Aspiring for a representative movement in the Asia-Pacific region

The Open Mapping Hub Asia Pacific (the Hub) is committed to supporting the emergence and evolution of women leaders within the OSM ecosystem and beyond. Towards that commitment, the Hub launched She Leads and She Inspires, a training and professional development opportunity that aims to support women to become OSM community leaders, gaining skills in geospatial data and technologies, decision-making, digital leadership, needs identification, and team building.

The program was designed with, by, and for women in (or hoping to step into!) leadership roles within their communities.

The program ran from December 2021 to June 2022 and was split into three core components: I) A 2-day intensive workshop where participants heard from experienced and inspiring women leaders from the geospatial ecosystem (18-19 December 2021) ii) Month-by-month learning topics that included interactive training and personal assignments (January - June 2022) iii) A group-led, co-created community-based project guided by a group mentor (July 2022- beyond)

What was included? Participants were led through a series of inspirational talks and training activities hosted by a range of geospatial professionals in leadership positions in the humanitarian sector, and beyond.

Participants in She Leads & She Inspire received training and mentorship in: i) Solutions-based leadership ii) Introduction to OpenStreetMap (OSM) and basic Geospatial Information Services (GIS) iii) Needs identification and informed decision making iv) Project & people management v) Communication and networking skills vi) Advanced GIS and remote sensing

MONTHLY JOURNEY Participants underwent four components each month. One for the peer-to-peer/mentor session, a special session with a trainer, and an opportunity to work together on their group community project.

TRAINING From January to June, participants took part in monthly training sessions. These sessions covered the following topics:

January: Building an inclusive team February: Identifying challenges March: Project planning for the impact April: Finding the voice of a leader May: Developing Solutions based leadership June: Turning Skills into action

Inspiring trainers from all over the world shared their insights and knowledge with participants on these topics. The participants had the opportunity to respond to a local challenge in collaboration with their peers. Together, with the mentors and the hub, they implemented evolving community-based projects to apply the new skills they learned.

MENTORSHIP All participants were assigned a mentor who supported them from January through to June. A mentor:

• Supported participants through their participation in She Leads and She Inspires
• Supported participants through their community-based project
• Enabled focused conversation targeted at helping the group achieve their goals
• Shared their experiences to give the mentees new perspectives
• Empowered the mentee to find their own solutions and think freely

COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECT At the end of the program, participants were divided into groups of seven or eight. In these teams, participants were free to explore and apply the skills that they’ve learned during the program towards a community-based project.

The project evolution began with team building and challenge identification (January - February); progressed to solutions, project planning, and partnership building (March-May); and ended with the development of a proposal / white paper that communicates the potential impact of their work.

OUTCOMES Over the course of the six months, 99 women from 14 countries - Nepal, India, Philippines, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Fiji, Kiribati, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea received training in the program supporting them to become OSM community leaders by gaining skills in geospatial data and technologies, decision making, digital leadership, needs identification and networking. Out of these 99 women, 74 successfully completed the program by submitting 37 community development proposals.

19 of these participants will be carrying out 10 projects in 10 countries as follows.

SELECTED PROJECTS

The projects address a range of local challenges related to Disaster Resilience, Environment, Gender Equality, Health, Heritage, Inclusion, and Sustainable Cities, adding value to local action in Asia Pacific

1. Remote Areas TJ Mapping & Building relations with OSM Community in Uzbekistan; Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Tatiana Nushtaeva
2. Establishing the Federated States of Micronesia OSM Community; Micronesia; Keleni Raqisia
3. Supporting Women’s Necessities at Public Facilities through OpenHerMap; Indonesia Sri Lanka; Karina Oriza H, Dewi Sulistioningrum, Mirnayani, M.N.Fathima Shafiya
4. Mapping vulnerable villages in central Vietnam supporting Communities Resilient to Climate Change Disaster in Mountainous areas; Vietnam, Huynh To Nga
5. Mapping for Cultural Sustainability: An attempt to reiterate the past, document the present, and contribute to the future of Handigaun and Tagum; Nepal, Philippines; Avashana Pant and Mia Kristine Quinco
6. Mapping of speech, occupational and physical therapy centers and updating of tags for educational institutions with SPED classes; Philippines; Charmyne Mamador
7. Indigenous Youth Hub Training and Mapping; India, Binita Kakati
8. Kudumbashree Mapping; Keralal India, Viji R V
9. Mapping Emergency Response and Evacuation Routes for University of Dhaka to Promote Disaster Preparedness and Support Post-Disaster Response Activities; Bangladesh, Aishia Fyruz Aishi, Azka Touhida Daiby, Nusrat Jahan Nilima, Faiza Waziha
10. Public health facilities and coverage mapping of health services for Polio immunization in Aceh city, Indonesia; Indonesia, Sheila Amalia Burhanudin