Mapping Care: Visualizing Experiences of Care by Home Visitors and Birth Workers through Participatory Body Mapping

Academic Mentor | Catalina Alzate
Community Partner | GREAT Start Home Visiting Program

Project Description
Body Mapping is a qualitative research methodology that allows participants to document their bodily experiences visually and narratively. This project applies body mapping to explore how physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being impacts the work of doulas and home visitors in Champaign-Urbana.

Through a series of creative sessions, participants will create body maps that reflect their lived experiences, illustrating both the challenges and strengths associated with their work. These sessions will include narrative components, where participants share their personal and professional circumstances, and artistic components, using images, symbols, and text to visually represent their insights. By documenting and analyzing these collective experiences, the project aims to celebrate the essential contributions of doulas and home visitors while fostering a deeper understanding of their roles in supporting community health.

Role of the Community-Academic Scholar
The scholar will engage in all aspects of the project to:

• Perform secondary research to understand the methodology and best practices of body mapping
• Design recruitment materials to engage home visitors and doulas
• Co-facilitate activities during body mapping sessions, ensuring that participants feel supported and engaged in the process
• Document findings from the sessions, collaborating with the academic mentor to create a resource that reflects the collective insights of participants
• Help plan and prepare the creative sessions, working closely with the community partner to ensure they are impactful and meaningful