The Echo Lab

The Echo Lab is an art and media community-based facility that fosters young talent, content producers and individuals in a collaborative space where they can develop a craft, learn transferable skills, co-create and give back.

We are based in Lagos - Nigeria. Our solution is to develop a 2000 square meter purpose-built arts and media space to enable a young demographic to be more empowered, proactive and have better access to resources and technologies that help them take charge of their future. Our solution starts from Lagos and we intend for it to scale to the rest of Nigeria, then Africa. Our focus is to use a local narrative to reach a global audience.

A few facts: 

• Lagos population = 23 million
• Youth population (16 - 35 year) = 11 million | >50%
• Unemployment rate (2010) = 50%
• No existing creative/maker’s hub in Lagos

How Does it address question?

Our members will be between the ages of 12 to 35.

• Through the arts, we are committed to enabling a future generation of young creative talent using context driven methodologies that require little to no prior formal training
• Our Media Lab will focus on bridging the gaps in access to technologies and the expertise needed to utilize these technologies. Some of these technologies include audio-visual, visual and multi-media devices.  
• We aim to support the aspirations of youths who would otherwise not be engaged in constructive social activity
• At our Makers’ lab, we will focus on using basic technologies and traditional machinery, tools and making workshops to provide vocational skills in fields like textiles and woodworks.
• Foster a creative milieu that spurs economic growth in creative technology-based industries
• Promote urban revitalization which will strengthen the case for the creation of more social safety nets for communities around Nigeria

Over the next 10 years, we aim to engage 50 people per year in an apprenticeship system that develops on-the-job skills transfer. From our direct efforts, we aim to impact more than 15,000 people.

• Capacity building and skills development gaps
• Provide access to web and mobile technologies and maximize technological capabilities among our beneficiaries
• Increase the sense of efficacy and self-esteem of disadvantaged youths
• Reduce delinquency in high-risk youths
• Employment and job creation 
• Urban regeneration and revitalization of disadvantaged communities
• Develop youth-focused community centers that cater to a growing young population
• Access to stable power supply and well equipped technological infrastructure

The relationship between our lab and its beneficiaries will be built on reciprocity and this will be supported through a collective owned brand reinforced by our alumni. The stories provided by our alumni will ensure the future growth and sustainability of our space. Our approach will be to to focus on the following indicators; (1) our beneficiaries and their success stories (2) Smart data collection to build impact bank focused on job creation, new product & service launches, talent development evidenced by further commissions and employment, further training and education, new collaboration as well as health and well being impact

• Start-up entrepreneurs
• Jobs
• New products and services
• Talent development
• Informal education and engagement
• Training and skills development 
• Regeneration
• Quality of life enhancements
• Building resilience in local communities 

Our beneficiaries are a young group of artists, entrepreneurs, makers, innovators, professionals’ students, disrupters, media change agents, thinkers, collaborators and doers

We will deploy our impact through the facilities, technologies, equipment and programmes in our purpose built space. Impact will be measured using a smart data collection methodology that will be put in place from inception. 

No of members enrolled - 150 members capacity at our space at every given time

No of people that complete the program and are able to train an apprentice after.

- Through the makers’ and media lab, minimum of 50 people enter at least one skills development program offered at our media and makers' lab every year.

Number of people that have been trained to use new technological devices which is evidenced by our records; further commissions, employment and development flowing from the work undertaken in the space

- Talent and skills development

We are creating a space that will use web and mobile technologies to engage a group of people the ordinarily wouldn’t have access to these facilities. For us, the focus isn’t whether our solution is innovative, but that there aren't enough solutions like these catering to our growing population. Furthermore, the spaces that do exist are more focused on solutions for traditional sectors like agriculture, education and health which typically need high levels of education to engage. Our solution which is focused on arts and media industries will need little training to use the facilities and technologies provided. 

So far, we hope we have been able to show you that our solution is human-centered. Without people and their success stories, we cannot measure impact.  Our mission is to provide a sustainable and permanent environment for our beneficiaries to capture value from their output which they can transfer to others. 

Our space's offerings is our solution and we intend to deploy our proposed suggestions through our media and makers' labs. The labs will target young beneficiaries through community-oriented programmes with the aim of having them transfer acquired skills to other members of the community. Some of these programmes will focus on skills development for disadvantaged members of the community giving them access to technologies and trained people they wouldn't ordinarily have access to. 

Our initial projections show that revenue will come from 4 major sources: 

1. The Facility: Our goal is to enter a private-public partnership with the government to restore one of their buildings or offer equity share to high-network individuals who own property both locally and internationally. Our modeling is based on how much the space can make per squaremeter as well as equipment and space rental. Some facilities include photography studio, event, studio and exhibition space, a cafe, co-working and a printing facility.

2. Membership: We intend to run a tiered membership system with in-house and external members.

3. Programmes & events: We will offer a diverse roster of paid programmes and events all through the year. Some of these programmes include international exchange programs, hactivism and university outreach.

4. Consultancy: Through research and development we will offer arts and media-based consultancy services to local and international clients.

• Lack of access to financing due to the nature of the sector and the need for financiers to see the solution work before investing 
• Lack of understanding of the sector by both state and non-state actors 
• This space is a first of its kind, therefore, not having enough information to plot an efficient blueprint 
• Lack of skilled people to do training and skills development programmes 
• Having to pay rent for the building
• Purchase and maintenance of equipment might make our expenditures high 
• In ability to set up efficient theory of change at inception 

https://www.instagram.com/awhitespacelagos

We are entering uncharted territory with this space, and we need all the assistance we can get to help solve the issues of our growing population. Our philosophy is "Team before Dream", and with a solid team of partners behind us, we just might make this happen much sooner than later.  

Nigerian Economic Summit Group 

Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation 

Lagos State Arts and Culture Council 

Ford Foundation

Goethe Institut 

Many Studios 

Co-Creation Hub

Afrinolly Hub