Spark-Y was fostered through the love for growth. The Founding Board members of this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization were dismayed by the lack of opportunities for youth to have agency and impact in their education, and sought to give them a platform in order to help them further their potential. Noticing this concerning observation as a common trend, the organization pre-empted the crisis in education and the workforce we see today. The founding board planted the seed of Spark-Y watching it’s strong and steady growth into an entity that serves youth across the Twin Cities, poised for growth beyond.
Their program gives young people the opportunity to learn through hands-on experiences which are largely focused on environmental sustainability and STEM education. Along with a team of dedicated young college interns, , the founding board was able to cultivate a program that allows youth to learn through a natural process about the world around them while gaining necessary life skills in order to succeed, ultimately transforming the educational landscape of youth leading to new experiences and opportunities. .
Today, Spark-Y is partially responsible for bringing about the greenest campuses in Minnesota with the help of students, interns, and partners that believed in them and their environmentally-minded vision.
Zachary Robinson, the executive director for Spark-Y and one of the original founding board members, is all about creating a win-win culture for everyone involved. The vision is simple: Spark-Y cultivates students who go on to become interns, with those interns returning to become leaders and advancing to staff positions, therefore creating a virtuous cycle that keeps giving back to the community.
“In many ways, I am one of this organization’s many examples of empowered youth leadership. The idea that one individual acting passionately can make a big difference,” said Robinson. From board member, to volunteer, to leading the organization's youth-led course since the age of 24, Robinson believes any young person can chart a similar entrepreneurial course.
There are three main branches of Spark-Y’s mission, starting with hands on learning which combines “experiential agricultural systems, such as aquaponics, paired with concepts in sustainability, entrepreneurship, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) to invite learning in a real-world, hands-on setting.”
For on the job training, among many actual public and private projects, youth can also farm at the Spark-Y Urban Agriculture Lab in Northeast Minneapolis. The timber-frame microgreen system was built as an internship project back in 2018 and now serves as a paid job experience for youth. The produce from the lab or farm is then sold to local establishments, which in turn funds the project, creating a sort of symbiotic ecosystem in which the youth are able to gain real-world experience in a guided environment.
Those who are interested in taking their experience a step further are welcomed to join their Youth Pathways program where they can become a part of the infrastructure of Spark-Y. Not only will this give youth the opportunity to build their resume and gain more real-world experiences, it is also a chance to network and start earning a living while working toward a high school degree.
Spark-Y is one of the few organizations in America entirely focused on a brighter future for ‘Generation COVID’ - a future that is rebuilding its environmental infrastructure, and the social institutions that unite us all toward a brighter tomorrow.
