YouthMappers reach out to schools

While YouthMappers is a network of university students, we are also keen on reaching out to secondary schools to reinforce pathways leading to higher education, including fields that contribute to open mapping for resilience. Participating in geospatial mapping tasks and learning about geography is a particularly meaningful way that YouthMappers chapters are reaching out to their communities to build capacity for making a difference.

Recently, schools in Texas and in South Africa took part in remote mapping on tasks requested by USAID and the Peace Corps, to support planning for malaria prevention in Mozambique. Some of the students from Lubbock to Pretoria were even able to talk by Skype to share technical hints and learn more about each other.

A total of 55 South African and 75 Texan kids participated. We estimate more than 15,000 edits were made by the student groups to OpenStreetMap. The Texas Tech University and University of Pretoria YouthMappers chapters led these events.

Student participants were from: University of Pretoria, Texas Tech University, Leeuwenhof Academy, Plano East Senior High, Lubbock High School, Estacado High School, Hobbs High School.

Thanks to: Nathan Collins, Rosalyn Miller, Frikan Erwee, Victoria Rautenbach, Sean Cullen, Tshepo Mahubu, Serena Coetzee, Linda Jones, Nwasi Menkiti, Issac Colmenero, Nayara Vasconcelos, Ike Flores, Elizabeth McCartney, Patricia Solís.