HISTORY CO:LAB

WHO WE ARE

History Co:Lab is a youth-centered, research-driven, innovation lab transforming education to prepare young people to become active participants in our democracy. By integrating learning science with youth voice and community networks, we create deeply engaging experiences that support young people’s development, helping them thrive as makers of our shared history.

Through our merger with iThrive Games, we are able to harness the power of play and participatory design to advance immersive learning environments that promote belonging, curiosity, and rich emotional and academic growth.

WE BELIEVE DEMOCRACY RELIES ON ALL YOUNG PEOPLE ThRIVING.

Read our FY24 ANNUAL report

OUR WHY

EDUCATION TODAY IS NOT PREPARING YOUNG PEOPLE FOR DEMOCRACY.

In order for democracy to work, every young person must have the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to shape the future.

But our current education system is failing to supply what young people need in our historical moment marked by rapid technological, demographic and climate change. Students often feel powerless, disengaged, and anxious.

History and the humanities should be sources of information and inspiration, but they are marginalized and politicized. We see an urgent need to transform our systems of learning so that all young people and their communities can thrive, and see themselves as history makers who are motivated and able to work together to solve humanity’s challenges.

WHAT WE DO:

Learning Design

We leverage the power of projects, place, and play to co-design learning that develops emotional and cognitive skills, empowering teens to tackle real-world challenges.
Adult Learning

We co-design immersive, intergenerational experiences for adults to transform their mindset and practices so that they can play an active role in helping all learners thrive.
Catalyze Ecosystems

We build and advance learning ecosystems to support youth- and humanity-centered learning in partnership with schools, museums, and local stakeholders.
AMPLIFY YOUTH VOICE

We amplify young voice and enable authentic participation through projects like the award-winning UnTextbooked podcast, fostering belonging, curiosity, and agency.

HOW WE DO IT:

CENTERING YOUTH VOICE

In all we do, we collaborate with and center young people as co-designers of educational tools and experiences.

WEAVING

We believe that systems change is best advanced in collaborative networks of innovators. We cultivate a refined and reflective practice of developing and nurturing relationships. To see our weaving manifesto, see here.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

We believe that learning is local because human relationships are. We work with regional youth organizations, youth groups and cultural institutions to create environments where all young people can thrive and develop their full humanity.

LEVERAGING SCIENCE

Through collaborations with leading researchers, we integrate scientific insights into our design efforts to ensure that we create learning systems that support the emotional and cognitive development of young people.

HISTORY CO:LAB PROJECTS

We are a collaborative for systems change. We work at the national and international level on strategic initiatives with our partners.

AWARD-WINNING YOUTH PODCAST: UNTEXTBOOKED

UnTextbooked was co-created by a team of teenagers and the History Co:Lab as a way to showcase the power of history to inspire and inform changemakers. In each episode, a young person interviews a prominent historian about their work and highlights how the themes of the past are relevant for today.
UnTextbooked was nominated for an Ambie in 2024, the highest award in podcasting, has been #1 on Apple Podcasts in History, has won the Spotify Next Wave award winner and was an Apple New and Noteworthy in 2021 and 2023.

LISTEN NOW
MAKING HISTORY ENGAGING AND FUTURE-ORIENTED

The future of school is moving towards highly engaging learning experiences that build competencies, show professional pathways and connect kids with communities. XQ and the Carnegie Foundation are leaders in that work of transformation.
We are proud partners, leveraging our expertise in learning through play, game design and … to create learning experiences that draw students into the practice of understanding and making history.
Each unit shows a unique pathway (diplomat, advocate, geographer) and builds core competencies for the future.
REAL WORLD HUMANITIES LEARNING

Effective learning requires a connection to the real world, taking place beyond the walls of a classroom. We have created a civic learning ecosystem in Kansas City in partnership with the Hall Family Foundation and Kauffman Foundation’s Real World Learning initiative, weaving over 30 community cultural institutions into the core curriculum with project- and place-based learning.
The impact of this work was published in 2024 in the book “Built for More”, in a chapter on “Leveraging the Community as a Civic Classroom.” See below for a brief video highlighting teacher stories.

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REMAKE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP in SOUTHWEST PA

Remake Learning in SW Pennsylvania is the nation’s foremost weaver of comprehensive neighborhood based learning networks. In partnership with their team, we co-created a Civic Learning Ecosystem that unites diverse individuals and organizations committed to redefining civic education.
Launched in 2024, this regional working group fosters a vibrant community, curates impactful events, and offers catalytic support for transformative civic learning experiences. For an October 2024 article describing the group’s work, see below.

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BUILDING BELONGING

In partnership with Re-Imagining Migration, we are advancing efforts to build belonging for all youth in a time of rapid demographic change and increasing xenophobia. A key initiative is the development of a Belonging Barometer, designed to assess and strengthen the sense of belonging in schools and across regional ecosystems.
We are collaborating with Pamela Cantor, MD’s Human Potential Lab to ensure that we integrate the biology of belonging into how we help schools and communities create inclusive environments.

READ REPORT

OUR IMPACT

We strive for systems-change, and measuring that is hard. With over 1000 allies across hundreds of institutions, we are now working with researchers to create accurate measures of network impact. In the meantime, we are proud of: