Introduction Leadership often begins with a question: How can we use what we know to serve the communities around us, and how can we change the community with what we have? When I assumed office as President of the KNUST YouthMappers Chapter (2024–2025), I carried a strong passion for community engagement, environmental sanitation, and climate action. As a geospatial community enthusiast, I believed our work and activities should go beyond mapping and translate into visible i

On September 20, 2025, our team, KabU YouthMappers from Kabale University, joined hundreds of youths across Africa and the Caribbean for the MAP&CLEAN Challenge, a collaborative initiative with Yoma, UNICEF, Generation Unlimited, and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT). Where We Made a Difference We focused our efforts around Kabale Town, working in the areas captured in our shared digital map: https://umap.hotosm.org/en/map/chatmap_960. The map pinpoints exactly where

When I reflect on my journey this year, I see two worlds converging: my leadership experience with YouthMappers and my participation in the Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) on Public Policy, under the Kansas Women's Leadership Institute (KWLI) at the University of Kansas. While SUSI was not focused specifically on mapping or geospatial data, it deeply shaped how I understand leadership and community impact. In many ways, my role in YouthMappers prepared me to fully embrace

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding. In January 2023, I began my journey as a freshman studying Geography and Regional Planning at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. As a "tabula rasa" student, I arrived on campus eager to explore new opportunities. During my first lecture, various student groups introduced themselves, promoting different academic societies. One group, however, stood o

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding. My adventure with University of Malawi YouthMappers Chapter (UNIMA) began in 2022 when I first joined the University of Malawi. As a new student, I was eager to explore opportunities and contribute meaningfully. Little did I know then that this organization would become such a significant part of my university life and personal growth. When I first join

Acknowledgement: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding. Collaborative mapping incorporates a new perspective of access, use and application of cartographic science tools and methods through the numerous interface possibilities made possible by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which opens new horizons for the act of mapping, so that users of products and applications in the field of geotechn

Acknowledgement: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding. Returning with Purpose After being selected as a YouthMappers representative from Nigeria to attend the prestigious 2024 YouthMappers Leadership Fellowship Summit in Thailand, I returned home with renewed drive and passion to document my experience and inspire others. The summit was not merely an event; it was a transformative experience. Surrounded by

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding YouthMappers, a global network of university-led students is always dedicated to building resilient communities of efficient mappers. Having faith in the objective of building mappers, not just maps, Nishan K. Aryal, the regional ambassador of the Asia-Pacific region embarked on a mission to establish YouthMappers throughout different universities across

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding Disaster response and rescue operations in Nepal improved after a major earthquake hit the country in 2015. Several organizations in the country have been working to strengthen the response and rescue operations in any fortunate incidents. Following a recent earthquake that hit Jajarkot, a rural district of Nepal, the YouthMappers community in Nepal also

Agradecimiento: Esta publicación se retrasó y podría contener información desactualizada. Agradecemos su comprensión. Photo by: YouthMappers - USAID Iniciar el 2024 con el YouthMappers Leadership Fellowship ha sido una experiencia inolvidable para nosotros, Paula y José, representantes del capítulo YouthMappers UNA. Durante diez días en Tailandia, junto a jóvenes de todo el mundo, exploramos el potencial de la cartografía abierta para enfrentar desafíos sociales y ambientales

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding When I first received the invitation to speak at the Indo-Pacific Environmental Security Forum , my initial reaction was pure excitement. I’ve been fortunate to present at various conferences, but this one felt different right from the start. I eagerly checked through the event's details, and then it hit me—the forum would be held in Fiji. I was complete

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding YouthMappers Nepal allied with the Open Tech Community to celebrate the Open Data Week in the month of March 2024 (ODW24). With a motive to reach the mapping community around different corners of the country, an Open Datathon event was organized for the week. The event began with a series of orientation programs with student clubs of different colleges i

From disaster response to wheelchair accessibility, OpenStreetMap can be utilized for a variety of use cases. As an active YouthMapper and all-around busy individual, I am all about making life easier for myself and others. Whenever I learn a new tip or trick, my first thought is: who do I know who would benefit from this too? With that in mind, I compiled a few tips and tricks I use when mapping on the OSM web platform.

A Woman’s Vision for Nepal’s Geospatial Future Leadership is about vision, resilience, and inspiring lasting change. In Nepal, where geospatial science and open mapping are still growing, leading a nationwide movement that combines education, technology, and humanitarian response was a challenge I embraced wholeheartedly. As the sole lead of Mapping Week 2025, my mission was clear—to empower students, professionals, and communities through the transformative power of geospati

RUTA IRPAVI 2 SUR (Capitulo YouthMappers UMSA Bolivia) MicroGrants Latam Aviso: La publicación de este artículo se ha retrasado y es posible que contenga información desactualizada. Agradecemos su comprensión. English translation below. La ciudad de La Paz, Bolivia, cuenta con el servicio de transporte público PumaKatari, que abarca los 9 macrodistritos y se despliega actualmente a través de 10 rutas. Desde su lanzamiento, este servicio ha sido una gran promesa, ofreciendo

Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding On 10th May 2024, Central University YouthMappers, Sierra Leone, hosted a highly successful Leadership Seminar and OSM_HOT Tasking Manager Training at the Central University Campus in Mile 91, Sierra Leone. This event aimed to empower students with leadership skills and practical knowledge in geospatial mapping, fostering a generation of leaders committ

My journey with YouthMappers began in 2022, fueled by enthusiasm but hampered by technological constraints. My initial laptop barely functioned, and when it finally gave out, my phone followed suit. However, these setbacks did not deter my commitment. I borrowed laptops from friends, participated in online training sessions, and gradually honed my skills, particularly in JOSM (Java OpenStreetMap Editor). As the Media and Publicity Director for my chapter, I channeled my crea

Acknowledgement: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding. It was a crisp day when I first encountered Mapillary, the application that has transformed the way I view the world. I was introduced to this revolutionary mapping tool by Mr. Mawutor Stephen Donkor (OSM Ghana) on August 2, 2022, and since then, it has been history. Little did I know that this chance encounter would ignite a passion within me and set

A concise but captivating story of my transformative journey at YouthMappersFUTA. Brace up, it’s a long read. Introduction My name is Ezekiel Ogungbemi, a final-year student from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, with a major in Remote Sensing and Geoscience Information Systems. About YouthMappersFUTA Chapter First Meetup 2021 YouthMappers FUTA Chapter is one among the 425 campus chapters across 81 countries in the globe. A vibrant local community filled with resil

Acknowledgement: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding. On the 6th April 2024 marked a significant milestone in my academic journey at MUBAS as I embarked on a new adventure with the Geospatial Youth Mappers program. Despite being in my third year and pursuing a program unrelated to geospatial mapping, I found myself immersed in an exciting world of mapping and data contribution that left me feeling inspire