Purpose:
As there are many important actors and institutions relevant to every community, it is critical to know which institutions are the most important, have the respect and confidence of the participants, and can engage in sustainable development. This activity is meant to 1) help learn about the activities of the various groups and organizations involved with the homeless, 2) understand how the participants view these institutions and how they rank them according to their contribution to development, and 3) assess the relationship among these institutions by creating a diagram of institutional importance and interactions.
 

Material:
Construction paper, scissors, and markers.
 

Instructions:

• Identify and list development-related institutions that serve the homeless and that is relevant to the participants. Invite a representative from each local institution to briefly describe the activities of their association.
• Ask the group to collectively rank the institutions for their contribution to development. “Which institution is most important in this community for promoting development?” The participants decide what is “important.” Ask them, however, to detail their criteria of what is “important.”
• A diagram is created by first cutting out paper circles of varying sizes. The participants are asked to link the most important institutions (in terms of their contribution to development) to the largest circles, less important to medium-sized, and the least important to the smallest circles.
• Which institutions work closely together? For those that cooperate or work together, place the paper circles partly together.
• Discussion ensues. At the end, a diagram is in place. Preserve the diagram by tape or staples.
• This should also be done in two or three discussion groups because there are variations in the way different participants perceive institutional importance and their relationships.

Debrief:

• What was learned?
• What areas of cooperation could potentially be fostered in this current development effort?