Spark Mentor Orientation

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Objectives & Agenda
 Objectives
– Understand the Spark Program and mentor role & expectations
– Identify and discuss approaches to working with middle school
students
– Connect with a network of community members to support the
experience
 Agenda
– Welcome
– Apprenticeships
– Policies
– Strategies
– Close

Apprenticeships: The Mentor Experience
Application Orientation Matching Apprenticeship
Discovery
Night

Apprenticeships: The Student Experience
Nomination
Application
& Interview
Matching
Leadership Class &
Apprenticeship
Discovery
Night

Apprenticeships: Goals
 Goals
– Help your student learn about him
or herself
– Address how what you’re doing
relates to the student’s education
and social-emotional development
– Introduce your student to your
career and future possibilities
 Every session should include…
 A hands-on activity
 Work toward your Discovery Night
Project or other goal
 An opportunity for you and your
student to connect personally

Apprenticeships: Timeline
 Week 1-2
 Get to know each other
 Introduce your student to your
office and coworkers
 Week 3-4
 Brainstorm and plan for Discovery
Night project
 Set goals and milestones for project
 Week 5-8
 Encourage student ownership of
project
 Goal of each session should be
related to milestone

Past Project Highlights
 Sales / Business
• Start a business
• Create a case study of a popular company
 Programming
• Design a basic computer game
• Create a website featuring the student’s favorite animal, sport, subject, etc.
 Math / Economics
• Analyze the economics of sports, entertainment, technology, etc.
 Finance
• Create a savings plan for a high school graduation trip
• Cost benefit analysis of different educational / career paths
• Track a favorite company’s stock and analyze what causes price changes
 HR
• Plan an Event
• Orchestrate a student satisfaction survey and analysis
• Create a “Future Resume”

Agenda Check
– Welcome
– Apprenticeships
– Policies
– Strategies
– Close

Spark Policy Highlights
 Student Safety & Expectations
– Workplace site clearance
– Food/ Gifts
– Media Release/ Social Media
 Communication with Spark Staff
– Rescheduling/ Student Attendance
 Student Transportation
– Waiver
– SAP
– Support
 Preparing Apprenticeship Activities & Final Project

Strategies: Life as a Middle Schooler
 Self-expression and self
determination
 Hands-on learning that is
personally relevant
 Increased awareness of
social, cultural and
environmental issues
 Peer approval
 Awkwardness and self-
consciousness

Strategies: Engaging Youth
Be clear and consistent
Be open and share
Set clear boundaries on
day 1
Ask questions
Relate what you’re doing
to education, career, life
Be authentic

Discuss: Scenarios
 What is your interpretation of this scenario?
 How would you have reacted if you were the mentor in
this situation?
 What are the key takeaways from this scenario?

Scenario 1:
Quiet Student
It is your first day meeting with your student. He
comes into your office and won’t look you in the
eyes. When you show him new things about your job,
he doesn’t say anything. When you ask him about
school he just says “it’s fine.” He seems bored and
unhappy.

Scenario 2:
Expectations Mismatch
You are a fashion designer and are very excited about
an activity you have planned for the day. When your
student arrives, you ask her to look through the
books and magazines in your office, choose five
famous fashion designers, and write a paragraph
about what they like about each designer. As she
starts to do the activity, it becomes clear that she is
having trouble reading the articles and her writing
skills are very weak.

Scenario 3:
Unclear Actions
On your sixth meeting, your student is working on
her Discovery Night Project, and you get an
important call. You leave the room for five minutes,
and when you return she quickly hides something in
her bag. She seems flustered and embarrassed.

Scenario 4:
Inappropriate Question
On your third meeting, your student asks if you have
ever used illegal drugs. This makes you
uncomfortable.

Scenario 5:
International Travel
When you tell your student about the trip you took
to Europe last year, she responds by telling you that
she can’t go to Europe because she doesn’t have the
right papers.

Scenario 6:
Safety
Your student tells you that if he is late for dinner his
mom will hit him. It’s hard for you to tell if he is
joking; his mom seems nice, but he also came to his
apprenticeship one day with a bruise on his face.

Scenario 7:
Travel Logistics
Part 1: You are expecting your student to arrive at
3pm today. At 3:30pm your student has still not
arrived. You try calling your student’s cell phone
number, and it goes straight to voicemail. What do
you do?
Part 2: Your student calls you at 5:30pm and says
they’re sorry they couldn’t come today. When you
ask why they didn’t attend, they say something came
up. What do you do?

A Spark Story

Contact
Shireen Javandel
E :: sjavandel@sparkprogram.org
P :: 510-435-2309
Megan Stariha
E :: mstariha@sparkprogram.org
P :: 425-223-8579
http://sparkbayarea.weebly.com

Spark Mentor Orientation

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