Mapping Dreams: Help Detroit GIS Students

Hi, Mapmakers and Friends of Mapmakers:

We are Eos Positioning Systems, a Canadian designer and manufacturer of GNSS (GPS) technology. We've recently partnered with Frederick Douglass Academy (FDA), an all-male Detroit public high school, for their GIS Pathways program—a dual-enrollment initiative with Eastern Michigan University (EMU).

What Is GIS Pathways?

GIS Pathways curriculum covers GIS, GPS/mapping, drones, and related skills across four years. Over 90% of FDA high schoolers are enrolled, gaining exposure to career options, life coaching, mentorship, and opportunities like Esri certifications and internships.

Many of these students overcome challenges just to attend FDA.

Dual-Enrollment With EMU:

Each sophomore, junior, and senior GIS Pathways student who successfully completes the coursework receives three (3) EMU credits yearly for a total of nine (9) college credits by graduation. This creates motivation for continuing studies, reduces education costs for university-bound students and provides employment skills to those taking alternative paths.

The Financial Challenge:

Funding these credits used to cost $30,000 USD/year. A grant that previously covered the program has now expired. GIS Pathways Lead Instructor Chad Segrist recently managed to reduce the cost in half (to $15,000 USD/year) by becoming an adjunct EMU instructor. That’s just $200 for 3 credits yearly, per student! Next year’s program is in jeopardy and short by $10,000 USD.

Funds are needed by early January 2024 to allow the students a chance to gain their credits for the 2023-24 school year.

Why We’re Asking For $15,000 CAD

Eos Positioning Systems has made it our holiday mission to bridge this gap. Calling on our GIS community, peers, and network to join us, we believe that together we can fund next year’s students and potentially beyond.

Because Eos Positioning Systems is a Canadian company, our fundraiser is in CAD. $10,000 USD equals ~$13,600 CAD, and even though GoFundMe charges 0% for the use of their platforms, we’ve added margin to accommodate GoFundMe transaction fees for organizers, bringing our total goal to $15,000 CAD. You can donate in USD or other currencies. All proceeds will be given to the EMU Foundation (GIS Education and Career Development Fund) to be applied to dual-enrollment credits and related expenses for FDA’s GIS Pathway students only. No proceeds will be distributed directly to or through Frederick Douglass Academy, DPSCD, or employees thereof.

Your Impact:

By supporting this cause, you’re investing in these young men, you’re directly supporting and uplifting their hopes and dreams, and you’re also contributing to our GIS community. While not all students will pursue careers in GIS, the program nonetheless gives them purpose and allows them to develop at an early age a vast array of skills. These skills include communication, self-confidence, leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, comradery, and a sense of responsibility – all of which will be useful throughout their lives and careers. These students already want to become doctors, engineers, architects, and even GIS specialists to map and uplift their communities. Many are already doing this today.

Together, we can show these young men that our GIS community wants them to be here as much as they want to be here. Help them sustain their GIS Academic Journey, a journey that we can take together.

How You Can Help:

Consider this: if every person in our company’s database contributed just $1 USD, we'd surpass our goal. With a modest donation from each person, we could together secure credits even for more than one year. The true power of this fundraiser lies in the passion and scale of our GIS community.

Companies can also donate.

Why This Matters:

Since the GIS Pathways program started in 2019, FDA has risen to an “A”-graded school from an “F” grade. Student retention rate (the percent who do not drop out) has risen to 94%. GIS Pathways students have won drone competitions and presented their GIS/GPS work at national conferences, including GIS-Pro. More importantly, they have developed their confidence, professionalism, and leadership. They have become the type of young men who make the world better. Eos Positioning Systems witnessed this firsthand during our November 2023 site visit (see video above).

Please donate and please share to your network. Let us all sustain this program!

Learn More About GIS Pathways Here: