Students' Hidden Networks: Relationship Mapping as a Strategy to Build Asset-Based Pathways

Efforts to invest in students' networks--either to bolster support or expand professional opportunities--should start with a deep understanding of and appreciation for the networks of which they are already members. Recognizing and respecting students' inherent resources and cultural wealth is what this report refers to as an asset-based approach. Luckily, a host of innovative organizations focused on more equitably building and maintaining students' social capital are doing just that. This report describes the profound potential of these organizations' approaches to mapping and mobilizing students' existing social networks, and details emerging strategies and tools that schools should consider. To surface these examples, the authors interviewed and convened program leaders from a variety of schools, nonprofits, and social enterprises. These leaders have all endeavored to help students map out, reflect on, and mobilize their existing networks in some form or fashion. Because deficit-based approaches may be more common among institutions serving low-income students, first-generation students, and students of color, the majority of the programs interviewed explicitly focus on serving students from these backgrounds, with strategies attuned to their students' racial and cultural identities. This paper explores the research behind relationship mapping and the basic tenets of building a relationship map. To illustrate how and when schools can use relationship mapping to serve a variety of short- and long-term goals, it highlights examples of current programs. Finally, it offers recommendations for furthering the vision and unlocking the potential of relationship mapping.