SCC-IRG Track 1: Amplifying Neighborhood Connectivity and Strength through Youth-Driven Civic Innovation

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $1,249,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Developing neighborhood connectivity, trust, and belonging is essential for the mental health of young people. Social connections help mitigate the stressors young people face. Technologies that build community engagement and include information of public and local interest, that is, civic technologies, have shown promise for improving social connections. Yet existing tools often fail to sustain public interest or help the public intuitively navigate the complex data displayed, and also often lack transparency. Little is known about how civic technologies can be designed to engage young people, whose ideas about what community means and how it is best formed, often differ from the adult-centered views driving existing tools. Addressing these research gaps, the project team is creating and evaluating a toolkit that will include a novel suite of data and technology to support youth-led civic engagement, build a more socially cohesive community, and in turn support youth mental health and the wellbeing of people in the local community. Through collaborations with community and municipal organizations, this work is improving civic data access for youth and their communities, enabling community-grounded data interactions that advance social cohesion and wellbeing, and helping build data literacy, an essential 21st century skill. This research is engaging youth in the co-design of a toolkit and activities for building data literacy, software tools for community data collection,

Key facts

NSF award ID
2426908
Awardee
Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GA)
SAM.gov UEI
EMW9FC8J3HN4
PI
Andrea G Parker
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
S&CC: Smart and Connected Communities
Estimated total
$1,249,000
Funds obligated
$1,249,000
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2029