SLSU-YouthMapper member wins GIS mapathon; officially launches org

Joining the expanding community, Southern Leyte State University launched its own chapter of YouthMappers (SLSU-YouthMappers) on Monday, November 14.

YouthMappers is an international university consortium on Mapping for Resilience that aims to cultivate a generation of young leaders to create resilient communities and to define their world by mapping it.

SLSU-YouthMappers aims to create a more inclusive mapping communities in the University and beyond, and empowering the youth to participate in community mapping.

Regional YouthMapper Ambassador Dinah Feye Andal graced the activity and emphasized the importance of creating a student organization for YouthMappers.

"We aspire to be the community within the community for the academic sector to find resources for participating in open mapping initiatives for humanitarian and development purposes," Andal quipped.

During the launching activity, SLSU-YouthMapper member Justin Carl Juanico wins in the regional. MAPA-bulig mapathon held on November 14, 2022.

Juanico is a senior Information Technology student and the Auditor of SLSU-YouthMapper.

MAPA-bulig mapathon is an annual online webinar that aims to provide a platform to promote and popularize geographic information system (GIS) and open street map and their applications.

On its second installment, the Mapathon focused on updating map data in Lake Danao, Ormoc City, and the Sogod bay area of Southern Leyte province.

Being supportive of the newly-launched organization, University President stressed the importance of committing to the guiding principles of being a YouthMapper--value people, support community-building, strive for quality, adhere to open data, uphold ethical values, privacy, and security standards, and believe in human dignity.

“It’s very important that we bear in mind these guiding principles to always remind us of the things that we ought to do. In that way, we can successfully promote the chapter and to encourage students, faculty and staff of the university to join us in our quest in creating data for the province and for the world by having the youth and students at the core of mapping projects. We believe that with the power of the youths and the wisdom of the adults, together, we can make the world a better place,” Dr. Yepes said.

Southern Leyte State U is now among the 12 universities in the Philippines that established an organization of YouthMappers.

SLSU-YouthMappers is open to all courses for those who are interested to become a member of the said organization.