Spark Showcase 2026 is our annual end-of-summer celebration of young adults who are building real confidence, real skills, and real community impact. This event brings together the full spring-to-summer pipeline created by Fourth Gen Labs and 80Grit Consulting: identity first, then execution. We are not just teaching young adults how to use new tools. We are helping them become grounded leaders who can tell the truth about who they are, show up with consistency, and contribute something meaningful to Pierce County.

From 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, you will experience the Spark Showcase portion of the day, featuring Spark Internships 2026: Brand Amplifiers. Spark Internships is a paid, portfolio-building internship for Pierce County young adults (18–24) where interns are paired with local small businesses to build a complete marketing campaign kit. Interns learn how to pull the real story from a business owner and turn it into content across text, audio, visuals, and video, using AI responsibly so the work stays accurate, authentic, and on-brand. At Spark Showcase 2026, interns will present their summer projects, walk the community through what they built, and share how they grew into creators who can deliver polished work, not just ideas.

After the intern presentations, we will welcome a guest speaker to add perspective and fuel the room with practical insight for what is next. We will close with the Rise 2 Create Journey Recap, where students reflect on the personal growth that makes the professional work possible. Rise 2 Create, presented by 80Grit Consulting, equips young adults to understand their story so they can take their seat with intention and move with confidence. This recap ties the full journey together: Rise 2 Create builds self-leadership and clarity, and Spark Internships turns that confidence into real community contribution. Spark Showcase 2026 is where we celebrate both, alongside the local businesses, mentors, families, and community members who believe young adults deserve more than theory. They deserve a platform.

Agenda

• 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM | Spark Showcase 2026: Spark Interns present their Brand Amplifiers campaign kits and case studies built for local small businesses.

  
  

• 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM | Guest Speaker: A practical talk to sharpen perspective on leadership, work, and responsible AI in the real world.

  
  

• 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM | Rise 2 Create Journey Recap: Rise 2 Create students share the growth behind the work and what it took to build clarity, confidence, and consistency.

  
  

• 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM | Community Celebration + Connections: Meet the interns, connect with business partners, and learn how to support the next cohort.

Takeaways

• See what responsible AI looks like when young adults deliver real, portfolio-ready marketing work for local small businesses.

  
  

• Hear the personal leadership growth behind the projects through the Rise 2 Create Journey Recap.

  
  

• Celebrate the next generation of community contributors and connect with the people and partners building this pipeline.

Target Audiences

• Local small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to see what a complete campaign kit looks like when a real story becomes real content.

  
  

• Employers, educators, mentors, and community leaders who care about career readiness, leadership development, and ethical AI in practice.

  
  

• Families, supporters, and young adults who want to celebrate youth talent and witness what’s possible with the right guidance and opportunity.