Map Your Network: 

Sometimes it's hard to see how much support you actually have until you put it on paper. Network mapping is a simple, low-pressure exercise that helps you visualize the people, programs, and resources already in your corner—and spot the gaps you might want to fill.

How it works:

Grab a piece of paper (or use a free tool like Kumu or even just a blank doc) and draw yourself in the center. Then build outward in circles:

• Inner circle: The people you'd call at 2 a.m.—closest friends, a trusted mentor, a sibling-like roommate
• Middle circle: Regular support—a campus success coach, a professor who checks in, a peer support group
• Outer circle: Resources you can tap when needed—financial aid office, career center, alumni network, community organizations

For each person or resource, jot a quick note: What kind of support do they offer? Emotional? Practical? Financial? Professional connections?

Why it matters:

A network map isn't just a nice reflection exercise—it's a tool. Research on social capital shows that the strength and diversity of a person's network directly shapes access to opportunity, from job leads to emergency support. For students with experience in foster care, who may have had to rebuild support systems more than once, seeing your network mapped out can:

• Reveal strengths you didn't realize you had
• Highlight gaps worth addressing before a crisis hits (Who do I call if my dorm closes over break? Who's my reference for that internship?)
• Make it easier to ask for help, because you already know who to ask

Try it this month:

Set aside 20 minutes. Map your network. Then pick one relationship in your middle or outer circle and reach out—a quick "thank you" text, a coffee invite, or a question you've been meaning to ask. Growing a network happens one small connection at a time.

Campus Support Programs: consider building this into an advising session or peer group activity—it's a quick, concrete way to open a conversation about long-term support planning.

For Coaches: Network Mapping — A Tool to Share With Your Students

This November, consider bringing network mapping into an advising session, peer group, or workshop. It's a quick, low-cost exercise that helps students see the support they already have—and identify where to grow.

Why share this with students:

Many students with experience in foster care have had to rebuild support systems more than once, which can make their networks feel invisible or fragile—even when they're stronger than they realize. Network mapping gives students a concrete way to reflect on who's in their corner, and research on social capital consistently shows that the strength and diversity of a person's network shapes access to opportunity: job leads, emergency support, mentorship, and long-term resources. Helping students map their network now builds a habit of intentional relationship-building they can carry well past graduation.

How to facilitate it (15–20 minutes):

1. Set it up. Hand each student a blank sheet of paper or worksheet with three concentric circles and themselves at the center.
2. Guide the layers. Ask students to fill in:
   • Inner circle: Who would you call at 2 a.m.? (Closest friends, a trusted mentor, a roommate)
   • Middle circle: Who checks in regularly? (A success coach, professor, peer group, RA)
   • Outer circle: What resources can you tap when needed? (Financial aid, career services, alumni network, community orgs)
3. Add texture. For each name or resource, have students note what kind of support it offers—emotional, financial, practical, or professional.
4. Discuss. Use prompts like:
   • What surprised you about your map?
   • Where do you feel most supported? Where do you feel a gap?
   • Who's one person in your middle or outer circle you could reach out to this month?
5. Close with action. Ask each student to commit to one small step—a thank-you text, a coffee invite, or a question they've been meaning to ask someone on their map.

Tips for facilitators:

• Normalize that networks look different for everyone—there's no "right" number of names in any circle.
• If a student's map feels sparse, use it as an opening to connect them with campus or community resources, not a deficit to point out.
• This works well as a one-on-one advising tool or a low-pressure group activity—it doesn't require students to share their full map aloud unless they want to.

Bring it back: Consider revisiting network maps each semester. Watching a network grow over time can be a powerful marker of progress for students to see for themselves.