The apprenticeship approach: tailor-made for young adolescents

I had the chance to participate in Opportunity Nation’s Opportunity Summit in Washington DC. The annual event convenes a great number of organizations, including Spark, partnering to provide pathways to education, employment and ultimately prosperity for what are called “opportunity youth.” These are young people aged 16-25 who have dropped out of school or have graduated but have not attained post-secondary training or a degree and are therefore unable to obtain meaningful and steady employment.

There are more than six million opportunity youth currently in this country. It is estimated that the macroeconomic costs of all opportunity youth total more than $6 trillion over their collective lifetimes (a million dollars each), as they draw more from society than they are able to contribute to it.

Spark is engaged in this movement even though our students are younger than those addressed by most others within the Opportunity Nation coalition. Our role, of course, is in identifying young people who are showing early warning signs that they may migrate into this category. Participating in Spark keeps them engaged, on track and ready to graduate high school on time and be successful beyond.

Interestingly, our approach with 13 and 14 year-olds in the middle grades is nicely aligned with many of the strategies employed for older youth. One method that has gained momentum in recent years is the apprenticeship.

There are thousands of registered apprenticeships, cataloged and designated by the Department of Labor. They run the gamut from “traditional” trades like plumbing, utility work and carpentry to new occupations generated by the computer and information age, such as computer technicians and network administrators. Importantly, earning an apprenticeship certificate is portable. They are recognized across states, just as post secondary degrees are. There’s legislative work underway to support these types of apprenticeships. Senator Cory Booker and Senator Tim Scott introduced The Leveraging and EnergizingAmerica’s Apprenticeship Programs or “LEAP” Act to increase apprenticeships through a new federal tax credit for employers. 

Spark calls its project-based learning experiences with engaging mentors in exciting workplaces “apprenticeships.” While these opportunities are not officially registered apprenticeships designed to connect people directly to specific careers, they nevertheless embody the spirit of the apprenticeship approach for younger students. The experience is hands-on, experiential, embedded within the workplace, and guided by an expert mentor.

Our belief is that Spark’s apprenticeship approach is uniquely suited for young adolescents. The middle grades are notoriously challenging for youth. This is the period when students begin to really disengage. Gallup conducts an annual poll of students – some half a million in the sample each year – that measures, as they categorize it, their hope, wellbeing and engagement. Hope and wellbeing actually remain reasonably steady from fifth grade to twelfth grade. Meanwhile, engagement drops. And two-thirds of that drop occurs in the middle grades – sixth, seventh and eighth. Other studies have shown that by the time students reach high school, as much as 60% are “chronically disengaged.”

My sense is this disengagement is driven by a mismatch between the teaching and learning approach in school in these years – which still remains largely didactic in a majority of schools – and what students need in this developmental period. Young adolescents are in an intensified period of identity formation, yet schools rarely tap into their self-interests. They respond most to relationship-based experiences, but their bonds are limited to their teachers and peers, therefore they lack broader social capital. And, they are beginning to think more about their futures, yet they are not offered enough opportunities to explore their options at this stage.

When the organization Get Schooled surveyed students who were chronic absentees, the youth cited their reasons for disengaging: school is “boring” and they didn’t like the subjects. They also indicated what would get them more interested: hands-on activities and a better connection between what there are doing in school and their futures.

Apprenticeships address these needs directly. Obviously, middle grades students are not old enough to engage in registered apprenticeships. But, the apprenticeship approach is uniquely suited to tapping into students’ self-interests, offering a broader set of positive relationships, and examining future professional options. Furthermore, apprenticeships do satisfy young people’s craving for hands-on learning experiences and the connection between education with future careers and the paths to get there.

At Spark, we’d like to see a workplace-based, hands-on learning project become a standard educational experience in the middle grades. It’s the type of opportunity that can get youth fired up about learning, keeping them engaged, on track and ready at a critical inflection point. That’s good for education. It’s good for workforce development. It’s good for young people.

Voyage of Discovery

I had mixed emotions going into Discovery Night. These community-based events, which involve Spark students and their families, their mentors, and their school communities, are the culmination of a ten-week long apprenticeship. They have traditionally been held at each partner school, although Spark has been experimenting with larger affairs, joining programs at multiple schools. Most recently, we had students from seven of our partner schools all assemble at Dodger Stadium for the largest Discovery Night we’ve ever produced. 

Whatever the scale, the feel is a science fair/career fair mash up of sorts. Students stand astride visual displays of their projects, greeting gatherers and running through a summary of what their projects are and what they accomplished with their mentor. There are also some speakers and some awards handed out. So, the event is part celebration and part “teach back.” It’s an important part of the Spark model to recognize students for their efforts and to give them opportunities to speak publicly.

