Hartford Youth Data Fellows Program Underway

Ten youth from Hartford – high school seniors and college students - have joined CTData’s Hartford Data Collaborative this year to serve as the second class of Hartford Youth Data Fellows. The students serve as co-researchers with the Hartford Data Collaborative throughout an extensive 5-month program.

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 new 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 seven high school seniors and three college students. The high school seniors include four students attending A.I. Prince Technical High School, and seniors currently attending University High School of Science and Engineering, Connecticut IB Academy, and CREC Academy of International Studies. The three Youth Data Fellows in college attend Eastern Connecticut State University, Manchester Community College, and Trinity College.

As co-researchers, the youth share their lived experience in Hartford in their data projects. Each Fellow will develop a “Data Snapshot” highlighting data on topics including children and youth, education and schools, community safety, and mental health issues. 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 students 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.”

The Youth Data Fellows have embraced the program enthusiastically. “I have learned to read data on a deeper scale,” said program participant Justin Figueroa. “I’ve gained a higher respect for data, and I gained a new field to explore ... to help me in life,” added Isaiah Julio Perez.

“What I have learned from this program is an understanding of structuring questions around a particular research topic. If I am going to gather data, I should probably look into answering particular questions regarding the people involved, the purpose the research serves, the benefits and potential drawbacks in doing such research,” explained Hartford Youth Data Fellow Khamari Thornton. “I’ve learned more about the problems within my community, and by recognizing them, I can help solve them, " said Tatiana Watson.

The new program, launched in January and running through May, is a follow-up to a pilot Hartford Youth Researchers program conducted during the spring of 2022. Funding support is provided by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The upcoming Data Walk presentations by the inaugural class of Hartford Youth Data Fellows will be open to the public, at the offices of CTData, 10 Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford, on Monday, May 15, 4:30-6:30pm.

“The students in our first class of Hartford Youth Data 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 students, 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.”

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.

The Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC) is a network of Hartford area non-profit organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic partners that facilitates data sharing and data integration among its partners. HDC’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 (CTData), with input from community stakeholders.

CTData empowers an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy skills. The organization strives to promote and engage data users in implementing equitable data practices across the state. More than 200 data sets are now accessible to the public on the CTData website, including a wide array of subjects and policy categories.

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 offices are located on Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford; more information and datasets are available on the website at www.ctdata.org.