A Mapathon is simply a coming together of a group of people, either virtually or in-person, to participate in mapping over a few hours or throughout the course of a specific period of time.
They can be used to mark significant days; we held an online Mapathon to mark International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation in February.
Mapathons are also a great team-building activity with teams able to give back whilst bonding. This works particularly well in offices as the equipment is readily available.
Things to consider:
- How will you promote the Mapathon? Social media works well, as does email, posters, flyers
- You can set up an event sign up on Eventbrite.com to keep track of how many people will attend
- Where will you host the Mapathon? If it’s virtual, you will not need a venue, but if it’s in person, you will need to identify a suitable location with enough space and WiFi
- Remind attendees that they will need a computer/laptop, a mouse will also help the mapping process
- Consider an introduction for the event explaining why mapping is so important so attendees understand the contribution they are making
Mapathons allow us to build awareness of FGM and the work Crowd2Map is doing to bring help to girls at risk.
Add for more information and guidance see missingmaps.org
If you are planning a Mapathon, please get in touch, and we can help promote it, and potentially arrange a digital guest appearance from Tanzania if desired. Please contact us for more information.