FAQs

What is Wind Tunnel?
Wind Tunnel is the name of a GPS-enabled website that allows young people to post information about certain opportunities on a map of Windham County. Web users can see where those opportunities are, and with a single click, read all about them.

What kind of opportunities?
Jobs, internships, apprenticeships, community service positions, and places to get free food if you or your family is struggling financially. Mappers will be adding more categories of 'opportunities' as the site develops.

Are you saying all the businesses on this site are currently hiring?
Employers don't post jobs here; it's not that kind of site. Mappers interview employers, social service agencies, nonprofit organizations, artists, farmers and other people about what they do and how young people fit in, either as paid workers or volunteers. Some places hire lots of young people seasonally; others hire young people throughout the year. Some are looking for one or two 'just-right' volunteers or interns. It just depends. This is a place to read about what's out there, decide what you think sounds interesting, and go for it.

Why is this project called Wind Tunnel?
The name was suggested by a young person in a focus group. He heard that the project covered all of Windham County and wanted to make a play on words (Windham=Wind Tunnel). The name struck us as kind of cool, so we decided to go with it.

What is Youth ImPact?
Youth ImPact is the name of a county-wide coalition working on creating healthy opportunities for youth in this part of Vermont. New England Network for Child, Youth & Family Services, one of the members of the coalition, developed Wind Tunnel and is piloting it in Windham County. NEN will pilot similar youth-mapping projects at other sites in New England soon.

Who's this website for?
Young people 15 and up who are looking for something to useful to do. You don't have to know where you're going, or even how to get there. You just have to take a single step. That's what this website is about. Find something that interests you and get going. One thing will follow another, and things will start happening for you. As adults who used to be young, trust us on this.

Who are the 'mappers'?
Mappers are young people 21 and under who go out in the community, interview business owners and other adults, and write up their entries for the website. During the pilot phase of the project, our mapping group was located in Brattleboro and run by Andi Waisman, the local Youth ImPact coordinator. As we transition into a more permanent stage, mapping groups will be located in high schools and other youth groups. A mapping group can last for a semester, a summer, a whole school year, or some fraction of that. Every mapping group has an adult advisor who helps teach interviewing, writing and editing skills, and can help mappers make connections with folks to interview. Often this sort of work fits nicely into what certain school classes already do, so we anticipate working closely with interested teachers.

Do mappers do technical work on the website?
Yes, mappers can do technical work. The website's administrative 'interface' is custom-designed to be easy to use. Once mappers have a username and password, they can post an item in less than five minutes.

Do mappers get paid?
In the beginning, we paid mappers a small hourly stipend. As we move the mapping work into schools and already-established youth groups that might already be doing similar exploration in the community, we will stop paying participants.

Then what's the benefit of being a mapper?
Getting academic credit, if you're in a class doing mapping; getting underneath the skin of your community; learning concrete skills like interviewing, writing, and editing; and maybe even landing a job through one of your interviews. It's happened!

If this map covers the whole county, how come there are so many stars in Brattleboro but none in other places?
Wind Tunnel is indeed a county-wide project. We started in Brattleboro because that's where our first mappers were. Now we're looking to set up mapping teams in other parts of the county. Eventually, we'll have all corners of the map filled.

Do you monitor comments made on the website?
Yes. Readers can comment both on individual opportunities and on the site in general. Comments are approved by site administrators before appearing.

How do I get involved as an adult?
If you're a teacher and already work with students, or any adult leader working with teens or young adults on life skills or career exploration, Wind Tunnel could be a wonderful project for you, either on a semester-by-semester basis, or in an ongoing way. Contact us and we'll talk it through with you. We have orientation and curriculum materials that will help.

If you work with youth in some other capacity and would like to get involved, the same applies. The project is flexible enough to accommodate many different kinds of groups.

Contacts:

Andi Waisman, Youth ImPact Coordinator
Melanie Wilson, Director of Research, NEN
Cindy Carraway-Wilson, Director of Training, NEN