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Spark Program – San Francisco

If 50 People Donate $10, Then the Spark Program Can Launch an Oakland Branch of a Middle-School Apprenticeship Program

$10
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No Longer Available
Mon Jul 02 06:59:59 UTC 2012
  • T460x279
  • Do-Gooder

In a Nutshell

Donations to launch an Oakland branch of an apprenticeship program geared toward helping underserved youth succeed in school and beyond

The Fine Print

The Issue: America's Dropout Crisis

According to a 2010 White House report, approximately 7,000 students drop out of school every day. That adds up to 1.2 million students each year. In certain underserved neighborhoods in Oakland, the dropout rate is 49.5%. Without a high-school diploma, young people are less likely to succeed as adults, and, according to the White House report, the nation loses $319 billion in potential earnings.

The Campaign: Launching a New Middle-School Apprenticeship Program

If this Grassroots campaign raises $500, then the Spark Program's Bay Area Advisory Board will contribute a $1,000 kickoff grant to help launch an Oakland branch of the Spark Program, which provides apprenticeship programs for middle-schoolers in the San Francisco Bay Area. With $1,500 total, Spark will meet its goal of launching programs in the fall that will serve 50 students at two Oakland schools. Each additional $10 donation will go toward extra apprenticeships for underserved youth.

All donations will be matched up to a $1,000 total by the Spark Bay Area Advisory Board. You can follow the progress of this and other Grassroots campaigns at the Groupon Grassroots website.

Spark Program

The Spark Program addresses the nation's dropout crisis by connecting students from underserved neighborhoods with professionals who help motivate them to succeed academically and professionally. Each student identifies his or her dream job, and Spark matches the student with a mentor who has that job and can provide a one-on-one workplace apprenticeship. During the fall or spring session, students work on a specific project with their mentors at their workplace once a week for two hours after school. Additionally, students attend an in-school Leadership Class, led by a school staff volunteer, where they learn professional skills such as resumé writing and public speaking. Each session culminates in a Discovery Night, where students present their projects.

To date, Spark has provided more than 1,500 apprenticeships to middle-school students across the United States. Nearly all participating students come from neighborhoods where dropout rates exceed 50%, but Spark's alumni data show that apprentices have significantly higher graduation rates from high school, improved academic performance and attendance, and fewer suspensions.

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Groupon Says

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The Groupon Guide to: Oxymorons

Oxymorons are words or phrases that appear to be self-contradictory, useful for describing esoteric concepts and introducing children to irony so that you can start being more sarcastic to their faces. Learn to use the five most popular oxymora with these simple explanations:

Jumbo Shrimp: Shrimp are best known for being tiny and second-best known for having weird faces.

Civil War: War is actually decidedly uncivil and is marked, at its most mildest, by angry yelling.

Deafening Silence: Silence is defined as “the absence of noise.” This oxymoron was most likely invented by a poet with a brain disorder that was also responsible for his gift with words. When this happens it is a medical oxymoron.

"Helpful" Tech Support: This one is just a sarcastic joke for all you computer heads out there!

Shark Attack: It is always a shark defend, for it is you who is in their home.

Are all shark attacks actually shark defends?

Spark Program

5.0 out of 5
GreatNonprofits (11 Reviews)
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