At Galena Park community mapping workshop today (led by Kat and Eli from the Pacific Institute), the workshop started out by creating treasure maps (note the word "treasure"- meaning a focus on the good- the rest comes on day three).

Using stickers that designated different types of assets, participants worked in two groups- those that focused on the past and those that concentrated on the present- to map the assets that the Galena Park neighborhood has. The idea is that by doing this people are able to designate a future vision of how they want to see their neighborhood progress based on past knowledge. The base of the maps was aerial imagery (perhaps a way to use maps in the future). The main categories that people mapped:

Where we live/donde vivimos (apartments, homes, shelters, etc/ apartamentos, casas, refugios, etc) Where we get food/donde obtenemos comida (stores, fishing spots, etc/ mercados, sitios para pescar, etc) Where we work/donde trabajamos (workplaces, job centers, etc/ lugares de trabajo, centros de empleo, etc) Where we care for our health/donde cuidamos nuestra salud (clinics, healers, etc/ clinicas, hospitales, curanderos, etc) Where we play/donde jugamos (parks, recreations centers, etc/ parques, centros de recreacion, etc) Where we workshop or pray and places that are sacred/donde rezamos y sitios sagrados Where we learn and study/donde aprendemos y estudiamos (schools, daycares, libraries, etc/ escuelas, bibliotecas, guarderias, etc) Other places we want to protect and strengthen/otros lugares que queremos proteger y fortalecer (community centers, police and fire stations, etc/ centros comunitarios, estaciones de policia y de bomberos, etc)

When people create asset maps such as these its always interesting to see the differences and similarities in experience and perspectives in a community.