the word ‘foreigner’ as a positive, to the Ethiopian art photographer showing a new perspective on Africa, we report on the signposts towards a future that we could all take pleasure in.”

Positive News magazine issue 89 was launched at an event in Brighton on 5 April.

Become a subscriber member to get your copy of the latest issue of Positive News magazine

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Positive News membership
There are two ways to become a Positive News member: as a supporter or a subscriber.
Sign up to receive exclusive benefits and help us change the news for good.

Join the movement for positive media

Become a Positive News supporter to receive exclusive benefits, or join as a subscriber to get Positive News magazine delivered to your door every three months. All members receive email updates with behind the scenes insights from our editors and journalists, as well as priority invitation to Positive News events, and more.

Top image: Seán Dagan Wood, editor-in-chief of Positive News, speaking at a members’ event. Photo by Ahsan Abbas.

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Give someone a gift subscription to Positive News and they will receive our inspiring magazine delivered to their door throughout 2017 (4 issues). You’ll also recieve a free copy of issue 87 (our current magazine) to keep for yourself or to give to your giftee.

For this to arrive in time for Christmas, final orders must be placed by 3pm on 16 December

“My subscription feels like an act of kindness to myself, Positive News and the world”

Give the gift of inspiration this year with a Positive News subscription

“Beautiful, intelligent, important”

Order a gift subscription today and give your loved ones a quarterly dose of Positive News

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1. Xibipíío
Origin: Pirahã, Amazonian Brazil
Meaning: A phenomenon on the boundaries of perception or experience

2. Ondinnonk
Origin: Iroquoian, North America
Meaning: The soul’s innermost desires, as revealed in dreams

3. Hózhó
Origin: Navajo, US
Meaning: Striving for balance in life, towards oneself, others and the earth

4. Hoʻoponopono
Origin: Hawaiian, Hawaii
Meaning: An interaction involving mutual forgiveness and restitution

5. Wantok
Origin: Tok Pisin, Papua New Guinea
Meaning: The community where I find belonging: we speak the same language and are responsible for each other

6. Turangawaewae
Origin: Maori, New Zealand
Meaning: A place to stand; a place where we feel rooted, empowered and connected

7. Woohitike
Origin: Lakota, North and South Dakota, US
Meaning: The brave and courageous spirit that lies in every person

8. Piliriqatigiinniq
Origin: Inuktitut, Canada
Meaning: Togetherness, community spirit. Working together for the common good

9. Fago
Origin: Ifaluk, Ifaluk Island, Pacific Ocean
Meaning: A combination of sorrow and the optimism to be found in human compassion

10. Kenshō
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A temporary glimpse of awakening or enlightenment

Read the story behind efforts to protect our vanishing languages here.

Main image: Yolngu people preparing for traditional ceremonies in Arnhem Land, Australia. Photo by: Wayne Quilliam/Yothu Yindi Foundation[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTNDaDMlM0VXYW50JTIwb3VyJTIwYXJ0aWNsZXMlMjBkZWxpdmVyZWQlMjB0byUyMHlvdXIlMjBpbmJveCUzRiUzQyUyRmgzJTNF[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text][contact-form-7 id=”19770″ title=”Mailchimp Homepage Form”][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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The Positive News team celebrates four editions in the new format as a quarterly magazine

On Thursday evening, 13 October, we gathered with Positive News co-owners and subscribers to celebrate one year in print as a magazine.

With the four issues we’ve created this year lining the walls of a room at the British Film Institute (BFI), and the air thick with conversation and celebration, we felt proud and grateful to you – our growing community – for helping us create and sustain a more inspiring and empowering kind of media.

More than a year ago now, 1,526 readers and journalists from 33 countries supported our ambition of making Positive News the first global media co-operative established by issuing ‘community shares’ through crowdfunding.

Last night, squeezing in to the Drawing Room of the BFI with some of our readers and co-owners, we launched the fourth issue of the new magazine. It was a chance to recognise how far we had come since our #OwnTheMedia crowdfunding campaign, and to celebrate the inspirational people who have filled our pages with their experiences and ideas.

