Global Co Lab Network

The Global Co Lab Network is a virtual “do tank” that empowers inter-generational engagement focused on teens and millennials, incubating initiatives out of carefully designed informal gatherings such as living room salons, utilizing mindfulness and design lab philosophies. The Global Co Lab helps host and encourages others to convene informal small gatherings around carefully identified challenges, identifying invitees of diverse perspectives and backgrounds, designing dialogues focused on more intentional collaborative engagement with input from the next generation, and working to incubate change. The Co-Lab engages teens on issues of priority to them. Our ten SDG Hubs focus on a range of SDG goals including mental health, climate change, racial justice, quality education, wildlife conservation, hunger, plastic pollution, spanish speakers for the SDGs, arts for the SDGs and gender equaltiy. The Co-Lab also created the Eco Teen Action Network with the Smithsonian Conservation Commons in preparation for the Earth Optimism Summit working with local youth and their school environmental clubs to focus on conservation priorities. To encourage teens to dream and be change agents, the Co Lab created Teens Dream, a global video contest for teens focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Teens Dream is a digital platform empowering teens globally to articulate and pursue their dreams. It successfully does this with an annual video competition with now $5000 in prizes and brings or skypes in winners in an annual celebration in Washington, DC where teens meet with mentors who can help them realize their dreams.