🌍Youth Map Lab
AI + GIS Workshops for Curious Minds & Change-Makers
Welcome to the Youth Map Lab — a youth-built initiative where students explore their world, solve real problems, and tell powerful stories using satellite data, AI tools, and GIS technology.
Blending classroom-ready lessons with open-source creativity, Youth Map Lab helps schools, libraries, and community programs bring geospatial learning to life — whether through high-tech tools or fully printable, low-tech options.
🚀 Start Exploring
▶ Start a Workshop 📘 Teacher Guides 📚 Standards Alignment
🎓 Why Schools Choose Youth Map Lab
Plug-and-play design. Every module includes slides, handouts, student versions, and low-tech alternatives.
Built for districts. Aligned to NC DPI, national STEM, digital literacy, and social studies standards.
Scalable anywhere. Works in a full computer lab, a Chromebook classroom, or a paper-only environment.
Developed by youth, trusted by educators. Activities reflect real student perspectives — increasing engagement and ownership.
🧭 Workshops at a Glance
Below are our featured modules. Each includes curriculum, teacher guides, student guides, alignment, and printables.
🛰 Satellites to Seeds
STEM • Agriculture • Climate • Spatial Thinking
Students step into the role of agri-scientists using maps, satellite imagery, and AI tools to design a climate-smart farm.
Map ideal growing zones
Use or simulate AI plant ID
Understand drought, flooding & environment
Build a final “Future Farm” project
🕰 Build a Time Machine
Social Studies • History • Civics • Justice
Students explore how communities change over time using GIS, historic maps, and AI-powered reading supports.
Compare past & present using StoryMaps
Decode historic sources with AI
Investigate neighborhood change
Design a “Then–Now–Future” map
🧱 LEGO Mapping Lab (Coming Soon)
A hands-on spatial thinking workshop using LEGO bricks to model land use, hazards, and community design. Perfect for STEM nights, camps, and after-school clubs.
🧩 What Students Will Do
Ask big questions like scientists and historians
Use real tools — ArcGIS, Google Earth, satellite imagery, and AI helpers
Make something meaningful: farms, maps, stories, analyses
Present findings like civic leaders, researchers, or designers
📦 What's Included
Facilitator guides
Ready-to-print handouts
Low-tech versions of every activity
Slideshows
Student sheets
ArcGIS + QGIS support
Optional Raspberry Pi sensor activities
Everything is open-source and remixable.
🧰 Quick Navigation
🌱 Our Mission
Youth Map Lab empowers the next generation of digital explorers. We believe every student — rural, urban, connected, or low-tech — deserves access to tools that explain how the world works and how they can change it.
📬 Bring the Lab to Your School or District
Brandon Estevez, Director 📧 [email protected] 🔗 https://www.national4hgeospatialteam.us 🔗 https://linkedin.com/in/brandonestevez
📝 License
All content shared under CC-BY 4.0. Feel free to remix, adapt, and expand — just give credit.
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