Quality in Action
Building Deep and Sustained
Relationships with Young People
December 1, 2010
Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota
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Webinar Logistics
Asking Questions & Sharing
Comments During the Webinar
1.
2.
April Riordan,
Director of
Training and
Community
Partnerships
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“Raise your hand” & MPM Organizers
will unmute you
Or, type questions (and comments) in
the question/answer section and submit;
we will respond directly to you or
possibly share your question with all
attendees
When unmuted, please monitor your
background noise
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Nancy Tellett-Royce
Senior Consultant, Search Institute
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External Assets
Support
Empowerment
Boundaries
and
Expectations
Constructive
Use of
Time
4
Internal Assets
Commitment
to Learning
Positive Values
Social Competencies
Positive Identity
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What is a Spark?
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A special quality, skill, or interest that lights
us up and that we are passionate about.
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Something that comes from inside of us,
and when we express it, it gives us joy and
energy.
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It’s our very essence, the thing about us that
is “good and beautiful, and useful to the
world.”
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Nature, ecology, the environment
Animal Welfare
Helping, serving, volunteering
Spirituality or Religion
Leading
Athletics
Reading
Creative Arts
Committed to living in a specific way
(with joy, passion, caring, etc.)
Learning a subject matter like Science or History
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Search Institute’s Research
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Gallup Poll of 2,000 12 to 17-year-olds
and 2,000 of their parents
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Online Poll conducted by Louis Harris
polling firm with 1,000 11 to 17-year-olds
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Interviews with 405 teens, ages 15-17
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Continued assessment in individual
communities
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Three Types of Sparks
Teens generally named three types of
sparks:
Something they are good at – a talent or
skill
 Something they care deeply about – such
as the environment or serving their
community
 A quality they know is special – caring for
others or being a friend
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Results from Sparks Research
When youth know their spark and have several
adults who support their spark, they are more
likely to:
 Have a sense of purpose
 Be socially competent and physically
healthy
 Volunteer to help others
 Have higher grades in school and better
attendance
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Results from Sparks Research
Young people who know their spark and have
several adults who support their spark are
less likely to:
 Experience depression
 Engage in acts of violence toward others
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Sparks Most Cited
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Athletics
Creative arts
Nature, ecology, the environment
Learning a subject matter like science or
history
Helping, serving, volunteering
Leading
Spirituality or religion
Reading
Committed to living in a specific way (with joy,
passion, caring, etc.)
Animal welfare
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How many teenagers have sparks?
31%
Say They Do NOT Have a Spark
Say They HAVE a Spark
69%
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The Challenge for Caring Adults
Percentage of teenagers
who understand and seek
100%
spark
Percentage who can
62%
clearly name their spark
Percentage with spark
and spark champions
37%
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The Critical Role of Mentors
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Only 37 % can identify adults who know
and support their spark. Mentors can play
an important role in increasing this.
All young people should have an adult
who:
1. sees their spark
2. affirms that spark
3. helps them explore their spark
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Maximize Your Impact –
MPM Mentor Training
Build longer, stronger relationships
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•
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Focus on what is strong not what is wrong
Pay attention to what mentees would like for
themselves – not just what we think they
need
Teach and model skills to help young people
carry their baggage better
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Sparks in Action
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My mentee’s goal is to
become a famous singer…
however, she can’t carry a
tune at all!
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Talking with a Child About Sparks
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Watch for signs of sparks “You really seem to enjoy…”
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Share your own sparks “When I was your age, I was
passionate about…”
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Ask open-ended questions, and then
listen –
“What do you think your spark is?”
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Spark Champions Can …
 Affirm
the spark
 Encourage its expression
 Model the spark
 Provide opportunities to express it
 Run interference and help eliminate obstacles
 Teach or mentor
 Show up (at recitals, games, performances,
play, reading, contests)
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Sparks in Action
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I’m having a hard time
connecting with my
mentee. We don’t seem to
have anything to talk about
and he doesn’t share any
ideas with me about things
he would like to do when
we are together.
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The Seven Essential Questions
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4.
5.
6.
7.
What is your spark?
When and where do you show your
spark?
Who knows your spark?
Who helps support your spark?
What gets in your way?
How can I help?
How can you use your spark to make
our world better?
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Tips for Sparks Champions
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Sparks can change over time
Young people need multiple champions;
some to cheer, some to teach
Expect “ups and downs” in the
conversations
A skill is not automatically a spark
Our spark may not be our work
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Featured Resources
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Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the
Hidden Strengths of Teenagers by Peter L
Benson
www.IgniteSparks.org Download more
resources
www.at15.com Youth-oriented resources
based on Search Institute’s work
www.search-institute.org Search
Institute’s web site and on-line catalog
www.parentfurther.com Tons of useful
resources for parents
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Resources
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MPM Training
www.mpmn.org/traininginstitute
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Web sites & PDFs
www.delicious.com/traininginstitute
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This presentation & others
www.slideshare.net/traininginstitute
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Thank You!
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Next Quality in Action webinar is
January 5, 2011; 12:00 – 1:00 pm CDT
 National Mentoring Month/Mentor
Recruitment Tips & Resources
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