# timeline of a map project ## Step by step guideline {% stepper %} {% step %} #### Introduce yourself If you are curious about making your own map, send an e-mail!
USE-IT Europe gives practical support, feedback, a network to fall back on, access to the annual meeting, official membership and lots of fun people to meet and fall back on. It has been there for a long time and over the years, many young local enthusiasts have contacted us! So maybe there’s someone else in your city who is willing to make the map with you. We can also answer all initial questions that you have, and it’s always nice to meet new people, right? → Email us : {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Build your team and make a plan From experience and research, we know that there is a much bigger chance to finish your map if you have a team to work with. It’s also more fun and easier with more people to tell about their favourite places! Ask friends, acquaintances, go to your local university and find other map lovers who want to do this great project with you as a researcher, fundraiser, graphic designer, writer, illustrator or cartographer. After this, you can divide roles and start planning. {% content-ref url="/pages/rmZb2OffRXF7u6u1o1Ea" %} [prepare your project plan](/use-it-wiki/funding-your-project/prepare-your-project-plan.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Find or build your organisation You cannot become a member of USE-IT Europe as a private person. You always need an organisation behind you as the official publisher and legal USE-IT member. Sometimes this organisation is a Youth Information Centre, sometimes it’s a cultural organisation, sometimes it’s a new organisation created especially to publish USE-IT maps. What is important, is that the publishing organisation is different from the funding authorities, to assure your independence. If you choose to create a new organisation, do not call it USE-IT (for legal reasons). Any other name is OK. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Look for money Go and take the temperature with possible funding authorities. Don’t talk to them about money yet, just see if they are interested in our young target group, sustainable travel, and European travel. Make them enthusiastic about the project and jealous of all the other cities with a USE-IT map. What makes your first contacts easier is to show examples of existing maps. USE-IT Europe can send you a package by post. This is the hard bit, but remember that many people managed to get their USE-IT project funded, so you can too! How to convince the big chiefs to contribute money to your project? There is no fixed recipe for this. The most important stakeholder is the local city authority and you should prove to them that USE-IT generates more money than it costs. The project is not for profit, but generates a lot of profit. Read carefully our FUND-IT resources, our impact surveys, and let’s go! {% content-ref url="/pages/cMTd86exiCPtfVG7grAz" %} [finding sponsors](/use-it-wiki/funding-your-project/finding-sponsors.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Become a work in progress When the preparatory work is done, you can become a work in progress on [www.use-it.travel](http://www.use-it.travel) For this you need: * to have a publishing organisation (private persons cannot become a member) * to be sure you will get the minimum budget * to be sure you will publish within half a year At this point, you will receive access to the online platform, where you will find the structure and resources for your map project, as well as a place to upload everything you create. You will also be added to the Whatsapp community of the network, where we discuss USE-IT related (or not) topics and help each other. It is also a great place to get some off the cuff travel tips. Some countries also have national groups that can help you on local purposes. During the map making process, and before getting the President approval for printing, you will sign the cooperation agreement with USE-IT Europe and pay your membership fee. Only after this your map will be shown online on [www.use-it.travel](http://www.use-it.travel) and your organisation will officially be a member of USE-IT Europe for the next 18 months! {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Install the mailbox Every USE-IT city has an email address like , , etc. USE-IT Europe will provide this and add your e-mail addresses as a forwarding address. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Start researching Go to the tourist info centre and hostels and check the maps and brochures that they give to young travellers. This is useful documentation, especially when you have to convince people to fund the project. It is important to know that there is nothing like USE-IT already and it is equally important to prove that you did good research. Find out all about places in your city, interview young people about where they like to go, organise crowdsourcing events, and use social media to select things to tip in your city. In this step, you can also look into your city’s history, local customs and hot topics. What would you show people who come to visit you from abroad? That’s what we want to know. {% content-ref url="/pages/33MErWqsPMzzktAregXM" %} [how to collect info: tips from mapmakers](/use-it-wiki/editorial-style-guide/how-to-collect-info-tips-from-mapmakers.