Our innovative internship functions as a paid, year-long opportunity for young (14-28 year old) Tampa Bay residents to gain mentorship, community, and opportunity. Interns collaborate through professional development, mental health education, community impact, and much more, while working together on projects to help the local community. The future change-makers will learn about the power of their mind and inner resilience through leadership opportunities and community connection.
Our program offers participants hands-on learning opportunities in criminal justice systems, suicide and violence prevention, and survivor support. Interns become SPARK-certified facilitators who lead weekly SPARK Mentoring Programs at local middle and high schools, jails, and safe houses, in addition to creating monthly community empowerment events as a cohort.
Programming will be hosted at community centers and local high-need or at-risk middle and high schools with elevated rates of student risk behaviors (poor mental health, truancy, drug/alcohol use, violence, etc.).
Funding will have four main uses: 1) paying interns a monthly stipend, 2) providing growth opportunities (educational events, training, etc.), 3) providing materials to implement SPARK classes in the community, and 4) covering the initial costs of the collaborative community empowerment projects developed each month by the interns.
