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I want to try something out! Power mapping is a tool to help make the ways that social networks work more explicit. It is often used in organizational planning to figure out how individuals and institutions affect each other to help with strategizing to make changes.
I want more ways to think and talk about how power and influence work in the communities I'm in, so I want to try something it out with y'all! I want to practice mapping power and influence in the ways that friend groups operate, because I want to understand and have tools to think and talk about how decision-making works within friend groups.
I'm thinking we can all discuss strategies for mapping power and influence for a little bit, and then map out power and influence in our own social circles, and then anybody who wants to can share about their process, their strategy, what they learned from it, etc.
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Proposed Agenda (110 minutes)
- Orientation: Make sure we're all in the right meeting; cover AV requirements (5 minutes)
- Introduction Round: name, pronouns, say something you are hoping to learn, practice, or explore in this session (10 minutes)
Discuss strategies for mapping influence in our social networks:
- Brief review of power-mapping principles (Mike or volunteer) (5 minutes)
- Open Q&A (10 minutes)
- Round on ideas for applying this as an exercise each individual in the session can do by themselves or with small group support. (15 minutes)
Breakout Activity; Individual activity with small group support:
- Break up into small groups, who will be venue for support / questions / ideas while completing the following activity: construct an influence map depicting a social network or group you're in (or a part thereof) regarding a specific decision, action, or change (or type of decision/action/change) (30 minutes)
Reconvene and discuss activity:
- Round on what we learned (15 minutes)
- Round on anything we want to do with what we've learned / what we want to explore more (15 minutes)
Closing (5 minutes)
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I am going to post some resources I have found in the discussion section of this page. Also please post any resources you have that might be relevant!
Will be useful to bring any aids that help you process information (notebook, computer etc.) I will have some blank paper and pens for the activity. Venue is a residential space with no pets. Wheelchair accessible with small bumps and mildly dilapidated concrete ramp, bathrooms are kind of cramped. Please no smoking or vaping inside. Parking in front of building in lot and on street. Masks highly encouraged.
Thanks to a few folks who stepped up to help with AV stuff, we will have remote attendance! We will do our best but we are sort of flying by the seat of our pants and there might be hiccups. My hope is that at the worst, even if remote participation is smoothly interactive, everybody will still be able to hear everything and have the resources they need to complete the power-mapping exercise.
(Edited 6/15 with updated agenda, removed bit on distinguishing power and influence which I now feel is out of the scope of this first pass of exploring this technique.)
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