Map the System Canada 2024
Map the System 2024 was held in Calgary, where 20 institutions gathered over the course of 4 days.
Canadian Final
On May 27th, 6 teams competed in the 2024 Canadian Final at the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University in Calgary for an opportunity to win cash prizes.
Showcase Document
Get a glimpse of what Canadian Students are interested in! The Map the System Canada 2024 Finalists Showcase contains the visual systems maps and project overviews of all 20 Map the System Canada 2024 teams.
Top 6 Canadian Finalists
These students were chosen to present at the 2024 Canadian Final event. The video of their presentations can be found above on YouTube
Breaking the Cycle of Hate: A System Analysis of Anti-LGBTQ Sentiment in Indonesia
The research investigates the complex challenges confronting Indonesia's LGBT community amidst widespread intolerance and discrimination. Through personal experiences, academic literature, and activist testimonies, I explore the multifaceted dynamics at play. One significant finding emerges: international intervention, though well-intentioned, inadvertently exacerbates anti-LGBT sentiment. Moreover, political opportunism fuels this sentiment, underlining the need for nuanced interventions to counter discriminatory legislation and promote social inclusion. These findings underscore the importance of addressing both external and internal factors in tackling the pervasive issues faced by Indonesia's LGBT community.
1st Place
Over-representation of Indigenous Women in Canadian Prisons
My work explores the troubling reality that Indigenous women, despite comprising just 5% of Canada’s adult female population, make up over 50% of women incarcerated in federal prisons—a figure that continues to rise. This study is driven by a need to understand why this overrepresentation persists despite decades of reports and interventions. Through mapping and evaluating the systems at play, I’ve sought to uncover how colonial power structures continue to inform the criminal justice system, perpetuating these injustices. By focusing on Kitchener/Waterloo, where the Grand Valley Institute, Canada’s largest federal prison for women, is located, I aim to identify entry points for local change. This research reflects my journey as a newcomer to Canada, eager to understand its reconciliation efforts. Through interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners, and a focus on Indigenous-led research, I’ve come to realize that the core issue lies in the disconnection from Indigenous community and culture, perpetuated first by colonial policies and now by the justice and child welfare systems. This project underscores the need for decolonization and the importance of community-based, culturally sensitive solutions that foster healing and resilience among Indigenous women.
2nd Place
Dehumanization of Housing: from a Fundamental Need to a Commodity
Our study explores the housing crisis in Sherbrooke, highlighting its neglected human dimension and the limits of the current "build more housing" approach. We have identified underlying factors such as the power dynamics of economic actors, the perception of housing as a financial asset rather than a right, and social exclusion. Ultimately, our research aims to demonstrate the need to break with capitalist logic in order to end the housing crisis and restore a measure of social justice.
3rd Place
Promoting Access and Acceptance of Gender Affirming Care
My research explores the concept of gender affirming care a crucial intervention for transgender and gender diverse individuals, to seek comfort and belonging within their own bodies, and within society. This research also explores present day barriers and misconceptions, ending with calls to action for continued support for gender affirming care. Lack of education and discriminatory policies remain key issues in accessing care, and community- level support and services triumphs as the main access point for this care.
4th Place & Individual Entry Award
Positive Psychology and the Implementation of Distributed Energy Resources in New Brunswick
The team explored the addition of distributed energy resources in the New Brunswick power system. They used both primary and secondary research methods to learn more about the system under study. Specifically, they interviewed professionals from the provincial utility and researchers at the University of New Brunswick, and read recent local news articles on topics surrounding the system. They found that not only are there underlying structures within the system, such as the carbon tax, that are introducing resistance to change, but there are also mental models that lie at the foundation of society that are maintaining the system’s behaviour. For example, the expectation that power should be generated far from load centers increases the resistance to making changes to the power system that may modify that model of power generation.
