Hands-On Learning

About Spark

Spark is a Connected Lane County program bringing community, education, and industry together.

We inspire youth through innovation, education, and hands-on learning.

Experiences for Youth

The goal of our Spark program is to provide youth with a safe place to learn, innovate, collaborate, and create through out-of-school training opportunities. Spark helps youth grow their skills, become confident problem-solvers, and gain hands-on experiences. Current Spark experiences include Invention Lab, Invention Club, and The Agency.

Youth at the 2022 Invention Lab Showcase

Invention Lab is a four-week, paid summer experience for high school youth who identify as BIPOC. Youth learn skills in the invention process, build technical skills, and gain experience in human-centered design. The goal of Invention Lab is to address the STEM equity gap and empower generations of creators, inventors, and leaders in addressing complex issues.

Game Project youth from The Agency worked on

The Agency is a paid work experience for previous Invention Lab participants and summer interns. Agency youth complete projects submitted by local organizations. The Agency has completed projects for the ABAE, the City of Eugene, the Eugene Education Foundation, Eugene Symphony, EWEB, Food for Lane County, Microsoft MakeCode, and Threadbare Print House.

Invention Club is an after-school experience empowering youth to become inventors and create solutions for the community. Participants meet weekly to learn and apply skills like human-centered design and rapid prototyping to their own creations. At the end of the year, teams enter the Oregon MESA Day competition hosted at Portland State University.

Learn About the Agency

Spark Locations

Spark locations provide youth with safe places 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

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. As a youth-focused space, youth from our programs originally helped to create the branding for Spark on 7th, painted murals, and built picnic tables for the outdoor area.

Learn About Spark on 7th

Spark at Booth-Kelly

Spark at Booth-Kelly will open in the Booth-Kelly Center in Springfield, Oregon in the summer of 2023! Not only will our Spark programs be extended to this new facility, but Spark at Booth-Kelly will also serve as a Youth Workforce Center for our Elevate program.

Learn About Spark at Booth-Kelly

Program Name & Branding

We wanted our new program and subsequent locations to be student-centered from the beginning. In early 2020, a team of South Eugene High School freshmen worked with our team and a local industry mentor to pitch their idea, and we couldn’t be happier with what they came up with. Thank you to Jeyla, Ashley, Grace, and Nova for your hard work!

“Through several weeks of brainstorming and development, we came up with the name the program name and branding. We thought this conveyed our intention of the space which is to focus on the engineering aspect and to “spark” inspiration in the youth of our community. When designing our color palette, we thought that having bright colors, but also lighter, more subtle tones would help the space feel like somewhere people can create and think with limitless possibilities.”

Community Use of Spark Locations

Our fee-for-service offerings include no-school day workshops, birthday party rentals, and private events. Any income generated from these fee-for-service offerings is reinvested into our programs to help us serve those who need our programs most.

Private Events & Corporate Team-Building Workshops: Host your next team-building event or meeting at Spark on 7th! Group events are limited to 50 people. Pricing starts at $500.

School Field Trips: Schools can schedule field trips for their students to experience Spark on 7th, enjoy a hands-on activity, and learn. Field trips are limited to 30 youth. Contact us to learn more!

No-School Day Workshops: Workshops are scheduled on no-school days as a child-care alternative for Middle and High school-aged youth. Pricing starts at $85 per youth. Check our calendar for upcoming events.

Submit an Inquiry

Industry Informed

Our industry partners help to prepare youth for life after high school by outfitting our Spark program with industry-standard tools and equipment, providing mentors, hosting summer interns, and so much more!