What is a Spark? The first thing that comes to mind for me is summertime and the sparklers I waved around as a kid at the beach celebrating the fourth of July with family and friends. I’m reminded of the excitement and the anticipation of the bigger fireworks show that would come later.
Campfires give out a variety of sparks and I love how they float up into the air after tossing another log on the fire. It reminds me of the bioluminescent spark of fireflies on warm evenings.
In Forestry practice, sparks are managed during prescribed burns, so they don’t ignite wildfires and so the healthy fire can burn low and slow, enriching the soil and clearing the way for renewed herbaceous plant life to emerge and serotinous pine cones can open.
In 4-H Youth Development, sparks are those skills and talents, passionate commitments, and qualities of character that positive youth development professionals help young people identify and fan into flames of joy, purpose, exploration, and skill development (Arnold, M.E., 2018). According to the 4-H Thriving Model, sparks create actions, provide intrinsic ‘fuel’ for growth, and enhance networks between youth and caring adult mentors. Dr. Peter Benson (2011) of the Search Institute defines a person’s spark as essential to thriving as their breath. What is your spark?
South Carolina 4-H Youth Development agents and volunteers, from all across the state, work to provide the youth in their counties opportunities to discover and cultivate sparks. These positive youth development professionals and volunteers help provide a sense of community and contribution through numerous 4-H projects, clubs and experiences. To find out how to contribute to thriving youth, you can connect with Patricia Whitener pwhiten@clemson.edu or reach out to the 4-H agent in your county.
Sources:
Arnold, M. E. (2018). From
Context to outcomes: A thriving model for 4-H Youth Development Programs. Journal
of Human Sciences and Extension, 6(1), 141-160.
Benson, P. L., & Scales, P. C. (2011). Thriving and sparks. In R. J. R Leveque (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Adolescence (pp. 2963-2976). New York: Springer.
