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Say hello to Enrique, the newest addition to the shop.  Enrique is a student at the Creative Arts Charter School and has chosen to participate in the Spark Program.  Spark is a youth empowerment program that helps students find workplace-based apprenticeships.  Spark contacted us about volunteering as an Apprentice Teacher, and of course we said yes.  All of us here at the shop think it’s important to learn a craft, so the opportunity to help out was more than welcome.  Enrique will be working with us for 10 weeks and, for his Discovery Night project,  has taken on the challenge of renovating his guitar.  He’s going to re-fret it, make a new nut, go through the electronics and do all the final set-up work.  It’s a big project to complete in 2 hours per week, but he’s a sharp kid.  We’re glad to be working with him.

From the Spark website :

What is an apprenticeship?

At Spark, an apprenticeship is a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity that makes a student’s education come alive. After choosing their field, students work alongside a motivated and trained mentor in that profession. A student who dreams of becoming an architect, for example, would work alongside a professional at an architecture firm, both observing their work and completing a project together. The apprenticeship builds up to a Discovery Project, a final presentation where students choose one skill to teach back to their peers, family and community. The apprenticeship experience allows students to get a genuine taste of the work that most fascinates them, building motivation and confidence for their future personal and academic success.”