YouthMapping Logo
MAPPERS: The YouthMappers are coming. They're mapping the community one step at a time.
NARRATOR: For these Richmond teenagers, the first step is finding out about resources in their city by canvassing local businesses and organizations.
MAPPER: ...different programs and different services that you offer here at your store?
NARRATOR: The process is called Community YouthMapping. It was developed by AED's Center for Youth Development and Policy Research to help young people find places to go and things to do. The information is entered into a database which city officials use to plan policies and budgets.
MAPPER: I'm just saying from my experience-- my point of view...
NARRATOR: One of Mapping's biggest goals is to involve youth in the decision-making process.
MAPPER: If adults are making all the decisions, how can it help us? Because they don't know what we think they don't know what we want unless we tell them or we show them what we need.
NARRATOR: The teens go through two days of training led by staff from AED.
TRAINER: Ready- one, two, three- lean!
NARRATOR: Through a variety of exercises and activities they learn how to communicate effectively, work in teams, and use their heads to get through difficult situations Richmond is one of one hundred cities nationwide that have completed the YouthMapping process. The focus for Richmond is on workforce development. And being part of this process has led to some interesting discoveries.
MAPPER: A lot of places offer scholarships that I never would have even thought of like some place that you probably would have just drove past.
NARRATOR: Besides learning more about their city, the Mappers are learning a lot about themselves, and at the same time boosting their self esteem
MAPPER: I was surprised by the fact that I didn't mess up most of the time or I didn't stutter because all the time I've been nervous this whole time. So it's pretty much a blessing to speak loud and present myself in a well-respected manner.
NARRATOR: Learning how to interact with a wide range of people and developing skills like data gathering and analysis will help these Mappers gain success as they enter the world of work.
FACILITATOR: George said that what he has learned is that there are not a lot of opportunities ffered to youth under 18.
NARRATOR: Each day the Mappers have a chance to talk about the challenges they faced during an afternoon debriefing. The session is also a time to boost morale and remind them that the work they're doing could influence city leaders to make changes.
FACILITATOR: Now we have a reason to go to them. Now we have something that we can say: 'Look, you guys need to pay attention' and more importantly they still need to hear it from you all.
NARRATOR: AED's Community YouthMapping project has not only helped teens better relate to adults but by sparking greater communication between them it's also shattering negative stereotypes of inner city youth.
MAPPER: It's showing them first of all that we're just not snotty-nosed teenagers but that we actually care about our community, and how we prosper in our community, and that we don't have to be bad all the time, we can be good- we can do something constructive with our lives.
NARRATOR: Ray Hansen owns a downtown deli and grocery. He applauds the program for what it accomplishes today and what it promises for the future.
RAY HANSEN, Richmond Business Owner: Once a person becomes a part of the community- working in the community it gives them a sense of being. It also gives them hope, and it just-- there's no end.
ELONDA STOKES, Richmond Youth Council: We've gotten quite a few people who've made calls to my office stating that 'I want to be more involved with youth' How can I get involved. How can I come in... How can I offer jobs? We want to do more for the community.
NARRATOR: Some of these kids who never dreamed a summer job would lead to a new way of looking at themselves and a vision for the future of their city.
MAPPER: I'm most proud that we did the whole Richmond. The whole Richmond. And Richmond's big. It's bigger than I thought it was.
NARRATOR: For more information about Community YouthMapping and to learn more about AED, visit www.aed.org
