YouthMappers proudly welcomes Ms. Stella Wavamuno Nakacwa as Program Director for YouthMappers’ Everywhere She Maps program and Coordinator of Sponsored Projects at the American Geographical Society. Ms. Wavamuno Nakacwa will be leading AGS’ initiative to support Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) educators.
Ms. Nakacwa will be responsible for leading the Everywhere She Maps program, which is a targeted training program designed to increase women’s participation within the YouthMappers network and rapidly expanding industries that utilize geospatial technologies. Three core activities are being carried out to achieve this goal: a leadership program for women in technology, Everywhere She Maps Regional Ambassadorship, and mapping and geospatial data creation relevant to women’s needs. She will also be coordinating all activities surrounding the AGS Geography Educator Initiative.
Ms. Nakacwa, based in West Virginia, has been actively volunteering and working with YouthMappers for five years, by leading open mapping initiatives, serving as a Leadership Fellow, and training and mentoring students and communities in the use of open geographic data for community development. As a former “Everywhere She Maps Regional Ambassador”, Ms. Nakacwa provided technical support to water and energy mapping projects aimed at providing data insights to improve livelihoods for marginalized communities. She recently earned a Masters in Geography degree from West Virginia University. Regarding Ms. Nakacwa’s appointment, YouthMappers Director and Co-Founder Dr. Patricia Solis said, "on behalf of the YouthMappers Steering Committee, I am incredibly pleased to welcome Stella as our new Everywhere She Maps Program Director. Stella began her journey with YouthMappers as a student member over five years ago and has increasingly taken on more responsibility and higher leadership roles within our network. Her extensive international experience will serve her well in this position."
Through Everywhere She Maps, young women will grow their professional and networking skills and broaden their technical proficiency. Resulting in increased engagement by women in the geospatial industry, leading to a stronger and more accurate representation of half of the world’s population in mapping and geospatial data collection. Because after all — everywhere she maps, she makes a difference!
The American Geographical Society is dedicated to the vision of being the foremost champion of geography for the benefit of society. Through the Geography Educator Initiative, AGS supports a community of Advanced Placement Human Geography teachers. AGS provides no-cost resources to these teachers, including GeoBoost grants, DailyGeo, webinars and videos, lesson plans, and Teacher Fellowships. AGS has partnered with YouthMappers for several years and is committed to furthering the collaboration between the two organizations.
Ms. Nakacwa presenting on YouthMappers and Everywhere She Maps at the ASU Humanities Lab with Natalia Arruda and Dr. Patricia Solis in February 2023.
About The American Geographical Society: The American Geographical Society (AGS) is a 21st-century learning society dedicated to the advancement of geographic thinking, knowledge, and understanding across business, government, academe, social sectors, and most importantly with teachers and students. Established in 1851, AGS is the oldest professional geographical organization in the United States. It is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in geographical research and education for over 170 years. The mission of AGS is to advance and promote geography in business, government, science, and education. Our goal is to enhance the nation’s geographic literacy to engender sound public policy, national security, and human well-being worldwide. AGS seeks to engage the American public, from its youngest to its oldest citizens, with new and amazing ways to understand and characterize our changing world. The Society maintains its headquarters in New York City.
About YouthMappers: YouthMappers is an international consortium of 345 university-student-led campus chapters in 72 countries that uses open geospatial technologies to identify and directly address development challenges worldwide. YouthMappers’ founding institutions are Texas Tech University, The George Washington University, West Virginia University, and Arizona State University is the lead fiscal home. The United States Agency for International Development generously supports YouthMappers through a grant from the US Global Development Lab’s GeoCenter.
Congratulations