nexEO Innovation Labs: Hands-On. Minds Open. Futures in Motion.
The nexEO Innovation Labs are where ideas meet impact in real time. These fast-paced, hands-on sessions invite attendees to explore EO Companies’ most promising solutions across early childhood care and education, youth mental health, workforce readiness, and economic advancement. Each lab is grounded in lived expertise and powered by EO’s commitment to researching, piloting, and scaling what works.
This is more than a showcase. It’s an invitation — to learn, to engage, and to see what’s possible in your own community. Whether you're a civic leader, nonprofit practitioner, educator, employer, or advocate, the Innovation Labs offer a front-row seat to the work EO is leading — and a doorway into deeper collaboration.
Each lab is hosted by EO subject matter experts who are building and refining programs in direct response to our region’s most urgent challenges and promising opportunities. Participants will be able to:
- Interact with real tools, reports, and program models
- See how local voices have shaped these efforts
- Ask questions and offer insights from their own contexts
- Explore how to bring these innovations to their own communities or expand what already exists
This year’s featured labs include:
- EO Career Commons: A new way to help young people discover, connect, and pursue future pathways — all in one place.
- EO’s Youth Mental Health Report: Explore new data and community-driven strategies for supporting youth well-being across the region.
- EO Internships: See how regional internship models are linking students with employers — and how your organization can get involved.
- EO’s Childcare Landscape Report + Ready Together (Tri-Share): Get an inside look at actionable solutions to strengthen childcare access and affordability, including EO’s pilot of the innovative Tri-Share model.
The Innovation Labs are a core part of what makes nexEO more than a convening — they’re a launchpad for what’s next. Step inside, roll up your sleeves, and help shape the future — together.
A hands-on look at EO Career Commons — where students explore, employers engage, and career pathways come to life.
Challenge: Too many young people in our region don’t see clear or inspiring career pathways — leading to disengagement, out-migration, and missed potential.
Lab Preview: Step inside EO Career Commons — a nearly 20,000-square-foot, year-round workforce exploration center and core component of EO’s Ignite program. In partnership with regional employers and industry leaders, students participate in immersive, grade-specific field trips aligned with Virginia’s 17 Career Clusters. Through simulations in the region’s high-demand sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, education, trades, public safety, and IT, students engage in a “Discover, Do, Apply” model: elementary students build early awareness of local industries, middle schoolers experience hands-on career simulations, and high schoolers develop resumes, practice interviews, and explore real-world career paths. Career Commons bridges the gap between the worlds of learning and work — and is positioned to serve more than 25,000 students annually.
Takeaways: Attendees will gain insight into how EO is modernizing career exploration and how schools, employers, and communities can integrate or expand this tool to better guide the next generation of talent.
Explore EO’s Youth Mental Health and Resilience Report and how data, voice, and action are shaping regional responses to youth well-being.
Challenge: Youth mental health needs are rising, yet too often go unseen or unsupported — especially in rural areas where access is limited and stigma remains.
Lab Preview: This lab introduces attendees to EO’s groundbreaking Youth Mental Health and Resiliency Report — the first of its kind in the region — which includes survey responses from thousands of youth. Through interactive visuals, storytelling, and data dashboards, participants will hear directly from young people about what they’re experiencing, what support they need, and what change they want to see. EO staff will also share how the report is being used to shape programs, inform policy, and elevate youth voice in real decision-making spaces — setting the stage for stronger, more responsive systems of care.
Takeaways: Participants will walk away with actionable insights and data tools for understanding youth needs in their own communities — and ideas for how to elevate youth voice and advocacy in their work.
See how EO Internships are connecting students to real-world experience — and how you can help shape the next generation of talent.
Challenge: Young people need meaningful, paid work-based learning experiences to build skills, networks, and momentum — but internship access remains uneven across the region.
Lab Preview: Explore EO’s regional internship strategy from the inside out. This lab walks through how EO is building a coordinated internship system as part of its regional Ignite program, connecting high school and college students with paid, high-quality experiences in high-demand sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, education, trades, public safety, and IT. This lab features tools for student outreach, employer engagement, and mentorship, along with success stories from recent matches. With wraparound supports like transportation assistance and career coaching, EO Internships are breaking barriers that often prevent underserved students from accessing these opportunities. Learn how this model can be customized and scaled to strengthen talent pipelines across the region.
Takeaways: Attendees will leave with a clear view of EO’s internship framework and how they can become a host site, champion equitable access, or help grow this model in their own communities.
Get inside EO’s Childcare Landscape Report and Tri-Share “Ready Together” pilot — innovative tools to increase access, affordability, and shared responsibility.
Challenge: Childcare in the region is often hard to find and harder to afford — putting strain on families and employers alike.
Lab Preview: This session offers a preview of EO’s comprehensive Childcare Landscape Report — a data-rich resource that maps availability, affordability, and service gaps across the region. These findings are shaping EO’s regional approach to expanding access, supporting providers, and strengthening the childcare workforce.
The lab also introduces Ready Together — a Virginia Early Childhood Foundation funded initiative piloting the state’s first adaptation of Michigan’s Tri-Share model. Under this innovative cost-sharing approach, childcare expenses are divided among employers, employees, and a public or philanthropic partner — unlocking new possibilities for working families. Participants will learn how EO is customizing Tri-Share for Southwest Virginia, including local employer onboarding strategies, parent eligibility pathways, and early implementation findings.
Together, these tools and initiatives represent EO’s commitment to building a coordinated, sustainable early childhood system that meets the needs of families, providers, and employers alike.
Takeaways: Participants will gain insight into the root causes of the childcare crisis and examine how the Tri-Share model can be adapted or scaled to meet local needs. The session will conclude with a call to action for cross-sector partners to collaborate in piloting or funding shared-cost childcare solutions.
