About the CoLab
The place for community-led collaborative action on campus
The CoLab at the Lang Center (CoLab) is a community-led collaborative action space within the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility. The mission of the CoLab is to foster community-led collaborative action with Swarthmore College’s local and global community partners. We value ethical engagement, campus-community reciprocity, social justice and innovation, and shared responsibility. The CoLab acts as a home for the growing number of Engaged Scholarship and action-orientated programs within Swarthmore College, including the Social Innovation Lab.
The CoLab aims to:
- Provide development space for our community members; students, faculty and staff, to design, plan and implement collaborative projects,
- Provide a range of short- and longer-term education and skills-building programs/modules
- Cultivate conversation, share experiences, and reflect on the work of Engaged Scholarship and collaborative action in our communities.
Reserve Space at the CoLab
Members of the Swarthmore community are now welcome to reserve the CoLab space for collaborative work. The CoLab is equipped with:
- Movable and stationary white boards
- Projector with Solstice capability
- Prototyping station and materials cart
- Nearby kitchen with water, tea, and coffee
The space consists of the Porch, the Barn, and the Kitchen.
Reservations can be made directly through Google Calendar by those with Swarthmore credentials. Type “CoLab - Porch” or “Co-Lab - Barn” on the “meet with” tab on the GCal page; you should get automatic confirmation of the reservation.
The Co-Lab Kitchen space is first-come, first-served.
CoLab Workshops
The CoLab offers a range of education and skills building opportunities, including workshops on impact gaps analysis, design thinking for social change, and social business model canvas. Every February, the CoLab runs a 4 week module on on Systems Thinking for Social Change, offering an opportunity to learn how to analyze and map systems. These workshops are primarily designed for students. Please reach out to Nimesh Ghimire (nghimir1) if you are a Swarthmore faculty, staff, or community partner interested in any of these workshops.
CoLab-Funded, Community-Designed Projects
Connecting community ideas with student capabilities
The CoLab at the Lang Center funds students to complete 10- or 20-hour remote projects designed by community-based organizations, activists, and/or projects for social change. This program seeks to center community voices and put college resources to use in ways that are mutually beneficial to students and community partners. Community partners benefit from completed projects that might otherwise not be possible and students benefit from the opportunity to apply their academic learning to real-world projects aimed at social good.
To be eligible for funding, students must be (1) a currently enrolled Swarthmore College undergraduate or have graduated from Swarthmore College within the last three months; and (2) in good standing at Swarthmore College. If you are an international student (on an F1 or J1 visa) considering opportunities to work off campus (in either a paid or unpaid position), please contact Jennifer Marks-Gold or Ryan MacMorris before you accept any positions to ensure you maintain your legal status.
Please note that Community-Designed Projects are not in service of Swarthmore College and do not create an employment relationship between the student(s) and the College.
Students can sign into Parker Dewey to view and apply to currently available projects.
Community partners can propose a community-designed project via Parker Dewey.
Chester-Swarthmore Fellows
Dedicated to advancing Chester's interests, as community members define them
The CoLab at the Lang Center convenes a group of Chester civic leaders—"Chester-Swarthmore Fellows"—to advise Swarthmore College's community-based efforts. Launched in Fall 2021, Fellows convene with us regularly throughout the year, and are available for brief consultations (as they arise) with students, faculty members, and staff. The Chester-Swarthmore Fellows program is animated by the values of reciprocity and mutual benefit, and a shared dedication to advancing Chester's interests as Chester community members define them.
Current Chester-Swarthmore Fellows:
- Kenny Covert
- Cory Long
- Zulene Mayfield
- Barbara Muhammad
- Annette Pyatt
- Twyla Simpkins
- Jim Turner
- Devon Walls
Virtual Reality (VR)/360 Immersive Experience
We are excited to continue our pilot of VR/360 Immersion experience through the CoLab. Our goal is to see how VR/360 immersion can be used as a helpful tool to provide a more immersive experience for students to better understand (and subsequently engage in) different facets of pressing social issues.
We invite you to come by Lang Center’s CoLab and experience—through the Oculus Quest 2 headset—any of the VR/360 immersion videos from this list curated by the Lang Center. You can book a 30 minute slot here.
