In our weekly good news round-up, we feature three positive stories from across the week that showcase remarkable innovation, breakthroughs, and progress within the realms of healthcare, sustainability, equity and inclusion, workplace wellbeing, social impact and more.

Here are our favourite positive stories of the week,  25 November to 1 December, 2024.

 

Global initiative empowers 30,000 students with career-ready skills

A pandemic-era initiative to bridge the gap between education and employment has seen nearly 30,000 students from over 1,500 institutions worldwide complete the Work Ready Skills programme since its launch in 2020. The free digital course, created by Development Beyond Learning (DBL) and Forage, provides training in soft skills like adaptability and communication.

DBL has seen 27,000 students from over 1,500 institutions worldwide complete the programme since 2020.

“We’re delighted that the programme still serves the global student community, four years on. We hope that more students will take advantage of its existence and successfully complete it before they embark on their future pathways,” said Pete Humphreys, CEO of DBL.

The programme boasts an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from participants.

Learn more here.

RELATED: Coming soon — our 2025 programme Visionary Voices: Apprenticeships

 

Gingerbread City returns to London with a sustainable twist

The Museum of Architecture’s beloved Gingerbread City has returned for its eighth year, transforming London’s Gaumont in Chelsea into a festive metropolis made entirely of gingerbread, icing, and sweets.

Designed by more than 50 architects and designers, this year’s exhibition showcases a “Recycled City” theme, focusing on how buildings and spaces can be repurposed creatively to address contemporary challenges like housing, healthcare, and climate change.

Image: Instagram @museumofarchitecture: @TheGingerbreadCity. The theme for 2024 invites participants to showcase a real-world or dream project in The Recycled City — a re-purposed building that transforms its environment. 

The intricate display features moving parts, including trains, and reimagines old structures like factories and railway arches as edible marvels​. Running from 30 November to 29 December 2024, the event serves as a platform for public engagement with sustainable urban design ideas.

Learn more here.

RELATED: Watch our 2024 programme, Urban Evolution: Our Future Cities

 

Penguin recovers with creative care from Dudley zookeepers

And finally, Flop the penguin, a young resident of Dudley Zoo, has made a heartwarming recovery after losing her ability to walk due to complications from an infection. Hatched in April, Flop faced early challenges after the loss of her mother, and while adjusting to life in a juvenile isolation area, she developed a limp that quickly worsened. When it was clear that medication alone wasn’t going to cut it, the zookeepers, determined to save her, found some creative solutions…

Credit: Dudley Zoo & Castle

The dedicated team handcrafted a makeshift baby bouncer to help support Flop’s weight and relieve pressure on her organs, enabling her to eat and heal more comfortably. Their ingenuity, coupled with late-night feeding sessions and close monitoring, gradually helped Flop regain her strength.

Flop has now rediscovered her waddle, a testament to the care and resourcefulness of her keepers, and a reminder of the extraordinary lengths animal carers go to in ensuring their charges thrive.

Read more of the story here.