Excellence in Systems Research Award
Employment Discontinuities Among International Community College Students in Ontario
The study delves into the challenges faced by international community college students in Ontario as they transition from education to meaningful employment. The study highlights the need for systemic changes, stakeholder collaboration, stable and inclusive policies, and a holistic approach to mitigate these challenges and align academic achievements with employment opportunities
Excellent Undergraduate/Diploma Project Award
Award Winners
These students are recognized for the Excellence Award in each exceptional skillset area.
Disproportionate Rates of Indigenous Incarcerations in Canada
The disproportionate rate of Indigenous incarceration is a prevalent issue within the Canadian justice system. In the following report, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the interconnected societal factors that underlie this issue which include identifying relevant stakeholders, discerning gaps within contemporary solution frameworks, and proposing levers of change that address the issue at a systemic level. We opted for a narrative synthesis approach, incorporating the work of Indigenous scholars and interdisciplinary analyses, and constructed meta-analytical figures using diverse sources. In investigating the root causes of this issue, it becomes evident that colonial frameworks of oppression, which contribute to loss of culture, poor mental health determinants, poverty, and inequitable land ownership, must be dismantled to promote systemic reform. We suggest that preventative youth programming, culturally-informed rehabilitation services, economically collectivist models of land ownership, and Indigenous self-determination are tangible solutions that can lower rates of Indigenous incarceration and recidivism in Canada.
Excellence in Systems Research
Systemic Barriers Restricting the Accessibility of Post Secondary Education; Inequality, Inaccessibility and Intersectionality of Educational Systems and their Preservation within the Context of Alberta
Our research explores inaccessibility of post secondary education within the context of Alberta through an intersectional lens. Through primary research such as interviews as well as secondary research including literary review, analysis of government reports, educational acts, journal articles and statistics, we uncovered the trend that all elements and barriers within the system can ultimately be traced back to roots of racism, colonialism, sexism, ableism, homophobia,and many other socially constructed systems of oppression. The results provided a general framework to view the system in terms of three main categories of forces contributing to educational barriers; social, environmental and financial. These topics can further be understood by their relation to societal conditions, power and practices, as well as impact on communities.
Excellence in Systems Mapping
Evil Scars on Roads: Risk Perception, Major Factors, and Survivors’ Narratives of Road Accidents in Bangladesh
I did qualitative research on road accident factors and road users’ behaviours in Bangladesh. My research specifically examined the perceptions of risks, major contributing factors of road accidents which is one of the leading causes of death in Bangladesh. Along with identifying major factors, I have also documented personal experience narratives of road accident survivors that ultimately provide a cautionary tale for others to promote safe road use. I also photographed roadside memorials as representing material expressions of trauma, grief, and survival, which also convey safety messages to road users. Overall, my research recommends developing an inclusive context-driven intervention approach to limit road accidents in Bangladesh.
Excellence in Systems Collaborations
Canadian Finalists 2024 Participants
These students were the participating institutions’ finalists who shared their 10-minute presentation at the Canadian semi-finals.
Exploring the impact of digital health on racialized communities in Ontario, Canada.
We mapped coffee’s entire map, from plantation to something way further than waste.
Decreasing farmer (Small & Average)- returns is a serious problem since it affects rural lives, food security, and sustainable agriculture.
The project outlines the system and challenges associated with providing hospitalized children equitable education in Quebec.
The research examined the challenges faced by widows in India, exploring root causes like the caste system, patriarchy, and religious beliefs.
Delving into the multifaceted issue of affordable housing in Halifax and extensively Canada, while drawing comparisons to other nations in hopes of finding what could work as solutions
The information covered within this report discusses the environmental, societal, and health-related effects of urban sprawl on the City of Edmonton and the variety of stakeholders.
This research explores the profound effects of Vancouver’s housing affordability crisis on students at the University of British Columbia.
We examined underemployment among immigrants in Canada, investigating factors such as credential recognition, racial discrimination, and systemic barrier.
We will base our research mainly in peer reviewed articles and trusted sources so that the statistics and information we are analyzing is the truth.
We chose to focus our system map on the social determinants of health pertaining to communities close to/centred around resource extraction. We map health inequities involving everything from social health, financial and economic stability, cost of living etc.