Mapping my community
Key message: It is essential for any young (vulnerable, non-vulnerable and radicalised) to get knowledge about the existing supportive environments as alternatives to extremist groups. Through this outreach, young people will put down roots strenghening their identification with their close environment and thus be in contact with social action groups that offer them opportunities in response to their curiosity and concerns without the need to make use of violence.
Key words: community cohesion,group identity
Summary:
Young people are community agents who are key for social change and despite the existence of various juvenile groups or organisations and social action groups, it is often difficult to attain this specific population. It is important that young people know their environment and which are the organisations, groups and entities working in their community. Getting youngsters closer to their neighbourhood enables them to know the social reality where they live and be aware of the role they play as agents of change in their surrounding.
LessKey message: It is essential for any young (vulnerable, non-vulnerable and radicalised) to get knowledge about the existing supportive environments as alternatives to extremist groups. Through this outreach, young people will put down roots strenghening their identification with their close environment and thus be in contact with social action groups that offer them opportunities in response to their curiosity and concerns without the need to make use of violence.
Key words: community cohesion,group identity
Summary:
Young people are community agents who are key for social change and despite the existence of various juvenile groups or organisations and social action groups, it is often difficult to attain this specific population. It is important that young people know their environment and which are the organisations, groups and entities working in their community. Getting youngsters closer to their neighbourhood enables them to know the social reality where they live and be awar
Key message: It is essential for any young (vulnerable, non-vulnerable and radicalised) to get knowledge about the existing supportive environments as alternatives to extremist groups. Through this outreach, young people will put down roots strenghening their identification with their close environment and thus be in contact with social action groups that offer them opportunities in response to their curiosity and concerns without the need to make use of violence.
Key words: community cohesion,group identity
Summary:
Young people are community agents who are key for social change and despite the existence of various juvenile groups or organisations and social action groups, it is often difficult to attain this specific population. It is important that young people know their environment and which are the organisations, groups and entities working in their community. Getting youngsters closer to their neighbourhood enables them to know the social reality where they live and be awar
- Module
- Prevention
- Intervention
- Exit strategies
- Group size
- small
- medium
- Duration
- 30 min
- 45 min
- 1 hour
- Group age
- 16 - 19
- 20 - 24
Exercise Category: Activities / Exercises
CC - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Purpose
- To know the main organisations and groups of their close environment.
- To know the social reality of the neighbourhood and communities where they live in.
- To be aware of the active role they have inside their community and encourage them to be part of it.
- To work in group to identify the characteristics and important issues of their community.
Description
This dynamic is structured in two sessions: 1. Introduction of the activity; 2. Making of the mapping of the neighbourhood and sharing of results.
SESSION 1.- Introduction of the activity:
Step 1: Motivate the youngsters to know more in depth their neighbourhood/community. They are asked to organise in groups in accordance with their place of belonging (groups can also be composed with people coming from different places). Each group has to make a brainstorming in which they will identify the characteristics of their neighbourhood/community (where is it located?, who are its residents? Is there a group majority of residents? How are relations among its residents?, Do they exist common meeting places? Does everybody participate? Do they exist common customs and celebrations, traditional dates or meetings? Do the residents feel integrated to their community? How did they realise it? Does it have different characteristics from the surrounding communities and which ones?)
Step 2: Once carried out, each group will expose to the rest of the group how the place where he/she lives is.
SESSION 2.- Making of the mapping of the neighbourhood and sharing of results.
Step 1: After what, ask to the participants to implement a “research” to achieve a mapping of organisations and entities from each neighbourhood/community. Each group will have to print a map of its neighbourhood and during 1 or 2 weeks will have to find out which entities and organisations exist, which population do they represent and what are their main objectives. To do that they will have to be helped by the organisations they already know and identify new ones. The teacher/trainer/educator can offer occasional support by indicating community centres or key organisations so that they can know the social reality of each neighbourhood and orientate them towards other organisations. (e.g. civic centre).
- The map has to include: 1. Community organisations (e.g. civic or social centres), 2. Youth and juvenile centres (e.g. juvenile meeting points) and 2. Worship places (e.g. churches, mosques, evangelist centres, etc.). Please take note: the aim is not to obtain a comprehensive document but a brief screening.
Step 2: Once achieved the mapping (and interviews)* share the results and analyse the plurality of organisations and entities which are working in the neighbourhoods and what kind of role young people are playing. Close the session asking how they felt during the activity’s implementation, what did they learnt, did they met interesting entities to be involved and if this work have motivated them to take an active part in their community.
FURTHER SESSIONS: Interviews to key agents (optional development): Once realised the map, participants will organise, at least, two interviews: 1. To a representative from some of the organisations or groups identified in the neighbourhood and 2. To a young person who is living in it. By means of the interviews they will have to pinpoint the central concerns of the community and how they believe these could be solved. See an example of script for the interview below:
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Example of (guiding) script for the interview: |
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- What are, in your opinion, the main issues that need to be addressed in our neighbourhood or district? - Which actors should intervene to meet these needs? (Public institutions, neighbours’ associations, youngsters from the neighbourhood, etc.) - What do you appreciate the most from this place? - In which way could you share this aspect with other people? |
Materials needed
paper, pen, city and neighbourhoods map.
Methodology
field research (mapping)
Advice for Trainer
- The teacher/trainer/educator will prepare previously a list of local community and juvenile organisations to facilitate the search for information of the participants. Please take note that the aim is not to obtain a comprehensive document but a brief screening.
- In the event of interviews, prepare the relevant notifications and consent agreements.
Source / Literature
Adapted from F.S.E.S. (2005). Herramientas para el trabajo con jóvenes. Sistema de Formación de Animadores Juveniles Comunitarios.