0:00:10.597,0:00:16.618
80 million, that's the number of children

0:00:16.618,0:00:20.306
in the United States from ages 0 to 18.

0:00:20.306,0:00:25.467
80 million gems waiting to[br]blossom, to bloom, to be engaged,

0:00:30.237,0:00:34.143
to be seen, to be known,[br]to be put in the play.

0:00:35.903,0:00:41.659
80 million gems.[br]What's our vision for America's kids?

0:00:41.659,0:00:44.654
Well you know what,[br]we hardly ever talk about it.

0:00:44.654,0:00:49.305
Is the vision to keep them safe?[br]To keep them out of trouble?

0:00:50.795,0:00:53.959
Is the vision to keep them in school?

0:00:53.959,0:00:58.353
Those are all management[br]and control ideas.

0:01:00.083,0:01:02.026
Not very compelling.

0:01:02.026,0:01:05.577
What is our vision for America's kids?

0:01:07.162,0:01:11.255
So, because I love to go around[br]and interview people

0:01:12.015,0:01:14.557
is why everywhere I am in the world

0:01:14.557,0:01:17.225
particularly in the United States,

0:01:17.225,0:01:23.071
I do like to ask adults, what is your[br]highest aspiration for our young?

0:01:25.061,0:01:26.980
Some interesting things happen.

0:01:27.860,0:01:30.060
No one has ever said,

0:01:30.070,0:01:33.750
Oh, this child of mine my fondest wish

0:01:34.340,0:01:39.491
is that they will ace statewide benchmark[br]math and science test when they're 16.

0:01:40.837,0:01:42.973
I've never heard anybody say,

0:01:42.993,0:01:46.539
Oh, my fondest wish[br]is that this young person

0:01:46.539,0:01:50.485
will help make America more competitive[br]in the global economy.

0:01:52.515,0:01:56.277
No, when you actually listen,[br]to people's statements

0:01:56.277,0:02:00.736
about their dreams for our kids,[br]you hear a very different language.

0:02:02.966,0:02:05.784
Kids who experience joy,

0:02:05.784,0:02:08.953
kids who are connected and engaged,

0:02:08.953,0:02:14.308
kids who fall in love[br]with their life and all of life,

0:02:14.308,0:02:18.834
kids with kindness, and generosity,[br]kids who are happy,

0:02:18.834,0:02:20.718
kids who contribute.

0:02:21.068,0:02:26.091
That, my friends, is the language[br]of human thriving.

0:02:26.091,0:02:29.058
And it's the language of quality,[br]isn't it ?

0:02:29.058,0:02:34.312
Not the language of quantity.[br]Kids of joy, happiness,

0:02:34.312,0:02:38.168
connection, engagement,[br]fulfillment, kindness,

0:02:38.168,0:02:41.318
compassion, generosity.

0:02:41.902,0:02:44.821
The language of thriving.

0:02:45.436,0:02:50.447
Here's something we know now,[br]based on a series of scientific studies:

0:02:50.447,0:02:54.932
That only one quarter of the 80 million,

0:02:54.932,0:02:59.029
one quarter of kids, when they become[br]high school students

0:02:59.029,0:03:02.005
are on a pathway to human thriving.

0:03:02.005,0:03:06.669
The other three quarters[br]have fallen off that path.

0:03:06.669,0:03:09.852
It's no longer about purpose and hope,

0:03:09.852,0:03:13.035
and connectedness, and engagement,[br]and joy,

0:03:13.985,0:03:16.220
but it's about being alone,

0:03:16.220,0:03:21.375
it's about being empty,[br]it's about being medicated,

0:03:21.375,0:03:26.030
it's about being confused[br]and it's about being lost.

0:03:26.510,0:03:33.477
Only a quarter of America's teenagers[br]stay on a pathway to human thriving.

0:03:33.937,0:03:36.728
And I think I know why this happens.

0:03:36.728,0:03:39.306
There's probably a lot of reasons,[br]of course,

0:03:39.306,0:03:41.364
but here's one key one.

