From Jane Goodall’s roots & shoots:
In Africa, the Jane Goodall Institute’s experts in conservation and science use Participatory Mapping to incorporate local, indigenous knowledge in the creation of conservation and development projects around chimpanzee habitats. At Roots & Shoots, our young people are the experts! You will use the same strategy as the Jane Goodall Institute field professionals to explore your community and identify areas to make a difference with a tool called Community Mapping.
Why Map?
How do you know where to make a difference if you don’t have a strong awareness of where you live? When you map your community you REALLY get to know about the people, animals and environment around you. Mapping is the key to discovering a real community need that leads to the most effective service campaigns. Master your mapping skills and get to know your community on a whole new level!
How to Map
There are several types of mapping tools for you to choose from. Are you tech savvy and love digital maps? Or are you the type that prefers to chart by hand? Regardless of which mapping tool you use (and you can use more than one), what matters is that you get out and take action!
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Jane Goodall launched this effort on her 80th birthday.
Check out the course as well as the article that tipped me off about it.
It will be interesting to see how communities are viewed by their members and not urban planners.
Perhaps conventional maps are more imperialistic than they appear at first blush. Ordinary people have lacked to tools to put forth contending views on mapping their communities. Mapping between “conventional” and “community” maps could be contentious.
I first saw this at: Jane Goodall launches online course in digital mapping by Katie Collins.