Donate
Donate Spark Online
Join Spark

Volunteers - Spark Lab Volunteer

Volunteer with Your Colleagues to Show Middle School Students What’s Possible

You can’t be what you don’t see. Let’s show middle school students the futures that are available to them. Through Spark Lab, in just one afternoon, you and your colleagues will help students explore new possibilities for their careers and build skills to get there.

Open a Window into the Future for Students

Spark Lab puts a fresh new spin on group volunteering. You and your colleagues will host a cohort of students for a two-hour session to acquaint them with your careers and facilitate activities around a specific skill. These sessions require a company-level commitment (we hope your company will commit to hosting two sessions!) and are perfect for professionals who want to be a part of The Possibility Movement but may not be able to host multiple individual mentorship sessions in the fall.

More Opportunities to Share Possibility

Spark Lab gives companies and working professionals like you a chance to get to know The Possibility Movement better in the first part of the school year. If it’s a fit, we ask companies to continue the partnership and expand their commitment by hosting one-to-one mentorships weekly for 10-13 weeks in the spring. We hope you and your colleagues are able to continue volunteering too, but understand if employee volunteer availability changes in the second half of the school year. For the 2017-18 school year, Spark Lab is limited to companies and their employees based in Chicago and Philadelphia.

Spark Provides:

Training

Better understand your role, responsibilities and best practices for working with middle school students

Session Facilitation

A professional from Spark’s team will lead you, your colleagues and a group of students through two hours of interactive, skill-building activities

Online Resources

Easily accessible through Spark Online, there are a variety of resources at your fingertips

Opportunity for a Deeper Mentoring Commitment

Spark Lab Volunteers gain experience in working with groups of students in the workplace. Spark Lab sessions are a helpful preview of Spark Mentorships which pair volunteer mentors one-to-one with students for more immersive career exploration.

Spark Lab companies and volunteers provide:

A space for a cohort of students and mentors to convene

A commitment to providing volunteers/volunteering on a specific date and time

A passion for connecting with the local community

FAQ's

Who are Spark Students?

Who are Spark Students?

Spark Students are 7th, 8th and 9th graders at one of Spark’s partner schools. They are students open to new opportunities and experiences and ready to explore possibilities with a committed mentor.

What communities does Spark work within?

What communities does Spark work within?

Each community Spark works with has displayed a need for additional resources to support student access to increased academic enrichment opportunities. 

What does volunteering for Spark Lab entail?

What does volunteering for Spark Lab entail?

As a Spark Lab volunteer, you and your colleagues host a cohort of 10 to 30 students for a two-hour session to acquaint them with your careers and lead activities around specific skills. Spark staff will facilitate sessions and provide orientation for volunteers.

My company is hosting more than one Spark Lab this fall. Is each one different? Do we work with the same group of students every time?

My company is hosting more than one Spark Lab this fall. Is each one different? Do we work with the same group of students every time?

Each Spark Lab will have the same structure but will cover different skills and incorporate different activities. Given the number of students Spark works with, and in order to ensure varied experiences for all, there is a chance you will not work with the same students if you host multiple Spark Lab sessions.

I loved volunteering for Spark Lab! What else can I do?

I loved volunteering for Spark Lab! What else can I do?

Thanks for helping students understand what’s possible for their future. After Spark Lab, students participate in a 13-week mentorship, where they are matched one-to-one with a mentor to learn about a company, industry or career more deeply, and to create an interest-driven project. Volunteer to be a Spark Mentor or learn about other ways to continue promoting possibility.

What other companies work with Spark?

What other companies work with Spark?

Learn more about our Corporate Partners. 

What is Spark’s impact?

What is Spark’s impact?

92% of Spark Students have graduated or are on track to graduate on time, compared to an average of 68% in the districts Spark serves. Learn more about our impact.

Join The Possibility Movement

When you volunteer with Spark, you show students a window into a future they never knew possible.

Join Us

Spark Lab Volunteer Inquiry

Spark engages with corporations in the fall to provide Spark Lab opportunities to students and allow them to learn more about the various career options available to them and see what’s possible for their future











Other Company
If your company is not listed in the dropdown menu above, please include additional information below:






Contact Information