What is a Spark?
As Dr. Peter Benson describes it, thriving is a dynamic concept, a process or orientation to life in which a young person is growing, moving forward, becoming. The thriving process is animated by a passion for a self-identified interest, skill, or capacity—in other words, a spark.
A person’s spark is what they are really passionate about, an activity or quality or talent that unleashes their energy and joy, one they can imagine doing for a long time, one that may allow them to make a unique contribution to the world.
Each of us, young or old or in-between, has or can have at least one spark. A few people seem to know their spark from an early age, but most of us discover our sparks over time, through multiple opportunities and experiences, and we often need the help of caring, observant adults to point them out to us.
It’s never too early to start providing opportunities for your child to find her or his spark, and you can keep on doing it as long as they are with you! Need some ideas for getting started?
Download this guide to help you explore sparks with your child.
Did You Know?
-
When young people know their sparks and have several caring adults who know and support those sparks, they are more likely to:
- Be healthy physically
- Be good stewards of the earth and its resources
- Volunteer to help other people
- Be socially competent
- Have a sense of purpose
- Avoid violent behavior
- Have higher grades in school
But the bad news is: 31% of U.S. teenagers don’t think they have a spark—that’s about 12 million lives waiting for their spark to ignite.
A spark supporter is a person who knows and supports a young person’s sparks. Only about 37% of young people surveyed had both an identified spark and three or more spark supporters.
Learn how you can be a spark supporter!
Many of the settings in which youth live their lives could be more attuned to learning and nurturing young people’s sparks. Here are the percentages of youth we surveyed who said these settings help them develop their sparks:
For these findings and more, turn to Peter Benson’s groundbreaking book, Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers (San Francisco:Jossey-Bass, 2008).
—————
n/a