Among the many articles published in the four magazine issues, we have explored the global happiness movement; discovered how domestic workers around the world are reclaiming their rights, and, most recently, met those working to preserve the world’s endangered languages. We have provided constructive angles on issues such as the future of democracy, multiculturalism in the UK, and how to tackle terrorism. And we’ve brought you diverse, inspiring news such as how small businesses are uniting for a fairer tax system; breakthroughs in efforts to prevent Alzheimer’s; and the community projects providing homes and help for refugees.

From rigorous quality journalism to our attention grabbing covers, our magazine makes news beautiful.

One subscriber who came along to the event, Priscilla Silcock, explained how a difficult time encouraged her to improve her media diet. “I joined Positive News because I know that changing the words and images I surround myself with would make a difference in my life. Traditional media was a source of anxiety, even despair, for me and I was craving a reliable source with a positive focus. I hope this is the beginning of a movement that can spread internationally to benefit as many people as possible.”  

Another supporter, Jessica Smulders Cohen, rediscovered Positive News while studying for an MA in sustainable design, and has been “championing it ever since”.

“I began to think about how we needed to find a new way to inspire people. Scaremongering just doesn’t work. I am quite a positive person but I was getting down about the state of the world. I think people want to contribute to improving things and hear about what is going well.”

We’re proud of the magazine as a beautiful showcase of constructive journalism

Our editor-in-chief, Sean Dagan Wood, reflected on the milestone.

“We’ve undergone a big transformation in the past year,” he said, “and been really pleased with the response. We’re proud of the magazine as a beautiful showcase of constructive journalism. With our ownership structure as a community benefit society underpinning this, we have set strong foundations.

“But we’re just at the beginning of our journey as a media co-operative. We are still evolving our business model, and while continuing to focus on reaching more people with our journalism, we’re looking forward to now developing ways for our global community to get more involved.

“It was great last night to meet co-owners, subscribers and supporters, to celebrate, discover what our journalism means to them, and hear their ideas. There is much more still to come, and we’re incredibly grateful for our community’s passionate support.”

In April, we met with Michael Møller, director general at the United Nations Office at Geneva, along with the editors of some of the UK’s largest mainstream media organisations, to discuss the opportunity for a more solutions-focused approach in the media and to hear why the UN was endorsing this. Meanwhile, through our media training workshops, we have been introducing more students, journalists, editors and news organisations to the theories and practices of constructive journalism. Things are changing, and we see you – our co-owners and supporters – as pioneers in this bid to make the media more balanced and useful. 

There remains much work to do and more than ever, we need your help in spreading the word about Positive News and encouraging people to subscribe.

One thing is for sure – to echo the strapline for our latest issue – there are many more stories to come about how #OurWorldIsBeautiful.

Photography by Alexander Walker

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Millions of Brits made at least one New Year’s resolution this year – but YouGov polling suggests that almost 60 percent of us don’t usually make it to the end of January before giving in to old habits.

“Most of us strive for unrealistic goals and ultimately set ourselves up for a failure,” warns the Mental Health Foundation.

Instead of mundane, hard-to-keep promises such as “joining a gym” or “dieting for a month”, perhaps it’s time to consider a commitment to improve yourself through travel, for the long haul.

Here are seven suggestions for resolutions best kept through judiciously planned holidays:

1. Be more present

Mindfulness has been sweeping the Western world in recent years, the idea being to help people to reduce stress levels and develop greater balance and control through meditation and being “present”. If drawing more joy from the current moment is a priority this year, try clearing your mind at a dedicated retreat.

Travel tip: The Sharpham estate, Devon
Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) on a hilltop overlooking the river Dart in south Devon, the Sharpham estate’s Barn Retreat centre has been a popular venue for exploring Buddhist mindfulness techniques since 1986. A dozen guests at a time cook, eat and live with one another, with plenty of opportunities for private contemplation and working meditation in the venue’s organic garden.

2. Give something back

Acts of selflessness and compassion are common commitments at New Year, whether it’s sponsoring a school in Africa or helping the homeless in your local area. With the recent boom in “voluntourism” the travel market is now awash with ways to support a good cause. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the company’s legitimacy and transparency beforehand.

