iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Interesting: argues that politicians find it easy to cut aid budgets because they see "media stories that frame foreign aid as wasteful or bogged down in bureaucracy" - and wrongly assume that this is shaping public opinion @bondngo.bsky.social www.bond.org.uk/news/2026/09...

bond.org.uk

Politicians aren't listening to the public on aid. They're listening to the media. | Bond

New research suggests politicians are mistaking critical media coverage about ODA for public opinion. Correcting this misconception could be a gamechanger, argues Professor Martin Scott and Dr Paul Cl...

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A while ago I wrote about EmpathyLab, an organisation helping kids to develop empathy through reading. As they told me: "We might think of reading as something that you do in isolation … actually, it’s something that really connects us to other people.” reasonstobecheerful.world/kids-learnin...

reasonstobecheerful.world

How Kids Are Learning Empathy at School

Children are naturally empathetic, but like a muscle, empathy can be strengthened — sometimes with help from books and films.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

One of the great things about this project is that stories are published in a special print newspaper - for many of our trainees, bringing those copies to their the teachers, children, support workers and local leaders is the best bit of the project.

Cover of The Education Issue, featuring a large photo of students in blue and white uniforms

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

From Jan to July, we trained/mentored 10 young education campaigners from around the world in journalistic storytelling. Their final stories, on the theme of 'a safe place to learn', have just been published - and exhibited in NYC: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2... @pioneerspost.bsky.social

pioneerspost.com

Pioneers Post trainees publish stories of resilience and change in The Education Issue

Powerful stories of the fight for a safe place to learn find a global audience in New York and beyond, as Theirworld’s annual youth-led newspaper is launched on the sidelines of the UN General Assembl...

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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I think I noted during the recent Belfast riots that a certain kind of man is not really interested in protecting women & girls; he's interested in protecting the exclusive right of his kind of man to abuse and control women and girls.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"Democracy needs journalists to stand in solidarity with each other. Lobby journalists boycotted briefings after Boris Johnson’s aide banned ‘hostile’ reporters from attending. Number 10 relented. Where is the media boycott of Reform’s conference?"

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Thank you for continuing this work - so important.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Some thoughts on dignity vs charity, what we can learn from Seneca - and a really good example of how the same thing can feel very different, depending on the spirit with which it's given: howcanwehelp.blog/2026/08/30/i...

howcanwehelp.blog

It ain’t what you give, it’s the way that you give it

Mama to Mama is one of at least 400 baby banks in the UK – organisations that give equipment, clothes and other essentials, usually donated secondhand, to people struggling with money. They are inc…

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

"Dolly Parton has been saving us her entire career... she understands that money is something you do rather than something you have" (also: her reading charity has gifted *300 million* books to kids over the years) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #philanthropy

theguardian.com

Dolly Parton helped fund a Covid vaccine. This isn't the first time she's saved us | Jessa Crispin

The singer grew up in incredible poverty. She understands that money is something you do, rather than something you have

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

“All children deserve the right to play, don’t they? Regardless of their background, to have a youth club just up the road is vital.” Why heatwaves are adding responsibilities and costs onto youth workers - and stopping kids from staying active. theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/08/10/b...

theisleofthanetnews.com

Broadstairs youth club tackles heatwave with adapted sessions and ‘sun policy’

By Anna Patton When a group of Broadstairs mums set up a youth club 20 years ago, they soon realised they’d underestimated the demand. “The day we opened, we had 120 children turn up – and it was s…

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Patrick Galey @patrickgaley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Hey Internet, I'm looking for a favour: - Anyone who is or knows doctors or healthworkers who operate in the UK and would like to talk about their experiences working during heatwaves... please DM me Thank you in advance!

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Reposted by Anna Patton

Nick Ames @nickames82.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Special report from Port Arthur, Texas. It is one of the saddest, most desolate places I have ever visited. It is also where Aramco, FIFA's major worldwide partner and an inescapable presence at the World Cup, owns the largest oil refinery in the US. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

theguardian.com

‘This is a hellhole’: Aramco makes its presence hurt in the shadow of the World Cup

The oil giant’s sponsorship deal with Fifa has featured prominently at matches in Houston. But 100 miles away in another Texas city, residents say the firm’s refinery is exposing them to poisonous gas...

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Reposted by Anna Patton

Centre for Sustainable Energy @cse.org.uk · 03/07/2026

#CommunityEnergy initiatives will play a vital role in our future energy system, but access to funding can be a challenge. We're sharing our top tips and resources on how to fund your projects: 💰 Grants 📢 Crowdfunding 💸 Raising shares 🏦 Institutional investment Find out more 👇 #UpTheEnergy

bit.ly

Funding a community energy project - Centre for Sustainable Energy

Looking for funding for your community energy project? There's lots of grants and funding schemes available for new and existing projects.

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Reposted by Anna Patton

Patrick Galey @patrickgaley.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

1,300 people are known to have died during Europe's window shattering heatwave These are just the ones we know of so far, directly attributable to the excess heat. The true figure will take months to reveal. The fossil fuel industry has blood on its hands www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Europe's heatwave 'linked to 1,300 deaths' as more records broken

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Europe is not prepared for high temperatures.

