The Benefits and Evolution of Volunteering

40,000. This is the number of hours Spark mentors will volunteer this year to help 1,000 students stay engaged and on track. It’s nearly the equivalent of five years of volunteer time!

It’s astounding. And there’s no shortage of gratitude here at Spark for the terrific mentors who bring our program to life.

This month Spark joins Points of Light and others in “celebrating service” during National Volunteer Month. It’s a time to recognize the millions of Americans who give their time and talent to help others. It’s also a time to highlight the meaningful impact giving back has on the volunteers themselves, and the growth in community service nationwide.

Good for Others, Good for You
We often showcase the benefits Spark’s workplace-based mentoring program brings to students in the middle grades. But, did you know mentors also benefit from volunteering?

• 73% of Spark mentors have an increased motivation and appreciation for their job
• 74% of Spark mentors believe that participating in the program has challenged them and helped them to develop new skills such as communication, leadership and collaboration
• 82% of Spark mentors feel closer to their community after participating in Spark

And if these weren't enough, research indicates that those who volunteer are healthier and more likely to live longer!

The Next Generation of Volunteers
These benefits, when coupled with other initiatives including workplace-based community service, are helping to change the culture of volunteering. This year marks the seventh anniversary of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which expands national service programs and is linked to increased volunteerism in the US.

Mr. Kennedy would be proud to know that the nation’s commitment to service appears to continue its upward trajectory as the next generation demonstrates significant enthusiasm for volunteering. Research shows Millennials are overwhelmingly opting to donate their time and personal skills. This is good news for service and good news for Spark. Only 30% of surveyed Millennial employees did not volunteer in 2014. A closer look at Spark mentors reinforces this point of engagement with 67% of our volunteer mentors ranging in age from 25 to 35.

In addition, the advent of more workplace-based community engagement efforts like Deloitte’s Impact Day is successfully increasing the service component of corporate engagement and philanthropy.

The Work Goes On
“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.”

Indeed this famous quote from Edward M. Kennedy still rings true today. This is the time to acknowledge “the work” does not go on without the tremendous volunteers Spark and many other organizations are grateful to engage. When businesses encourage, generations embrace and adults recognize their responsibility for volunteering, many more social challenges become solvable.

Celebrate Middle Level Education in March

By Dru Tomlin, PhD, Director of Middle Level Services
@DruTomlin_AMLE

As we prepare to declare the start of spring, March is also Middle Level Education Month. And while every month is critical in the middle grades, March has been set aside as a time when we celebrate the power and the potential of the young adolescent and shine a warm light on those who help improve their educational lives.  

You can explore the rich resources online at the Association for Middle Level Education’s website at www.amle.org/mlem, but also consider starting the celebration by giving thought to an important but sometimes neglected “R” in education: Remembrance.  For many of us, early adolescence was a time mixed with challenge and triumph, friendship and frustration, humor and hurt, love and loathing—a time when we needed and craved support and caring to meet our unique (and ever-evolving) needs.  Thus, remembering what we were like as kids between the ages of 10 and 15 is one of the most important parts of Middle Level Education Month.  To serve young adolescents more effectively, take time in March to think back to those times.  Who helped you grow as a learner and as a person? And how are we celebrating and supporting students in our schools, businesses, homes, service agencies, and communities today?

In addition to remembering your own early adolescence, Middle Level Education Month is a time to recognize people who work with this age group every day.  Everyone who understands and cares for young adolescents is a middle level educator: teachers, mentors, school administrators, community and business leaders, college partners, families and service providers.  March is a time to shine the spotlight on anyone who improves the educational lives of children ages 10-15.

One of the 16 characteristics in This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents states that an effective middle grades program is propelled by those who “value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them” (p. 15).  In the case of teachers, for instance, they are not only masters of their respective content areas (i.e., math, reading, science, music, social studies), but they are masterfully aware that their students are simultaneously achieving in multiple areas—physically, cognitively, socially, ethically, psychologically, morally and more!  And those who serve through their communities, businesses and service agencies are committed to not only the wellness of their own organizations, but they are equally committed to the wellness and development of young adolescents.  With that awareness and commitment, all middle level educators live three critical truths every day that need to be celebrated:

1. Middle level educators understand that academic gains happen when we attend to students’ other achievement areas.  People who work with young adolescents support their growth through movement, activity, engagement and group collaboration because young adolescents have physical and social needs that must be met in their daily educational lives.  No matter where, when, or from whom young adolescents learn, they need people who understand the truth that “the most successful learning strategies are ones that involve each student personally” (This We Believe, p. 16).
2. Middle level educators also live the daily reality of the adage, “Students care to learn when they learn that we care.” We need to shine a light on community service providers and business partners who realize that the first critical connection with a young adolescent is through the heart.  Similarly, we need to celebrate teachers and leaders in the middle grades as pedagogical artists who know not only how to create great lesson plans and clear master schedules, but also know how to sustain great relationships built on care, trust and compassion.  We help students blossom when we illuminate and practice “qualities of heart and mind” that “make a positive difference in the life of every young adolescent” (p. 15).
3. Middle level educators know that young adolescents add and bring value to the educational conversation.  Contrary to the belief of some people, young adolescents are not aimless, contrary “tweens” who are devoid of direction.  Those who work with these children every day see them differently.  Through their daily interactions, middle level educators see young adolescents as blossoming leaders, debaters, policymakers, service providers, artists, scientists, explorers and so much more.  They see in every young adolescent the glimmering power and vital potential of a life evolving.  And they know that each student deserves learning that nurtures and grows that potential—throughout March and every month of the year.