0:03:41.364,0:03:44.322
About two thousand years ago,

0:03:44.322,0:03:49.053
Plutarch, a Greek philosopher,[br]I've forgot what his first name is,

0:03:49.583,0:03:53.587
I think it was Frank Plutarch -[br](Laughter)

0:03:55.997,0:04:00.974
Plutarch gave us one of the key axioms[br]of human development,

0:04:00.974,0:04:05.971
and that is that youth[br]are not vessels to be filled

0:04:05.971,0:04:09.194
but fires to be lit.

0:04:09.194,0:04:12.417
Fires to be lit.

0:04:12.417,0:04:15.642
What he is talking about, and what[br]we know in human development,

0:04:15.642,0:04:21.976
is that the best of development is from[br]the inside out, not the outside in.

0:04:22.846,0:04:26.492
In this nation, we've forgotten that,[br]by and large,

0:04:26.492,0:04:28.722
and we are do an awful lot[br]of development, don't we,

0:04:28.722,0:04:31.506
from the outside in.

0:04:31.506,0:04:35.362
Fill the empty vessel with[br]information, factoids,

0:04:35.372,0:04:39.276
ideas, ideals, values, expectations[br]and demands.

0:04:41.236,0:04:44.119
Some of that's ok.

0:04:44.119,0:04:49.022
But the real question of human development[br]is letting 'this' emerge.

0:04:51.142,0:04:55.507
in life... and what is 'this'?[br]What is this fire ?

0:04:56.340,0:05:00.940
The core idea in human thriving[br]is the identification of that fire,

0:05:03.170,0:05:07.467
that inner light, that human spark.

0:05:08.236,0:05:12.496
I've been working in this space[br]now, for about ten years.

0:05:12.496,0:05:16.331
My team of scientists and I[br]at Search Institute,

0:05:16.331,0:05:19.226
have been creating a science[br]of human thriving

0:05:19.226,0:05:22.650
with a particular eye[br]to children and teenagers.

0:05:24.280,0:05:29.103
Thriving begins with the idea[br]of the human spark.

0:05:29.103,0:05:34.020
It's the metaphore I use to define[br]that animating engine,

0:05:34.420,0:05:38.370
that thing about a young person[br]that gives them joy and energy,

0:05:38.820,0:05:43.907
the reason why some will seek to actually[br]get up in the morning and get moving,

0:05:44.047,0:05:49.030
something that gives their life hope[br]and direction and purpose.

0:05:49.650,0:05:54.467
Spark by the way is very akin[br]to the idea of spirit.

0:05:54.467,0:06:01.400
Spirit is from the latin spiritus,[br]and you know what that means: my breath.

0:06:01.900,0:06:06.485
My breath, put into the world[br]with vigor and courage.

0:06:07.425,0:06:11.063
My breath, it's the ultimate question[br]to ask each other

0:06:11.063,0:06:14.111
and particularly to ask our young.

0:06:14.731,0:06:19.310
What is your breath?[br]What is your spark?

0:06:20.220,0:06:23.184
You in the audience, mostly adults,

0:06:23.354,0:06:26.758
you know what life is like[br]when spark is alive.

0:06:27.458,0:06:31.553
When you can name and claim[br]some animating energy,

0:06:31.793,0:06:36.523
some capacity that gives your life[br]direction, hope and purpose,

0:06:37.103,0:06:40.601
you know what life is like[br]with spark and we also know

0:06:40.641,0:06:44.139
what it's like when spark dies.

0:06:44.479,0:06:47.979
We know what that emptiness feels like.

0:06:49.669,0:06:53.084
We've conducted a series[br]of national

0:06:53.104,0:06:57.780
representative sample studies[br]in the last few years,

0:06:57.780,0:07:03.419
numbering six or seven thousand[br]middle school and high school kids,

0:07:03.419,0:07:07.799
to inquire about their spark[br]and the biography of their spark

0:07:08.469,0:07:12.179
and does anybody know and care

0:07:12.179,0:07:16.561
and does anybody actually nourish[br]this spark.

0:07:17.431,0:07:21.945
The initial question[br]goes something like,

0:07:21.945,0:07:26.899
Tell me what it is about you,[br]that gives you joy and energy?

0:07:27.329,0:07:31.407
What's going on in those[br]moments when life feels

0:07:31.427,0:07:35.566
the richest and the fullest[br]with purpose and hope?

