Module: Module 3 Local and Global Communities

Duration: 120 minutes

Social Development Theme: Social Enterprise

Summary

Participants create a shared visual map of their local community, including positives and areas of concern, with broader community engagement if possible. The aim is to help them think more deeply about the community and their connection with it. The three different areas they will explore are the relationships and potential relationships between:

  • social issues in the community and their social enterprise
  • the assets (used and unused) of the community
  • potential markets or customers in the community.

PART 1:

  1. Share with the group: the task is to make a giant map of their locality on the large sheet of paper. If the group have come from a number of localities, split them into smaller groups based on where they come from. It is important that this exercise is a mapping out of a location that is familiar to them.
  2. Show an example to the group from your own community. Ask each group to draw in pencil (with the help of the rest of the group) a very rough map of the geography: roads, towns, hills, borders: whatever is right for the scale of the area you are working in. Stress again that it doesn’t have to be accurate or detailed.
  3. Give out the icons and explain that people can use to represent different features of the community as we develop the map.
  4. Ask everyone to use the coloured pens to trace out the geography and then add landmarks which they feel are important. If possible, use different colours for different types of organisation (e.g. green for factories and shops, red for housing, blue for government buildings etc).
  5. Ask the group to identify some of the ‘assets’ (resources) locally: What services and facilities does the community have? What skills does the community have?
  6. Now ask the participants to write down on post-it notes some of the emotions or feelings they have for different parts of the area, as well as for the different buildings and facilities they have placed on the map. These can be positive or negative. They should place these post-it notes on the map.
  7. Ask the group to identify some of the places that they feel unsafe and any no-go areas in their community
  8. Identify issues or concerns in the community and mark them on the map.
  9. Identify where there are gaps in knowledge or understanding.

Learning outcomes

Understand the concept of community and connections between local and global community. Ability to identify social development issues to address in the community. Social Enterprise community assets, opportunities and stakeholders

Preparations and materials

Paper and lots of coloured pens, sets of printed images, and two examples of community maps.

Want to see more?

Download the full, printable version of this activity below, including details of the approach and debrief.

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