Digging Deeper into Issues - llinois Governor Election

Last Saturday I posted an article about a proposed Chicago violence prevention jobs program, which included this graphic.  The two elements of the graphic are 1) support for kids in high poverty neighborhoods needs to start when kids are young and stay connected to them as the move through school and into jobs; and 2) we need to be using maps to focus on where help is most needed and to show where services and resources are available, and where more are needed.

On Tuesday I listened to JB Pritzker introduce himself during a ChiHackNight event (see video). A few weeks earlier Ameya Pawar (see video) also spoke to the group.  This prompted me to create a new concept map, showing each of the candidates for Governor of Illinois (that I know of) with a link to the issues page on their web sites.

Open links with each node. Use as on-going resource. Duplicate in other states.

This map not only points to the web sites of the candidates, but also points to two sections of the web library I've been building since 1998.  In one section I've been aggregating links to web sites that focus on progressive issues and on engaging more people in the voting process. In a second section I point to a set of links focused on collaboration and community building, and knowledge management, creativity and innovation.

My goal is that the candidates, and many others, take on the role of the blue box in this graphic, connecting people throughout Illinois with information they share on their web sites, and encouraging on-going discussion and deeper learning so people are better informed about the problems of the state, as well as potential solutions.

Other elements on the map, in the lower right corner, are two of my concept maps, showing roles leaders need to take, making a long-term commitment to do all they can to help every youth born or living in a poverty zip code of Illinois be starting a job and a career by the time they are in their mid 20's.

Doing "all you can" involves enlisting other leaders to take the same role. It also involves a constant effort to get more people looking at this information and learning ways they, too, can get involved. You don't need to be a candidate for Governor to take this role.

If each of these candidates points people to the information in this concept map, and encourages them to give time, talent and dollars to support youth serving organizations throughout the state, they then could put their picture in the graphic below, showing what they are doing every day throughout the year to build attention and draw a growing volume of volunteers, talent, ideas and operating dollars, directly to every youth program active in the state.

A few  years ago I created a video following the election of Rahm Emanuel as Mayor of Chicago. It was titled "Imagine This..." and pretended that the new Mayor were writing this blog, and/or narrating that video.  I'm not a video maker, so this is pretty poor quality. That means anyone reading this could say "I can do that better", and then go ahead and create their own version.

Go ahead. Do it. Send me your version. Better yet, if you work with one of these campaigns. create your own video, with your candidate pointing to this information.