This is one of a series of guides for collaborative environmental research and advocacy projects. "Start Here" is about collaboratively creating a picture of our place. This guide covers how to do this with a group using paper and markers. For a followup activity, check out the guide to putting this info online using mapknitter.

Planning this event

Ahead of time:

• Pick a time that is convenient for the most people involved
• Find a space, it may be useful to be indoors with restrooms available, etc.
• Send invites two weeks to a month in advance

Materials to have on hand:

• nametags
• markers
• chart paper
• a camera or phone that can take a picture

Activity 1: Hello and Introductions!

Go around the room with everyone saying their name and their answer to the following question: * "when i hear the word [...], i think of '_____' " where [...] is

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Activity 2: Group photo

Take a picture of everyone!

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Activity 3: Making our map

This is sometimes called a "mental mapping" exercise because you will draw important bits of your neighborhood without worrying about actual geographic space. The goal is to set our local knowledge as the context for our future work together. (For reference, see https://mapknitter.org/map/view/2014-02-12-chicago-calumet-river-industrial-corridor)

Note: this activity is organized so that during different moments in this activity people may be doing individual work, then coming together in small groups, and then discussing as an entire group. This style is sometimes referred to as "One, Some, Many."

ONE: each person receives one large piece of paper and a marker to for sketching their own map of the neighborhood

• our homes
• important businesses
• our gardens
• current and former factories
• pollution sources (example: incinerator, highway traffic)
• vacant lots
• food stores

How to get started: start for drawing the first place/road you think of that is at the heart of your neighborhood. Add in landmarks and places you go to and think of.

Questions to consider: what's worth putting on the map? Are there any sites that we have concerns about, and if so how does that relate to our neighborhood? What's going on here that we are proud of? What are things we would like to improve?

SOME: small groups to share maps and see what we had in common

MANY: tape 6 big sheets together to make mental map (many: draw it all together onto one)

Questions to consider: how might our garden support things we like? How might our garden improve the things we don't like?

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Looking ahead to next steps:

We can build on what we've created here and use mapknitter to share our story out more broadly.

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MOVE BELOW TO GOAL SETTING ACTIVITY

Activity 4: Highest hopes for your this year

, OR "what are you looking forward to doing in the garden this year?"

goal setting session!

ONE: scribble out their ideas on their own on paper

SOME: share ideas with one or two people while seated

MANY: share amongst themselves as a whole group

Questions to consider:

• What are we going to plant?
• how much do we want to grow of these plants?
• how to we want to visit the garden?
• who do we want to help with the garden?
• who hasn't participated that we want to participate?
• what animals do we want to visit the garden?
• What kinds of fun do we want to have in the garden?
• other good things?

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other sandbox stuff

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