DIVAS for Social Justice launched their new interactive map, The Anti-Gun Violence Asset Mapping Project this week at the Garden of Resilience. The interactive map had a soft launch celebration at the organization’s makerspace on October 17th, 2024 celebrating the accomplishments of their middle school students.
For the past three years DIVAS for Social Justice has worked in partnership with NYU to develop the Anti-Gun Violence Asset Mapping Project curriculum. The curriculum takes students through the concept of understanding the importance of identifying what is good in their communities to help combat gun violence as a public health issue The organization has been able to implement the curriculum in three boroughs of New York City: Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.
The initial pilot project of the mapping project started out in the Bronx with the support of the Verizon Foundation. The idea of an anti-gun violence interactive map was sparked by an initial conversation between NYCHA’s Private/Public partnership and DIVAS for Social Justice. NYCHA identified that DIVAS for Social Justice had successfully created other interactive maps in the past that included highlighting the importance of food justice and the impact of alcohol advertisements in East New York.
DIVAS for Social Justice and New York University have worked diligently to create a curriculum that focuses on the importance of asset based learning specifically targeting Title 1 schools in underserved communities. By creating project based learning opportunities that highlight what is good in a community, it can help youth realize they can create change in their communities through their own actions.
The youth participants were taken through this process of creating content for the interactive map by conducting community street audits and interviewing local entrepreneurs that met the criteria. Through a community street audit students identified businesses that highlighted the importance of health and wellness and economic development in their communities. For example, in Laurelton, students were given a 4 block radius on Merrick Blvd to identify what were the businesses that highlighted the criteria of providing jobs for members of the community and concentrated overall on improving the health of community members. Two businesses the youth decided to highlight were : The UPS Store, owned by Brandon Phillips and A Live Kitchen , Steffen Alexander.
The interactive map also highlights the voices of students from P.S 156 and P.S 132. The students share the opinions on the map of what community means to them. Principals of both schools wanted their students to be involved with this initiative because they acknowledged that the project provided an opportunity to serve as an introduction to understanding urban planning.
Recent graduates, Andriana Mereuta and Mashiyat Zaman won a grant to develop the interactive map highlighting all the content created by the youth of DIVAS for Social Justice.The duo worked closely with DIVAS and the team from NYU to design the map and highlight the importance of healing through the colors and layout of the map.
The Anti-Gun Violence Asset Mapping Project is available to explore online at DIVAS website. The organization would like to serve as an ally to CMS organizations and include additional assets on the interactive map on a local and national level to serve as a catalyst for federal funding being given to thought leaders that are providing solutions to fighting gun violence through providing jobs and addressing health disparities through accessible initiatives.
Laser Cut versions of the neighborhood, Laurelton will be on display at the Garden Resilience where community members can interact with the map through QR codes and can share their ideas of what community assets should be added to the online map. Laser cut neighborhood maps are also on display at DIVAS for Social Justice makerspace in Bedford Stuyvesant for community members to interact with. DIVAS for Social Justice looks forward to collaborating with community members to add additional assets to the online map in the future.
The Anti-Gun Violence Asset Mapping Project is supported by Con Edison, The Pinkerton Foundation, DYCD and Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers.
