About
Spark (Connected Lane County) offers hands-on activities such as Invention Lab, Invention Club, the Agency, no-school day workshops, and industry tours. The program also hosts private events, birthday party rentals, School Field Trips, Drop-In Support Services, and a three-day coding and marketing competition called “codeORcreate.” Invention Lab, Invention Club, and the Agency use tools such as 3D printers, sewing machines, and laser engravers, and involve projects submitted by local organizations.
• Ages: 14–18 years old
• Schedule: Workshops are scheduled on no-school days, and Invention Lab is a four-week, paid summer experience.
• Price: Private Events & Corporate Team-Building Workshops: pricing starts at $500. No-School Day Workshops: pricing starts at $45 per youth.
Spark is a Connected Lane County program that brings community, education, and industry together and is supported by industry partners that provide mentors, host summer interns, and outfit the program with industry-standard tools and equipment. Invention Lab is a four-week, paid summer experience for high school youth historically underrepresented in STEM fields that teaches the invention process, technical skills, and human-centered design and aims to address the STEM equity gap. The Agency is a paid work experience for previous Invention Lab participants and summer interns where youth complete projects for organizations such as the ABAE, the City of Eugene, the Eugene Education Foundation, Eugene Symphony, EWEB, Food for Lane County, Microsoft MakeCode, and Threadbare Print House. Invention Club is an after-school experience where participants meet weekly to learn and apply skills like human-centered design and rapid prototyping and then take part in the Oregon MESA Day competition hosted at Portland State University. Drop-In Support Services in Eugene and Springfield welcome ages 14–24 with no appointment necessary, and any income generated from fee-for-service offerings is reinvested into programs to help serve those who need the programs most.
Connected Lane County was established in 2014 as Lane County’s regional achievement collaborative, and it provides CTE initiatives outside of public schools through Spark using tools such as 3D printers, sewing machines, and laser engravers. Spark on 7th and Spark at Booth-Kelly function as youth innovation hubs where youth helped create branding, painted murals, and built picnic tables for the outdoor area, and Spark locations provide paid, out-of-school training opportunities with hands-on experiences. Connected Lane County partners with rural and metropolitan Lane County schools, educators, and businesses to offer high school students ways to explore careers in technology, manufacturing, health, and natural resources, and it hosted one of four Oregon MESA Demo Days across the state at Spark at Booth-Kelly.
Connected Lane County states that its mission is to equip Lane County youth with tools to help them gain confidence in their abilities and see value in their decisions, and to break down barriers, build bridges, and create strategic partnerships that connect youth with education and employment pathways. Students involved in naming and branding Spark described choosing the name and bright color palette to reflect engineering and “spark” inspiration in youth. A staff member from Creswell School District described industry tours as a way to give students insight into possible futures, and a representative from Lane Workforce Partnership described the organization as efficiency- and action-based with measurable outcomes. A student from Willamette High School shared that tours and classes at Spark made them feel more successful and more directed.
Last updated June 11, 2026.
• Ages: 14–18 years old
• Schedule: Workshops are scheduled on no-school days, and Invention Lab is a four-week, paid summer experience.
• Price: Private Events & Corporate Team-Building Workshops: pricing starts at $500. No-School Day Workshops: pricing starts at $45 per youth.
Spark is a Connected Lane County program that brings community, education, and industry together and is supported by industry partners that provide mentors, host summer interns, and outfit the program with industry-standard tools and equipment. Invention Lab is a four-week, paid summer experience for high school youth historically underrepresented in STEM fields that teaches the invention process, technical skills, and human-centered design and aims to address the STEM equity gap. The Agency is a paid work experience for previous Invention Lab participants and summer interns where youth complete projects for organizations such as the ABAE, the City of Eugene, the Eugene Education Foundation, Eugene Symphony, EWEB, Food for Lane County, Microsoft MakeCode, and Threadbare Print House. Invention Club is an after-school experience where participants meet weekly to learn and apply skills like human-centered design and rapid prototyping and then take part in the Oregon MESA Day competition hosted at Portland State University. Drop-In Support Services in Eugene and Springfield welcome ages 14–24 with no appointment necessary, and any income generated from fee-for-service offerings is reinvested into programs to help serve those who need the programs most.
Connected Lane County was established in 2014 as Lane County’s regional achievement collaborative, and it provides CTE initiatives outside of public schools through Spark using tools such as 3D printers, sewing machines, and laser engravers. Spark on 7th and Spark at Booth-Kelly function as youth innovation hubs where youth helped create branding, painted murals, and built picnic tables for the outdoor area, and Spark locations provide paid, out-of-school training opportunities with hands-on experiences. Connected Lane County partners with rural and metropolitan Lane County schools, educators, and businesses to offer high school students ways to explore careers in technology, manufacturing, health, and natural resources, and it hosted one of four Oregon MESA Demo Days across the state at Spark at Booth-Kelly.
Connected Lane County states that its mission is to equip Lane County youth with tools to help them gain confidence in their abilities and see value in their decisions, and to break down barriers, build bridges, and create strategic partnerships that connect youth with education and employment pathways. Students involved in naming and branding Spark described choosing the name and bright color palette to reflect engineering and “spark” inspiration in youth. A staff member from Creswell School District described industry tours as a way to give students insight into possible futures, and a representative from Lane Workforce Partnership described the organization as efficiency- and action-based with measurable outcomes. A student from Willamette High School shared that tours and classes at Spark made them feel more successful and more directed.
Last updated June 11, 2026.
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