UMass Global Partners with trubel&co to Use GIS Mapping to Create Social Justice

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (November 15, 2024) - Geographic information systems (GIS) connect data to maps, revealing patterns, trends, and relationships in a geographic context. A new partnership between University of Massachusetts Global (UMass Global) and trubel&co seeks to use GIS to also target social injustice, while at the same time allowing high school students to earn college credit.

The program is known as Mapping Justice. Developed by trubel&co founder Nick Okafor, Mapping Justice is an education platform where high school students use geospatial tools to gain insight about the world around them, enabling them to drive social change while building valuable GIS and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills. In the program, students analyze and map data related to issues such as environmental inequity, educational disparity, or food deserts.

Each eight-week Mapping Justice curriculum session is adjusted to the location of the students and includes workshops, alumni engagement, community advisory research, and more. These eight-week sessions align with the length of UMass Global academic sessions, enabling students to earn credit for their work that can then be applied toward a future degree or certificate at UMass Global.

"UMass Global's support for the Mapping Justice program not only validates the important work our students are doing but also opens doors for them to pursue higher education opportunities that were previously out of reach," Okafor says.

From plotting potential business locations to creating the optimum transportation routes, from planning for future trends to helping responders coordinate emergency management strategies, GIS is used in virtually every industry. Today, GIS is increasingly used to address issues such as climate change, sustainability, and social inequity. That's the mission of Mapping Justice at trubel&co.

Okafor elaborates, "These students are learning skills that will serve them for life - not just in their careers, but as advocates for social justice."

Beyond offering college credit, UMass Global will provide resources for Mapping Justice students. These include access to the university's GIS professionals (UMass Global offers bachelor's and master's degrees in GIS systems and data analytics) and advanced GIS software and tools.

About UMass Global

Founded in 1958 and accredited by WSCUC, University of Massachusetts Global (UMass Global) is a nonprofit affiliate of the University of Massachusetts, committed to helping adult learners change their lives through education. We offer over 55 online programs tailored for workplace relevance - associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, along with teaching credentials, stackable certificates, and authorizations. All UMass Global coursework is 100 percent online, which meshes with the busy lives of our non-traditional students. We are known for attentive student support, accommodating transfer policies, high graduation rates, alumni satisfaction, and low student debt loan default rates. www.umassglobal.edu