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Welcome to the Community Science Workshop Network Project. The CSW Network Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The CSW Network Project exists to support, strengthen, and enhance collaboration between Community Science Workshops.

The Community Science Workshops (CSWs) are community-based non-profit programs that offer underserved youth living in low-income, high-minority urban and rural neighborhoods a fun and safe way to explore their world through science. CSWs are part science museum, part wood shop, and part nature center located in community centers and schools. They serve children of all ages through after school drop-in programs, weekend and summer programs, and also through school field trips as well as recurring science lessons coordinated during the school day.

The CSW Network Project serves as a statewide infrastructure for supporting and growing CSW sites so that California’s most disadvantaged youth have access to high-quality, science-rich learning experiences.

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The David and Lucille Packard Foundation is now featuring the Greenfield CSW as a grantee success story. Here is their glowing depiction of the process of transforming the old City Hall in Greenfield, CA, into a thriving and vibrant community resource for hands-on science education:

How do you turn an old City Hall building into a lively and energetic science workshop for kids and families?

“Basically, you need two things, tables and electrical outlets,” said José Sanchez, the Coordinator of Greenfield Community Science Workshop (Greenfield CSW).

With these two necessities, José and his team got to work in 2011 transforming the previous Greenfield City Hall building into a Community Science Workshop.

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