STW Resource Mapping for Sustainability Institute



Community Resource Mapping Workshop Activity

“Buying Your First Car”

Purpose

To provide an opportunity for participants to take a deeper look at the resource mapping steps using a fun example that generates dialogue about resource mapping and the steps that stakeholders must take along the way to reach their goals.

Instructions

Photocopy the Participant Cards and cut them apart into individual scenarios. Pass out a card(s) to each participant and review the purpose of the activity. Participants will then be asked to read their card(s) and identify which step of the resource mapping process it reflects. After everyone has read their card(s), read through the Resource Mapping Continuum asking participants to read aloud the scenario that reflects the step on the continuum being discussed. Encourage discussion about the resource mapping process throughout the activity to ensure a thorough understanding of the process.

Tools

• Participant Cards

• Resource Mapping Continuum

• Answer Key

• Pair of Scissors

Resource Mapping Activity

“Buying Your First Car”

Participant Cards

I am going away to college in a year and need to get a job. I cannot get a job without a car. All my friends have cars. I hate driving my mom’s minivan. I can handle the responsibility of owning a car.

I want to buy a car in the next three months and spend no more than $10,000.

I don’t have $10,000, but maybe if I ask my parents for help and call Grandpa Joe and maybe even Aunt Mary they would help me. There is a guy from church who works at a car dealership and my friend Sammy just bought her second car. My older sister Sara has a car and so does her boyfriend. My dad says I need to do some research. I will probably need to include more people in my quest to buy a car.

I thought Saturday would never come. I headed out to the car dealership with my friends to find “Oscar,” my perfect first car. I quickly learned that “Oscar” was going to be harder to come by than I thought. I didn’t know anything about cars except that I wanted a “red” one. My friends dropped me off at the library where I began to do some of the research that my dad had mentioned. I also decided to talk with my friends and their parents and get some more information on how they bought their cars. I am also going to talk to my neighbor – he owns lots of cars.

I didn’t realize how much information there is about cars on the web. You can even buy a car online. I looked at different makes and models, and there are many colors to choose from that I never knew about. I also read Consumer Reports Car Buying Guide and learned about value pricing, safety features, insurance coverage, and gas mileage. There was also information online about rebates and low-interest loans. I talked with my friends about what car I would look cool driving.

After reviewing all the data, I came up with this.

|Car |Cost |Miles Per Gallon |Safety Rating |Insurance |Colors |

|Honda Civic |$14,000 |36 |A |$85.00 |Red |

|Ford Focus |$12,000 |42 |B |$94.00 |Fire Red |

|Chevy Cavalier |$11,000 |31 |C |$86.00 |Red Storm |

After dinner I sat down with my parents and showed them all the information I collected. My dad asked if I had considered all of my options and how much money I had saved to put toward the car. I had $1500 in the bank from babysitting, birthdays, and stuff like that. My parents offered to pay half. After talking to the neighbor, I didn’t think I would qualify for a loan since I didn’t have a real job. It wasn’t fair, but “Oscar” was going to have to be older than I planned. I’d have to do a little more research to focus my efforts on the cool cars in the $3,000 range – I was hoping my parents would spring for insurance and taxes.

My search for “Oscar” was already taking longer than I had planned. I spent a lot of time talking with my friends, parents, and anyone else I could find who I thought might be helpful. My parents agreed to pay for insurance, but they would only pay half of the total cost of the car. It was my sister Sara who proved to be the most helpful. She had a friend who was selling her car and thought it might work for me – it was only $2,500. After lots of family meetings and a test drive, I had to make my decision.

So, I bought “Oscar” – not from my sister’s friend, but from the car dealership down the road thanks to a last minute loan from Grandpa Joe. Now I have to get a job to pay him back. My parents are happy because now it is my job to cart around my brother Arnold to soccer practice and piano lessons. My teacher said that by paying car taxes, which I find totally bogus, I am helping the economy and paying for services that I don’t even realize – like the police department who issued me my first ticket for driving 35mph in a school zone. Arnold will benefit most of all because he can learn from my experience and won’t have to do all the legwork that I did.

