Literacy is the cornerstone of society. When compared to the components of reading, writing and numeracy, the needs and abilities of children in relation to graphicacy, "the educated counterpart of the visual-spatial aspect of human intelligence and communication"(1976, Balchin, p. 33), a component of which is mapping, has received relatively little attention.

Today, however, at an international level there appears to be an increasing interest, particularly by developing nations, in looking at the nature and status of map and mapping needs for children. There has been the recognition that map creation is no longer the domain of the professional cartographer. With the introduction and proliferation of desktop computers, in school and at home, in both the "developed world and developing world", the diversity of available graphic software and the explosion of the Internet, there is the need for cartographers to take an active role in the education of non-professionals.

International Cartographic Association (ICA)

The world authoritative body for cartography, "the discipline dealing with the conception, production, dissemination and study of maps" is the International Cartographic Association (ICA, 2002). Every four years, at a general assembly, ICA member nations elect an Executive (President, Secretary and Vice-presidents) and approve the existence of "specialty" Commissions and Working Groups (currently 17). Each has a mandate and terms of reference. One of the Vice-presidents acts as the liaison between a Commission or Working Group and the ICA Executive. Most of the ICA's goals are achieved through the work of the commission members and their findings are disseminated through conferences and seminars.

In 1993, the ICA Executive created the Barbara Petchenik Award as a memorial to Barbara Petchenik, the first woman Vice-president of the ICA. Throughout her life as a cartographer, Barbara Petchenik had worked with maps related to children. The contest's aim is to promote of the creative representation of the world in graphic form by children. The first competition, held in Cologne in 1993, was positively received. This prompted, in 1994, a joint Canada-Brazil survey to investigate the international level of interest and support in a formal working group concerned with children's graphic literacy, and children's' relationships with maps in this period of changing technology. This was also was positively received (1995, Anderson and Vasconcellos). At the ICA's general assembly, in Barcelona on September 9, 1995, the "Cartography and Children" Working Group, with its mandate and terms of reference (Appendix A) came into existence. The 1991-1995 ICA Achievements Report (Wood, 1995) recognized the increasing encouragement of children's involvement with maps, through the Barbara Petchenik World Map Competition, as an important new direction of the ICA. At the ICA General Assembly in Ottawa, 1999, the Cartography and Children Working Group became a Commission with a new mandate and terms of references (Appendix B).

Mandates/Achievements

The Cartography and Children Working Group's 1995-1999 mandate was "To improve general cartographic literacy by enriching the understanding of the relationships children have with map" (Appendix A). The terms of reference focused on elementary education -- for students 12 years and less. They were concerned with: creating a bibliography of people with an interest in, and working in the area of children and mapping; exploring both the nature of mapping instruction in different countries and the preparation of preliminary guidelines for encouraging children's interactions with maps' spatial concepts using both traditional and new technologies. The ICA Executive added the responsibility of preparing draft guidelines for the international judging criteria of the Barbara Petchenik Award.

The 1999-2003 mandate to, "improve general cartographic literacy by promoting the discussion about, awareness of, and research into the problems related to children as map makers and map users" (Appendix B), extends the Commission's work to all children (less than 18 years of age). Building upon the previous mandate, the current terms of reference place more emphasis on the international and national sharing of different experiences and issues associated with the spatial problems and concerns of children.

Inventory of people working in areas related to map and mapping needs of children

Many people representing numerous countries have expressed an interest in the work of the Cartography and Children Working Group and Commission (CCWG/C). These include government representatives, academics in the field of cartography, education, and psychology, teachers and product developers. With the exception of Brazil - a country where there is a very active group concerned with maps and mapping for children, most countries have only one or two individuals interested in aspects of children and mapping. The CCWG/C has tried to identify the people working in areas related to the map and mapping needs of children, and to disseminate this information along with the wide range of research topics that they encompass.

Responses to a "snail" mailed survey, conducted by the Working Group, provided the basis for identifying people working in or with an interest in the area of mapping and children. An inventory containing name, address, and areas of interest (age group and subject matter) was prepared (in paper format). A web version of this directory, with information on more than 70 individuals from 33 countries was also prepared. Currently, plans are underway to maintain and build upon this database, placed at this site: http://lazarus.elte.hu/ccc/ccc.htm.

