2023 Civil Society Innovation (CSI) Lab

    The Freshwater Institute, a new hub for human rights activists and civil society leaders in East Asia, hosted its first major event from May 24-27 with the Chang Fo-Chuan Center at Soochow University.
    The CivilSociety Innovation (CSI) Lab brought together 23 civil society leaders from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China to build community and introduce methodologies fordeveloping new fundraising and business approaches. CSI Lab participants, who were selected from a competitive application process, represent a diverse group of grassroots civil society organizations working on freedom of expression, access to information, access to justice, environmental rights, labor rights, LGBT and gender equality, civic participation, and democraticresilience.