A Glance at SPARK: Multiple Perspectives of an Innovative Mentorship Program

Youths from high-risk settings are often labeled based on their behavior, which leads to cycles of negative stigmatization and punitive interventions. Traditional behavioristic approaches used in schools, courts, and therapy have shown limited success in fostering long-term positive change. The SPARK mentoring program offers an innovative approach by following the principles from Martin Buber's “I and Thou” philosophy to view the youths with a humanistic and spiritual model. The SPARK program is a 10-week peer-mentorship program that connects youth on probation with college students who aspire to be educators. The SPARK program aims to ignite the spirit of hope, healing, and discovery. Both SPARK youths and mentors emphasized the importance of forming nonjudgmental perspectives, which transformed their perception of the self, others, and the world. This research strongly encourages school, justice, and therapeutic systems to create a non-judgmental environment for youth.