Work

Evaluating the Booster Grant’s Impact on YouthMappers’ Climate Activism and Climate Education in Sri Lanka

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: YouthMappers chapters, utilizing OpenStreetMap (OSM), play a pivotal role in tackling climate challenges through education and activism. This study investigates the influence of a booster grant project on enhancing Climate Activism and Education efforts through YouthMappers chapters in Sri Lanka. Through a geometric approach, the research integrates measurable survey data from OSM platform data from 223 YouthMappers chapter respondents at four (04) universities in Sri Lanka to evaluate five critical factors/dimensions: Capacity Building and Funding Support (CBFS), Climate Activism and Education (CAE), Community Engagement and Collaboration (CEC), Technical Skills and Resources (TSR), and Sustainability and Policy Integration (SPI). The Friedman test confirmed statistically significant differences across all factors’ variables (p < 0.001), highlighting strengths in technical competence and educational integration, with gaps identified in community engagement and sustainability. A Radial Basis Function (RBF) model revealed moderate predictive accuracy, excelling in variables like CAE and TSR but indicating higher error rates in SPI and CEC. Practical outcomes include flood risk maps, curriculum-integrated teaching schemes, and localized mapping workshops. These results underscore the booster grant’s role in enabling impactful, youth-led geospatial initiatives. However, challenges such as internet access, training gaps, and language barriers remain. This study recommends expanding student and community participation, refining training strategies, and integrating OSM into university curricula. These scalable interventions offer valuable insights for replication in other vulnerable regions, enhancing climate resilience through community-driven, data-informed youth engagement.

Source: Youth

DOI: 10.3390/youth5020061

Authors: Ibra Lebbe Mohamed Zahir, Suthakaran Sundaralingam, Meerasa Lewai Fowzul Ameer, Sriram Sindhuja, Atham Lebbe Iyoob

Institutions: South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Eastern University, Sri Lanka

Language: English

Topic: Geographic Information Systems Studies

Subfield: Geography, Planning and Development

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Climate action, Partnerships for the goals, Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,207