The aim of this page is to help a growing number and diversity of people involved with Citizen Action Networks, find each other easily over time. The map and listings on this page are to help people find theme-based CANs, and support organisations or initiatives. A companion page, map and listing, Citizen Action Networks near you is to help people find place-based CANs. Each of these map pages are accompanied by related video and news pages.

Add CAN support initiative

List of initiatives

Development of CAN support maps

In addition to, or perhaps eventually replacing the above map a series of more localised maps are planned:

Scotland CAN support, South West England CAN support, Rest of UK CAN support, Europe CAN support, North America CAN support, Latin America CAN support, Africa, Asia and Oceania CAN support

CANs as a generic term

CAN is a generic term for new forms that are appearing everywhere. CANs have autonomy and their development can be described as fractal.

Read more

Reflecting what's out there

It's perhaps inevitable that any map such as this one, especially in the early stages of development, will be at best, an extremely partial view of the numbers, richness and diversity that's out there. For example just considering mutual aid alone, Mutual Aid Wiki currently (Sep 2022) lists 5781 mutual aid groups throughout the world.

It's well known that movements wax and wane and will be affected by events such as the global pandemic. The pandemic will have affected both what's out there and any attempts to reflect this in a complex variety of ways, sometimes opposite trends cancelling each other out for example. One of the more positive recent trends perhaps being the proliferation of intergenerational or multigenerational expressions of community agency. We're perhaps increasingly aware that we need to be in this for the long haul.

CAN support map

The map above is experimental and collaborative. Initially the data for the map comes from a small sample of Daily Alternatives articles mentioning CANs, listed below, and the Alternative Global Co-creators network. This will then be added to with similar information on organisations and initiatives identified via the ongoing development of CASwiki. It's hoped that over time we can develop the map through collaboration, people adding CANs (see below).

Add to the map

If you are a Co-creator with The Alternative Global's Co-creator Network you can use the form to add a theme-based CAN, or support organisation or initiative to the map. Otherwise please sign up first via the The Alternative Global website, via the 'Co-create' page.

1. You can add a CAN and location to the map even if no website/link yet, for example if you're a co-creator looking to develop a CAN. You can include your name in the text box.
2. The map is to help people find theme-based CANs or support organisations or initiatives. Please do not include place-based CANs. These can be included on a companion page: Citizen Action Networks near you. Place-based CANs that are also support organisations can be included on both maps.
3. Ideally the map will help people find active theme-based CANs and support organisations or initiatives. Apart from CANs in development this will normally mean signs of activity over the past 12 months. It is recognised that it is useful to also include some links to less recent initiatives for the purposes of reference, research or historical interest.

Existing networks, organisations or initiatives

global or international networks, organisations or initiatives without a specific location can be included in the list below

• civics, the first map of citizen innovation that citizens develop daily throughout Ibero-America. Lists (Oct 2022) 5,866 initiatives, content available under creative commons license. Civic maps are being embedded in many of CASwiki's city and country pages, for example El Salvador and Argentina
• Global Ecovillage Network, global map, ecovillage.org, content available under creative commons license.

From Wikipedia:Global Ecovillage Network

The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is a global association of people and communities (ecovillages) dedicated to living "sustainable plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the environment than is taken. Network members share ideas and information, transfer technologies and develop cultural and educational exchanges.

• Transition Network, charity working "to support the Transition movement, amplify stories of community-led change, and nurture collaborations across difference to challenge us all to reimagine and rebuild our world." Global maps: Transition near me, hubs, Main article: Transition Network
• The Movement for Community-led Development, Members of the Movement for Community-led Development work together to take community-led development to transformative scale, beyond small projects, to a level that transforms society.^[1]