Evaluation Café featuring Deja Taylor and Koren Dennison of UBUNTU Research and Evaluation

Asset Mapping for Community Building: An Alternative Dignity-Based Approach to Needs Assessment
This case study presentation will look at a resident-led participatory asset mapping initiative on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side. Facilitators will share insights and outcomes from a 14-month participatory project focused on uncovering community strengths, resources, and priorities to enhance neighborhood safety. This session will highlight the innovative Afrofuturist Evaluation (AFE) methodology used to center Black residents’ voices, experiences, and cultural perspectives throughout the mapping process.
Participants will learn techniques for gathering qualitative, community-driven data on existing assets while revealing gaps needing investment. For instance, approaches like interviews with long-term “Knowledge Keepers” with Black elders as well as amplifying youth voice through "Neighborhood Navigators" and beta-testing with community members to co-develop a digital archive will be covered as participatory practices.