Using Maps to Support Local-Global Collaborations

All of the articles on the Tutor/Mentor blog aim to support the growth of non-school programs that connect urban youth with workplace volunteers.

I encourage you to spend time browsing past articles on this and the MappingforJustice blog. See how concept maps are used to show strategy, and emphasize the need for long-term, on-going, flexible funding of youth serving programs.  See how GIS maps focus attention and resources on all high poverty areas of the Chicago region, not just a few high profile places.

I've been building a database of Chicago non-school tutor, mentor and learning programs since 1993 and use maps to show where these programs are located.  Below is an example from a map platform, showing how you can zoom into the map and look at a specific part of the neighborhood.

While I've been hosting an interactive Chicago Program Locator that can be used to create map views, I've also been pointing to platforms hosted by others.  

Today I posted an article on the MappingforJustice blog showing how maps can be used for building community collaborations that support the growth of needed youth serving programs. In this I also show how you can use interactive platforms to create your own map story. The above map is from the Community Commons.org web site, and shows faith groups in the Chicago region.  I hope you'll read the full article.

Today Congresswoman Robin Kelly hosted a press conference, announcing an #Urban Progress initiative.  Here's one of many tweets from that event, which includes photos of the high profile people who spoke.

"It's time to do the work." @RepLawrence of Detroit speaks in support of @RepRobinKelly's #UrbanProgress initiative. pic.twitter.com/YvDlmHSWp8

— YMCA Chicago (@YMCAChicago) April 22, 2016

I hope some of those leaders will view this and other articles I've written and duplicate what I've been doing for the past 20 years, to achieve a problem that still persist because too few have a deep commitment and a day-to-day map-based strategy, to draw people from the entire village together, and to mobilize needed resources for each high poverty neighborhood of Chicago and other big cities throughout the country.

Just as a refresher, here's an article I wrote last November, which includes maps of political districts and focuses on collaborative actions. It includes news stories from 20 years ago where leaders were making the same appeals for action.

Will something change this time?