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Kapok - Keeping Acts of Public Observation Known

A community-mapped record of lived conditions, shared openly to support transparency, resilience, and local decision-making.

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Why Construct Kapok?

 

I am Shane “Spike” Desloges, a first-generation Jamaican Canadian and 13th-generation French Canadian. I returned to Jamaica on November 11, 2025, for the first time since 1991, when I last visited with my mother, Jennifer Monteith.

 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, the Canadian Jamaican Relief Team was formed in response to conditions observed on the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That experience revealed the need for a clearer, community-driven record of lived conditions—leading to the creation of Kapok..

 

  • Many real conditions are experienced daily but never formally recorded.

  • Public systems often measure outputs, not lived reality.

  • Observation is not complaint; it is evidence when shared collectively.

  • Visibility precedes accountability, planning, and repair.

 

Kapok exists to make everyday conditions visible through the people who live with them. It does not predict outcomes or promise services.

 

It creates a shared record of what is working, what is strained, and what is missing—across water, power, roads, health, housing, and community life.

 

When individual observations are gathered consistently and mapped openly, patterns emerge without interpretation or agenda.

 

Kapok’s role is to hold space for those observations so communities, organizations, and decision-makers can no longer claim they did not know.

CANOPY

HEATMAP

Show overall conditions at a glance, by place.

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PARISH

SCORECARD

Break the big picture into specific strengths and gaps.

NATIONAL

COMPARATOR

Place the local experience in national context.

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TEMPORAL

GROWTH

Show direction of change over time

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PERSPECTIVE

DIAL

Show how reality changes depending on who you ask.

GOAL :

500 valid survey entries per parish
 
This is the minimum threshold required for a parish to be considered map-complete for the five output examples below.

The 26 images labeled "KAPOK" link to typeforms created .

Your participation in this phase is absolutely anonymous and
zero personal information is collected.

MAP VALIDATION

Community insight into local population levels, density, and change based on lived experience in Jamaican neighborhoods.

Kapok 01

Population Density (per km²)

Records observed population concentration within a defined area to provide context for infrastructure demand, service access, and resource strain across the Kapok map.

Kapok 02

Process Participation

Tracks the level of survey participation and completion across an area to indicate data coverage, reliability, and overall engagement within the Kapok mapping process.

Measures community participation, voice, and how represented people feel in local decision-making.

BASIC LIVING

Tracks reliability and availability of household water and its impact on daily life.

Kapok 03

Water Access

Captures observed access to potable and non-potable water sources, including reliability, distance, and consistency, as experienced in daily community use.

Kapok 04

Power Reliability

Records observed availability and consistency of electrical power, including outages, duration, and predictability affecting daily life and services.

Captures how often electricity is available and how outages affect homes, work, and safety.
Community assessment of road quality, accessibility, and daily transportation challenges.

Kapok 05

Road Condition

Assesses observed road quality, maintenance, and passability, including impacts on transportation, safety, and access to services.

Kapok 06

Internet & Cell Signal

Captures observed availability and reliability of internet and mobile connectivity used for communication, work, education, and emergency access.

Evaluates internet and mobile signal strength and how connectivity affects learning and work.
Observations on garbage collection, sewage handling, and cleanliness in the community.

Kapok 07

Waste & Sanitation

Records observed waste management practices, sanitation access, and environmental cleanliness affecting health and daily living conditions.

HEALTH & SAFETY 

Assesses access to clinics, doctors, and basic healthcare when people need it.

Kapok 08

Clinic & Hospital Access

Captures observed access to clinics and hospitals, including distance, availability, operating status, and barriers to receiving care.

Kapok 09

Emergency Response Time

Records observed emergency response availability and response times for medical, fire, or disaster-related incidents.

Community perspective on how quickly emergency services respond to accidents or crises.
Captures how safe residents feel in their neighborhood during the day and at night

Kapok 10

Public Safety Perception

Assesses perceived safety based on lived experience, including crime presence, policing visibility, and general sense of personal security.

Kapok 11

Hurricane Shelter Access

Captures observed access to hurricane or disaster shelters, including distance, capacity, condition, and public awareness.

Measures awareness, access, and usability of hurricane shelters in emergency situations.
Maps flood-prone areas based on lived experience of water movement and damage.

Kapok 12

Flood Risk

Records observed flood exposure, frequency, and impact based on lived experience rather than predictive modeling.

EDUCATION & YOUTH 

Evaluates whether young children can realistically attend primary school in the area.

Kapok 13

Primary School Access

Records observed access to primary schools within a community, including presence, distance, and general availability.

Kapok 14

 Secondary School Access

Captures observed access to secondary schools, noting availability and proximity as experienced by residents.

Community view on teen access to secondary school and continuity of education.
Tracks availability of safe, positive youth programs outside the classroom.

Kapok 15

Youth Programs

Records the observed presence or absence of organized youth programs within the community.

Kapok 16

Digital Learning

Captures observed access to digital learning resources and opportunities within the community.

Assesses whether students can participate in online learning and what barriers exist.

MOBILITY & ECONOMIC FLOW 

Community insight into access to trades, job training, and skill-building opportunities.

Kapok 17

Jobs & Markets

Records observed presence of jobs, markets, and economic activity within the community.

Kapok 18

 Public Transport

Captures observed availability and presence of public transportation options used within the community.

Documents reliability and availability of public transportation for daily movement.
Maps how goods move into, out of, and between communities and markets.

Kapok 19

 Trade Routes

Records observed trade routes used for the movement of goods and services within and between areas.

Kapok 20

Building Materials

Captures observed availability of building materials within the community.

Assesses access, affordability, and practicality of building materials locally.

GOVERNANCE & RECOVERY

Identifies what communities say matters most right now, based on lived experience.

Kapok 21

Community Priorities

Records observed community-identified priorities as expressed or demonstrated within the local area.

Kapok 22

Infrastructure Damage

Captures observed damage to infrastructure within the community.

Captures damage to roads, buildings, utilities, and critical infrastructure.
Observes how local leadership functions and who steps up when action is needed

Kapok 23

Local Leadership

Records observed presence of local leadership within the community.

Kapok 24

Aid Activity

Captures observed aid-related activity occurring within the community.

Tracks aid presence, frequency, and whether help reaches those who need it.

1LOVE 1BEACH 

BOB MARLEY DAY OF SERVICE

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1LOVE 1BEACH — Grenada

Bob Marley Day of Service | Beach Observation Survey

This short survey invites you to share what you see on Grenada’s beaches today.
We’re gathering real, on-the-ground observations about cleanliness, access, and community care.

There are no right or wrong answers.
Your response helps make beach conditions visible and supports local stewardship, cleanup efforts, and long-term protection.

One Love. One Beach. One shared responsibility.

1LOVE 1BEACH — Jamaica

Bob Marley Day of Service | Beach Observation Survey

This short survey invites you to share what you see on Jamaica’s beaches today.
We’re gathering real, on-the-ground observations about cleanliness, access, and community care.

There are no right or wrong answers.
Your response helps make beach conditions visible and supports local stewardship, cleanup efforts, and long-term protection.

One Love. One Beach. One shared responsibility.

Kapok Jamaica Beaches.png
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