Map Your Community

What are the places in your community that matter most to you? Where do you feel at home, or spend the most time? Is it inside or outside? Maybe it’s your room, or a special park or building or a neighborhood - or someplace else entirely! 

Maybe you’ve lived in a place for many years and remember a special place that isn’t there any more? Maybe you just moved somewhere and there is one special place that makes you feel most at home? 

In this activity, create a map of a place in your community that you know (or knew)  well - it can be big or small, complex or simple, past or present. You can draw your map on paper or use a computer to draw your map. It can be in color or not. 

The result will be a map that shows someplace in your community that is (or was) important to you!

If you draw the map on paper, take a digital photo so you can share your map online. 

Consider the meaning of this place to you, and reflect upon the following questions. (Your answers to any of these would make excellent notes to include with your map!)

  • Do you think your memories of this place match up to how others remember it? 
  • Are your experiences of this place the same as others in your community? How do you think they are different? How do you think they are similar?
  • Does this place still exist? If yes, do you think it will still be here in 50 years? 100 years? 
  • If the place no longer exists, was it replaced by something else? Do you think it was a good or bad change?