So as you start to feel the warmth of spring and see the sun linger longer in the March sky, join AMLE as we take time to acknowledge everyone who supports and improves the educational lives of children ages 10 to 15 years old.  Remember your own adolescence.  Recognize what makes young adolescents unique.  Support and celebrate our middle grades students!

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Dru Tomlin, Ph.D., is director of middle level services for the Association for Middle Level Education (www.amle.org).

Reference

National Middle School Association [now AMLE]. (2010). This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents. Westerville, OH: Author.  www.amle.org/twb

The Role of Mentoring in the ‘Middle School to High School Transition’

Author: Meha Davé, Director of Program Innovation for Spark

Middle school, as most teachers and parents (and almost anyone!) would agree, can be a difficult time for most students. The brain is in a constant state of development, which makes social, personal and academic transitions challenging. Studies show that grappling with these challenges during this critical time can lead to disengagement and school drop-out during the transition to high school. Consider these statistics:

• Between 60-70% of US students become chronically disengaged from school during 7th or 8th grade[1] 
• 68% of students who drop out of school do so in 9^th grade, or after repeating 9^th grade[2]

Maybe most importantly, the biggest predictor of on-time graduation is if a student is on track during his or her freshman year in high school. These findings underscore what we believe at Spark: supporting underserved students in the middle grades is crucial to bolstering engagement, success and increasing graduation rates.

I recently had the chance to explain how Spark’s mentoring model is doing just this at the

National Mentoring Summit, an incredible opportunity to connect with mentoring colleagues and share best practices! It was founded and convened by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, and is the signature event for the mentoring field that brings together approximately 1,000 top researchers, policy makers, practitioners, the network of affiliate Mentoring Partnerships, corporate partners and many other national youth-serving organizations. 

Held in Washington, D.C., the theme of this conference was “Connection, Growth, and Opportunity,” and I was proud to demonstrate Spark’s commitment to these qualities. Through one-to-one mentorships, which pair underserved students with industry professionals, Spark provides a personal connection with a mentor, a tailor-made space for personal and professional growth for students and mentors, and most importantly an opportunity for engagement in an area of personal interest which may have previously seemed out of reach.

Take Andrew for example, a current high school senior, who participated in Spark in

seventh grade. Andrew expressed an interest in drawing, and was paired with a Spark mentor at a Los Angeles architectural firm. Andrew honed his professional and artistic skills in a real-world apprenticeship and felt more prepared for high school as a result. He was just accepted early admission to Brown University and hopes to become an architect. Andrew’s 10-week apprenticeship gave him skills and confidence to better transition from middle school to high school, and his connection with his mentor endures to this day.

Through short and long-term evaluation of Spark participants, we see that Spark students develop the academic mindsets, social emotional and academic skills that lead to improvements in their school performance. We’ve seen that more than 70% of our students have improved their performance in school.

Here are some key factors we attribute to our success, and suggestions for other mentoring programs serving students in the middle grades:

•  Listen to the mentee to gain an understanding of how to tailor their mentorship experience
• Apply mentee areas of interest to project-based, hands-on learning
• Educate mentors about the “middle school mind” and successful strategies for working with this age group 
• Structure mentor and mentee meetings around skill-building activities
• Use the present to explore the future, including youth aspirations around future education and career goals 

Join Spark as we continue to make progress for middle school students and mentors. To become involved as a mentor or supporter, apply here.

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[1] Source: Everyone Graduates Center

[2] www.sparkprogram.org

Mentoring ‘In Real Life’

Four Ways to Celebrate Mentoring and Make an Impact in 2016

For many of us, January symbolizes a fresh start.  It’s about goal setting and looking forward to all of the moments that will make 2016 memorable. Here at Spark, January marks the beginning of the second program session we kick-off each year, pairing students with mentors for 10 weeks of hands-on learning apprenticeships in exciting workplaces..  

It’s fitting then, both personally and professionally, that January is National Mentoring Month.

For Spark staff beginning the second half of our program year, National Mentoring Month is a reminder that our work is part of a larger educational and social movement.  The Mentoring Effect report tells us that one in three young people feel isolated from meaningful connections with adults outside their home.  There’s a clear need for mentoring and Spark is part of the larger network of organizations working to address this national challenge, helping students build the social capital they need to be successful. This program year, Spark is partnering with 30 schools and more than 200 companies and organizations across four major metropolitan regions and engaging more than two thousand volunteer mentors to serve more than 1,000 middle school students, helping them stay engaged, on track and ready for success in high school and beyond.

