SparkPath Annual Letter 2023
JP Michel
January 9, 2024
Hi everyone,
On behalf of SparkPath and the Challenge mindset community, I’d like to thank you for a wonderful 2023 and wish you an amazing 2024. This is the 6th edition of the SparkPath Annual Letter, featuring highlights from our past year, and a preview for the next one. Let’s start with a brand new book for you to check out:
The World Needs You is now available for pre-order!
The book highlights the innovative approaches used by the Challenge mindset community, busting career myths that have plagued our field for too long.
For example, what if career interest inventories were a barrier to student equity? Or, what if we stopped lying to ourselves and our students about career paths?
Order your copy today:
For those of you in Ottawa, look out for a book launch celebration on January 23rd.
Thanks to you, The World Needs You already has 25 reviews on Amazon.ca and 13 reviews on Amazon.com.
Check out this review from Kamee Gilmore:
Student Impact
What type of results can we expect when students learn the Challenge mindset? In 2023, we published several video testimonials that give a multi-year perspective on the impact we can have on students lives.
"I had an approach that I could use to figure out what I wanted to do next."
"What the Challenge Cards allow you to do is this massive introspection and look inward into yourself."
"I feel very confident that it will lead me in the right direction to do something that inspires me."
"Having a career conversation was probably one of the more pivotal moments of my professional life."
"A mindset where you view things as a challenge, and you want to find the solution to it."
Arpine first discovered the Challenge mindset in high school. Years later, she's now a Software Engineer with a clear approach to career development.
Challenge Mindset Partners
Would you like to hear more about how other schools are using the Challenge Cards? Check out the following stories we published this year on our blog:
- University of Colorado Boulder: “I feel like you are the only person here that really knows me”
- Fresno State: How to help students who feel bound by their geography
- University of Buffalo: Case Study: Ice Cream and Challenge Cards: A No-Pressure, Expansive Approach to Career Exploration
- Simon Fraser University: Case Study: Career Building for Changemakers: How the Challenge Cards and Mindset are Helping to Shape Change in the World
- University of Guelph: Case Study: Scaling Career Services: Embedding the Challenge Mindset Across Campus
- Meet the Higher Education Challenge Cards Champions
Impact in Numbers
As a community, here’s what we’ve accomplished together so far:
- Over 70,000 students have experienced the Challenge mindset through the digital Challenge Cards.
- There are over +37,000 physical Challenge Cards in use around the world.
- More than 100 schools, colleges, universities, employment centres or non-profits are subscribed to the digital Challenge Cards.
Presentations
Here are a few of the highlights from presentations we gave in 2023:
Team
I’d like to highlight three important collaborations that have helped SparkPath serve you better:
- Jodie Boyer, SparkPath’s Support Specialist, celebrated her one year anniversary at SparkPath. If you purchased the digital Challenge Cards, you’ve likely experienced Jodie’s speedy and friendly service. What you might not have seen are her operational and execution skills that keep our organization running smoothly!
- Ally Gaeckle, Project Manager, joined SparkPath in November and has already made her mark by helping us launch the book, author website, and much more.
- Nicola Edwards spent the summer with SparkPath as our first Career-Advisor-In-Residence. She worked on several projects including creating the prototype for our next digital Challenge Profile, and she put her magic touch on several of other initiatives. Most importantly, she’s been an ally in supporting our dreams and mission!
What’s on the Horizon for 2024
In 2024, we’re planning on launching a prototype Challenge Profile where students would not only discover their top Challenges, but would also receive a list of customized companies, jobs and learning options based on their choices. We’re currently in development mode and are excited by the initial results we’ve seen.
Interested in learning more? Join our Challenge Community (launching soon) to get the latest updates.
--
Note: Why an Annual Letter?
Most public companies issue an annual letter to shareholders. At their best, these letters represent an opportunity for the people entrusted to run the company to communicate with the people who own the company, the shareholders.Stewards of companies have a legal duty to do what is in the best interest of shareholders. I feel a similar obligation to you. You trust me with something incredibly important: helping your students create meaningful careers and lives. I hope this letter is useful in understanding SparkPath's progress to date, as well as our path forward.
Thank you to Farnam Street and Khan Academy for the inspiration to write this post.
SparkPath Annual Letter 2022
SparkPath Annual Letter 2021
SparkPath Annual Letter 2020
SparkPath Annual Letter 2019
SparkPath Annual Letter 2018
