Empowering the next generation of leaders to map—and transform—their world.
When communities are missing from maps, they're missing from decisions about them. The YouthMappers movement puts university students at the center of the solution—in the places they know best.
200+
Universities
52+
Countries
5000+
Student Leaders
68M
People reached with better data
WHY IT MATTERS
Over one billion people are invisible on the world's largest Online public map.
This means they're missing from public investment decisions about healthcare, infrastructure, education, food security, disaster response and more.
YouthMappers is changing that—by equipping students with the skills to generate critical mapping data in their own communities.
WHAT WE DO
We build maps. we build leaders. we build change agents.
We invest in young people. Using today’s digital technology, we empower university students with skills in mapping and data analytics, leadership, and community development. YouthMappers students become change agents—defining their world by mapping it and using that knowledge to address real challenges where they live.
Technical Skill & Data Development
Students learn geospatial technology, data analysis, and digital mapping—skills that translate directly to job opportunities.
Leadership Development
Students lead projects, mentor peers, and champion solutions to challenges their own communities face—building the agency and confidence to drive real change.
Community Development
YouthMappers chapters are sought-out partners by local organizations, governments, and NGOs—collecting real data, filling critical map gaps, and bringing findings directly to decision-makers.
"The YouthMappers Leadership Fellowship ignited my passion to use geospatial science not just as a tool, but as a way to make knowledge meaningful and impactful. Today, as a postdoctoral researcher, I carry forward that spark, using geospatial science to tackle pressing challenges in public health and environmental sustainability."
— Dr. Ebenezer Boateng, 2017 Leadership Fellow
REAL-WORLD IMPACT
From data to decisions.
YouthMappers data has been used by communities, NGOs, and governments to address the world's most pressing challenges. Using satellite imagery and publicly available mapping tools, students turn what they see into data the world can act on.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Locally generated data reveals where communities are underserved—helping health organizations target resources, close gaps, and reach the people who need them most.
Click a theme to explore real projects from the field.
"Our [students] are now a part of the global geospatial community many of them are contributing as a crucial asset in different national and international agencies from academia, government, industry as well as scientific and development sector."
— Saurav Gautam, YouthMappers Faculty Advisor, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
OUR HISTORY
Ten years of proven impact. A second decade just beginning.
Click on each year to explore the key milestones in our journey.
As YouthMappers enters its second decade, the network is evolving.
YouthMappers has become a multi-generational ecosystem—where students, alumni, collaborators and philanthropic partners work together to sustain impact over time, extending far beyond the university.
"In my roles as a former adjunct professor at GWU, Councilor of the American Geographical Society, and Geographer at the Department of State, I had a front-row seat at YouthMappers' evolution over these past ten years. Mapathons, USAID-sponsored events, and collaborations with my office's Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU) represent just some of the outstanding efforts that have galvanized students both at home and abroad to create and share knowledge for the benefit and empowerment of local communities."
— Dr. Lee Schwartz, former Geographer of the U.S. Department of State
INVEST IN YOUTHMAPPERS
One investment. multiple outcomes: data, skills, leaders and community resilience.
Ten years of evidence. Hundreds of universities. Tens of millions of people reached. YouthMappers has proven that investing in students is one of the highest-leverage bets in domestic and international development—because it builds technical skills, local knowledge, and leadership all at once. This isn't just a pipeline to outputs. It's a pipeline to the next generation of global problem-solvers.
Support YouthMappers to expand its global network, strengthen local leadership, and ensure communities everywhere are visible—and heard.
Leadership development
Fellowships, Regional Ambassadors, and peer-to-peer mentorship that build the next generation of change agents.
Technology & skills
Real-world mapping campaigns, internships, and cutting-edge digital tools that build careers while generating data communities need.
Opportunity pathways
Direct connections from student learning to professional impact—where skills meet opportunity and opportunity meets community.
WE DON'T JUST BUILD MAPS.
WE BUILD MAPPERS.
Capitalizing on web-based open geospatial technologies, and a network of universities around the globe, our mission is to cultivate a generation of young leaders to create resilient communities and to define their world by mapping it.