ICOY Labs
Learn by doing.
In a Lab, the participants do most of the work. A facilitator shows how, small teams practise and build, and everyone leaves able to do something they could not do when they arrived.
What it is
An ICOY Labs event is a workshop with a clear learning goal. A lead facilitator with real experience demonstrates a skill or method, then participants work through it themselves, usually in small teams with helpers on hand. At the end, teams share what they made or found.
Labs suit skills that are learned by practice: writing, design, data, making, speaking, problem-solving. The test of a good Lab is simple: at least half the time is spent with participants' hands on the work, not listening to it.
Why it matters
Talks and discussions spread ideas; Labs build the ability to act on them. They give young people practical skills, the confidence of having made something, and a chance to work with people they have not met before.
How an ICOY Labs event runs
A typical running order. Adapt the timings to your event; keep the shape.
- 10 min
Welcome and goal
The facilitator states the learning goal in one sentence and explains how the session will work.
- 15 to 20 min
Demonstration
A short, practical demonstration of the method or skill, with a worked example.
- 60 to 90 min
Guided practice
Teams work on a real task while the facilitator and helpers move between them.
- 20 to 30 min
Share-back
Each team shows what it made or found, and the group discusses what worked.
- 10 min
Reflection and next steps
What participants learned, where to practise next, and the feedback link.
What it covers
Choose one skill that can be learned to a useful level in a few hours, and a task that lets participants practise it on something real. The best Labs connect the skill to a problem in your own community.
Example skills
- Design thinking: redesign one frustrating process at your school
- Writing an opinion piece and pitching it to an editor
- Reading public data: what the census says about your ward
- Build a simple website for a local cause
- Prototype a low-cost water filter and test it
- Writing a one-page policy brief on a local issue
- Public speaking: a three-minute talk, rehearsed and filmed
- Map the hottest streets in your neighbourhood
Who does what
Lead facilitator
Has real expertise in the skill and has run workshops before. Designs the task and the timing.
Helpers or mentors
About one for every ten participants, to keep teams moving and answer questions.
Materials lead
Makes sure every participant or team has what they need before the session starts.
Safety lead
For any activity with tools, chemicals, heat, food, sport or first aid, a qualified person supervises and the venue's safety rules apply.
What makes a great Labs event
Do
- A learning goal you can say in one sentence
- Materials ready for every participant before you begin
- A real task, not an exercise for its own sake
- Beginners welcomed; no prior experience assumed unless stated
- Everyone leaves with something they made
Avoid
- A lecture with a short activity at the end
- Selling a paid course or product (not allowed)
- Groups so large that most people watch
- Unsafe activities without qualified supervision
- Under-18 participants without adult supervision
Who hosts it
School clubs and departments, university societies and labs, makerspaces, libraries, NGOs with practical expertise, and professionals willing to teach what they know.
Any of the three licence types can host an ICOY Labs event. Licences are free and each covers one event, named after the programme and your community, for example ICOY Labs@YourSchool. Every event must follow the ICOY Regionals guidelines, including the speaker, sponsorship and content rules.
After the event
Send the feedback link and write the summary within 7 days, describing what participants learned and made. Labs may share photos instead of video. Download certificates for your facilitators, team and participants.
Upcoming ICOY Labs events
All Labs events →The other programmes
Host an ICOY Labs event
Licences are free. Read the guidelines, choose your community name, and apply.