• Home>
• Read Reviews>
• SPARK

I have two distinct experiences, one with the students, the other with the staff. A) Students: at the conclusion of the apprenticeship, there is Discovery Night. This is where the students present their work, whether it be a comedy routine or a portfolio of photographs. After watching the kids make their presentations, it is hard to envision any one of them as being an "at risk" kid. They've worked hard to master their subject matter and they show all the gratefulness and pride that you'd expect of any student. B) Staff: these people are as committed to their mission as any group of people I have ever been around. They work tirelessly, and with passion, to enhance the lives of their students

Spark is an excellent professionally run organization that provides a very valuable and necessary service to our community. The student participants in the program are provided with an experience that will help them throughout their lives and in all aspects of their academic, personal and professional life. I don't know of any other organization which provides such a constructive and productive environment for the students to learn and build confidence.

Spark contacted me out of the blue back in July of 2009. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of their offer. So, like any business person would do, I asked what I would receive in return for volunteering my time. What they offered on the table was some advertising and potential networking opportunities. Initially, I wasn't too impressed with their counter offer but figured it wouldn't hurt to try give it a shot. Orientation rolled around and pretty soon I was mentoring and teaching a junior high student on how to run a business. The only time I had ever really worked with youth was at the San Francisco Juvenile Hall because my background was similar to those kids in many ways, so I figured I would be able to relate to them a lot easier. My student from Spark--at first--made me a little nervous because I wasn't quite sure what she expected of me. To my surprise, my student turned out to be very mature for her age and seemed to have been prepped quite well from her mentors at Spark. It was a very eye opening experience because my student actually provided several "uncensored" suggestions towards my business and my business character--it really affirms just how smart kids and people are in general, regardless of their age. The apprenticeship program lasted for a month, though I wish it could have lasted longer, because my student didn't get a chance to really run all aspects of the business. We spent a good amount of time prepping for her discovery night (a mandatory presentation reporting to an audience what they learned from the apprentice program), so that did take away from some of the mentoring and apprenticeship. Though, I did feel the presentation provided a good road-map for the student and myself to follow. It also helped me in deciding which things might be more crucial to teach her. The experience of working w/ my student reminded me of the problems I faced and of what it was like growing up when I was 14, which also made the whole experience it little nostalgic. Another thing I noticed about Spark, was that all of their staff involved exuded this very positive energy. There wasn't any apathy or dissipation from anyone that I met. It was pretty much all about the kids and providing them a great learning experience. In the end, I realized how connected Spark was to the community and I proposed partnering up with them officially. They welcomed the proposition and we were able to strike a deal so that we could both benefit mutually. Till this day, I still keep in close contact with a few members of the Spark staff and I would gladly help their organization in any way possible. This is definitely a program well worth your time and I highly recommend it. Keeping in mind that this is coming from someone who is extremely judgmental :)

hi :)

Spark is a stellar program! It is very low time-intensive way to strengthen your local community through empowering young people to boldly choose their career goals. The people working with Spark are flexible and positive. The only change I would want would be that I could be young and to have this opportunity!

Lyla and Marcus

Michael and Marcus

I have been repeatedly impressed by Spark's success at engaging middle-school students. The staff is dedicated and creatively designs curriculum, effectively trains Apprentice Teachers, and tackles problems with ingenuity.