Starting a Lil Lab!
Starting a Lil Lab!
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We are excited that you would like to start a Lil Lab in your community! We hope to empower you by sharing a few resources and strategies to help get you started.
What is a Lil Lab?
Lil Labs can be anything you dream up, but at their heart, they’re all about building community in a way that’s fun, respectful, accessible, independent, and safe. Whether it’s sharing meals, hosting workshops, or teaming up with community partners, Lil Labs are where connections happen. They don’t have to break the bank either — what matters most is sharing cool science and art materials and letting everyone bring their knowledge, data, and skills to the table.
Join us in changing community science through the power of sharing by starting a Lil Lab!
How to Start a Lil Lab
How to Start a Lil Lab
To join the Lil Lab Network as a community partner you must:
Think of how science knowledge is embedded in your culture and community. Highlight that knowledge through building a Lil Lab.
Complete our application, which includes questions about (1) how your Lil Lab will uphold our key values and (2) a risk assessment to ensure that your Lil Lab is safe for your community and the environment.
Build your Lil Lab: Refer to our Cohort 1 or our FAQ for ideas! Be creative and most importantly - have fun!
Lil Lab Basics
Lil Lab Basics
Before starting your application, it will be helpful for you to review about our community values, our safety and accountability protocols, and our brainstorming activity.
Resource Repository
Resource Repository
Before starting your application, it will be helpful for you to review about our community values, our safety and accountability protocols, and our brainstorming activity.
Cohort 2 Application
Cohort 2 Application
Expand this tab to preview the questions we will ask you to answer.
General Application Questions
Who are you and why would you like to build a Lil Lab? Briefly describe the community you serve. Why would this community benefit from a Lil Lab? What existing access is there to similar resources?
Describe the Lil Lab you would like to create and where it would be located (can be mobile!). How does this Lil Lab reflect your community's knowledge, needs, and interests? How have you engaged your community in creating this vision? How will you sustain your Lil Lab over time?
How would your Lil Lab specifically uphold our Lil Lab values?
After you have clarified your thinking and have a more solid vision for your Lil Lab, we would like you ti consider what potential safety concerns your Lil Lab may have.
Risk Assessment Questions
In a worst case scenario, how could your Lil Lab harm human health and/or the community? What is your plan to reduce that risk to a level encountered in daily life? For example, a Lil Lab could accidentally spread misinformation, result in improper handling of materials, violate data privacy, contain unprotected sharp things, etc.
In a worst case scenario, how could your Lil Lab harm the environment? What is your plan to reduce that risk to a level encountered in daily life? For example, a Lil Lab could contain an invasive species, a toxic chemical, create waste, etc.
What local, regional, national, and international laws or standards do you imagine might apply to your Lil Lab? How will you ensure that your Lil Lab is compliant? For example, researching and checking that your Lil Lab meets local, state, federal and international laws, developing safety protocols, consulting experts, offering an opportunity for the community to give feedback on potential risks (and benefits!), updating safety plans as needed etc.
Who might be impacted by the Lil Lab? How will you communicate potential risks and benefits to them? Lil Labs can have impacts on the community beyond those who directly engage with them. It’s important that Lil Labs build positive relationships and trust in the community, in addition to being safe.
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