Hartford Youth Data Fellows Introduces Teens to Real-World Data Gathering

Photo byCT Data Collaborative

Ten youth from Hartford - high school seniors, college students and recent graduates - have joined CTData’s Hartford Data Collaborative this year to serve as the third class of Hartford Youth Data Fellows. The students serve as co-researchers with the Hartford Data Collaborative throughout an extensive 5-month program, which launched in January and runs through early June.

The young people receive data literacy, data analysis, data visualization, and data storytelling training. They also engage with community leaders in Hartford to better understand city issues and resident needs. In addition to the experience the students develop in relation to data, an important objective of the program is to further their college and career development plans.

The initiative, developed by the CT Data Collaborative (CTData), is a component of the organization’s mission to empower an ecosystem of data users. The program is facilitated by the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC), a partnership of Hartford agencies and community leaders, managed by CTData, that facilitates data sharing, integration, and analysis to optimize services and outcomes for Hartford residents.

The Youth Data Fellows include two high school seniors and six college students, youth ages 17 to 24. The high school seniors include students attending Bulkeley High School in Hartford and Plainville High School through the Open Choice program. The Youth Data Fellows in college attend UConn Storrs, Goodwin College, CT State Community College - Manchester campus and CT State - Capital campus. The students meet weekly after school at the Hartford Public Library to work with the data professionals of HDC.

As co-researchers, the youth focus on attaining data literacy and analysis skills by conducting and completing a community-based data project. Each Fellow will develop a “Data Snapshot” highlighting data on topics related to housing and access to library programs. These snapshots will be shared on the HDC website and each of the Data Fellows will present their findings in a “Data Walk” with city and community leaders on May 20^th at the Hartford Public Library- Park Street Branch. HDC plans to share these insights with data partners to inform program and policy development for city youth.

“The Hartford Youth Data Fellows add a dimension to our work, and we appreciate their commitment and perspective. They are quickly developing expertise that can make a difference in their community in the near-term and hopefully in their lives going forward,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative. “This is one of a number of exciting initiatives we have underway with youth and with the City of Hartford.”

“From the coursework so far, I have learned the importance of data and how it influences people. Joining the fellowship has allowed me to meet youth from other schools and share experiences. It has really opened my eyes to see people from a different perspective, said 2024 Youth Fellow John D’Souza. “I plan to major in computer science and explore a career in data science and this program will help me with that goal. I also think it’s time for youth to step up.”

Funding support is provided by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Graustein Foundation, and the North Hartford Ascend Pipeline. Fifteen youth have participated in the prior programs in 2022 and 2023. Data snapshots developed by previous participants can be seen at www.ctdata.org/hartford-data-snapshots.

Student Data Walk Presentations on May 20

The Data Walk presentations by the current cohort of Hartford Youth Data Fellows in May will be open to the public. The Data Walk will be held on Monday, May 20^th from 4:30-6:30pm at the Hartford Public Library, Park Street Branch @ the Lyric.

“The Youth Fellows are quickly integrating their life’s experiences with the development of Hartford data profiles upon which future policy decisions can rely,” said Kate Bittinger Eikel, Data Integration Strategist with CTData, who serves as Director of the Hartford Youth Data Fellows program. “We hope to connect these youth, and the expertise they are developing in this program, with organizations in Hartford that can benefit from their knowledge to inform their own data-based decision-making. And perhaps even jobs and careers right here close to home.”

The Hartford Data Collaborative’s mission is to build shared data infrastructure that facilitates data sharing, integration, and analysis to optimize services and outcomes for Hartford residents. The Hartford Data Collaborative was formed in 2019 and is managed by staff from the Connecticut Data Collaborative, with input from community stakeholders.

CTData works throughout Connecticut with nonprofits, advocates, policymakers, community groups, and funders to further the use of data to drive policy and improve programs and services, budgeting and decision-making at the state, regional and local levels. Interactive data projects on housing, demographics, population, and civic engagement are available on the CTData website, making these data accessible for decision-making.

Among its areas of responsibility, CTData has been designated as the lead organization for the State of Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program. CTData also works with nonprofit organizations to develop Data Strategic Plans© to map out their use of data to further organizational missions and offers a range of programs and working groups through the CTData Academy.

CTData operates a data “helpline” for assisting data users with obtaining, displaying, interpreting, and using data, and is a member of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership. More information about CTData is available on the website at www.ctdata.org.