The work we do with teenagers gives me flashbacks to high school. One in particular parallels life at Hopelab perfectly. One of the first writing assignments I remember from my freshman year English class was an essay on beginnings. The prompt was: “All beginnings are . . .” I remember the assignment distinctly because it was the first time that I wrote something other than the standard five-paragraph essay. It was also the moment I realized that I found great joy in writing. “All beginnings are warm,” was how my stream-of-consciousness reflection started. The anxiety of starting something new making my underarms sweat and my cheeks flush; the San Francisco weather turning from the gloomy grey of “Fogust” to sunny warm of September, just in time for school to start – all of these produced heat. So, I had to laugh to myself when a new beginning for Hopelab started on one of the hottest weekends San Francisco has seen in decades – a heatwave breaking temperatures of 106 degrees! All beginnings are warm: that statement rings true for me all these years later.
You may have noticed quite a few changes at Hopelab over the last month or so. New logo, new website, new address. Yes, address. After 10 years in Redwood City, we made a big move to San Francisco. We’re now located in the Financial District, in a fantastic work space that allows us to openly collaborate on our project work. We decided to mark the move with an update to our brand identity that captures the true essence of the work we do at Hopelab. Our website has a lot of new content to explore. We hope you’ll take the time to learn about our focus on teens and young adults, how we approach science and design to address health challenges facing today’s youth, and how we develop innovative solutionsthat are inspired by hope and realized by science. Check back regularly, as we’ll be posting new content to our blog on a rolling basis. You can even sign up for our newsletter.
Thank you to all of our friends, partners, and colleagues who came out to celebrate our move to San Francisco. Our welcome Open House was a perfect mix of Hopelab past, present, and future. Without you and your support and partnership, our work wouldn’t have as much impact as it does. This beginning certainly got off to a wonderfully warm start. We’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
