About US

What is Spark

Spark is a 10-week mentoring program where UWG students and youth from high risk backgrounds come together and co-create a community that utilizes ice-breakers, West African drumming, art, inspirational speakers and fellowship to create a safe space for everyone to learn from one another

The Problem

Challenging youth and educators often find themselves in a struggle for survival and are unable to resolve differences. Their cries are too often ignored while the crises in their lives continue to grow. Many of these youth are ending up in the Juvenile Justice System where judges have few options that are aimed at helping them get back to school and live productive lives. Too many educators do not have the training or experience required to meet their needs.

Spark Mission

To inspire hope in the lives of youth that are on probation or have appeared in the juvenile courts, ages 12 to 18, through a trans-formative community mentoring program.

What We Do

Spark unites struggling youth with UWG students in a campus classrooms for 10 weeks for:

Icebreakers
Sharing life stories (COSMOS)
Inspirational guests
See youth as sacred
African drumming
Art projects
Reflective questions
Games and refreshments
Forming authentic friends
Dissolve the disconnect

We focus on creating a non-judgement, safe environment, igniting a spark in the youth that motivates them from within.

Objectives Include

Reduce recidivism and prevent them from becoming adult offenders
Spark interest in vocational and educational pursuits
Inspire hope that things can change
Provide the youth with a positive view of themselves while helping them rediscover their own voice
Spark a desire to reengage in their educational pursuits and respond to issues in their lives in a constructive way
Prepare UWG pre-service teachers to meet some of the challenges they will face with youth in the classroom
Reconciling the differences between pre-service teachers and struggling youth
learning more about themselves
learning how to turn form healthy, meaningful relationships

Youth Comments

"You all, the Spark college people, are just very nice, have stuff in common with each other, and like to talk a lot. that's a good thing too. You're just fun to be around."
"I don't really have label to fit into, a group, but I like to just be my own person."
"If I wasn't in this program, I know I would be in jail."

Student Comments

“It’s amazing to me. This whole time the SPARK kids thought we were helping them out, but truth be told, they were helping us out!”
“I came into it with a lot of baggage. This past year, I had finally come to the conclusion that I needed to get out of my comfort zone in order to become the teacher, writer, and person I wanted to be.”
“The SPARK program taught me there’s still a lot I need to learn about myself before I can get in a classroom, but I think it got me a lot closer to the real ME. I was starting to think I lost her.”
“We didn’t tell them what was right and what was wrong, we told them what we did and who we really are. They thought we were some really cool, interesting figures, and we thought that we’re just like them.”
“I LOVED the vibe in the room. Week after week I went back, I could see the walls that the kids had AND the walls that my fellow SPARK interns had begun to fall.”