https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

program/4-h-positive-youthdevelopment 

National Institute 

of Food 

and Agriculture 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

lesson plan: activity 3.6 

introduction 

Communities on the move 

A FederAl PArtnershiP For steM educAtion 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

 

 

National Aeronautics 

and Space 

Administration 

lesson details 

age/grade level 

High School 

learner outcoMes 

Youth will learn to identify and 

establish safe and supportive 

environments that encourage and 

understand all cultures and promote 

cohesion. 

success indicators 

Youth will recognize cultural elements within their community and 

collaborate to create environments 

that enhance cultural visibility. 

life skills 

Cultural awareness, critical thinking, 

problem solving, global awareness, 

leadership, and collaboration 

national standards 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and 

collaborations with diverse partners, 

building on others’ ideas and 

expressing their own clearly 

and persuasively. 

21st Century: Learning and Innovation Skills/COMMUNICATION and 

COLLABORATION/communicate 

clearly and collaborate with others 

prep tiMe 

30 minutes 

activity tiMe 

2 hours, 30 minutes (all activities 

combined) 

Materials list 

• Roll of paper

• Markers

• Chart paper

• Writing utensils.

suggested space

Large table areas for youth to work 

as teams 

suggested group size 

Group can be any size. If you are 

planning to map a small community, 

youth can be assigned to map 

individual neighborhoods or with a 

larger group, smaller teams of youth 

can be assigned to create and map 

sections of a city. 

resources 

Mapped: A youth community 

mapping toolkit 

https://practicalradical.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/mapped-ayouth-community-mapping-toolkitfor-vancouver.pdf

A Youth Leaders guide to building 

cultural competence 

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/

storage/advfy/documents/guide.pdf

Diversity activities for youth and 

adults 

http://extension.psu.edu/publications/ui378

Exploring quality in cultural diversity 

projects 

https://www.salto-youth.net/

downloads/4-17-1462/quality%20

projects.pdf

Mapping youth leaders for peacebuilding 

https://www.sfcg.org/wp-content/

uploads/2014/09/Mapping-YouthLeaders-for-Peacebuilding.pdf

What is a community? 

Traditionally we might think of a 

community as a geographic 

location or a group that shares something 

in common. A community may also refer 

to smaller areas, such as a neighborhood, a 

housing project or development, or rural 

area. 

Community is also defined as a group of 

members who live in a certain locality and 

interact with one another while sharing common 

interests or goals. The concept of community 

has expanded over the last several decades, and 

three main types of communities are usually 

mentioned: geographic communities, 

communities of interest and virtual 

communities. 

Cultures have the power to transform and 

strengthen these communities and forge a sense 

of identity and belonging for people of all ages. 

Culture can also be a unifying factor for youth 

and promote interest in civic engagement. 

Culture also plays an essential role in promoting 

sustainable social and economic development 

for future generations. Youth can act as a bridge 

between cultures and serve as key agents in 

promoting peace and intercultural 

understanding. 

continued next page >> 
page 2

lesson plan: activity 3.6 

Communities on the move 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

>> continued from previous page

activity instructions 

activity: coMMunity Mapping 

(60 Minutes) 

Note: If the group is able to take a walk around their 

community and take note of where businesses, 

community centers, stores, restaurants, parks, recreation, 

etc., are located prior to the mapping activity, this will be 

helpful in identifying what is already present in the 

community. Another possibility is assigning individual 

youth to map their own neighborhoods and bring that 

information with them when the group does the mapping 

activity. 

Engaging youth in a cultural mapping activity helps to 

build community identity, and supports cultural 

sustainability while producing a useable list of the 

community’s cultural assets. Each step will help youth 

understand the importance of mapping and allow them to 

think about what their community needs for the future. It 

is important that each person feels engaged in the process 

and has an opportunity to be heard while working to 

achieve a team goal. 

Directions: 

1. Explain that today you will look at what resources we

have within our community. The community could be

around or in the school or program, or within the city

itself (geography). The resources are individuals and

actual businesses, organizations and services found in

the community (culture).

2. Ask youth to describe their neighborhood/community/

city and the citizens that live in the community?

Designate two youth to serve as helpers to record all

suggestions. Help the group brainstorm a list. Note: It

may be helpful to search the census data for the

specific community to ensure that the youth’s

perception of the community matches the data.

3. After completion of the list, go back and make a check

mark next to the individual or organization that provides

specific cultural information or services within the

community. For example; Chinese restaurant, Hispanic

Neighborhood Association, Native American Education 

Center, artwork that represents or supports a specific 

cultural group. 

4. After completing the list of resources (both individuals

and actual buildings and organizations) your

community has to offer, think about how your

community might need to add other resources that

reflect the people who live in your community. Could

artwork representing different cultures (remember the

definition of culture) help to bond a community? Is it

possible for community activities to take place in a park

to educate those in the community? Could a

community garden grow fruits and vegetables that

highlight a different food culture? These are just a few

things you might consider.

5. Now use your imagination and create a diverse cultural

community of the future on the paper provided. Each

smaller team should think about how they could create

a street, neighborhood or city within the greater

community to highlight those that live in the

community. Be creative, think outside the box.

6. Hang your dream communities on a wall in your school

or organization. Allow this piece of artwork to spark

conversation with community members and visitors in

your building. Ask visitors to add their ideas. Have a

conversation with visitors about culture and share your

community ideas with diverse groups of people in the

community. Allow your map to become a working draft

of your “Community on the Move,” continuing to add

suggestions that will build on creating a true sense of

community.

debrief activity (30 Minutes) 

Reflect back on the various attributes each design contained that were unique or different. Ask youth to identify 

one “attribute” that is most important in their design. 

The facilitator should allow each person to verbalize the 

one attribute that is the most important to them (it might 

be different for each team member) and list them on flip 

chart paper/ board. 

continued next page >> 
page 3

lesson plan: activity 3.6 

Communities on the move 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

>> continued from previous page

You might also use the question “What is the most unique 

aspect you observed during the group sharing of designs?” 

to add more items to your list for the group’s 

consideration. Encourage participants to think about the 

value of having lots of ideas, input and perspectives to get 

the best end result. 

Now look at the list and see if a total group “ideal” design 

might be developed based on the youths’ responses. 

Collaborate together to sketch out this “ideal” community. 

applied challenge (60 Minutes) 

1. Using the ideal community designed in the debrief

activity, have youth identify a resource that they believe

could be created or changed to meet the ideal.

2. Divide youth into teams, with each team focusing on

one of the resources identified for creation or change.

3. Challenge youth to develop a detailed proposal for their

resource. Proposals should include:

An introduction explaining why this resource is a 

need in the community and what the benefits of 

fulfilling this need will do for the community.

A list of the people who will need to be involved to 

create or change this resource.

A list of the materials that will be needed for this

resource and where these materials will come from

or what it will cost (estimate) to acquire those 

materials.

The steps that will need to be taken to achieve this

resource. Include a time frame (estimate) for 

completing each step.

A closing statement explaining how this will make 

the community a better place.

4. Have each team present their plans to the group. Allow

time for discussions and suggestions for making each

proposal stronger.

5. If possible, have youth present their proposal to the

appropriate governing group that is responsible for

approving and/or implementing that proposal.

did you know? 

According to the United Nations, youth comprise 18% of 

the world’s population. Representing a significant segment 

of the community, young people: 

• Can contribute to local development and prosperity.

• Can be a bridge between cultures and between tradition

and modernity.

• Have the interest, energy and passion to address issues

and concerns, such as heritage management,

sustainable tourism, local development and community

involvement.

• Have affinity for information and communication

technologies to network and transcend geographical

boundaries.

• Are in the position to act as potent agents of positive

social change that will yield greater economic and social

well-being in the perspective of sustainable

development for generations to come. 

instructor’s notes 
activity 3.6: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 3.6: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 3.6: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 3.6: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

expeditionary

skills


for life

expeditionary

skills


for life 

I can describe my community and the resources it has. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand how the resources in a community contribute 

to the culture of the community. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to collaborate with others to make a change in 

community resources. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can describe my community and the resources it has. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand how the resources in a community contribute 

to the culture of the community. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to collaborate with others to make a change in 

community resources. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

expeditionary

skills


for life

expeditionary

skills


for life 

I can describe my community and the resources it has. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand how the resources in a community contribute 

to the culture of the community. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to collaborate with others to make a change in 

community resources. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

Q1 I can describe my community and the resources it has. 

Not at all like me
 

A little like me
 

Somewhat like me
 

A lot like me
 

Q2 I understand how the resources in a community contribute 

to the culture of the community. 

Not at all like me
 

A little like me
 

Somewhat like me
 

A lot like me
 

Q3 I know how to collaborate with others to make a change in 

community resources. 

Not at all like me
 

A little like me
 

Somewhat like me
 

A lot like me