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!