Information Sessions Upcoming for CTData’s Hartford Youth Data Fellows

Early next year, a unique and impactful opportunity opens for Hartford youth, including high school seniors, college, students, and recent graduates to become the next class of Hartford Youth Data Fellows with CTData’s Hartford Data Collaborative. Over an intensive 5-month program, from January through May 2025, these young leaders will work as co-researchers, gaining hands-on experience with real-world data to drive meaningful change in their community.

Two information sessions, for high school and college students who may be interested in the unique opportunities offered by the program, will be held in November. Registration is now open to Hartford residents ages 17-24 who want to learn more about Hartford neighborhood data and how to use data to advocate issues affecting Hartford youth. The sessions, which are virtual, will be held on Friday, Nov. 15, 12-1 PM and Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6 – 7 PM. Registration for each session is now open via Eventbrite at www.ctdata.org/hartfordyouth.

The Travelers Foundation provided the Hartford Youth Data Fellowship program with an award of $25,000. Additional support has been provided by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and a Community Development Block Grant from the City of Hartford. A total of 24 youth have participated in the prior programs in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The young people in the upcoming cohort will 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 fellowship program addresses a need for increased data literacy among residents, provides Hartford youth with a chance to make a meaningful impact in their community and earn money, and offers resume building and career development opportunities.

Together with CTData staff, city officials, and community leaders, participants will engage in data and project development workshops over the course of five months. Fellows will also work with other youth across the city to create a capstone project, presenting them at a community data walk at the end of the program next Spring. It is the only program of its kind in Connecticut. Research topics of previous Hartford Youth Data Fellows have included library engagement, home buying, the impact of evictions, education, mental health, and children living in poverty.

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 students will meet weekly after school at the Swift Factory in Hartford to work with the data professionals of HDC.

“The Youth Fellows learn to weave their personal experiences into the creation of Hartford data profiles to share with city and community leaders,” said Kate Bittinger Eikel, Data Integration Strategist with CTData, who serves as Director of the Hartford Youth Data Fellows program. “Our program has successfully improved youth’s confidence in themselves and given them a tangible way to illustrate their knowledge with others. One of our youth from last spring was able to use his data project to land a dream job in computer science. Others have made connections that led to scholarships and refocusing their college major.”

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 such as housing and youth engagement. 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 in May. HDC plans to share these insights with data partners to inform program and policy development for city youth.

“The Hartford Youth Data Fellows bring a valuable new dimension to our work, and we deeply appreciate their commitment and unique perspectives. They are rapidly building expertise that can create immediate impact in their community and, we hope, serve them well throughout their lives.” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

Past participant Nathaniel Gardner described the benefits: "Being a part of [this] program has been a life-changing experience... It has given me a new understanding on a multitude of topics, opened up new career opportunities, helped me gain valuable connections, and understand the importance of how everybody's story matters."

Previous Youth Data Fellows have included college students attending UConn Storrs, Goodwin College, CT State Community College - Manchester campus and CT State - Capital campus and Trinity College. High school students participating in past cohorts have included students attending Bulkeley High School, Achievement First, and AI Prince Technical School.

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 to inform 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 also 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.