Co.Lab, presented by Open Source Stories, is an education experience based on open source principles that gives students access to the vast world of technology.
Launched in 2017 as an outreach effort to increase interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning, the program uses do-it-yourself kits and interactive workshops to empower students to solve complex problems together using open source.
The Co. Lab program began as a way to extend community outreach efforts and get more students interested in technology. While its mission remains the same, Co.Lab has rapidly evolved into a self-serve Red Hat® program, that has shifted to accommodate virtual learning options, empower individuals to run workshops of their own, and make kits available to a broader audience.
With our do-it-yourself kits, students can learn how breadboards and circuits work, how to build a robot and make it walk, and how to create a farm while learning circuitry basics—all using open source methodologies. These kits empower them to create on their own, using their problem-solving abilities and STEM skills to build great things.
Browse our Co.Lab kits
Teaching Co.Lab was a fun shared experience, both for me and the students! Seeing their faces light up along with their LED cards was a proud moment for me because I was able to effectively teach them something new and exciting, all over a webcam.
It is increasingly important for young coders to have collaborative, community-led initiatives like this so they can develop enterprising career-ready skills.
I learned that open source is open to the community, and open to the person, where anyone can see it if they search for something. I think open source can really help you find anything.
Because working in the open is a universal concept, Co.Lab’s efforts have reached a global scale. We’ve connected with students in more than a dozen countries since launching the program.
Co.Lab is just one way we demonstrate our dedication to open source. Learn how we champion software freedom to protect the open source ecosystem, foster innovation through an open organizational culture, and donate our time and resources to STEM programs around the world.
The story of how a group of roboticists turned one piece of open source software into a global phenomenon.
Open Source Stories, an original series from Red Hat, celebrates the innovators who bring the power of open source to everything people do.
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