I didn’t realize how much work owning a car can be – tune-ups, oil changes, and car washes. “Oscar” isn’t red and shiny, but he is mine. I’m saving to install a new stereo system with a CD player – nobody listens to tapes anymore.

I have to adjust my “driving habits,” as my dad would say. Gas is really expensive. I have started to keep track of my mileage in comparison to how much gas I buy. I am not sure, but I think my gas gauge is broken. I can’t be driving that much.

I have a job three days a week after school at the library. I continue to check the web for good car deals – “Oscar” is not going to last forever. My Grandpa keeps telling me that by paying him back on time, I am building good credit. He will help me when I trade in “Oscar” for that new red car I have had my eye on.

Resource Mapping Activity

“Buying Your First Car”

Resource Mapping Continuum

Step 1: Pre-Mapping/Assessment

Visioning

• “Scan” the future – why collaborate?

• Develop consensus around the need to do business in coordination and align resources

• Identify key themes to guide your process and decision-making

• Identify the customers of your actions

• Identify the benefits and beneficiaries of your actions

Goal-Setting

• Identify the desired results

• Set measurable objectives

• Get and give permission to think creatively from funding sources, others

Partnership-Building

• Define and commit to maintaining an effective partnership

• Identify all current and potential partners

• Encourage team diversity

• Select a credible, objective “convener”

• Build a common language/definitions

• Recognize and address the needs of individual partners (identify “what’s in it” for partners)

Step 2: Mapping

Selecting a Process

• Select a process to gather data; partners commit to contributing timely, accurate information

• Include fund utilization: Are you making the most of your current resources?

• Include resource identification: What new resources could you use/align to meet your goals?

• Include community asset analysis: What does your community have to offer that assists you in meeting your goals?

• Include policy alignment: How well do your state/local policies currently support your goals? How can resource mapping further support your state/local policies, practices, and goals?

• Identify gaps, intersections, and any obstacles to alignment

Identifying and Collecting Data

• Identify content/goal to be mapped

• Determine how you will collect data

• Collect and validate data

• Stay focused on your goals – don’t follow the funds

Developing your Product(s)

• Synthesize findings keeping original goals in mind

• Present information in useable formats for various target audiences

• Communicate trends

Step 3: Implementing Your Map for Strategic Results

Strategic Planning

• Design a plan to better align the resources you have identified

• Maintain consensus among partners

• Address challenges to implementing your plan

Communication Strategies

• Keep key stakeholders informed

• Create an atmosphere conducive to change

• Do the work of sustaining a healthy partnership

• Use technology effectively to communicate and disseminate information

Supporting Community Action

• Give permission to think and act creatively

• Provide recognition for local innovation and quality

• Focus on accountability – set goals and measure progress

• Provide networking opportunities

Step 4: Evaluation/Mid-course Corrections

Keeping Current

• Update vision, goals and plan as needed

• Keep map up-to-date

Continuing to Measure

• Gauge progress and impact

• Focus on real-time assessment rather than just summative evaluation

• Capture benefits

• Communicate results, challenges

Maintaining Momentum

• Retool/expand your partnership

• Maintain an environment conducive to change

• Be prepared to deal with unexpected challenges

Resource Mapping Activity

“Buying Your First Car”

Answer Key

#1 – Pre-Mapping, Visioning

I am going away to college in a year and need to get a job. I cannot get a job without a car. All my friends have cars. I hate driving my mom’s minivan. I can handle the responsibility of owning a car.

#2 – Pre-Mapping, Goal-Setting

I want to buy a car in the next three months and spend no more than $10,000.

#3 – Pre-Mapping, Partnership-Building

I don’t have $10,000, but maybe if I ask my parents for help and call Grandpa Joe and maybe even Aunt Mary they would help me. There is a guy from church who works at a car dealership and my friend Sammy just bought her second car. My older sister Sara has a car and so does her boyfriend. My dad says I need to do some research. I will probably need to include more people in my quest to buy a car.

#4 – Mapping, Selecting a Process

I thought Saturday would never come. I headed out to the car dealership with my friends to find “Oscar,” my perfect first car. I quickly learned that “Oscar” was going to be harder to come by than I thought. I didn’t know anything about cars except that I wanted a “red” one. My friends dropped me off at the library where I began to do some of the research that my dad had mentioned. I also decided to talk with my friends and their parents and get some more information on how they bought their cars. I am also going to talk to my neighbor – he owns lots of cars.

#5 – Mapping, Identifying and Collecting Data

I didn’t realize how much information there is about cars on the web. You can even buy a car online. I looked at different makes and models, and there are many colors to choose from that I never knew about. I also read Consumer Reports Car Buying Guide and learned about value pricing, safety features, insurance coverage, and gas mileage. There was also information online about rebates and low-interest loans. I talked with my friends about what car I would look cool driving.

#6 – Mapping, Developing your Products

After reviewing all the data, I came up with this.

|Car |Cost |Miles Per Gallon |Safety Rating |Insurance |Colors |

|Honda Civic |$14,000 |36 |A |$85.00 |Red |

|Ford Focus |$12,000 |42 |B |$94.00 |Fire Red |

|Chevy Cavalier |$11,000 |31 |C |$86.00 |Red Storm |

#7 – Implementing Your Map for Strategic Results, Strategic Planning

After dinner I sat down with my parents and showed them all the information I collected. My dad asked if I had considered all of my options and how much money I had saved to put toward the car. I had $1500 in the bank from babysitting, birthdays, and stuff like that. My parents offered to pay half. After talking to the neighbor, I didn’t think I would qualify for a loan since I didn’t have a real job. It wasn’t fair, but “Oscar” was going to have to be older than I planned. I’d have to do a little more research to focus my efforts on the cool cars in the $3,000 range – I was hoping my parents would spring for insurance and taxes.

#8 – Implementing Your Map for Strategic Results, Community Strategies

My search for “Oscar” was already taking longer than I had planned. I spent a lot of time talking with my friends, parents, and anyone else I could find that I thought might be helpful. My parents agreed to pay for insurance, but they would only pay half of the total cost of the car. It was my sister Sara who proved to be the most helpful. She had a friend who was selling her car and thought it might work for me – it was only $2,500. After lots of family meetings and a test drive, I had to make my decision.

#9 – Implementing Your Map for Strategic Results, Supporting Community Action

So, I bought “Oscar” – not from my sister’s friend, but from the car dealership down the road thanks to a last minute loan from Grandpa Joe. Now I have to get a job to pay him back. My parents are happy because now it is my job to cart around my brother Arnold to soccer practice and piano lessons. My teacher said that by paying car taxes, which I find totally bogus, I am helping the economy and paying for services that I don’t even realize – like the police department who issued me my first ticket for driving 35mph in a school zone. Arnold will benefit most of all because he can learn from my experience and won’t have to do all the legwork that I did.

#10 – Evaluation/Mid-Course Corrections, Keeping Current

I didn’t realize how much work owning a car can be – tune-ups, oil changes, and car washes. “Oscar” isn’t red and shiny, but he is mine. I’m saving to install a new stereo system with a CD player – nobody listens to tapes anymore.

#11 – Evaluation/Mid-Course Corrections, Continuing to Measure

I have to adjust my “driving habits,” as my dad would say. Gas is really expensive. I have started to keep track of my mileage in comparison to how much gas I buy. I am not sure, but I think my gas gauge is broken. I can’t be driving that much.

#12 – Evaluation/Mid-Course Corrections, Maintaining Momentum

I have a job three days a week after school at the library. I continue to check the web for good car deals – “Oscar” is not going to last forever. My Grandpa keeps telling me that by paying him back on time, I am building good credit. He will help me when I trade in “Oscar” for that new red car I have had my eye on.

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