Bibliography

One of the terms of reference, for both the Working Group and Commission, concerned the creation and dissemination of a selected bibliography on topic/subject areas related to mapping and children which was to include references related to the various technologies appropriate to generating cartographic images as well as issues associated with resolving solving spatial problems. Following much discussion, the production of a standard bibliography has proved unworkable. Patrick Wiegand has prepared a bibliography of works in English, which can be accessed via the CCC www site. Work is in progress to identify other existing online bibliographies, in other languages, as well as to encourage individuals to submit references electronically by e-mail , a www form or as a typed list.

Since 1995 there have been Cartography and Children sessions at ICA conferences as well as Commission and collaborative Joint Commissions' seminar, many with published proceedings (Table 1). A bibliography of the works relating to cartography and children (presented papers, posters and workshops etc.), together with many of the abstracts, is currently being prepared for www dissemination through the CCC site. The works reveal a plethora of topics that are related to enhancing the abilities of children and teachers as makers and users of maps, to solve a variety of spatial problems of concern to children. These include theoretical issues and concerns associated with cartographic literacy, teaching philosophies, international teaching practices and classroom experiences, teaching materials (notably atlases) and the nature and role and impact of changing technology and multimedia advances.

Barbara Petchenik Children's World Map Competition

"The aims of the competition are to promote children's creative representation of the world, to enhance their cartographic awareness and to make them more conscious of their environment" (http://icaci.org). Since its inception and the first competition in 1993, many students from 4 to 16 years from more than 47 countries have submitted graphics on many subjects using diverse mediums (e.g., pen, ink, crayon, charcoal, watercolours, acrylic paint, embroidery, collages etc), on materials that have included, paper, card, pottery and stone. Many of the submissions and winners can be viewed at Carleton University (Canada).

The CCWG/C has expended a great amount of energy in connection with the revision of the competition's initial rules and guidelines, the preparation of international judging criteria and providing (to the Executive of the ICA) responsibilities and procedural suggestions, for both the Executive and National Coordinators. Detailed information about the competition can be found on the official ICA www site (http//icaci.org). The changes to the rules and guidelines, over the last six years, are the result of discussions at seminars in Sweden (1997), Montreal and Ottawa (1999), as well as responses to an 1997 international survey (1999, Anderson), request for feedback via the ICA Newsletter, ande-mail correspondence. The changes include the recognition of awards for different age groups and the movement to more focused themes. The identification and documentation of the judging rules has made the competition's cartographic components more transparent. The entries displayed at ICA conferences, held every two years, always attract a large audience. Since 1997 a "public's favourite award", (decided by a ballot) has been given by the conference host country. In keeping with the times and the nature of competitions, a monetary award of $50.U.S will accompany each the 2003 Durban ICA Awards.

Many of the CCWG/C members have been very active in the organization of the national events from which the maps sent to the international competition are chosen. A draft teachers guide (Barbara Petchenik Teachers Handbook) prepared by Henry Castner, provides information about the competition and identifies basic mapping concepts and how participation in the competition could be integrated into subjects such as mathematics and the liberal arts in the school curriculum. This is available on the CCC www site.

Summary: Children and Map Use

Very few presentations or published papers on this topic can be found in the proceedings or publications of the International Cartographic Association prior to 1995 when the International Cartographic Association "Cartography and Children" Working Group was officially created. This is slowly changing. Current technological changes are having a profound impact on cartographic practices and products. The children of today are our greatest resource for tomorrow. Cartographers need to become more involved in aiding the development of graphic and spatial literacy in today's children. This, however, requires the wider dissemination of research and finding, theoretical and applied, on issues relating to children's map and mapping needs. While the Barbara Petchenik World Map Design Competition is a means of fostering a greater awareness of and involvement with mapping, the CCWG/C provides an international forum for interested individuals, working on topics pertinent to maps and mapping for children, to communicate, discuss and exchange information. The work of the CCWG/C is in its infancy - its creation can be likened to a small pebble being thrown into a large pond. Hopefully, over time it will have a similar effect - with more and more people, becoming involved in reducing children's graphic illiteracy.

References:

Anderson, J. M. (1999) "The Barbara Petchenik Children's Map Award - QUO VADIS?". Proceedings of the 19th International Conference and the 11th General Assembly of the International Cartographic Association, Ottawa 14-21, Session 45-A, 10 pages.

Anderson, J. M. and Vasconcellos R. (1997) "Maps For and By Children: Possible Contributions by Cartographers". Proceedings of the 18th International Cartographic Conference, Sweden, 384-392.

_______. (1995) "Cartography and Children: a Report on the Formation of a Proposed Working Group of the International Cartographic Association (IC)". Cartografia e Cadastro (2) 77-78.

Balchin, W.G.V (1976) "Graphicacy". American Cartographer, 13 (1) 33-38.

ICA (2002) <>accessed 15 June 2002.

_______ (2000) "Teaching Maps for Children: Theories, Experiences and Perspectives Beginning the 3rd Millennium" Proceedings of the ICA Cartography and Children Conference". Budapest, Hungary, September 6-8.

_______ (1999 a) "International Cartographic Association Organization and Activities 1995-2003". Nederlandse Verenig-ing voor Kartografie, Number 30.

_______ (1999b) "Exploring How Elementary Children Can Discover Concepts Basic to the Understanding of Maps and their Usage for Inventory, Analysis and Discussion." Proceedings of the Cartography and Children Working Group, and the Commission on Gender. Montreal, Canada, August 10-12.

_______ (1998) "Maps for Special Users." Proceedings of the Joint Seminar of the ICA Commission on Maps and Graphics for the Blind and Visually-Impaired People, ICA Commission on Gender in Cartography and the ICA Working Group on Cartography, Wroclaw, Poland, June 2-4.

_______(1995) "Cartographic Association Organization and Activities 1995-1999." Comite Francais de Cartographie International, Bulletin Number 150.

_______ (1996) "Cognitive Maps, Children and Education in Cartography." Proceedings of the ICA Commissions and Working Groups (Commission on Education and Training, Commission on Theoretical Fields and Definitions, Commission on Map Use and the Working Group on Cartography and Children). Japan, Gifu, November 8 - 10,

Wood, M. (1995) ICA Achievements of the ICA.

Appendix A: Terms of Reference 1995-1999 ICA "Cartography and Children Working Group"

Mandate:

To improve general cartographic literacy by enriching the understanding of the relationships children have with maps.

The terms of reference for this Working Group are:

• To identify people working in the area of mapping and children (or who are interested in this subject area) and prepare and make available an inventory of these people (in digital and paper format) containing their names, addresses, and areas of interest.
• To prepare for dissemination a select bibliography on topic/subject areas related to mapping and children. This will include the nature and impact of the new technologies such as multimedia.
• To survey and document the nature of mapping instruction that elementary children receive in different countries (e.g., the sequence of the introduction of map skills, nature of the instructional materials, problems encountered, etc.).
• To prepare a draft, for possible publication, of preliminary guidelines for encouraging children's interaction with maps, and introducing children to maps and spatial concepts through both traditional methods and the new technologies.
• To prepare, for the Executive of the ICA, draft guidelines for the International judging criteria of the Barbara Petchenik Children's Map Award.

Appendix B: Terms of Reference1999-2002 ICA "Cartography and Children Commission"

Mandate:

To improve general cartographic literacy by promoting the discussion about, awareness of, and research into the problems related to children as map makers and map users.

The terms of reference for this Commission are:

• To maintain and build upon the commission's existing international data base of people working or with interests in mapping and children so that this inventory can be made available on the World Wide Web, in digital or paper format.
• To enlarge the commission's select bibliography on topics related to mapping and children and the various technologies appropriate to generating cartographic images and solving spatial problems.
• To organize regional workshops or conferences to promote the sharing of national and regional perspectives and experiences on the pedagogues and technologies that can enhance the abilities of children and teachers as users of maps to solve a variety of spatial problems of concern to children. Summaries of these events can be disseminated through various ICA publications and on the Working Group's web site.
• To develop closer links with other international bodies concerned with children. These would include the IGU Commission on Geographic Education, UNESCO, and UNICEF.
• To assist the Executive of the ICA in the preparation of guidelines, and the organization of the Barbara Petchenik International Children's Map Competition.
• Post conference added the ICA Executive e-mail: To identify and provide copies of materials for archiving (Working Group 1995 - 1999, Commission 1999-2003).