We are pleased to announce that our project report from “Mapping for Recreation (Map4Rec)” (2023), will be published in April 2025 in the Living Maps Review, Issue 17. However, it is already publicly accessible on Zenodo.
The Map4Rec project engaged 74 temporarily displaced children and youth from Ukraine in geographic citizen science — mapping sports and recreation spaces across six towns in the Twente region of the Netherlands. Participants utilized geospatial data collection and analysis tools such as EpiCollect and QGIS, and conducted fieldwork using our “GeoBikes”. The project went beyond simple data collection, featuring a strong co-creation component where participants actively contributed to project design decisions. It also incorporated educational micro-modules focused on design thinking, sensor programming, and mapping techniques, complemented by artistic expression of the findings. The report outlines the project’s activities, methodologies, and tools in detail, aiming to facilitate replication and adaptation in different contexts and localities.
Sharing our project materials and methods is important to us. We believe elements of the Map4Rec project can be effectively transferred to other communities, enhancing local opportunities for education, inclusion, environmental stewardship, and youth empowerment.
We warmly invite interested researchers, practitioners, and organizations to reach out for further details or potential collaboration opportunities. Access the full report is here.