“2019 YouthMappers Leadership Fellowship”, it’s just a simple sentence, but I could not measure its weight because for me, it is immeasurable.

The 2nd bi-annual YouthMappers Leadership Fellowship Workshop was held from 6 -14 January 2019 in Pretoria, South Africa. It was a great feeling to be one of the selected fellows for this unique opportunity. The workshop focused on skill building, increasing youth leadership, enhancing open mapping techniques, data visualization, and professional development. The first half of the week included presentations on the history of YouthMappers, an introduction on OSM in the classroom, and presentations by our hosts at the University of Pretoria on their research that provide local context on South Africa as a collaboratory.

We engaged in discussions, lab exercises, and a field visit to use open mapping platforms. Sessions in the second week focused on professional development training, using data in the real world, mobile applications for development, and reinforcing chapter sustainability. The University of Pretoria organized a team building activity at Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves. On this day, we explored early human history & nature and it was unforgettable.

The most important thing that I have learned is to think big in a simple ways because simple is the best. This workshop helped me to widen my range of thinking. And the mantra I liked most is “Teamwork makes the dream work”.

We were provided an agenda before the workshop and received a detailed agenda on the very first day but I have learned much more than what was listed, several times multiplied from that list. I learned something from every single moment and from every single person who was there. Our group was made up of people from different countries, different thoughts, different things, lots of experiences to exchange and this inspired me and motivated me.

I met some fantastic guys who were just awesome. The friendly attitude from the YouthMappers staff was a matter of wonder for me to see. They never made us feel that they are professors or a higher rank person of a prominent organization, they always acted like a friend, advised us about right things, and were always ready to help us if we needed anything. They even played UNO with us (a card game our Colombia Fellow Fabio brought), danced with us, and had fun with us. Every day we had to get up early at 6 am but we up until 11/11:30 pm at night chatting and sharing stories.

And the fellows…. I will say just one word, those guys are just tremendous. We were together just for 9 days but I felt each day as if it was a week. I think I am so lucky that I am a part of this amazing cohort. I will not forget those evenings, each one full of fun and I am especially thankful for their friendship. During the workshop, our friendship came to become so strong that it was hard and emotional on the last day when we were saying bye to each other. I wish to meet you guys again and again. I traveled to South Africa with a small bag but at the time of returning, I was carrying a large package of experience, memories and happiness.

I would like to thank YouthMappers, the University of Pretoria, and the USAIDGeoCenter for organizing such a wonderful workshop!

Asian University for Women, situated at Chittagong in Bangladesh, is the first and so far only all women’s university chapter of YouthMappers. AUW is an international university. This university and Texas Tech University, USA organized a training and mapathon on OpenStreetMap on 26 november 2016.

I am Ataur Rahman Shaheen, a youth mapper form Dhaka College YouthMappers chapter. I’m enrolled as honors in statistics at Dhaka College. GIS and RS Data Mgt specialist Ahasanul Hoque gave the opportunity to me and Tasnia Ahmed, another mapper from Independent University of Bangladesh to assist him in this training.

Due to final examinations the training was held for one day. 120 participants applied for the training and also attended the opening ceremony. Due to space limitation, the organizer selected only 25 participants. They will arrange another training in February of 2017.

The training schedule was divided in 4 sessions.

1. Opening ceremony, introduced to OpenStreetMap and YouthMappers
2. Signup in OSM and editing with iD editor
3. Editing with JOSM and mapathon
4. Certificate giving and closing ceremony

At the end of the event, Rosie Bateson, Dean of Faculty, gave certificates to the participants. She was so much thankful to Ahasanul Hoque for giving his valuable time and effort to this event and YouthMappers chapter of this university. She said:

“Thank you, most warmly, for connecting with us and sharing such a wonderful experience with our students. I … could feel the excitement and joy of all the students who took part in the workshop.”

Participant and President of AUW YouthMappers, Paromita Basak, gave her full effort and did very hard work for this event. Dr. Harunur Rashid, teacher of this university and Ms Fatema Patel, CDIP staff also give their full support and help to makes this event successful.

One of the most interesting parts of this event was Iftekhar Chowdhury, one of the lecturer of this university and Ms Patel was participating in this training. Its shows that not only student but also teachers are interested in learning more about mapping. It’s a very good sign for OpenStreetMap. By those people’s interest, efforts and positive spirit, OpenStreenMap will go forward successfully and the world will be more beautiful by mapping.

I am Ataur Rahman Shaheen, student of Hon’s 3rd year of Statistics department at Dhaka College.I am an executive member of YouthMappers of Dhaka College chapter.

First of all i would like to thanks a genius cannon and pioneer of OSM Bangladesh, Ahasanul Hoque. He introduced Bangladesh with OpenSteetMap and did very hard work and gave his valuable time to OSM Bangladesh. Even sometimes postponed his most favorite work, reading books for OSMBD. And now its only his credit that OSMBD successfully running in Bangladesh. He also give his full support and help for YouthMappers, Dhaka College chapter.

YouthMappers Dhaka College chapter is a very active chapter. Every month it arranges a mapathon and monthly meeting to share each others’ opinions, work progress, experiences, problems and solving by teamwork.

I love gardening. So I love mapping. Because mapping is like gardening to me. People do gardening to increase beauty of their surroundings and nature. Mapping also increases the beauty of our planet. It makes the map more useful and easy to all.

Flowers and trees are the best for gardening. Planting trees is the main part of gardening. We water our garden for good growth of plants. We also use fertilizer and insecticides for healthy and rich gardens. After all of that, flowers bloom in the garden and it makes nature more beautiful.

OpenStreetMap is the best for mapping. Similarly in the OSM mapping the base is drawing homes & roads by using satellite imagery. Then we put many information items in the map. We do fieldwork for every single information point to complete the map. After all this work its looks like charming garden full of flowers. That means it’s a totally complete, easy and very informative map. And that makes the world more beautiful.

So I think everybody should doing gardening for nature and mapping for a better world.

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I am Ataur Rahman Shaheen. A executive member of Red Creseent Youth, Dhaka College Unit. Last august A OpenStreetMap training was organize by unit. I was so much excited about that training. I was mapping others map and use regularly. Our unit leader Sawan Shariar tell me that OpenStreetMap is better then others map. I was not appreciate with him. How can a map better than others map? But my thought was changing when the training begun. At the beginning of training, [Ahasanul Hoque] (https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/aHaSaN), pioneer of OSM Bangladesh greeting us and inform us about OSM by his small speech. Then the training was started with very informative lecture about map by Atikur Rahman atik. Manjurul Islam train us about the basic of OSM. when Sawan Shariar start his session about details of OSM, my thought was totally changed about OSM. Now it was in my front that OSM is better then others maps. Because we can put many many detail information in OSM what we can’t in others map.

When we go for field work i was totally surprise. Because by field working the map will going to be an unmistakable, complete and very informative map of a area. It was just awesome. I think a man can know everything of a area and also can guide another man if he use OSM of that area even he/she was not resident of that area. I think it is the big achievement for those mapper who mapping that area.

In the training the most interesting part for me was field work. Because there was some funny experience. Bangladeshi people was so curious about anything. They ask about our activity and appreciate us. Some people thought we are government officer or municipal officer. They complaining their areas problem. Some people thought we are police special force or DB police and they was so scared. It was so laughable.

After completing the training my opinion is Yes…! OSM is better then others map. Not only better, it is the best.