Mapping Her Way: How UCC YouthMappers Ladies put their Campus on the Map
What happens when young women are trusted to map the spaces they walk through every day?
Every day, students at the University of Cape Coast walk the same roads, pass the same buildings, and take the same shortcuts. Yet many of these places are missing or incomplete on the digital map. Someone has to put them there.
In May 2026, a group of young women decided to do exactly that.
From 22nd to 29th May, UCC YouthMappers organized Let Girls Map 2026 under the theme “From Field to Map: Women Transforming Data into Knowledge.” Let Girls Map is a UCC YouthMappers initiative that helps young women learn open mapping, use geospatial tools, and grow as leaders. At UCC, it was led by our Vice President, Jennifer Adu-Missah and Secretary Ellen Botwe.
Our goal was simple. We wanted to help women learn by doing, and we wanted to see what they could achieve once they had the tools.
More Interest Than We Expected
Before the event, we shared our call for participants and a registration link on our channels. A total of 27 people signed up, and 19 of them were women.
On the first day, 41 people showed up. That was far more than the number registered, and it told us something. People were curious about mapping and ready to learn.
Learning before Mapping
The first day was about building confidence. Jennifer Adu-Missah and Ellen Botwe introduced the Let Girls Map initiative and a mobile app called Every Door. With the app, you can walk around, see a place for yourself, and add it to OpenStreetMap on the spot.
Then came a session that went beyond the technical side. Two UCC YouthMappers alumni, Ms. Mary Prah Nyarko and Ms. Ruth Eyram Alifo, came back to speak with the participants. They shared how mapping skills can support careers, advocacy, and community development. They also encouraged the women to stay active in the chapter and keep building different skills. For many participants, hearing from ladies who had once sat in the same seats made the opportunity feel real and within reach. After that, Mr. Daniel Osei Agyemang led a hands-on practice session. Participants learned how to map, edit, and upload data to OpenStreetMap, all from their phones. The day ended with plenty of questions and a group photo.
Into the Field
A week later, it was time to put the learning to the test.
On 29 May, participants gathered for a brief orientation on proper data-collection methods. Using the Every Door app and the hashtags #uccyouthmappers #letgirlsmapfromfieldtomap, they then split into two teams to map across campus. One team walked from the Main Library to the University Interdenominational Church, while the other started at the Sasakawa building, passed through the Science Roundabout, and returned to the Main Library.
This was where classroom learning became real mapping. Participants were no longer looking at a map made by someone else. They were making it themselves, one point at a time. Afterwards, the teams met at the Parliament Grounds to check their data and share refreshments. In the end, 12 women submitted GPS traces, and 10 male allies joined them as active mappers.
Celebrating the Mappers
Good work deserves recognition. On 5th June, we held a small awards ceremony. Every active field mapper received a certificate of participation, and those who contributed the most received UCC YouthMappers T-shirts and sticker packs. Small gifts like these remind people that their time and effort matter, and they encourage them to keep mapping.
What Stayed With Us
Every event teaches us something, and this one gave us a few lessons:
Confidence comes from practice. Many people hesitate to try something new until they get to do it themselves. Once participants held the app and mapped real places, the idea of mapping stopped feeling difficult.
Role models matter. When young women hear from alumni who have walked the same path, success stops feeling distant. The alumni session was one of the strongest parts of the programme.
Allies make the work stronger. The men who joined the field mapping showed that empowering women is something everyone can support.
Why This Matters
A map only shows what someone has taken the time to add. When more women take part in mapping, more of the community’s real stories and needs find their way onto the map. Through Let Girls Map 2026:
More than 12 women and 10 male allies gained hands-on experience in mobile mapping.
OpenStreetMap coverage improved along important roads and buildings on the UCC campus.
Current students built strong connections with alumni who can guide their careers.
These are small steps, but open data grows from small steps, and so do leaders.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr. Julia Quaicoe for her constant guidance and support. We thank Mr. Daniel Osei Agyemang for his technical help and training, and Ms. Mary Prah Nyarko and Ms. Ruth Eyram Alifo for returning to mentor the next generation. We also thank our executive team and volunteers, whose hard work made the event run smoothly.
Looking Ahead
Let Girls Map 2026 reminded us that mapping is not only about places. It is also about people, and about who gets the chance to learn, lead, and be seen. Our hope is that the women who joined us will keep mapping, keep leading, and invite others to do the same. We also look forward to growing these field-mapping activities in the future. Because in the end, we are not just adding points to a map.
We are building women who put their communities on it.
Want to be part of the next one?
Follow UCC YouthMappers to stay updated on our mapathons, trainings, and field activities as we continue creating resilient communities through open mapping.
LinkedIn: i) https://lnkd.in/p/di6cjmsi, ii) https://lnkd.in/p/d88XUWRd, iii) https://lnkd.in/p/di6cjmsi
About the Author
Jennifer Adu-Missah is a past Vice President of UCC YouthMappers at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She led the Let Girls Map 2026 activities and is passionate about open mapping and about giving young women the chance to learn and lead in geospatial work. Follow UCC YouthMappers to join our next mapathon or field activity.
Comments