Demographic map shows race distribution in US

I've been using maps to draw attention and resources to all high poverty neighborhoods in Chicago so that every neighborhood could have great youth programs operating in non school hours, not just a few great programs in a few neighborhoods. I also maintain a Tutor/Mentor Institute blog which integrates maps and map ideas in its articles. I add new articles each week, such as one today where I'm pointing to a web map of racial distribution in the US, based on the 2010 Census.

This map, and others like it, illustrate that most big cities have high concentrations of minorities, and of minorities living in high poverty. Thus, connecting people from different cities in on-line forums where we talk about the problem and innovate new ways to overcome challenges, would make sense. Talent and dollars from many places could be supporting innovations like uses of mapping, that can be applied in many other places. This is new thinking when most philanthropic support focuses close to home or where a company is located.

Maintaining a map resource requires talent, tech support and operating dollars. As we connect more people who do this work with each other, such as in this web library, my hope is that we find ways to attract these resources to all of us, and that we find ways to partner where we use scarce resources more efficiently.

Homicide Rates in Chicago - Comparison with early 1990s

If you want to understand where the homicide rates are highest, and changes since the early 1990s, take a look at the maps and analysis on this City Notes blog.

SkyTruth - using GIS mapping to Expose Environmental Abuse

In today's digital edition of the Chicago Tribune I read a story about a geologist who is using satellite data and GIS mapping to "challenge oil, gas, mining and fishing organizations over how they are changing the earth. The organization is called SkyTruth. Visit the web site. Read their blog.

SkyTruth uses data to inform the public in many of the same ways as I've sought to use data and mapping to support the growth of volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring programs in Chicago. SkyTruth fought a long battle for attention and funding and still is not a "wealthy" organization. I continue to fight to find talent, dollars and partners to support my own efforts.

Another innovator who uses data to support changes in public policy is Tom Wong, an assistant professor at UC San Diego, who uses data to support changes in immigration legislation. This article in the LA Times describes the work Wong is doing. This is his blog.

Community Mapping Benefits

"Community mapping can be an extremely useful tool to build the capacity of nonprofits to effectively engage in policy advocacy. Mapping holds vast potential for advocacy because of the power of maps to both analyze and communicate complex information and relationships." That's a quote from this Policy Link report titled "Community Mapping for Health Equity Advocacy".

I've been trying to build this type of mapping capacity for nearly 20 years. This map shows how we can create maps showing political districts and share them as part of advocacy and capacity building. It's one of many maps that you can see in this blog and in many articles on the Tutor/Mentor Institute Blog, PDF Essays I've created, and on the Tutor/Mentor Institute web site. I encourage you to read through the Policy Link report and browse this site to learn more about ways maps and visualizations can be used.

Mapping Chicago's Shooting Problem

This map is from an animated map story on the WBEZ web site. The maps show the distribution of gun violence in Chicago from 2002 through 2011 and changes in intensity in different parts of the city from year to year. I'd like to see stories that focus on gun violence include links to other stories and research that focus on poverty as a root cause. Using the interactive Tutor/Mentor Program Locator I created this image. If you compare the areas of high poverty to the areas of high numbers of shootings you see a correlation.

My goal is that leaders use these maps as a planning tool to build and sustain high quality, mentor-rich, non-school mentoring, tutoring, arts, technology and learning programs in high poverty neighborhoods. Reach young people young and provide supports and alternatives to gangs and dropping out of school and perhaps there would be fewer people willing to pick up guns and do harm to others as a result.

Don't "ride by" poverty. Get involved.

In the May 13, 2013 issue of Crain's Chicago Business a map was shown of Metra transit routes through the Chicago region, connecting people with the downtown business district and the places where they live.  The intent was to show how some routes go through wealthy communities and others through poorer communities (I think).

I created a map analysis, using this image, along with one that the Tutor/Mentor Connection had created a few years ago.  On the left is the map from the Crain's article and on the right is one showing Metra routes along with major expressways. 

The first time I  used this maps was in 2009, in this article titled "Don't Drive By Poverty, Get Involved."

That was four years ago. I've been creating maps since 1993. My goal is that leaders in business, media, politics, religion, universities, etc. would use the maps to mobilize others in an on-going effort to build and sustain mentor-rich, non-school programs IN EVERY HIGH POVERTY NEIGHBORHOOD, where youth would be safe during non-school hours and would find an extended network of adult support and learning opportunities intended to help them go to school every day better prepared to learn and succeed, while also building a network of peers and mentors who would help them through school and into jobs and careers in future years.

I've been collecting information about Chicago area non-school tutor/mentor programs since 1993 and share it in a map-based directory and in this list of program web sites.

I've shared my thinking on a daily basis in blog articles, like this one, and in web pages, comments on media articles, web forums, and conferences I've hosted in Chicago every six months since May 1994. yet I find few reaching out to support the map-making and information collection/sharing that I do, or who are adopting these mobilization tools in their own efforts. 

This was the headline of the Chicago SunTimes in October 1992. It said "7-Year-Old's Death at Cabrini Requires Action".  Chicago and other cities are still waiting for leaders to become strategic, using maps and other available data, to build the on-going systems of support that might result in more kids finishing school and going into Chicago area jobs and careers rather than dropping out and/or getting involved with gangs and the state's prison system.

Take a look at some of these leadership ideas. Form a Research & Development team in your company, faith group, college, etc. to study this information and offer strategies you can adopt. 

If I can  help you with these please connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or Linked in.