Community YouthMapping

Not only did it give me something productive to do over the summer months, but it opened up so many opportunities and possibilities for me. It gave me more incentive to keep working for my community, especially for youth. I learned what the real world is like. I was able to interact with adults on a one-on-one basis. I improved my communication skills greatly and gained more self-confidence. I learned what is and is not out there for young people.

- Brenda Robertson, YouthMapper from Columbus, Indiana

Community YouthMapping is ..........

Community YouthMapping is yougn people canvassing their neighborhoods in search of places to go and things to do. Young people called mappers canvass their neighborhoods, using a survey tool, to gather baseline information on the resources available for young people, children and families in their communities. The Center defines resources as places to go, opportunities and things to do.

Coordinated by a local public/private/non-profit partnership and led by a local community based institution, the Community YouthMapping effort is a lot more than just a project. Community YouthMapping is a way to mobilize youth and adults in the community around finding the resources and opportunities that exist in a community. Young people in many cities have identified a host of resources that may not be found in traditional directories. Community YouthMapping is also a great way to identify gaps in available resources.

Measures of Success

The Center for Youth Development and Policy Research (the Center) has recognized that when communities provide the necessary support for the Community YouthMapping process they can achieve some very fundamental outcomes:

• Use of Data - engaging the community in a collection of new data can provide a comprehensive look at what community resources really exist for children, youth and families, from a youth perspective. Local planning gropus have used CYM data to compare crime data, school data, grant making data, youth space data, employment and economic development data to the availability of resources, accessibility of places and times that these resources provide opportunities.

• Easy Access to Data - Community YouthMapping provides a host of user friendly ways for the broader community to gain access to data on resources. No one person/organization/sector owns the data: the coordinating partnership will ensure the up keep and maintenance of the data.

• Youth/Adult Involvement - engaging the community in shifting the attitudes of many who do not believe that young people are concerned about and committed to the well being of the communities in which they live. Community YouthMapping is a developmental approach to information collection on resources that requires meaningful participation by youth and adults in a community. Young people are the key stakeholders in the planning, collection, data entry, analysis and dissemination of this information. Adults provide technical, political and personal support to youth as they collect, analyze and present the data.

Community YouthMapping Can Lead to

The Center recognizes the many ways in which a community can distribute resource information. The deeper question a community has to ask is: "What are the most accessible means to share information on resources to ensure that it reaches youth, parents, non-connected adults, politicians, and policymakers?" Some strategies that allow easy access to and easy maintenance of the data:

• YouthStation - similar to bank automated teller machines, YouthStations are conveniently located, user-friendly places where young people can access information.

• YouthLink - a mobile electronic information dissemination system designed to allow young people to have access to information about services, opportunities, and resources in their communities. Situated on a bus that brings information to disconnected communities, YouthLink will utilize two complementary dissemination methods: 1) Community YouthMapping information will be linked to a web site that contains information on local resources for youth. 2) information is entered by youth onto a Geographic Information System (GIS) database system that will also be available on the bus.

• Local YouthLines - local YouthLines connect the information gathered through Community YouthMapping to a geographically-based computer system. Local YouthLines are 24 hour, 7 day a week, toll free, confidential telephone services. YouthLines provide callers the option to talk to caring peers, locate crisis intervention services, or find out what services their community offers.