About us

Who we are​

We are a team of change-makers who believe that every helping hand can raise a child and create a better future for them.

Awakening Cooperative Lab (or Awakening Co-op Lab, Awakening Lab) is a grassroots think-and-do-tank founded in Taiwan, which takes a critical and systems-conscious approach to research, education, and social design, with the aim to sow seeds for convivial, regenerative, and healthy societies.

Founded by teenagers in 2012 and later became an inclusive and democratic registered organization, Awakening Lab’s members across the Taiwan Strait have explored global education and youth issues by producing online content and collaborating with mainstream magazines and radio programs, which also included interviews with important leaders such as the late Sir Ken Robinson. Among Awakening Lab’s works, If There is a Reason to Study is a documentary film that followed 5 alternative school students’ lives for 7 years, examed the test-driven education system’s impact on students and the risk of alienation with socialization. The film has won awards internationally, influenced education movements in Taiwan, and was lauded the “Epitome of 2016 Taiwanese Movies” and the “Most important film on Taiwanese education.”

Based on the involvement of and co-learning with thousands of participants, Awakening Lab developed theories, methodologies, and change models such as Allocation Dependence, Learning by Caring, and Reflexive Media. These developments have helped disadvantaged and marginalized youth to be admitted to highly selective universities without undertaking conventional test preparations or submitting grades, found their own purpose-driven organizations, and some even become recipients of the Presidential Education Award and the Beijing Education Innovation Award. Awakening Lab has also contributed to the policy research and reform of the Experimental Higher Education Act and the facilitation of regional revitalization through critical pedagogic praxes.

Awakening’s partners and clients include but are not limited to the National Development Council (Taiwan), Ministry of Education (Taiwan), National Education Radio (Taiwan), Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Germany), National Taiwan University (Taiwan), National Chung Kung University (Taiwan), Design for Change Taiwan, ZA Share (Taiwan), CommonWealth Education Media and Publishing (Taiwan), Global Views CommonWealth Publishing (Taiwan), Lipao Media (Taiwan), EDiversity (Hong Kong), Ednovators (Hong Kong), Alternative Education Resource Organization (USA), Ecoversities Alliance (International).

Our approach

Our Mission​
Our mission is to make sure all young people and children get all the support they need, when they need it, no matter what it is. ​

Whether it is a reassuring conversation, financial help, education, professional training, or simply the assurance that they are not alone, we will make sure that everyone gets support that meets them where they’re at as quickly as possible.

Our Vision​
We want to build a world where no child or youth feels alone and gets every possible help they need as soon as possible. ​

Our entire team wants to see a world where every youngster struggling in any way feels able to reach out and has people who’ll help them with education, jobs, and more. We want to spread out in every region so we’ll be reachable to all.

OUR PARTNERS

Our numbers that speak

We have numbers that push us to give in our best and make sure that we break our own records. We are happy to be growing and helping more day by day.

K+
Members Worldwide
$M+
Funds Raised
+
Children Helped
T
Food Provided
GIVE US A HAND

Support us and change the course of a child’s life today!

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