0:07:36.766,0:07:41.245
What is your spark?[br]I'm dying to know.

0:07:41.995,0:07:45.060
Let me tell you some things[br]that are incredibly fascinating

0:07:45.060,0:07:48.125
about America's young people.

0:07:48.125,0:07:51.191
100% of middle school[br]and high school students

0:07:51.191,0:07:54.099
get the idea of spark in a heart beat.

0:07:54.099,0:07:59.028
They may not have used that word before[br]but once we tear it up they know

0:07:59.048,0:08:01.990
what it is we are talking about.

0:08:02.380,0:08:04.980
And they'll often times[br]interrupt the interviewer,

0:08:04.980,0:08:07.503
and say, I know what it is,[br]I know what that feels like,

0:08:07.513,0:08:09.176
I know what that looks like.

0:08:09.186,0:08:12.079
I can walk you into the cafeteria[br]of my high school

0:08:12.109,0:08:16.818
and I can point out the kids[br]with spark and the kids without.

0:08:16.818,0:08:22.543
You can see it in the face[br]and in the body posture.

0:08:23.393,0:08:25.618
A hundred per cent of kids get it,

0:08:25.618,0:08:30.453
and then they say this,[br]nobody has ever asked me this before.

0:08:30.453,0:08:33.355
You really want to know what my spark is?

0:08:33.355,0:08:37.552
Usually social scientists come in and[br]they want to know about our drug use,

0:08:38.665,0:08:44.857
our sexuality, our predilection[br]to violence, our approach to school.

0:08:44.857,0:08:49.753
Nobody has ever asked me[br]to define my spark.

0:08:50.743,0:08:52.673
A 100% get it.

0:08:52.673,0:08:58.297
Two thirds of America's young people[br]can name at least one spark.

0:08:58.297,0:09:02.414
A few can name two,[br]and a few can name three.

0:09:02.414,0:09:04.962
But two thirds can quickly name one.

0:09:06.678,0:09:09.690
Interesting that another 20% or so,

0:09:09.690,0:09:14.389
can name their spark with a little[br]nudge from a caring adult,

0:09:14.389,0:09:18.985
a counselor, a teacher, a parent,[br]a grandparent, a neighbour,

0:09:18.985,0:09:21.011
a youth program worker,

0:09:21.011,0:09:23.903
can pull it out of you,[br]what is it about you

0:09:23.903,0:09:28.065
that gives you joy and energy[br]and animates your life.

0:09:28.085,0:09:32.478
There is three kinds of sparks[br]as young people define them.

0:09:32.478,0:09:37.902
For some kids it's a skill or a talent:[br]I love to make music.

0:09:39.802,0:09:42.236
It's when life is the best.

0:09:42.246,0:09:48.252
I love to draw, I love to write,[br]I love to lead, to study archeology.

0:09:49.472,0:09:53.343
For some kids, it's a commitment:[br]my spark, it's surprising

0:09:53.343,0:09:57.934
how many kids say,[br]my spark is social justice,

0:09:57.934,0:10:02.526
my spark is a commitment[br]to the stewardship of the Earth.

0:10:03.096,0:10:06.040
Some kids, the third category,[br]it's a quality:

0:10:06.040,0:10:09.554
my spark, I'm a person of empathy.

0:10:09.554,0:10:13.068
That's what I do,[br]that's when life is the best.

0:10:13.068,0:10:18.274
I'm the one other people go to,[br]to listen to them, awesome!

0:10:18.274,0:10:20.703
First of all, right here.

0:10:20.733,0:10:25.972
If you ever discover and name[br]a kid's spark, say it back to them.

0:10:26.882,0:10:32.013
Tell them you see it and hear it.[br]Thank them for possessing it.

0:10:32.013,0:10:37.112
Because the spark in almost all cases[br]is good and beautiful

0:10:38.222,0:10:41.261
and useful to the world.

0:10:41.291,0:10:47.311
But we never talk to our kids about[br]seeing the human spark.

0:10:47.311,0:10:53.857
There are at least 220 kinds of sparks[br]that we have now categorized in America.

