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The Spy Hop Way

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The Spy Hop Way

Over the years Spy Hop staff and mentors have explored, refined, and defined what goes into our special sauce, otherwise known as the “Spy Hop Way.” Like a coveted family recipe, ours isn’t so much about exact measurements, but about the quality of the ingredients and that the recipe is executed with intention, authenticity, and respect.

Our evaluation partners and friends at Convergence Design Lab define the Spy Hop Way like this: High-quality media, engaged youth voices, youth-powered spaces, professional mentors, community involvement, and enduring values: this is The Spy Hop Way. What we have learned is that our way of doing things is simple and complex; but in essence we meet young people where they are in life and invite them to share their stories through film, audio, music, and design. It is magical. It is inspiring. It is work and it is working.

Youth Powered Spaces

Spy Hop's safe, inclusive learning environments foster youth ownership and belonging.

Professional Mentors

Experienced artists deliver training in media arts and literacy grounded in best practices for youth development.

Creative Community

A culture of collaborative media production offers the opportunity to cultivate the habits, mindsets and confidence that inspire creative risk-taking and the pursuit of mastery.

Real-World Context

Youth participate in a real-world process of creating professional-quality media projects that connect them to public venues and audiences.

The Spy Hop Way at Work

Drawing on the Spy Hop Way (Youth-Powered Spaces, Professional Mentors, Creative Community and Real-world Context), Spy Hop’s site-based, community based and statewide youth media programs engage youth where they are. 

Students learn to communicate effectively through media arts, technology and design while acquiring college & career “future-ready” skills.  They develop interpersonal and cross-cultural connections, inspiring human stories that empower and transform their communities. The enduring impacts are shown below:

a more creative and vibrant workforce

Students who participate in Spy Hop programs gain practical real-world experience to prepare them for the workforce.

a more robust and inclusive civic society

Young people develop the kind of community connections and critical consciousness needed to contribute to a just and future world as informed and responsible citizens.

a vibrant media and arts landscape

Students build the confidence and skills to contribute to the arts far beyond their time spent with Spy Hop.

Glowing Up: Spy Hop's Creative Community Helps Youth Flourish Now and Into the Future

Key Findings from Spy Hop's 2022-2023 Evaluation Report

Spy Hop has always been committed to robust program evaluation, using data, student surveys, focus groups, and critical analysis from our external evaluation team, Convergence Design Lab, to ensure that our programming demonstrates outcomes that our young people are developing the skills and mindsets they need for future success. 

The findings described in this newly published  2022-2023 Evaluation Report show that young people participating in Spy Hop’s afterschool programs encounter a nurturing creative community that encourages them to become their “best selves.” Teens are trusted as emerging professional artists whose voices, stories, and art can meaningfully contribute to culture, community, and social discourse. Taught by professional media artists using state-of-the-art tools, Spy Hop students gain durable, lifelong skills by being encouraged to work not merely as members of a team, but as cooperative members of an interdependent community who engage in creative problem solving and critical reflection around a collective purpose. Click here to read the full report. 

Durable & Lifelong Skills Spy Hop's experiential approach to media arts equips youth with a deep set of durable skills, setting the stage for future success in post-secondary education and careers.
Evaluation Report Cultural Belonging & Connectedness
Creative & Authentic Identity Spy Hop empowers young people to discover their voice, build a creative identity, and express themselves authentically and boldly through media art.
Self Actualization Spy Hop's youth-centered and interest-driven approach enables young people to build media arts and literacy skills while also gaining confidence and self-efficacy.

EXPLORE SPY HOP'S REPORTS

EVALUATION REPORTS

Authored by and in collaboration with Convergence Design Lab.

Check out our 2022-2023 Evaluation Report to learn about how students attending Spy Hop “glow up” and become their best selves through art, creativity, and belonging.

Explore our 2020-2021 Evaluation Report to see how Spy Hop quickly adapted to continue serving students throughout Utah during a pandemic. ​

Explore our 2018-2019 Evaluation Report to learn about the impact of youth media on Spy Hop youth.

ANNUAL REPORTS

Created by Spy Hop to capture a snapshot of the year’s progress for our donors and community.

Read our most recent annual report! We’ve grown, changed and created a lot in the last year! We are thrilled to share our progress. Read all about our latest accomplishments in this report.

Explore our 2021-2022 Annual Report. As an organization, we have much to be grateful for. We are proud of our work and the incredible accomplishments of our students, staff, and board.

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