Co Lab Partners with TeachSDGs!

The future of our world lies in the hands of the younger generations, and they are ready to start taking action to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and see a better, healthier world. That is why the Global Co Lab Network is now partnering with TeachSDGs to mobilize students and teachers around the world to work together to become global changemakers. TeachSDGs has thousands of teachers and students in the rapidly growing community worldwide and we are delighted to be creating a partnership to support each other.

We are excited by the enormous potential of our new partnership with TeachSDGs. Our Dream Hubs are ready to be populated by youth that are passionate and eager to start making a change in the world. The more students that join in our meetings, the greater the impact we can make on SDG progress. We are creating an important network that will not only produce action plans, but also connect young people to the mentors and resources that they need to strengthen their leadership skills and propel their future careers. We aim to give these teens an outlet to let their voices be heard and to turn their incredible ideas into tangible outcomes.

Teens Dream has six Dream Hubs up and running, focused on SDG 2-Zero Hunger, SDG 3-Good Health & Well-Being, SDG 4-Quality Education, SDG 5-Gender Equality, SDG 12-Responsible Production & Consumption, and SDG 17-Partnerships for the Goals (focused on using art to promote SDG action). We hope to eventually have Dream Hubs led by teens on each of the 17 SDGs! Our Dream Hubs offer a great opportunity for interested teachers and adults working in these fields to become mentors for our teens. Our virtual platform allows for international and intergenerational connections that can be sustained long-term. We are seeking adults of all ages that can provide guidance and assistance, but are willing to step back and let the teens take the lead. Merging our existing network with TeachSDGs’ is a perfect formula to connect young people to teachers that are ready to provide the stepping stones students need to start making their dreams a reality.

Teachers and teens from TeachSDGs can get with Teens Dream, a project of the Co Lab, in a number of ways:

Join other teachers and engage your students by promoting our fun and simple annual Teens Dream video contest in your classroom. See here for details.
Join in any Dream Hub’s virtual meetings to learn more about our work. Visit our facebook page for details on upcoming meetings.
If you are over 19 and have experience with a specific SDG, apply to become a Dream Hub mentor.
If you are 19 or younger and passionate about a specific SDG, apply to become a Dream Hub Teen Ambassador.
Share your organization’s work with us. We want to support existing programs through our Dream Hubs, so tell us about your work.
Spread the word! Share our events on social media to support our vision and reach more teens around the world.

So far, Teens Dream has seen inspiring successes. Our Gender Equality Dream Hub team created the International Movement for Resilience, Authenticity, & Activism (IMRAA), a female empowerment organization that has been implemented in several schools in the United States and Ghana. Our Good Health & Well-Being Dream Hub has started the first Our Minds Matter mental health awareness club on the West Coast and is working to inspire teens globally to start these clubs in schools. Our Partnerships for the Goals Dream Hub produced an hour-long art show on gun violence called Triggered, which brought together teen artists from all over the world. Our Quality Education Dream Hub led by teens from Romania, Indonesia and Trinidad are interested in how to make education more accessible and interesting. They are in need of adult mentors! There are many more stories like these in progress, and by connecting Teens Dream with TeachSDGs, there is unlimited potential to what can be achieved.