Spark-Y

Spark-Y Spark-Y is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit empowering youth with hands-on education rooted in sustainability and entrepreneurship. https://linktr.ee/spark_y.org

Some highlights from Spark-Y’s Northeast Middle School Aquaponics Lab!Students rake leaves in the courtyard 🍁Students me...
04/27/2026

Some highlights from Spark-Y’s Northeast Middle School Aquaponics Lab!

Students rake leaves in the courtyard 🍁
Students meet the turtle and learn their habitat needs 🐢
Students vote on a name for the turtle 🗳️
First zinnias have flowered! 🌼🌸
Turtle (name TBD) chows down on some grub 🪱

We’ve loved how our students at NEMS have engaged with the space: it has become a creative sandbox to grow plants, learn about closed-loop aquaculture, and engage with STEM principles in a hands-on fashion. Place your votes on your favorite turtle name! 🐢

🌱A Spark-Y themed pegboard for the makerspace💧 A custom aquarium topper for Lucy the axolotl💡glowing signage for the fis...
04/01/2026

🌱A Spark-Y themed pegboard for the makerspace
💧 A custom aquarium topper for Lucy the axolotl
💡glowing signage for the fish tanks
our apprentice Russ ( )has made some amazing ideas come to life! 🛠️

Using SketchUp and the Glowforge, these designs are making the jump from digital to real-world creations we can see and use. Russ brings talent and skill to every project, and is already onto the next build: a scalable aquaponics model, showing off their talent for 3D modeling and innovative design ⚙️

Big news from We All Need Food and Water!In partnership with Spark-Y, they are launching Clean Economy Educators: In-Sch...
03/23/2026

Big news from We All Need Food and Water!

In partnership with Spark-Y, they are launching Clean Economy Educators: In-School Field Trips. Designed for grades 6-12, trained educators step in as guest or reserve teachers to deliver field trip-style experiences without ever leaving the building.

⚡Participants earn $300 for completing training + a $100 stipend for submitting reflections.

⚡Join us March 30-31, 2026 (9am–12pm) at the Regional Apprenticeship Training Center. Be sure to watch the intro video beforehand! Learn more at the link in our bio 🔗

02/27/2026

Happy Friday! Come check out the Aquaponics Room with Madison at .mpls ! 🐟 ♻️ 🌱

Special shoutout to the apprentices who brought this space together by maintaining the tanks, creating signage, feeding the fish, and teaching students. This project is a beautiful culmination of so many different minds and interests 💚

This is Spark-Y at its finest 🐢⚡️💡

Spark-Y Makes a Splash at Creativity Fest! 🐳 🔬On January 13-14, Spark-Y apprentices and staff led an Aquaponics Explorat...
02/10/2026

Spark-Y Makes a Splash at Creativity Fest! 🐳 🔬

On January 13-14, Spark-Y apprentices and staff led an Aquaponics Exploration workshop at the 2026 Creativity Fest organized by and hosted at . Over the two days, approximately 160 students from 3rd-5th grade attended our workshops and explored aquaponics through four engaging stations: seed sowing and microgreens tasting, microscope investigation of macro organisms, algae, plants, and seeds, water testing for pH and ammonia, and an up close exploration of our DIY mobile aquaponics system, designed by Spark-Y apprentices, to learn about the nitrogen cycle and water circulation.

Check the last slide for feedback from the kids who joined us! 💚

02/10/2026

The concept is simple. Underutilized substitute teacher days will be transformed into valuable class time—like an in-school field trip—with the Clean Economy Educators program. Trained substitute teachers will educate middle and high school students about pressing issues and solutions and connect them to meaningful career opportunities in the growing but currently undertrained clean economy. Sign up today!
https://weallneedfoodandwater.org/cee/

Two weeks ago was the final Shark Tank Event for the Entrepreneurship Course at VOA! 🦈 The Shark Panel, composed of Spar...
02/02/2026

Two weeks ago was the final Shark Tank Event for the Entrepreneurship Course at VOA! 🦈

The Shark Panel, composed of Spark-Y’s board of Directors and a VOA English teacher, heard three different student plans including YN Fashion Line, Bread & Butter Bakery & Maya’s Care. Students that participated got to choose a prize basket from a local business 🧺

A massive shoutout to our apprentices who have been guiding students on creating an individualized business plan that they are passionate about! 🙌 ❤️

So proud of these incredible young people 💛We celebrate as several of our Spark-Y apprentices graduate and take their ne...
01/21/2026

So proud of these incredible young people 💛

We celebrate as several of our Spark-Y apprentices graduate and take their next steps in their education and careers. Watching them grow and discover their paths in life has been an honor. To our graduates: we’re cheering you on always and can’t wait to see where your futures take you.

Once Spark-Y, always Spark-Y 🌱

Our apprentices spent the day learning the ins and outs of aquaculture through the !🌊Led by , the Fisheries & Aquacultu...
01/12/2026

Our apprentices spent the day learning the ins and outs of aquaculture through the !🌊

Led by , the Fisheries & Aquaculture Educator at the University of Minnesota, we dove into their robust aquaculture program: the tools, tanks and technology, best practices, animal husbandry, and the lifecycle of a fish through the system.

We also toured the Plants of the World exhibit with a student guide, where we saw careful arrangements of plant varieties from rare biomes and critically endangered plants, even species that are now extinct in the wild. We had an amazing time, and are incredibly grateful to the University for having us!

Huge THANK YOU to for supporting Spark-Y this holiday season 🌲💜Because of 4,860 amazing customers who rounded up at the...
12/30/2025

Huge THANK YOU to for supporting Spark-Y this holiday season 🌲💜

Because of 4,860 amazing customers who rounded up at the register, Bachman’s raised $2,333 for Spark-Y! This support directly fuels our Pathways program and helps us keep showing up for young people with hands-on, real-world learning opportunities.

Bachman’s has been a major supporter of our Pathways program and we are incredibly grateful for their team and their continued belief in our work: community partnerships like this truly make a difference! 🌱

When you shop at this holiday season, you can round up at the register to support Spark-Y! ☃️ Every few cents helps gro...
11/17/2025

When you shop at this holiday season, you can round up at the register to support Spark-Y! ☃️

Every few cents helps grow hands-on learning, urban agriculture, and brighter futures for youth across the Twin Cities. Shop now until December 23rd to brighten your home with seasonal gifts and support a good cause 🌱❄️

We are over the moon for our Program Director Patrice Banks, who won TWO Stevie Awards for Women in Business! 🏆💜Her awar...
11/12/2025

We are over the moon for our Program Director Patrice Banks, who won TWO Stevie Awards for Women in Business! 🏆💜

Her awards for Female Social Activist of the Year, as well as Woman of the Year - Government or Nonprofit, are so incredibly deserved. Congratulations Patrice, we are so proud of you and lucky to have you on our team 💜🌱

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681 17th Avenue NE, Suite 101
Minneapolis, MN
55413

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