News

NBC's Today Show, October 5, 2011

Learn about Spark from current Chicago students, a Spark alum, and Executive Director Chris Balme.

Christian Science Monitor, November 8, 2010

Read what it’s like during orientation at Horace Mann Middle School where students, their families, and their mentors meet for the first time.

Focus on Solutions ABC 7, May 22, 2009

Lyanne Melendez profiles students Ubaldo and Sharon as they learn graphic design and jewelry-making.
 

KPCC Southern California Radio Off-Ramp

Hear from Spark Co-Founder Chris Balme, Spark Student Luz Moreno, and 20th Century Fox Spark Mentor Jonathan Helfgot.

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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