Project Description:
Map4Rec will explore the perception and use of urban nature by temporarily displaced children and youth from Ukraine in the Netherlands. Participants will form teams to play a location-based game that will include data collection quests of an urban nature. The project will take place in 6 cities in the Twente region in the Netherlands, with the key project stage (fieldwork with the location-based game) taking place in July-August 2024.
It will collect valuable data on human-nature relations through the eyes of refugee youth: both in situ perceptions (e.g., perceived safety and aesthetics of urban nature by youth) and patterns of nature-based recreation (e.g., enablers and barriers) among this vulnerable group of population. The project will engage children and youth aged 9-14, and will inform local policy-makers and organisations.
Project Type: Sustaining Grant
Theme: Justice and Equity, Climate
Mentor: Rachel Pateman
Mapping for recreation 2nd edition – Mission Earth 2024: Empowering Young Explorers
Dear Team,
If you are reading this, you have safely arrived on Planet Earth, and your journey through space and time has been a success. Welcome! You come from Galaxy 9352, a peaceful and diverse galaxy governed by children, where science has advanced so far that we can now recreate the most beautiful planets in the Universe. Earth is one of the most remarkable planets our astronomers have ever discovered. Your mission is to collect geographical data to aid in reconstructing—and perhaps even improving—Earth in Galaxy 9352. Alongside this letter, you’ll find your essential tool: the GeoBike.
Good luck!
The Mission Centre
This letter marked the beginning of Mission Earth 2024, a location-based game designed to engage temporarily displaced Ukrainian children in mapping recreational spaces. Building on the successes of Mapping for Recreation 2023, this new edition addressed participant feedback indicating that repetitive data collection tasks could become monotonous. To keep activities engaging, we co-designed a series of quests that not only encouraged diverse data collection but also promoted place discovery, socialization, and fun.
Eight teams from six cities in the Twente region (The Netherlands) dedicated around 20 hours each to completing their missions. Through the Place Exploration Mission, participants mapped urban green and blue spaces using the Epicollect app, documenting their perceptions and suggesting improvements (resulting in a map with 152 locations). The Photo Documentation Mission introduced them to photovoicing, helping them share unique perspectives on their cities.
The Nature Exploration Mission, carried out using the ObsIdentify app, led to 954 observations of 159 species, contributing valuable biodiversity data to a national database. In the Weather Mission, participants monitored the temperature and humidity in their neighbourhoods, while the Detective Mission encouraged them to uncover cultural treasures. The Health Mission provided a break from science with fun sports activities. During the Contact with Earth Inhabitants Mission, children connected with local residents, interviewing them about their favourite recreational spots.
The First Unconference: Children, Nature, and Cities
The project culminated in the First Unconference: Children, Nature, and Cities, where participants showcased their tools and quests in a scenic park. This event provided an opportunity for local residents to engage with the project while the youth participants shared their experiences. The unconference gained attention and was featured in local media.
Impact and Future Goals
This project demonstrated how place-based citizen science can empower youth, foster cross-cultural exchange, and promote children’s rights to the city. It showed that young participants can make meaningful contributions to their communities through engaging, location-based activities.
The success of the project was made possible through support from IMPETUS, whose mentorship and training ensured both immediate and sustainable impacts.
Looking ahead, we aim to:
- Expand the project’s reach by collaborating with schools and youth organizations to make it more multicultural.
- Engage municipalities to translate children’s insights into actionable improvements for local communities.
By strengthening these partnerships, we hope to build a resilient and engaged community of young people, equipped with the creativity and critical thinking skills needed to tackle contemporary challenges.
