Our current focus is young people aged 13-17 in South African secondary schools. In 2025, Dream Lab was delivered to learners in Grades 8-10 across three schools in Johannesburg South.

Earlier versions were piloted with older young people in South Africa and the UK. We are now concentrating on strengthening the programme and its delivery through South African schools.

Through guided discussions, individual reflection and practical activities, learners explore who they are and what they might want for their futures.

They consider educational, career and personal possibilities, discuss what might help or hold them back, and identify people and resources they can turn to. They practise breaking goals into manageable steps, considering alternative routes and deciding what they could do next.

Dreams can include relationships, ways of living and contributions to others, as well as work. Learners do not need to arrive with a clear dream or leave with their whole future mapped out.

No. Dream Lab creates space for young people to explore possibilities and make their own choices.

Learners can exchange ideas, consider options they may not have encountered before and reflect on what matters to them. Their aspirations and plans can develop as they learn more about themselves and the world around them.

We recognise that poverty, inequality and limited opportunities shape what young people can imagine and pursue. Aspirations and determination alone cannot overcome these barriers; access to opportunities, guidance and support also matters.

In 2025, trained teachers and teaching assistants delivered Dream Lab during regular Life Orientation lessons, using materials, training and ongoing support from Dream Lab Foundation.

Working through existing schools and educators offers a promising way to make the programme accessible to more young people. We are learning how best to fit it into school timetables and what educators need to deliver it well.

The version delivered in 2025 was approximately ten hours, spread across a series of sessions.

We are reviewing the length and structure in response to learner and educator feedback and the practical demands of school timetables. For the proposed 2027 school study, we are exploring a shorter format of six or seven sessions. The final format is still being developed.

Dream Lab draws on research in adolescent development, positive youth development and future orientation—the ways young people think about, plan for and act towards their futures.

An earlier small South African pilot recorded improvements in participants’ self-reported well-being, hope, meaning and purpose. These early findings are encouraging, but cannot establish that Dream Lab caused the changes or that they were sustained.

In 2025, we gathered learner surveys, interviews, focus groups and educator feedback alongside delivery in three secondary schools. We are analysing this information to understand participants’ experiences, what needs improving and what further research should examine.

Read more about our research.

We welcome enquiries from schools and organisations interested in Dream Lab.

Our current priority is developing and evaluating school-based delivery in South Africa. Opportunities to participate depend on the fit with this work, available funding and our capacity to provide training and support.

Please tell us about your organisation, the young people you work with and what interests you about Dream Lab.

Contact us.

Costs depend on the setting, number of learners and educators, and the training, materials and support required. Research and evaluation may involve additional costs.

We are working towards an affordable model that can operate through existing schools. Costs, funding and responsibilities are discussed with partners before delivery is agreed.

Our current work is organised through participating schools rather than individual enrolment.

If you are interested for yourself or a young person, you are welcome to contact us. We can explain our current work and whether any relevant opportunities are available.