Isiah missed our apprenticeship session last week, so we didn’t have opportunity to practice at all. I intended to do a few dry runs with him so he was ready to present the project in a polished way. I assured myself that one of his innate talents is for communication, so he would likely do just fine. In the end, we took a few minutes before the event began to have a couple tries.

I was also feeling a bit anxious that this was our last official time together. I wanted to send him off in a proper way, to make sure he knew I would be here for him even after the apprenticeship if he needed. Spark’s volunteer experience is a structured, ten-week commitment, which in many ways makes it more feasible and manageable for someone to make the time to do it. But, I think like a lot of mentors I was feeling I needed to do more for this young man, that our work wasn’t done, somehow. 

On the flip side, we had a terrific time together and I was excited to experience an afternoon of recognition for him. My wife and two young boys came by to meet Isiah, this young man they had heard and read about so much. I stood by Isiah as he rather adeptly reviewed the project with eager attendees, which included a few of his classroom teachers, whom I was happy to see. He told them the story of his experience at Spark, and with me, how we conceived of the project, put together a project plan (whereby his language arts teacher interjected that it would help if he used the same approach for his term paper), did research, designed the web page, and collaborated with Rachelle to build it out. 

I was also feeling gratified that we accomplished what we set out to do. Not just in terms of the project, although that was fun. But, also that we connected in a meaningful way. We both genuinely enjoyed our time together. We got to know each other. We worked on some very tangible success skills. We experienced and learned new things – like Thai food and superhero powers. We had some good chit-chats on the way to and from the train about the weekly goings-on – his school and home life, my work and family. 

There are all kinds of mentoring and volunteer experiences – structured or unstructured, a short time or a long one, in or out of an educational context. Now having gone through it myself, I think Spark has a very solid opportunity for someone to volunteer for a convenient amount of time, with a lot of support, and make a noticeable impact. 

I highly encourage anyone who has followed along with me on this voyage to find out how you can become a mentor through Spark. We’re signing people up now for our Spring session across all four of our regions. Meanwhile, I want to thank my fellow mentors who worked with Isiah’s peers at Gregory Academy. Spark is new to Gregory this year, so it was critical that we got off to a good start. And by all accounts, we did.

I’m also grateful to those of you who made a contribution to Spark in support of Isiah and my apprenticeship. It has been a real privilege to raise some resources for our great program team in Chicago who provided terrific training and support throughout this volunteer experience. And it’s not too late to support the effort if you haven’t already done so and are looking for some opportunities for year-end giving. All monies go directly to support the learning experience.

Spark is really on to something. The period of young adolescence, of students in the middle grades, has been under-addressed for far too long. Students of any background can easily go off track at this age. Young people in more advantaged communities have an array of supports and opportunities to help them navigate this awkward inflection point. Together, we can close the opportunity gap by making sure all young people at this period of their development have access to real-world, hands-on, project-based learning experiences outside the classroom with engaging adults in exciting workplaces. This approach is tailor made for them. Making it part and parcel of education will go a long way to ensure all students are engaged, on-track, and ready for success in high school and beyond. 

Guest Blog Post: Speaking the Same Language

By Rachelle Damminger, Director of Communications for Spark

Last fall I mentored Shanyyah, a quiet and thoughtful student in the Spark Philadelphia program.  One of the most challenging aspects of the apprenticeship was figuring out, as an adult, how to connect with a "tween."  Everything from the words I used to the activities I suggested seemed to require additional thought, at least in the beginning.  This self-inflicted stressor quickly dissipated as both Shanayyah and I relaxed and discovered some shared interests, including blogs, video production and photography. 

A year later, I was pleased to help Spark CEO Jason Cascarino and his Chicago-based mentee Isiah create a webpage as part of their Spark project (as mentioned in a previous post). In my first Google video conversation with Isiah, the same heightened awareness around language and connection quickly returned. With each topic we covered, I tried to carefully select my words and adapt my conversation speed so as not to breeze over terms like “content management system,” “CMS” and “thumbnails.”  By our second call, Isiah was in the swing of things with his own login credentials and images to resize and upload! 

Learning about a website content management system is probably not as exciting as a soccer game or a fashion show or a music video to a seventh or eighth grader, but it is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how something we use daily – websites - work.  For me, this is part of the magic of both mentoring and communication.  The shared discovery process can instill a growing curiosity that may extend to mobile apps, video production, web design or the creative process.

I’ll never forget my first college advertising course when I learned about everything that goes into producing a television commercial.  Ever since that time I have been deconstructing public service announcements, print ads and more; thinking about the origins of a product’s brand; considering how a campaign concept was conceived; or trying to figure out which demographic prompted the need for a new app.  

I may be a little biased due to my profession, but in the end, so much of what we do and how we do it boils down to communication - including mentoring.

