Spark Students Meet Dalai Lama
Online, October 22, 2010 (Newswire.com) - SPARK & DALAI LAMA - The Dalai Lama visited Costaño Elementary School in East Palo Alto to spend time with teenagers from the Peninsula, including four Spark alumni and nine current Spark students. In preparation for this unique opportunity, students watched a film about the Dalai Lama and drafted questions to pose to His Holiness. Of the over 400 students in attendance, only 11 were selected to read their questions out loud, including Spark alum David Montenegro. David presented the Dalai Lama with a profound question: "Given human nature, is world peace really attainable?"
During the event, Spark Executive Director Chris Balme and Board Chair Holly Depatie, had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama.
This event presented a cohort of Spark students with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet this world leader and hear him speak on a range of topics, from his memories of his teenage years to the impact of technology on society.
ABOUT SPARK-Spark is the only youth empowerment program in the country that addresses the dropout crisis by re-engaging at-risk students through hands-on, individualized apprenticeships. These workplace-based apprenticeships-in professions each student has identified as a "dream job"- create a powerful sense of relevance for students, while providing the skills and confidence necessary to find success in school and in life. Spark offers this program to 7th and 8th grade students, through summer and after-school programs, in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, and will expand its programs to Chicago for the 2011-2012 school year.
CONTACT: Sarah Schramm, Development & Communications Manager: sschramm@sparkprogram.org, (415) 626-5470 x110.