Geography Awareness Week, November 16-21, 2020

Resources for celebrating #GeographyAwarenessWeek #GeoWeek. We have day-by-day themes you can use to align your content with ours if you wish. Established by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1987, Geography Awareness Week (GAW) is observed the third week in November every year. In 2020, GAW will be November 16-21.

Our Guide to Geo Week Activities contains suggestions for participating in Geography Awareness Week.

Make sure to follow AAG on its channels: @TheAAG on Twitter and Instagram, /geographers on Facebook, and reshare the content we will be offering all week.

#GeoWeek2020 Sample News Statuses document contains suggested text for social media posts, newsletters, blog posts, or other announcements. Please feel free to mix and match from the suggested statuses to post on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn with the images in the Images folder. The Announcement text could be used for a department website, university or company wide announcement, or other blogging platform.

The #GeographersRespond document contains a variety of weblinks to news articles that show how geographers contribute to understanding global change and our world. Please help us amplify the work that geographers do every day by sharing some of these articles or sharing your own on social media using the hashtag #GeographersRespond. (Note: We are converting these items into Twitter statuses for your convenience, and will have the process complete by November 13. But don’t feel obligated to wait; the information is all ready to go)

The Images folder (within the Public Awareness Materials Folder) contains files available to download including Zoom backgrounds and social media post images. The Zoom backgrounds for your virtual meetings and classes throughout the week are labeled: GeoWeek Zoom 1, GeoWeek Zoom 2, and GeoWeek Zoom 3. Social media images are labeled as Geoweek Twitter or Geoweek Instagram. Please use the images labeled Geoweek Main Twitter and Geoweek Main Instagram in your promotions prior to and leading up to Geography Awareness Week. Additional images for you to use during Geography Awareness Week are also included and labeled Geoweek Twitter 1, Geoweek Instagram 1, Geoweek Twitter 2, Geoweek Instagram 2, Geoweek Twitter 3, and Geoweek Instagram 3. *Note: Either the Twitter or the Instagram file will be fine to use on Facebook.

DAY BY DAY THEMES

Monday – What do geographers do?
Introduction to geography and geoliteracy to show facets and disrupt myths and misconceptions about geography. Twitter Chat at 11 am ET on the topic, “What Is Geoliteracy?”

Tuesday – The Interconnected Natural World
Physical geography, climate, disaster preparedness and response, environmental justice.

Wednesday – Cartography and GIS Day
We explore the history of cartography and examine the need for better racial representation in the GIS professions in a Twitter chat, “Who Maps the World?”

Thursday – The World Through Our Eyes
Human and more-than-human geographies, including disability geographies (could tie in with AAAS Entry Point program), animal geographies, viral geographies, QT / gender inclusive geographies, political geographies, etc.

Friday – Borders
Physical borders, social and racial divides, the blurring of public and private space, media geographies, surveillance and ethics, the politics of immigration and nationalism, and more.

Saturday – #GeoGeekery
A day to celebrate the old and the under-known, the “Atlas Obscura” of our week. Trivia, puzzles, old maps and old technologies, lore, myth, and geographical curiosities.