The YouthMappers network competitively selected a top cohort of university students from around the world to participate in the 2024 YouthMappers Leadership Fellows Workshop. Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in any field at an institution of higher education with a YouthMappers chapter in good standing were chosen on the basis of their demonstrated leadership potential, technical abilities in open mapping, and strong communication skills.

At this event, fellows will gain knowledge, skills and capacity training in open mapping techniques to help enrich chapter activities. They will also receive professional development, have access to mentoring by international experts and geospatial champions, and engage with other participants over the course of a nine-day program held in person in Thailand. 

Fellows are anticipated to return to their home chapters and implement activities based upon the knowledge, skills, or capacity they have learned. Activities may be tailored to the needs of their home chapter, including conducting leadership seminars, installing leadership transition plans, launching data collection efforts, offering technical workshops, or many other options. We invite each participant to report back to all YouthMappers everywhere through the submission of a blog detailing their experiences.