Connected Lane County is a mission-driven organization striving to improve outcomes for underserved youth in Lane County. Our core programs include Elevate, which creates career-connected learning opportunities for youth; Navigate, which offers a variety of case management services to youth facing significant barriers to success; and Spark, which brings community, education, & industry together through innovation, education, and hands-on learning.
Elevate is Connected Lane County’s longest-standing program. Elevate provides career-connected learning opportunities for youth and professional development opportunities for educators. Youth experiences range from career exploration events to work-based learning opportunities such as internships, and career readiness and financial literacy training. Educator experiences include professional development workshops, educational panels, and externships with local industry.
Navigate is a re-engagement program that offers a variety of case management services to youth facing significant barriers to success. Often these youth are unhoused or otherwise underserved and they need support navigating complex systems. Our Youth Support Specialists provide the crucial support to help youth obtain educational success, employment, housing stability, financial literacy, and more.
Spark is a program bringing community, education, & industry together through innovation, education, and hands-on career-connected learning. Spark locations, such as Spark on 7th, provide youth with a safe place to learn, innovate, collaborate, and create through paid, out-of-school training opportunities. Spark helps youth grow their skills, become confident problem-solvers, and gain hands-on experiences. Spark on 7th opened at 22 W 7th Ave. in Eugene, Oregon in June 2021 as a central youth innovation hub for Lane County youth.
Lane STEM is an initiative focused on STEM experiences for students, educator development, and community awareness. Lane STEM is one of the thirteen Oregon STEM Hubs, working with all 16 school districts in Lane County. We convene the STEM Leadership and Operations teams, facilitate professional development for teachers, and implement programming for students.
Summer can be a fun break for students, but we also want to do our part to support youth during the summer months so learning doesn’t have to stop. We organize BookFest, an annual free book drive for students, and take-home STEM, math, reading, and art kits for hands-on learning at home.