0:10:54.807,0:11:00.544
Here's something I wish for every city[br]we come from: that at some point

0:11:00.544,0:11:05.893
there would be a census[br]of the sparks of our kids,

0:11:05.893,0:11:11.735
and that census would flood[br]the media, to put the story out

0:11:11.735,0:11:17.687
into our cities about the rich ways[br]that kids define their human spark.

0:11:18.007,0:11:22.944
It gives us a whole another lens.[br]It draws us toward them,

0:11:22.944,0:11:26.865
rather than the images[br]we have now of our kids,

0:11:26.865,0:11:32.820
which are so often things that[br]frighten us and push us away.

0:11:32.820,0:11:35.667
Here are some of the leading[br]categories of sparks:

0:11:37.435,0:11:39.904
helping, serving and volunteering.

0:11:40.507,0:11:42.292
Leading.

0:11:42.808,0:11:47.862
Learning a particular subject matter,[br]like archeology, physics, French.

0:11:51.369,0:11:54.543
Service to the globe,

0:11:54.543,0:11:59.868
that is stewardship of the Earth,[br]the preservation of the natural world.

0:12:00.288,0:12:04.800
Athletics. And the creative life.

0:12:05.350,0:12:08.262
And the winner in all these categories

0:12:08.272,0:12:15.474
is the creative life: art, music,[br]drama, dance, movement

0:12:15.643,0:12:21.856
is the largest category in which[br]sparks fall for America's kids.

0:12:21.856,0:12:27.248
Interesting. That's the arena in which[br]most kids say, I'm my best self.

0:12:27.948,0:12:31.378
That's the arena in which[br]most kids will say,

0:12:31.378,0:12:35.292
this is where life is the fullest[br]and the most hopeful.

0:12:35.752,0:12:38.076
How are we doing in America?

0:12:38.076,0:12:41.500
In supporting art, music, drama,[br]dance, movement.

0:12:41.550,0:12:43.613
It's not that we want all those kids

0:12:43.633,0:12:46.546
to necessarily become[br]professionals in that field.

0:12:46.546,0:12:50.421
It's about right now.[br]Human development is about today,

0:12:50.421,0:12:56.472
it's about how I awaken, how I am seen,[br]how I am known and how I am embraced.

0:12:59.695,0:13:03.259
Have I mentioned my grandson Ryder yet?

0:13:03.259,0:13:06.505
Ryder is seven now,[br]but when he was four,

0:13:07.115,0:13:10.143
he taught us a very important thing[br]about the human spark.

0:13:10.403,0:13:13.208
He reminded us that the spark

0:13:13.208,0:13:17.059
is not necessarily the same thing[br]as the work you do.

0:13:17.059,0:13:19.500
So Ryder was on our deck, and he says,

0:13:19.520,0:13:23.827
you know what? -[br]as he is holding up his hand.

0:13:23.857,0:13:26.528
I am an artist,

0:13:26.548,0:13:31.729
I don't know if it's the work[br]I will do some day, but I am an artist.

0:13:33.449,0:13:35.402
I am.

0:13:35.402,0:13:41.608
Spark is a life orientation, it's an[br]approach, it's a way of being present

0:13:41.608,0:13:45.856
in the world, it may touch work,[br]it may be work, it may be outside of work.

0:13:45.856,0:13:48.654
It's not the same thing as[br]vocational planning.

0:13:49.214,0:13:53.614
It's about nurturing[br]and naming what is in here.

0:13:54.324,0:14:00.227
This mum is Lea Adler,[br]when her son was eight -

0:14:00.227,0:14:03.964
This is a story, by the way,[br]that spark is not always pretty.

0:14:03.964,0:14:07.229
When her son was eight,[br]he cut off the head of a doll,

0:14:07.679,0:14:10.494
put it on a plate of lettuce,

0:14:11.074,0:14:13.761
brought it into his mother[br]in the family room and said,

0:14:13.761,0:14:16.840
Isn't this cool?[br]Doesn't this look great?

0:14:17.460,0:14:20.381
When he was twelve[br]he boiled a pot of water,

0:14:20.381,0:14:24.889
put six cans of unopened cherries[br]and then waited for them to explode

0:14:25.427,0:14:29.126
and then filmed the cherries and the juice

0:14:29.156,0:14:32.527
rolling down the walls of that kitchen.