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Reposted by Anna Patton

Joshua Benton @joshuabenton.com · 01/07/2026

New by me —> Now we're getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news! How a fake news site splits its energy between (a) the imagined closure of real US newspapers and (b) Chinese-friendly takes on Taiwan www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/now-...

niemanlab.org

Now we’re getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news

Did 47 Alabama newspapers die on a single day and no one noticed? (Hint: No, they didn't.)

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

"More than 80% of [journalists] said they were too busy chasing the news agenda to produce more climate change coverage" Come on, editors, you can do so much better pressgazette.co.uk/news/climate... @pressgazette.co.uk @coveringclimatenow.org

pressgazette.co.uk

Climate scientists say news coverage ignores cause of UK heatwave

Connection between greenhouse emissions and extreme heat in UK 'indisputable'.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Good tips here for those pitching opinion pieces generally, not just to Devex:

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

"During the time he was homeless, he was largely ignored or treated with hostility... The employees [at the host companies] were the first people who actually had conversations with him" Love this by @michaelahaas.bsky.social @reasonstobecheerful.world reasonstobecheerful.world/offices-home...

reasonstobecheerful.world

French Companies Are Inviting Homeless People to Sleep in Their Offices

Most workplaces sit empty every night. Across France, companies are opening theirs up to people experiencing homelessness.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Street football keeping young people busy, a weekly park kickabout for refugees, and the football club opening up facilities to homeless people - my feature for the Margate Mercury's summer issue: www.brightsidepublishing.com/margate-merc... @margatemercury.bsky.social @margatefc.bsky.social

Headline "It's coming home!" and cover photo of young people playing football

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

“You know, people don’t ask me these questions" -- what a bizarre response. Thankfully @vox.com and other people ARE in fact asking these questions www.vox.com/climate/4894... #philanthropy #climatecrisis

vox.com

I asked a billionaire about his environmental philanthropy. It didn’t go well.

The contradiction at the core of big-money environmental giving.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Karen knows how it feels to ask for help. First, “the body blow” of accepting that you’re struggling. Then, “making yourself lesser” when you approach someone who knows or has more than you do. "I know from bitter experience that it is a huge thing to knock on the door". My story for @bigissue.com:

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

"People believe individuals seeking asylum account for 33% of immigration, when in reality it is about 9%. They also believe people travelling to the UK for study account for 24% of immigration, when it is in fact just over half." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m... @britishfuture.bsky.social

theguardian.com

Voters across parties believe UK net migration is rising despite sharp drop

Study, published as latest migration figures are released, shows incorrect perceptions driving immigration debate

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

'Alex quit their virtual assistant job in late 2025, saying they couldn’t handle the “mind-numbing” workload anymore. “It’s all AI comments by fake people answered with fake replies by other fake people... like none of this is real.”' restofworld.org/2026/virtual... @restofworld.org

restofworld.org

The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill

For $7 an hour, virtual assistants use AI tools to write LinkedIn posts and comments on behalf of Western executives.

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

“We’re in, historically, a very deprived area with very poor access to nature... I think it’s immensely important that that resource that is owned and managed by the community, rather than restricted for people" By me for @islethanetnews.bsky.social theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/05/15/h...

theisleofthanetnews.com

How Margate volunteers transformed ‘moonscape’ into ‘wildlife haven’

By Anna Patton A community woodland in Margate is set to hit 1,600 volunteering hours this year – double the hours it recorded just three years ago. That’s despite a nationwide volunteer shortage, …

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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 16/05/2026

Tommy Robinson is marching through London again today. He presents himself as a patriot, a journalist, and a victim of the establishment. But in reality he is a serial criminal with a rap sheet two decades long. Here’s the record he’d rather you didn’t read. 🧵

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Donations by the UK’s 100 wealthiest have risen to nearly £5bn, £1.25bn up on last year’s total giving - @civilsociety.bsky.social www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charity... #philanthropy #richlist

civilsociety.co.uk

Charity founder becomes first Brit to donate more than £1bn in a year

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Tom calls this "the ripple effect". But you could call it "elevation", as @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social defines it: a warm, uplifting feeling, sparked by seeing unexpected goodness or courage, that makes you want to help others: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item... @greatergoodedu.bsky.social

greatergood.berkeley.edu

Wired to be Inspired

Ever feel a thrill when you see someone act with courage or compassion? Psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls that feeling “elevation,” and his studies of it may provide a key to understanding what inspir...

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Kay donated a kidney to a stranger, then Tom read about it and did the same; then he set up a project to encourage acts of generosity, that in some cases sparks further acts of kindness. www.positive.news/society/the-...

positive.news

The generosity experiment

A social experiment is giving away half a million dollars to fund acts of kindness globally – it’s already having a positive impact

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

UK aid cuts "set to be the steepest across the G7, steeper even than the US" and will above all hit women, people with disabilities, children, and people affected by conflict NGO statement via @bondngo.bsky.social www.bond.org.uk/press-releas... #ukaid

bond.org.uk

One year since UK aid cuts, 97 INGO leaders highlight devastating impact | Bond

One year on from the UK aid cuts, the UK INGO sector has issued a joint statement, reflecting on the devastating consequences of the cuts and calling on

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