A recent study of mentoring relationships found that poor communication can lead to a failed mentorship while active listening, mutual respect and shared values are among the characteristics of successful mentoring relationships.

Luckily for mentors like me who may over think their initial approach with students, Spark pairs mentees and mentors based on common interests and preferences to create a solid foundation for successful mentoring relationships from the beginning.

This was evident for me as I worked with Shanyyah a year ago to create a video and blog, and it’s evident now as I work with Jason and Isiah.  I can’t wait to see their final project and hear how Isiah describes the process of creating a webpage!

Adolescent Foodie

Isiah is a total foodie. At our first session, while talking about his family, he mentioned the fact that he cooked breakfast for his younger siblings – scrambled eggs, pancakes and hotdogs. I don’t know what impressed me more – that he was responsible enough to be in charge of his siblings' morning meal or that he knew, at thirteen, how to cook scrambled eggs, pancakes and hotdogs.

The subject came up again when the Thai food was delivered. As promised, the selections we made last week came, and we emptied the bag to put out the spread on the table in my office. And it was awesome. First, it was great fun to introduce Isiah to each dish one by one, talking a little bit about it and having him take some first tastes. The edamame – “Steamed soy beans with salt. You pop the beans out and suck on the pod.” The satay – “Skewered grilled chicken with a peanut-based dipping sauce.” The fried tofu – “Soybeans again, if you can believe it. Not much taste by itself, but it absorbs the flavor of whatever dish it’s in or sauce you dip it in.” The spicy noodle dish – “Wide noodles made from rice flour. Look out for the chiles and jalapeños.” The duck curry – “The duck breast is roasted with the skin and then tossed in a coconut curry sauce with some vegetables.”

I think this was my favorite apprenticeship session with Isiah for two reasons. First, Isiah was genuinely blown away by the experience of the Thai food. He must have said “This is so good!” fifty times, practically after each bite, most of which were completely new foods or flavors to him. Second, I was genuinely blown away by Isiah’s articulation of the experience. At one point he lifted a small plastic cup of dipping sauce for the fried tofu to his nose and gave it a couple sniffs. “This has got peanuts in it, and some chiles, and something sweet.” As he took in the duck curry: “The duck is so juicy and mixes well with the sweet pineapple and spiciness of the sauce.” This went on dish after dish. The kid has a refined palette. More impressively, he has a knack for talking about what he’s tasting and experiencing that most food personalities on television would envy. Being the cook in my family and a lover of lots of different kinds of food, I felt especially fond of this experience. I told Isiah he should think about doing a culinary apprenticeship next semester. He has a great affinity, a natural born talent perhaps, for food.

While the Thai dinner became the centerpiece of this particular session, we did accomplish some real work. We need to move our project along, after all.

Isiah and I actually spent the first part of our session video chatting with Rachelle Damminger, Spark’s Director of Communications. Rachelle is based in our Philadelphia office and, among many other responsibilities, handles all of Spark’s website updates. Since Isiah is building a special page on the Spark website dedicated to students, and because he’s big into networking and collaboration, I wanted him to connect with Rachelle to learn the mechanics behind getting the content he’s developing onto the actual website.

You can always tell when people are really engaged – whether an adult or a young person. There is that telltale sign of leaning in, eyes intently focused on the subject. Isiah’s attention was fixed on the screen as Rachelle gave him first an overview of her job and the important role she plays at Spark and then a peak at the “back end” of the Spark website. It was the first time Isiah was exposed to the inner workings of a website, namely the content management system that makes a site work. Rachelle was able to share her screen and walk him through an example of an update, which turned out to be an awkwardly large headshot of me placed smack dab in the middle of a page about Spark alumni. She promptly took it down, after we had a chuckle.

In addition to engaging with Rachelle, which Isiah liked a lot, and learning about the technology behind website maintenance, he got a taste for how professionals at an organization like Spark interact. Like many companies and nonprofits, Spark operates in multiple locations, with teams of people in each that must interact with one another from a distance virtually. It can be quite challenging at times. But, it’s an important practice to master in the professional world. I’m glad Isiah got a little taste of it.

Later on, Sahrish Saleem from the Spark Chicago program team popped in to spend some time with us as we worked on finishing up some of the content for the web page. Sahrish is new to Spark this year and serves as a Volunteer Coordinator, responsible for supporting mentors from five of our ten partner schools in Chicago this year and making sure the students are getting out of the program what we intend. Sahrish and her peers at Spark across our sites are in many respects the lifeblood of our program. They are the ones who make the magic happen among the students, schools, mentors and company partners. And, as in this instance, they are an important check on program quality.

I felt a little bad that Sahrish came in when she did. Not because she was disruptive in any way, just that she missed the best parts of the session! Namely the video chat with Rachelle and the Thai food. Nevertheless, as a mentor, I valued her presence and had a good check-in with her the next day to get some feedback. I have been reassured by the personal support I have been getting from our team. As I mentioned earlier, there is a weight of responsibility working with a young person, wanting to do right by them and make an impact. The attentive and personalized supports make the whole experience more manageable.