0:14:32.527,0:14:35.220
Now, most parents what would we be doing?

0:14:35.220,0:14:39.159
Seeking professional help,[br]thinking of a reform school.

0:14:39.159,0:14:42.961
Not Lea Adler, she is the mother[br]of Steven Spielberg.

0:14:43.007,0:14:48.162
And she cut him some slack, didn't she?[br]She went with it.

0:14:48.482,0:14:51.031
She went with the flow.

0:14:52.577,0:14:57.923
Well the real problem in America,[br]the real challenge is this issue of spark.

0:14:58.443,0:15:00.942
"No one has asked me."

0:15:00.942,0:15:03.247
Nobody knows what my spark is.

0:15:03.247,0:15:05.208
That happens over and over again.

0:15:05.208,0:15:11.490
You ever heard a kid say,[br]See me, you never see me?

0:15:13.040,0:15:16.571
What are they saying?[br]It isn't about the external, is it?

0:15:16.571,0:15:21.536
It is about, see what I am bringing[br]to the human party.

0:15:23.152,0:15:27.629
Thriving requires more than spark,[br]we've worked to develop

0:15:27.629,0:15:31.580
a scientifically grounded model[br]of human thriving.

0:15:31.964,0:15:38.534
That is spark plus three spark champions,[br]preferably somebody in family, and school

0:15:39.684,0:15:45.028
and in community, who is a spark champion.[br]They see it in you.

0:15:45.028,0:15:48.111
They name it, they affirm it,[br]they run interference,

0:15:48.111,0:15:50.254
they find you opportunities.

0:15:50.274,0:15:54.279
They talk about you and your human spark.

0:15:54.279,0:15:59.134
And then the critical nature[br]of opportunity to express the spark.

0:15:59.514,0:16:03.029
Great things happen my friends,[br]when kids experience

0:16:03.759,0:16:06.524
these three ingredients.

0:16:06.544,0:16:10.821
And the science is really profound:[br]spark + champions + opportunity,

0:16:10.821,0:16:13.596
school success skyrockets,

0:16:13.596,0:16:19.374
engagement in school skyrockets,[br]compassion for others rises,

0:16:19.727,0:16:23.151
a sense of purpose rises,[br]violence decreases.

0:16:23.151,0:16:25.689
How could it be otherwise?

0:16:25.689,0:16:31.198
We are talking about the process[br]of human thriving in the world.

0:16:31.198,0:16:33.785
Now here is where it falls apart.

0:16:34.748,0:16:39.143
Do kids have three champions?[br]Not very often.

0:16:39.945,0:16:44.068
Barely one half of our kids in America say

0:16:44.068,0:16:48.395
their family knows and nourishes the spark.

0:16:48.395,0:16:56.476
Only a third say anybody in their school[br]names, knows and nourishes the spark.

0:16:56.476,0:16:59.878
And in the broader community[br]of congregations, synagogues,

0:16:59.878,0:17:03.280
youth programs, playgrounds[br]and neighborhood,

0:17:03.280,0:17:06.682
only a quarter of kids say[br]anybody knows my spark.

0:17:06.682,0:17:10.220
And then there's the opportunity[br]gap, that's huge.

0:17:10.220,0:17:16.537
The mismatch between how kids name spark,[br]particularly in the creative life

0:17:16.546,0:17:20.404
and the opportunities for that[br]to be nourished in community.

0:17:20.984,0:17:25.527
There's an anthem for this idea[br]of human thriving.

0:17:27.987,0:17:32.263
This is cyclon fence looking out[br]on a baseball diamond.

0:17:32.263,0:17:36.923
The anthem is by John Fogerty[br]of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

0:17:36.923,0:17:38.663
It goes something like,

0:17:38.683,0:17:43.143
"Put me in coach,[br]I am ready to play, today!"

0:17:44.463,0:17:48.235
And the word today is critical,[br]not tomorrow, but today.

0:17:48.235,0:17:52.118
I want to be in there today,[br]I am a leader, put me in.

