Sparks and Thriving

What Are Sparks?

A spark is an interest, talent, skill, asset, or dream that truly excites a young person and helps him or her discover his or her true passions, whether it is academic, relational, athletic, artistic, or intellectual—anything that inspires and motivates.

Sparks “light a fire” in a person. But sparks, by themselves, can go out if they are not nurtured with enough ongoing fuel to keep them alive and strengthen them. This fuel comes in the form of supportive peers and adults who help celebrate, affirm, and grow a young person’s sparks and are essential if those sparks are to help the young person truly thrive.

Adults can help kids grow up successfully and ensure their healthy development by helping them find and nurture their sparks. By making a conscious effort, all adults can help children find what drives and motivates them, and what gives their life purpose.

To learn more, visit What Kids Need: Thriving and Sparks at Search Institute.

Why Do Sparks Matter?

Sparks help give young people joy and energy, meaning, purpose, and direction. Pursuing their sparks helps young people make positive choices about their activities and use of time, develop their potential to the fullest, and contribute to their families, schools, and communities right now, as young people. Young people with sparks lead more caring, responsible, healthy, and productive lives than those who do not have sparks.

Search Institute recently released the findings from a research study, Teen Voice 2009, ¹ that details some of their findings about sparks:

• Sixty-six percent of 15-year-olds say they have at least one spark.
• Fewer than half of the kids who know their spark say that anyone at school (48 percent), a coach, mentor, or other youth worker (43 percent), a religious leader (29 percent), or a neighbor (16 percent) encourages their spark.
• Among the 15-year-olds surveyed, 28 percent describe their strongest spark as sports, athletics, or other physical activities, and 24 percent describe it as creative activities such as art, dance, drama, music, or writing.
• Teens who know their sparks are more likely to report higher levels of initiative, sense of purpose, and desire to make a difference. They are also more likely to value having strong friendships, being civically engaged, and serving others.

To find out more about the research study and read the full report, visit the @15 research page at Search Institute.

Practical Resources

• Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers —Dr. Peter Benson, president of Search Institute, explains what sparks are and how adults can help nurture the sparks in young people around them. Find out how to start helping the teens around you go from surviving to thriving!
• What’s Your Spark? —This colorful, fun activity will get kids thinking about their sparks. It comes in packs of 20 so you can distribute them in your neighborhood, classroom, or community.
• Path to Purpose: Helping Our Children Find Their Calling in Life —Find out why some children have difficulty finding what motivates them in life, and how to help your children and other kids find what gives their life purpose.