“Before Dream Lab, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. Now I have a clear path, I know the steps I need to take, and I feel confident about my future.”
— Dream Lab graduate, SOUTH AFRICA
Dream Lab®
Helping young people imagine and build their futures.
10 hours · Evidence-informed · Delivered by trained teachers in schools
What is Dream Lab®?
A positive vision of the future can help young people see a reason to keep going today. But having a dream is only part of the picture. Young people also need to believe they can influence what happens next, recognise possible routes forward, and develop the skills to navigate obstacles along the way.
Dream Lab® helps young people develop both: a vision for their future, and the agency and pathways to pursue it.
Grounded in developmental science, Dream Lab® uses practical, participatory activities to help young people explore who they are, what matters to them, and what they might want from their future. They identify strengths and possibilities, connect their aspirations with achievable goals, and practise skills such as planning, taking action and responding to setbacks.
The aim isn’t to tell young people what to aspire to, or to prescribe a particular path. It’s to help them see possibilities they may not have considered, develop confidence in their ability to shape their lives, and identify steps they can take from where they are now.
Dream Lab® has been delivered in South African secondary schools, with trained teachers facilitating the programme in their own classrooms. In 2025, we reached more than 1,000 young people across three Johannesburg schools and trained 18 teachers and teaching assistants.
We are now using what we have learned to strengthen the programme and its evidence base, working towards a model that can be delivered sustainably through schools and education systems, and reach many more young people.
Interested in bringing Dream Lab® to your school? We’d love to hear from you.
Of participants who completed the pilot course
96%
had a better understanding of their dreams
100%
felt better equipped to pursue their dreams
96%
rated the course 4/5 or 5/5 overall
“The boy who is my neighbour who dropped out of school (…) started a car mechanics apprenticeship with the local mechanics after he got inspiration from Dream Lab project.
I am so grateful for the project. I really wanted him to do something with his life. He is also grateful about the project. He says it gave him time to reflect about his future.”
Netsai Gwata, Dream Lab leader, SOUTH AFRICA