0:17:52.118,0:17:55.674
I am a helper, put me in, know me.

0:17:55.874,0:18:01.562
I am a giver, I am a protector[br]of the world, know me and put me in.

0:18:03.262,0:18:06.241
You shall know them by their sparks,[br]probably,

0:18:06.291,0:18:09.180
ought to be the most significant mantra

0:18:09.850,0:18:12.631
and mandate for all of us in the world.

0:18:13.491,0:18:16.509
And you shall know them by their sparks.

0:18:16.509,0:18:21.932
I as a developmental scientist[br]am amazed at how easily we forget

0:18:21.932,0:18:25.601
about how young people bring to our world

0:18:25.601,0:18:28.171
a special capacity or gift,

0:18:28.211,0:18:33.240
that our world desperately needs[br]and we so easily snuff it out.

0:18:33.780,0:18:37.143
And as a citizen I am amazed how rarely

0:18:37.143,0:18:40.599
we remember that innovation largely comes

0:18:40.599,0:18:44.950
from the inside out, not the outside in.

0:18:46.103,0:18:50.222
There's a bunch of things[br]I'd do now to change

0:18:50.222,0:18:52.310
and transform how we do[br]business in America.

0:18:52.310,0:18:57.931
I would make knowing kid's sparks,[br]at the very center of school life.

0:18:58.461,0:19:01.503
In fact, I'd put it right at the front.

0:19:01.503,0:19:04.897
I don't know how you can[br]engage and connect

0:19:05.447,0:19:08.291
and bond kids to the institution[br]called school

0:19:08.752,0:19:11.376
without knowing their spark.

0:19:11.376,0:19:16.378
I would teach families the process[br]of the spark dialogue

0:19:16.378,0:19:19.628
and how to name, affirm[br]and be a champion.

0:19:20.208,0:19:24.105
I'd make the first[br]parent-teacher conference of the year

0:19:24.105,0:19:27.282
to be about the spark of a kid.

0:19:28.002,0:19:31.900
Let's talk that through[br]and we'll get to the rest of the stuff.

0:19:32.200,0:19:35.560
I would do a census in cities about sparks

0:19:35.590,0:19:38.890
and put it out into the ether[br]of community.

0:19:38.920,0:19:43.040
And then I would map our after school[br]programs against sparks

0:19:43.440,0:19:48.586
and begin to realign opportunity[br]with the expression of spark.

0:19:49.466,0:19:53.862
My friends, this is really important stuff[br]in the annals of development.

0:19:55.152,0:20:01.373
As you drive home tonight I wish you would[br]reflect some of your own spark biography,

0:20:01.373,0:20:07.165
get used to that vocabulary and discourse:[br]What is your spark?

0:20:07.165,0:20:09.575
What was it ?[br]What was it when you were sixteen?

0:20:09.605,0:20:11.685
What was it when you were 26 and 36?

0:20:11.715,0:20:15.176
Did it change, did it mutate,[br]is it the same?

0:20:15.696,0:20:18.581
Because in dialogue with kids[br]they're going to want to know...

0:20:19.611,0:20:21.956
Tell me your spark.

0:20:21.986,0:20:24.792
They're going to turn the tables[br]back on you.

0:20:25.592,0:20:29.958
When you get home tonight[br]if you have a partner, a spouse,

0:20:29.958,0:20:32.620
practice the spark dialogue.

0:20:32.620,0:20:36.564
What is your spark? Who knows it?[br]How can I help?

0:20:37.424,0:20:41.998
Where do you express it?[br]What gets in your way? What is your spark?

0:20:41.998,0:20:46.689
And then tomorrow, find a young person,[br]in your family

0:20:46.739,0:20:51.426
or somebody else's family[br]and start the process.

0:20:52.126,0:20:55.099
What is your spark?[br]I am dying to know.

0:20:56.639,0:21:01.694
We've got this power, my friends,[br]in America if we could mobilize our people,

0:21:02.144,0:21:05.709
to see differently, to know differently,

0:21:05.709,0:21:11.933
and as we do that we move toward our[br]youngs rather than away from them.

0:21:12.210,0:21:15.226
Thank you very much.[br](Applause)