Let the Sparks fly!

What gives you joy? When are you at your best? What activity are you doing when you are most at home with yourself?

Your answer to those questions is what the late Dr. Peter Benson, creator of the 40 Developmental Assets, referred to as a "Spark." A Spark is an activity that gives you energy, direction, hope, and purpose. A spark is what you're passionate about. Search Institute recently surveyed young people ages 12 - 17 across the nation about their Sparks. These categories came out on top:

Creative Arts – 54%
Athletics – 25%
Learning a Subject Matter – 18%
Reading – 11%
Helping/Serving/Volunteering – 10%
Being a Leader – 10%
Caring of Advocating for Animals – 8%
Living in a Specific Way, with Joy, Compassion, Tolerance – 7%
Nature/Ecology/Environment – 6%
Spirituality/Religion – 2%

Why are Sparks important? Every young person needs to be good at something. It is one of the most vital tasks of their adolescent development. It builds self-esteem and confidence. It tells a youth where "they fit" in the community and how they contribute. Sparks get youth moving in a positive direction (and avoiding negative behaviors). Adults and institutions should be looking for every way they can to help young people discover their spark and to help them develop it.  According to Search Institute research, "Less than half of students know their Spark and only 37% of students say they have adult support in developing their interests."

A good way to start supporting a young person in their Spark is simply by asking them questions like the one at the top of this column. Another way is to expose youth to different types of experiences to see what catches fire. Search Institute provides a helpful list of activities to try out:

___ Strummed a guitar, played a piano, beat on a drum
___ Painted a picture, molded something out of clay, drew a picture
___ Seen a band concert, listened to an orchestra, sung in a chorus
___ Attended a play, attended a musical
___ Read or heard poetry, then written his/her own
___ Read or heard a story, then written his/her own
___ Seen different kinds of dance, including ballet, flamenco, ballroom, modern
___ Learned words in a language other than your family’s main language
___ Learned how to cook or bake something
___ Learned how to build or repair something
___ Ran in a race
___ Tried a team sport like soccer, basketball, or softball
___ Played tennis or attended a gymnastics class
___ Gazed at the stars and tried to find the constellations
___ Went swimming or rock climbing
___ Saw a parade or was in a parade
___ Went to an art museum
___ Went to a children’s museum
___ Went to a science museum
___ Helped with planting, weeding, and watering a garden
___ Helped choose a pet to adopt and care for
___ Went horseback riding
___ Visited a farm or a zoo
___ Danced to music in your own home
___ Played age-appropriate games on the computer
___ Told a joke or put on a play
___ Took photographs or made a video
___ Visit a synagogue, mosque, church, or other place of worship
___ Volunteered to help people or animals in need
___ Picked up litter to make the neighborhood look nicer
___ Went hiking or camping
___ Tried karate, sewing, break dancing, or rapping

Sparks are the activities that give youth joy and energize them. This results in thriving behavior. Do what you can to be a Sparks Champion with the young people with whom you interact. If you are interested in reading more about Sparks, check out this link.


Ian Eastman, M.A. is the Conference Youth Coordinator for the Southwestern New York Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Coordinator of the Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry in Jamestown NY, and a Youth Minister in the Pastoral Care Department at Gustavus Adolphus Family Services. He is a student at the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary.