The study shows the significance of the shift in managing disaster impacts from a top-down approach to a more participatory, community-based, data-driven approach. The adoption of citizen science initiatives, armed with the provisions provided by wireless internet and mobile phone technologies, emerges as a promising avenue for generating real-time, community-driven information crucial for effective risk management. The concept of citizen science involves the participation of nonprofessional community members in data collection, interpretation, analysis and finally in the production of hazard and disaster risk maps of local areas. Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) serves as a broader term encapsulating citizen-based geospatial mapping, fostering participatory engagement through internet platforms. Considering the fact that the vulnerability of people and their assets to disasters varies based on the variations in socio-economic, demographic characteristics of the communities and on the physical characteristics of the land area where they live. It also depends on residual impact conditions (known as cumulative impact conditions). The research emphasizes the need for inclusive disaster risk management and planning, where the roles of the local community members are pivotal since they know the challenges better than the external professionals through their personal everyday experiences and actions performed to better build back the impact conditions. The study conducts a risk mapping exercise to facilitate inclusive preparedness and risk management planning in order to minimize the vulnerabilities of at-risk populations. In order to examine the river-induced disaster impacts in a study location (called Harirampur Upazila, Manikganj District) situated in a floodplain of central Bangladesh, the study actively engaged the local youths so that they can inform the impacts situations as they experienced (i.e., using their local knowledge). The study shows how the youths used the geospatial data, methods and technologies to register the information about disaster impacts and how the exercise contributed in transforming them into informed volunteers and change agents towards more effective disaster risk management for their local areas. While local youths emerge as crucial first responders in case of disasters, their potential is hindered by a lack of guidance, knowledge, and orientation with data and methods—this study showed the way how passive recipients of disaster relief items may become effective first responders for their communities. The research employs fieldwork and spatial analysis to develop a risk mapping model applicable in flood and riverbank erosion contexts, emphasizing the methodological steps in easy, generic terms. The resulting risk maps play a vital role in identifying at-risk households, prioritizing service delivery and enhancing project accountability, efficiency and sustainability. This comprehensive study not only contributes to the growing field of citizen science and participatory risk mapping but also provides a replicable model for disaster-prone areas, fostering community resilience through inclusive and informed planning.