YouthMappers Map Out Problems and Solutions to Improve Their Community

20 youth from Alexandria, Va. spent their summer vacation as youth "mappers," and that doesn't mean they were cartographers, but rather, field researchers who collected data to "map out" potential opportunities to create a healthy environment for youth.

From July 6 through Aug. 13, the youth Teams of YouthMappers, ages 15 to 18, who were supervised by adult team leaders, walked the streets of Alexandria’s West End neighborhoods to conduct formal interviews with managers and leaders of businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith-based communities, city sites and City schools. They asked about existing programs and services, and explore perceptions about such issues as youth substance abuse, teen pregnancy and gang activity.

Mappers inputted the research into a database that will be accessible to youth, service providers, city and school officials, and policymakers. The database includes types of services and opportunities for youth in the West End, ages served, eligibility criteria, languages spoken, accessibility, transportation, and more.

Most of the YouthMappers attend the same high school and were paid by Job Link, their city’s teen work summer program.

Mappers evaluated their data and developed a presentation that showcased the findings of their research as well as their recommendations. They will be able to highlight existing resources as well as service gaps, street by street, in Alexandria’s West End.

Time and time again, youth-driven projects are often the most successful in coalition work, says Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria’s Coordinator, Noraine Buttar.

“Youth are the key stakeholders in planning, collection, analysis and dissemination of the data. Adults just provided technical, political and personal support,” she explained.

Community YouthMapping has been implemented in more than 130 sites across the United States and in several countries around the world. The Academy for Education Development Center for Youth Development and Policy Research is assisting with Alexandria’s program, assisting the youth by taking the data teens collected and putting it into report form.

Besides collecting information for future strategic change, community YouthMappers build skills in interviewing, data collection, data management, geography, team building, communication and conflict resolution, Buttar said. So far, the youth noticed alcohol density in their neighborhood could signal some problems. Located just inside the Capitol Beltway, the students noticed the void in constructive youth hangouts to stay out of trouble.

“What we had before was all anecdotal, so a data-driven project will help to make positive changes in this part of the city,” Buttar said.

SAPCA, like coalitions across the country, have been successful, in social norm changes in regards to adults purchasing alcohol for youth. Some of the youth coalition members volunteering during the school year with SAPCA visited more than 100 Northern Virginia stores to place “warning” stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers and other alcohol products, highlighting the penalties for furnishing alcohol to minors. They even publicly thanked the retailers who partnered with the youth on the Sticker Shock campaign. Their story may be featured on an upcoming edition of “Good Morning America.”