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. 

Sparking Interest

I’m guessing it was just jitters. I got a call about an hour before Isiah and my apprenticeship was about to start saying he was not feeling well and may not come. This is not atypical. Leaving their school and home communities, often for the first time, can generate some anxiety among students. Indeed, while Isiah says he has been to downtown Chicago before – even toured the top of the Sears Tower – we know that many young people from the south and west sides of Chicago have never been to the Loop. They have never been in a building with a revolving door or an elevator. They have never seen Lake Michigan, one of the great natural beauties of the mid-west, not even a mile away from where many of our students live.

Exposing young people to different people, communities, indeed “worlds” in the metaphorical sense is a core component of the Spark model. Our intent is never to make any value judgment on one world over another, simply that closing the opportunity gap requires exposing young people, regardless of where they are from, to something different. Minimally, it broadens their point of view, and optimally it provides greater access to more options ahead of them in education and life.

Another practical benefit to venturing beyond their home communities, students have to navigate public transportation – an important skill for many working professionals. Spark students travel in multiples – in the case at Gregory Academy, about thirty all together. They are guided and chaperoned by our staff and parent or community volunteers. They are checked and verified at multiple points along the way. The system is quite robust and reassuring, for mentors, school administrators, parents, and students alike, for the sake of safety.

Isiah rallied, aided by his mother no doubt, and he arrived to a warm welcome at the Spark office. The first apprenticeship session centers on mentors like me getting to know our students more, and also giving them an idea for the company, the job that we do, and the people we work with. I gave Isiah a tour of our office – all 2,000 cozy square feet of it – and introduced him to my colleagues.

As we went along, I found myself still calibrating my words and descriptions to his level of experience and understanding, not wanting to dumb down but also not wanting him to feel lost. For example, I introduced Isiah to Spark’s COO and head of fundraising. To explain what it is that they do for the organization, I asked him how much he thought it costs to run an organization like Spark. After a few seconds of contemplation, he speculated: “A hundred thousand dollars.” On top of my raised eyebrow, I rejoined: “Try three point six million.” Over the next few silent seconds, the expression on his face slowly shifted from surprise to curiosity to excitement as he took this in. We then talked about how we need people who can find that much money for us, getting people to donate, and we also need people to count the money, keep it safe, and pay the bills.

Each apprenticeship session includes a “skill of the week.” These are crucial interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies that young people need to develop in order to be successful in school, in careers, and in life. Indeed, recent reports from the National Academy of Sciences and the University of Chicago among many other research reports have increasingly shown these skills to be as essential as academics.  This week, we focused on networking. I can tell Isiah was already rather adept at networking. And he knew it too. I got him talking about how he meets new people and develops friendships. It’s pretty clear Isiah is a connector. Infectiously likeable, genuine and fun, people are drawn to him.

Our Results: Spark Students Improve Crucial Skills

I told him that a lot of the networking we do in jobs like mine is done in restaurants and coffee shops, as well as at events. Clearly, professionals like to eat and drink. Or rather, we like to get out of the office, if you really want the truth. So, after seeking permission from his mother, I took Isiah over to a café in the Sears Tower across the street for our own little networking meeting, so he could get a taste of the experience, as it were.

I could tell he was enamored with the idea. The tea shop is in the airy west side atrium of the building, equipped with comfy chairs. Bright digital displays showcase the drinks on offer, which he selected after some interplay with the counter clerk. He kept mentioning how cool this all was. He said he wanted to come downtown more often. He asked if he could do Spark more than once a week. I confess not knowing if his excitement was driven by the charm of the place or of our engaging conversation, or possibly the number of packets of sugar he added to his drink, which I’m pretty sure exceeded five.

The apprenticeship lasts eight full sessions at the workplace, followed by Discovery Night back at the school. Discovery Night is when all the students and their mentors display the projects they worked on over the course of their apprenticeship. I didn’t expect us to decide upon our project in our first session. But, after talking with Isiah, I got a clear sense of what he was interested in – something that centered on communication, engaging with people, collaborating. So, we bandied a few ideas and rested on one that has some promise. Next week, we’ll map it out. And then the real work of the apprenticeship will begin.