the co.space

DESCRIBE YOUR PROJECT

The co.space is a program where university students and experienced change-makers live together for two years. The purpose of the project is to grow and nurture future world-changers. Through the program, students are given opportunities to apply sustainability innovation and social entrepreneurship to local community projects and global internships. The co.space is particularly important to the millennial generation because more and more young people are passionate about becoming a global changemaker but are unsure of where to start. Gaining practical experience, connecting to mentors in the field, and tapping into the international network of practitioners can be overwhelming to a young person. The co.space is designed to create an environment where the barriers to taking those first steps are removed. The co.space will also serve to bridge the efforts of existing groups and organizations to better link the work millennial's are already working on. (www.thecospace.com)

Working in partnership with New Leaf Initiative, a social innovation incubator based in State College, PA - a team of over 40 student interns began working on the co.space concept in the spring of 2012. In that time, we have secured a property and have begun developing the details for the program and projects to be run by the residents. In addition, we have developed the co.space champions program which will serve to oversee the expansion plan for the program. Currently we have received interest from over 30 cities around the world and have begun traveling to key locations such as Stockholm, Sweden and Cape Town, South Africa. This upcoming fall, we will have the first class of students participate in the program in State College.

Where does your project take place?: We will start in State College, PA with the first round of expansion to Philadelphia, PA and other university towns in the state. After the model is developed, we will begin expanding around the country and internationally.

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