I don’t know how we’re going to top this one. But, we’re past the halfway mark now and zeroing in on our culminating project and Discovery Night. I wouldn’t be surprised if food sneaks its way into the final presentation somehow.

Go with the Flow

As a Spark mentor, you’re never quite sure what state of mind your student is going to be in when he or she shows up for the apprenticeship session. Just as we have many distractions as working professionals, young people have similarly dynamic lives. You might catch them on a day when their adrenaline is really flowing and they are super focused. Or you might encounter a student who would really rather be someplace else at the time, for whatever reason. It’s totally understandable and normal.

Isiah has always been pretty focused and eager when he shows up at Spark. And this week was really no different. We had our normal chitchat as we walked from the L stop to the office, which in large measure serves as our “opening ritual.” The practice of an opening ritual is an important one. Spark mentors are encouraged and trained to make room for this exercise at the beginning of each apprenticeship session as an aid to the student and the mentor to settle in and get focused. Isiah and I spend the time talking about his week, which invariably touches upon tales of him with his friends or siblings.

My contribution to the exchange is to talk about my kids and what they’re up to. It’s fun when Isiah picks up on the interests and activities of my boys and articulates how he relates to them. This week I was explaining how my youngest boy, aged three-and-a-half, was in a superhero phase – big time. Isiah took that and riffed for the duration of our walk on various superhero movies and television shows he’s watched and the lesser-known powers of many of them. Did you know that the Green Latern has more than just one green ring? Apparently, there are many colored rings with corresponding powers. I now have a better appreciation for one who often is seen as a bit of a second-tier crusader.

This week was the start of building out some content for our web page. We began by sifting through a bunch of pictures in our photo library of Spark apprenticeships and events. The first section of the webpage is to showcase what students can explore, so we wanted to find some good shots of students and mentors working together. We went back and looked at some of the survey responses to recall what jobs or fields students were interested in and then tried to find pictures to match.

This wound up being a somewhat tedious and slow process. I could tell Isiah was checking out. We shifted to writing some of the content, again based on the survey. I said I would take his dictation. We went along in fits and starts. This too turned out to be a bit laboring. I sensed Isiah was tired, or just not that into it, or both.

Curiously, out of nowhere, he began talking about pilgrims. He was learning about them in his social studies class earlier that day and started teaching back some of the history. He recounted much of the story: how in England at the time you had to subscribe to one (state-sponsored) religion and that the pilgrims were of a different sect and persecuted and so set sail for America to seek refuge and a new life to practice their faith freely.

His telling of the tale was engaging. He went on for several minutes and covered a lot of ground – the trip across the Atlantic, the encounter with Native Americans, the first Thanksgiving and what food and drink were on offer at the time. Some of my Spark colleagues were with me in the office as Isiah carried on and we were all at once entertained and engrossed.

I was a history major in college, and I confess Isiah was testing the limits of my knowledge and memory. I did at one point score some good points. Isiah was talking about the class groupings among the travelers by sea, whereby the wealthier folk would have posh accommodations above deck and those less fortunate were quartered below. He was hunting for a word to describe the poorer lot, and said it started with a “c” but that was all he could remember. I blurted out: “commoner.” Isiah was taken aback. “Yeah!” he said with surprise. “How did you know that?” I thought to myself: Dr. Hueston would be proud.

This tangent began about halfway into the day’s session, and it lasted the duration. Without really acknowledging it, we paused on our project and just had a nice and very engaging conversation about history. We segued at one point into travel and again touched upon Isiah’s affinity for Thailand. Since our first session, Isiah has been talking about Thailand, wanting to go there and wanting to try the food. I had been meaning to grab some Thai food from a local place and have it ready for him at the office when he came by. So, we took the last few minutes of the session to run through a menu online and pick out some dishes he wanted to try. He was very keen on the fried tofu, having never had tofu and really wanting to try it. We also picked out a spicy noodle dish, some satay, and a curry. We’ll have our own little ethnic Thanksgiving feast next week.

It’s hard to pivot like this. In my work I tend to get very focused on a project or a task and be nose down and bang it out, avoiding distraction as best I can. So, being adaptive, picking up on Isiah’s cues, gauging where his head is, and just going with the flow are good lessons when working with a thirteen-year-old. Indeed, I guess we all could use a breather from the seeming intensity of our work and deliverables. We could all stand to pause every now and again to share our favorite studies of history, places we’re most curious to visit, or food we’ve never tried but want to. It’s times like this when roles seem reversed. I am the learner and Isiah is the one modeling, subtly or not, a new or better way to operate.