“I see a spark as something that inspires you to grow, and something that inspires you to help other people around you grow.”
These are wise words from Spencer, a Camp Fire counselor. We love this story: Spencer saw a spark in his camper Trey. Naming it changed Trey and their whole cabin community.
Some other things we can learn from Spencer and Trey’s story:
Sparks can be social and emotional skills like Trey’s: making other people feel like they belong.
Sparks are for using and encouragingnow. Sure, Trey is thinking about how he’s going to use his spark in a future career, but his present life is bigger, fuller and happier because he’s using it today.
Naming someone’s spark is powerful stuff. Trey says a key moment in his life was when Spencer both called out his spark and suggested an immediate way to develop it.
This is what Camp Fire is all about. If your spark is similar to Trey’s—if you love to include and inspire others—we want to meet you! Volunteer at a Camp Fire near you. And if you know a kid who is still looking for their passion, sign them up to find their spark at a local Camp Fire.
We know that Sparks are talents, interests, commitments and qualities that give kids—and adults—energy and purpose. We also know that it’s important to talk to kids about their Sparks and support them in their passions.
But why? Why is it so important? Why do Sparks matter?
Because SPARKS lead to some pretty huge benefits.
Research shows that kids and teens who identify their Sparks, and nurture them with help from supportive adults, thrive. In so many ways, across all areas of life.
Kids who nurture their sparks with adult support are more likely to
Thirty-eight percent of kids don’t know what their spark is. They haven’t yet discovered what gets them excited, pushes them to learn and gives them purpose.
We know that sparks are the first step to thriving—to creating a healthy, purposeful life. What can help kids find their spark?
We can. But research shows that adults don’t always know it’s important to be spark-proactive. Only 55 percent of kids say they get support for their sparks from adults.
Adults are critical in kids’ sparks journeys. Not because we can assign passions to sparkless kids. But because we can get kids thinking and talking about sparks. We can earn their trust, start conversations and name the sparks we see come alive.
Adam Kisler, Camp Fire Heartland’s program manager, says it’s important to have sparks conversations in the context of a solid relationship.
Adam Kisler leading kids in an activity at Camp Maple Woods summer day camp on July 13, 2017.
“We want kids to know we’re not just one more person in their life who is going to tell them what to do.” Kisler says. “We want them to know people care about them and we’re not going anywhere.”
Building trust takes time, and good conversations take attention. Kisler says adults need to be careful not to talk too much. We can easily drown out a kid’s own passion by talking too much about our own! Remember to get down on their level—literally sit, bend or crouch down—and make good eye contact.
Once you’ve built up a solid foundation of trust, you’ve earned the right to start talking about sparks.
“Sparks questions are only as good as the atmosphere and trust we build around these kids,” Kisler says.
But sometimes we just don’t know what to say to spark the spark, you know?
Kisler likes to get kids started with questions that are really easy for kids to answer. Over time, Kisler and his Camp Fire staff build on those initial conversations by exposing kids to all kinds of possible sparks…and see what clicks.
What are your hobbies?
What do you like to watch on TV?
What’s been the most exciting part of your summer so far?
What did you do this weekend?
What do you enjoy about that [hobby, show, thing you did]?
Why do you think you enjoyed it?
If you have a close relationship with a kid who digs deep conversations, try Thrive Foundation for Youth’s suggestions. These questions start simple and get more complex:
Once sparks have become a common conversation topic, you can ask kids how you can help with their spark development. Try these questions from Dr. Peter L. Benson’s influential TED talk on sparks.
What gives you joy when you do it?
What interests or subjects are you really passionate about?
What difference does what you do make to the world around you?
Why is who you are and what you do important to you and the world beyond you?
Don’t forget: We’re in these sparks conversations together! Kids need more than just family members invested in their sparks. In Dr. Benson’s TEDx talk, he reminds us that kids with at least three grown-up Spark Champions justdo better than those without adult support.
What is your spark?
Who knows it?
How can I help?
Where do you express it?
What gets in the way?
That’s where Camp Fire comes in. We train our staff and volunteers to support kids’ passions. And our programs are designed connect kids and teens to their next Spark Champion. Find your Camp Fire, find your spark!
If you’ve been around Camp Fire for half a minute, you’ve heard about sparks. And you know we’re not just talking about fire-building skills. We’re talking about life-building passions that put kids on the path to truly thriving.
Sparks are talents, interests, commitments and qualities that give kids—and adults—energy and purpose.
Simply put, sparks are things you both love do to and want to do.
Let’s get a little technical. Sparks guru Dr. Peter L. Benson and Peter C. Scales write in the Encyclopedia of Adolescence (2011) that sparks can:
So what do American kids say their sparks are? The Search Institute has catalogued 200+ sparks reported by thousands of American teens. The most common categories of sparks are the arts (54 percent of kids name a creative spark), learning, reading, athletics and volunteering.
Be an inner passion, interest or talent that is central to a person’s identity.
Originate from inside a person, rather than being imposed from the outside.
Be a source of intrinsic motivation, meaning and self-directed action that can help drive young people forth in other areas.
But the full list is long, varied and always expanding. From telling jokes to creating business plans to peacemaking to studying sacred books…anything can be a spark. If it gives a kid big-time joy and drives them forward in life, it’s a spark.
Camp Fire exists to help kids find their sparks—and help adults become Spark Champions for the kids we serve. It’s the very first step in our Thrive{ology} framework, developed with our fellow spark-advocates, the Thrive Foundation for Youth.
Do you know a kid who needs to find a spark? A kid whose spark needs a little fuel to grow? A kid who needs a few more Spark Champions in her life? Camp Fire has programs to help kids discover and develop their sparks all year long. Find one by you! #FindYourSpark
![[INFOGRAPHIC] 16 Reasons Sparks are Awesome—Science Says!](png/sm.png)