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Write your map Write your map text! For tips, look at our Style Guide or ask the editor in chief to check your first few pages through the online platform. After that, you can add text to a template we provide you with, so that it is in the right format to upload on the online platform later. Once you’re done, the editor in chief will check all your text and give you useful feedback to improve. The last version can be sent to your graphic designer to start the map layout phase. {% content-ref url="/pages/nlWjibFiHdob9I29jidk" %} [EDITORIAL STYLE GUIDE](/use-it-wiki/editorial-style-guide/about-the-soul-of-the-city.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Design your map Find the perfect illustrator and graphic designer, think of strong visual elements that represent your city and the atmosphere you want to give to your map: make it look as great as your city does! Choose a theme, look for inspiration, show how proud you are of where you come from. Do not forget to prepare a clear brief for them as well as a list of all the elements they need to create: not only the paper map, but also the digital map assets. {% content-ref url="/pages/zIMNbwowb4DzELEY1WTj" %} [MAP DESIGN](/use-it-wiki/map-design/cartography.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Publish your map With our new online platform, things are super easy: you get the last feedback from the editor-in-chief, the final GO for printing from our president, and with a simple click, your digital map will also be available on the world wide web! {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Distribute Once your map is printed, your work isn’t done yet! You want people to see the beautiful map you made. Distribution can be done in your own city, of course, and that is the first thing you should think about. Do you want to put them in every location on your map, or just in some key distribution points? Are there hotels, hostels, b\&b’s you can bring them to? And also don’t forget international organisations like universities, music venues, festivals, museums… A lot of people could use your map and spread the word!\ \ Next up is the distribution in our network. We provide you with a list of cities around you to send the map to, and you can bring boxes to our annual European meeting, to make sure the map is available in the rest of Europe. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Create some Buzz Tell people about your project and show it to the world! Make an Instagram or TikTok page, share some photos of your map, your team, the places on the map, your city… You can call your social media pages USE-IT \[YOURCITY]. {% content-ref url="/pages/irQU4n8Lw5OwvmdUxHNa" %} [make it buzzzz](/use-it-wiki/communication/make-it-buzzzz.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Get involved in the USE-IT community After you’ve joined us and worked on your map, there are so many other activities within USE-IT you can take part in! Initiate European learning projects for youth and youth workers, organise an international USE-IT meeting, step into the board, make plans for more sustainable tourism projects… There is always something to do and it gives you a great chance to gain international work experience and meet many new people you can visit all over Europe. {% content-ref url="/pages/xJvnPKSwjE5npg94DcA9" %} [what does USE-IT Europe do?](/use-it-wiki/about-use-it-europe/what-does-use-it-europe-do.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ## Do not forget these basic advices! Many young people contact USE-IT Europe because they want to make a map of their own city. Visit bars, collect stories, write no-nonsense texts... That sounds like a fun job. It is, actually! Follow these five rules and you'll get there!
SHOW SOME BALLS! Never hesitate to talk to people who make decisions. Drink coffee with the boss of the local youth info centre, meet the head of the tourist office, email the youth or tourism minister. They are the people who make decisions. Explain what you want to do, show some passion and don’t talk immediately talk about money. Remember: you can provide a service for them too!
BE SMART! The major issue for USE-IT is continuity. If you’re smart, you cooperate with an existing organisation to provide some structure for the future. If you do everything yourself, what will happen when you leave next year for a world trip? Share the project, make sure it’s supported by other locals as well.
DON'T BE PATIENT! Don’t expect to get your full budget from the beginning. But that should not stop you from getting started. Mapping the city is just fun to do. In some cases, you get money more easily by showing the work that you have already done.
USE YOUR FRIENDS! Creative people are usually terrible at doing business. However, the most successful USE-ITs are those with a good mix between creativity and coordination. So if you’re only interested in the content and the layout, look for the right friend to write applications and take care of the business side.
TALK TO US! Don’t play solo. Other USE-IT members had the same questions about how to select places, how to create a good layout etc. So mail or ask for feedback from the other members. And don’t worry: you’re not the only city where it’s hard to get taken seriously as a young cool person. Just learn from the others.
*** {% hint style="success" %} *EXPLORE OUR RESOURCES*\ → [The Timeline](https://prezi.com/p/ccgc-jb5-hsx/timeline/) by FUND-IT team {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://use-it.gitbook.io/use-it-wiki/get-started/timeline-of-a-map-project.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.