Increasingly ubiquitous open spatial technologies offer the opportunity for new actors to participate in creating knowledge about the places where they live and work, and where they navigate the shocks and stresses of an uncertain world. This presentation offers insights about university student engagement in open mapping through the experiences of YouthMappers around the world. This inclusive international network of youth-led, faculty-mentored, and technology-enabled chapters on more than 300 campuses in 65+ countries work together to organize, collaborate, and implement mapping action that respond to needs around the globe. Specific examples will illuminate how students are creating and using spatial information that is collected using open software tools and made publicly available through open platforms, and in turn inform us about both the power and the limits of open spatial technologies in the hands of students working to build a more resilient, equitable and sustainable future.