The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement is thrilled to announce the launch of Map the System 2025, a global competition developed by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University. The Map the System competition empowers students and educators to approach social and environmental issues using systems thinking, offering participants a chance to enhance their research and problem-solving skills. This is the seventh year that the Centre for Peace Advancement has facilitated this opportunity at the University of Waterloo.
Map the System is open to undergraduate and graduate students in all faculties. Each team investigates a unique topic they are passionate about: an environmental or social issue that can be addressed through systems thinking. Some students complete Map the System research projects as a course requirement; others pursue this as a co-curricular learning opportunity. Last year, campus and community organizations were also invited to partner with students, bringing forward crucial issues such as the mass incarceration of Indigenous women, sustainability on campus, healthcare experiences of Women of Colour, and Truth and Reconciliation in faith communities. Read more about the challenge statements for each community partner.
In the 2024 Map the System competition, Fiona Li partnered with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario to research the mass incarceration of Indigenous women in Canada. Fiona won the Waterloo Campus competition, and came in second place at the Map the System Canada competition in Calgary, drawing crucial attention to an issue that demands ongoing dialogue and action.
This year, the Centre is excited to continue partnering with United College Greenhouse and Waterloo Institute for Complexity & Innovation, along with several professors who embed Map the System in their courses, to support student participants. We are also grateful for the funding support from the University of Waterloo’s Office of Research, reflecting their commitment to fostering innovative research and systems thinking among students.
Student registration will be open from November 1st, 2024 to January 31st, 2025. Each team must have at least one UWaterloo student and can include students from other institutions and the wider community. Working with teammates from a diversity of disciplines, ages, and lived experiences makes for more nuanced analysis of complex issues. Students looking for teammates or support in their research can contact Jordan Li, a past participant who is returning to serve as the Map the Systems Campus lead for a second year.
The research period will run from February to March 2025, with the University of Waterloo campus finals in April. The Map the System Canada showcase will be held at the Banff Systems Summit in May, and the global finals will be hosted by the University of Oxford in June. Map the System 2025 is an opportunity to be part of a global movement for change and to learn a way of approaching challenges that can truly make a difference.