We want to thank everyone who has been part of 2023, which was an incredible first year for North Arrow.
We’re appreciative of all of the feedback that we’ve gotten from friends and colleagues that has allowed us to refine our approach and clarify our value proposition. While we see countless ways that mapping can support struggles for social justice, we’ve come to think about North Arrow’s impact mapping as achieving three main goals:
Visual storytelling: use mapping to show the problems you are tackling & your solutions
Data driven strategies: use mapping to visualize, track, and evaluate impact
Coalition building: use maps to indicate collective targets and goals
Our first year of work has been intense, but incredibly rewarding as we’ve gotten to learn from and work with inspirational changemakers who are tackling some of today’s most entrenched social problems.
Here’s some of what we were able to accomplish in 2023:
We taught about the power of mapping to hundreds of people!
We gave impact mapping workshops to the following nonprofits and institutions–AGO, Ideas42, Ronald McDonald House of NY, City College of NY, Emerson College–allowing us to reach over 200 people.
We launched a digital publication called “Who Drew the Line?” which reports on inspirational maps and spatial theories, which has already reached over 350 readers.
We worked with a range of nonprofits to create over 30 impact maps, map-based dashboards, and immersive single-page story maps, including:
a comprehensive mapping tool for ERASE Racism to identify prime locations for the placement of affordable housing throughout NYS.
an annual appeal website for Partnership with Children, showing how their holistic mental health work with children is bridging inequalities throughout NYC.
a live testimonials map for Ankorstore, a European technology company that is connecting independent retailers to support local businesses.
a story map for the CUNY Justice Hub, showcasing their innovative partnership between NYC’s Environmental Justice Alliance and the City University of New York (to be released early 2024)
a membership dashboard for Carroll Gardens Association that allows the organization to quickly match their membership to administrative districts
a community wellbeing dashboard and website for a coalition of service agencies, nonprofits, and local officials in Routt County, Colorado
a series of maps and a story map for STRONG Youth demonstrating their approach to tackling Long Island’s mental health crisis among youth ... and much more !
We are also proud to announce the recent launch of our biggest partnership yet with the Arras Foundation in South Carolina!
We’re starting 2024 more fired up than ever to expand this work so that more activists can leverage the power of mapping to reach wider audiences, grow coalitions, and improve their strategies.
Thank you for supporting us. Olivia & Charles
