Los Angeles

Spark launched its first Los Angeles program in March 2010 in response to a shocking statistic for urban LA schools: the dropout rate exceeds 50%. We started with more than 40 students, and we’re dreaming big. By 2013, Spark expects to work with 500 students in LA each year. Our students in LA are exploring exciting professions at Activision, 20th Century Fox, Latham & Watkins law firm, California Market Center, and many other workplaces in the community.

Help us grow our Los Angeles community and inspire students to stay in school. Donate or Get Involved, and help Spark LA thrive.

Learn more about Spark LA

Contact Spark LA

315 West 9th Street, Suite 1009
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Loren Oranski, Managing Director
213-623-5540
loranski@sparkprogram.org

Spark’s mission is to provide life-changing apprenticeships to youth in underserved communities across the United States. 30% of students in the United States drop out of high school, with the dropout rate exceeding 50% in the highest-need neighborhoods. Spark addresses the dropout crisis by connecting volunteer professionals with underserved youth in workplace apprenticeships to “spark” their potential. Students identify a “dream job,” and Spark matches that student with a mentor doing that job. As students explore the school-to-career connection, they build skills critical for academic success, gain a strong appreciation for the relevance of their education, and become motivated to work hard to achieve their dreams. Spark is a national nonprofit that provides life-changing apprenticeships to middle school students from disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, and soon on the east coast.

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