National Mentoring Month offers simple ways for all of us to make an individual impact in 2016 through mentoring.  I personally hope you take advantage of this opportunity in January to become a volunteer mentor with Spark.  We need more than 1,000 adults to pair one-to-one with students this spring.  But National Mentoring Month is not just about Spark.  It is an opportunity to celebrate and honor the importance of quality mentoring and highlight the impact that mentoring programs like Spark has on adolescents.

In 2015, week-in and week-out I saw the benefits of mentoring unfolding in real life, in offices across the country.  I watched C-level executives block two hours of time each week to share their professional perspective and guide local students.  "Spark makes it so easy,” said Perry Wallack, CFO of Cornerstone OnDemand and a Spark mentor. “Twenty hours is a really small amount of time to play a part in helping a student graduate from high school by motivating them through exposure to world opportunities. We are giving them an essential tool to being successful in life."

I heard from educators who witness positive growth in their students because of Spark mentors. "We've seen their grades improve, we've seen them become more outgoing, but the most important part for us is that we are providing our students with the opportunity to engage in learning experiences outside the confines of their own communities,” shared Sean Holiday, Principal of a Spark partner school.

I watched mentors at Deloitte and CEB and Sony PlayStation take time out of their busy workdays to tap into students’ interests and motivations, engage them in exciting projects with real-world applications and to teach them success skills. I saw students create marketing campaigns for their own fashion lines, and detailed plans for new sporting venues, and concepts for new video games. More than this, I saw students with their own desires ignited and caring adults who believed in them.

Throughout January, organizations, policy makers, mentors and mentees will celebrate the powerful impact of quality mentoring programs across the country. I encourage you to add your voice to the celebration by supporting the mentoring efforts and the volunteer mentors in your community.

Here are four ways you can make 2016 better for a young person and for yourself!

1. Volunteer with Spark and dedicate two hours/week for 10 weeks to a local 7^th or 8^th grader
2. Share your mentoring story on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #MentorIRL (Mentor In Real Life)
3. Change your Facebook or Twitter profile image to reflect your support for Spark and mentoring
4. Invest in mentoring with a donation to Spark

Thank you for bringing mentoring to life.

PS: Tremendous thanks to our friends at MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for making National Mentoring Month a priority since 2002!

Celebrating 10 years of apprenticeships and planning for many more

Throughout my time with Spark - first as a supporter and donor, and now as CEO and a

former mentor - it has been a truly amazing experience to watch Spark grow. Since its establishment in 2004 and its first program launch in 2005, Spark has demonstrated a trend of progress and growth to reach more students, engage more mentors and partner with more schools and companies nationwide. 

We began with a partnership with one school; we paired 11 students with mentors in Redwood City, CA. Today, we are partnered with nearly 30 schools. We are serving more than 1,000 students this year – our largest annual student cohort ever – which means we will have reached more than 4,500 students cumulatively by the end of our tenth year.

This service is only possible with the support of donors and funders who believe in Spark’s impact and value.  In 2005, Spark received its first gift of $10,000 from the Peninsula Community Foundation (now known as the Silicon Valley Community Foundation). In 2008, the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation provided us with $300,000 to engage in our early development phase. And from 2007 to today, the Peery Foundation, Spark’s largest historical funder, provided $750,000, which was fundamental to our replicating across four major metropolitan regions.

To date, Spark has exceeded $3.5 million in funds raised from many great individual, foundation and corporate supporters. That momentum has lead to Spark most recently being awarded a slate of new and big funding commitments over the last 18 months from notable national funders, including $1.2 million from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to support the development and launch of our alumni programming that supports our students transition into high school; $650,000 from the Brin-Wojcicki Foundation for capacity-building, strategic planning and local program implementation; $240,000 from the All Points North Foundation for public policy work and our Spark Online Institute for teachers; and $100,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation for general operating support.

In just 10 years, we have not only grown, we have improved by tailoring our program to the needs of students and educators in the middle grades, as well as mentors. The institution of “Spark Skills” like teamwork, time management and goal setting helps students build capacities for success.  The development of Spark Online provides on-demand resources and training to mentors and educators. Data-sharing partnerships with school districts mean we can accurately measure our short- and long-term impact. Yet, I believe we have barely scratched the surface of what Spark can do for the thousands of students who can benefit from caring mentors, workplace apprenticeships and targeted skill-building.

This is only the beginning. While we expand our reach to record-setting numbers, this year we are also embarking on our next organizational strategic plan, mapping growth along with quality and sustainability. We imagine a time when mentoring and career exposure are part of the middle school experience for all students - so that young adults like Jonathan continue to feel that they get a, “head start in life.” And working professionals like Bruce continue to have the opportunity to give back during the workday and report that mentoring with Spark is, “one of the most enjoyable projects I've done in recent memory.”

Though these ideas are inspiring and motivating, we remember now - after 10 years of pairing students with mentors in engaging apprenticeships - that the work spearheaded by Spark’s talented staff everyday is all about helping today’s youth prepare for successful futures. 

Thank you for your support, and I’ll be eager for us together to continue this journey with Spark!