Spero Challenge empowers students to help community
A non-profit group is empowering Central Coast students by giving them the resources they need to do good in their community.
There are students of all ages who want to help their community, but many don’t have the resources or just don’t know where to start. That’s where the Spero Challenge comes into play.
On Wednesday, Carmel High students were visited by the Spero Challenge, a non-profit group making it’s third visit to area schools.. With the group, students gather and discuss issues they believe need improvement throughout their community. They then come up with plans on how to tackle those issues. Students pitch their ideas and a timeline to people with the Spero Challenge, who will look it over and offer suggestions, and then help make their ideas come true with funding, volunteer help, and mentoring.
“When young people are given permission or invited to think and act projects on their own, they’ll come up with the most unique and creative and meaningfully contextual solutions for their community,” said Spero Challenge Co-Founder Brian Bajari.
For the students, it’s the missing piece of their charitable puzzle they’ve been looking for.
“I had this idea in the back of my mind of like, trying to help kids who couldn’t play sports, and now with Spero, I know that I can actually do that now. Cause before it was just an idea and usually with a lot of kids it’s just an idea until someone gives them a little push, and I think that’s what Spero is honestly. He says we’re getting mentors, I think that’s awesome. I need that right now to tell me what I need to do to make this happen and I’m super excited to do that,” said Carmel High Junior Noah Bernal Parker.
Today’s students came up with four ideas to help in Carmel. They were centered around kids, education, the elderly, and mental health.
Participating in the Spero Challenge also fills community service hours that many Monterey County schools require. They say they’ll be coming to other schools in Monterey County in the future, so students, start getting those charitable ideas together.
