Spark inspires middle-school youth by connecting their interests to their education.

 Through Spark’s leadership curriculum, students are asked to continually reflect on their interests and apprenticeship experiences, and how these relate to what they are learning in school. Many are surprised to realize how relevant school is – for example, one student realized that to be a pilot, you need math to chart a course and calculate fuel usage, physics to understand how the plane flies, reading to review the plane’s manuals, writing to fill out a pilot’s log, and even oral communication skills to speak with air traffic control.

Spark's surveys show that Spark helps students increase self-confidence and self-awareness, two building blocks for self-motivated learning. Students felt more able to pursue the learning that matters to them, and more confident in standing up for their beliefs.

Spark facilitates positive learning relationships between youth and adults, turning local workplaces into educational spaces.

 

Spark mobilizes new volunteers in the Bay Area community, creating positive apprenticeship experiences for increasing numbers of youth during summer and after-school sessions. The large majority of Spark apprentice teachers are welcoming a young person into their workplace for the first time. By facilitating these inter-generational connections, Spark allows adults to recognize their ability to share skills with a motivated young person, and allows students to pursue their learning interests with the support of a local adult. Spark’s work aligns with the findings and priorities of local governments and schools; the 2001 San Mateo County Report on Youth concluded that "we must increase the amount and number of sustained adult/child interactions...and reduce the separation between youth and adults that exists in our current societal structure."

Spark teaches students how to access resources and support, in order to be effective self-motivated learners in high school and beyond.

While self-confidence and self-awareness are critical, students also need to learn how to access local resources. Spark’s leadership curriculum provides these tools. One activity introduces students to the concept of “Six Degrees of Separation,” helping them realize that people who may seem out of reach are more accessible than they think. In another activity, Community Quests, teams of students complete learning missions around their town or city (for example, one mission asked students to bring back the business card of a CEO). As a result, Spark's surveys show that graduates can identify and access more resources, and are more likely see their communities as full of supportive neighbors. These abilities will play a critical role in students’ success in high school and beyond. As stated by Pat Gemma, Superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District, "There is tremendous need in Redwood City for programs that prepare students to transition to high school. Spark helps students develop the motivation and community support necessary to succeed."

Andrew's Story

Andrew apprenticed with two film-makers , and during a semester wrote, produced, and directed his own short film.