Travel tip: The Lake District
Storm Desmond caused flooding and destruction across the Lake District last December, and the tourism-dependent tract of north-west England has been struggling to bounce back. Tourism chiefs and hoteliers are urging people to holiday here: “Cumbria needs everyone’s support through this difficult time,” Peter Wells, owner of the Castle Inn Hotel, told the Telegraph. Up the feel-good factor with some volunteer work: the Youth Hostel Association is scouting for “volunteer tourists” to help run its 16 Lake District locations.

3. Learn a new skill

Whether it’s learning a language or turning your hand to a new craft or sport, there is no time like the start of the year to commit to expanding your knowledge and skill set. They say that travel opens the mind, and that’s doubly true if you take an educational trip.

Travel tip: Crochail Wood, Scotland
In Crochail Wood, a stone’s throw from Loch Ness, is Wild Rose Escapes. The company offer natural dyeing, felt-making and spinning courses that let you get involved in every step of the crafting process, from hand-shearing sheep to picking wild dye plants and creating your own felted scarves or wall-hangings. “We try and do as much as possible outside,” reads their website. “Whether that is making traditional dyes over an open fire or working your felt, looking across at the mountains.” They also run school felting workshops and community projects aimed at getting children and their families interested in traditional crafts and the idea of sustainability.

4. Get away from it all

It can be easy for the daily grind to wear you down, so why not resolve to get away from it all a little more often? And if you’re stuck in the city, don’t despair – it’s probably easier than you think to find some green space, even without mounting a major expedition.

Travel tip: A microadventure
Even urbanites can find “small pockets of wilderness” on their doorstep, writes “microadventure” pioneer Alastair Humphreys in his recent book, Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes. His recommendations include wild swimming, following a river to its source, or simply grabbing a blanket and going out stargazing. “A microadventure has the spirit (and therefore the benefits) of a big adventure. It’s just all condensed into a weekend away, or even a midweek escape from the office,” Humphreys writes.

5. Try something new

For the seasoned traveller and adventurer with almost everything under their hat, finding new adventures in an increasingly conquered globe can be a hard feat. That’s where creativity and thinking outside the box come into play, and fortunately a fair few companies are experts at doing just that.

Travel tip: Thar desert, India
Relief Riders International’s (RRI) horseback journeys through India’s remote Thar Desert are tailor-made for those who prefer the path less traveled. Winners of a United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award, RRI structures its trips around visits to remote villages, where participants provide humanitarian aid and get plenty of time with locals. Expect “an exhilarating journey” and “the chance to use your skills, enthusiasm and experience to promote positive change,” says founder Alexander Souri.

6. Help the planet

Being eco-conscious is becoming increasingly important, and as travellers it’s our duty to help protect the world we wander in. Carbon offsetting and responsible planning can help limit your direct impact, but why not plan a trip in support of a project that actively helps the environment?

Travel tip: Rebuilding a tropical ecosystem
Blue Ventures works with coastal communities to protect and rehabilitate tropical ecosystems – and they’re always looking for a helping hand. Plan on spending a week or two removing invasive lionfish from Belize reefs, surveying coral formations in Madagascar, or dugong-spotting in the seagrass habitats of Timor-Leste. Blue Ventures’ community-based approach means you’ll be working alongside everyone from school children to local sea-cucumber farmers, while assisting in genuinely meaningful conservation work.

7. Quit smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the most popular health-related New Year’s resolutions, according to the NHS – but there’s no need to stay home while you’re wrestling with your tobacco demons. A number of retreats are specifically geared towards turning smokers into ex-smokers, with as little suffering as possible along the way.

Travel tip: Vilalara Thalassa Resort, Portugal
Portugal’s Vilalara Thalassa Resort specializes in thalassotherapy, or the art of healing through seawater. Its six-day anti-tobacco spa vacation includes time for dips in three plus-sized salt water treatment pools, along with acupuncture sessions, homeopathic treatments, and plenty of much-needed pampering.

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