Inspiring Creativity and Resilience in Children Across Communities

The project strengthens communities, enriches educational environments, and brings sport and visibility to children who rarely have opportunities to be seen or heard.

Our Mission

Empower underprivileged children to learn, express themselves, and grow through creative, educational, and physical activities—helping them build skills, confidence, and voice.

Our Vision

Inspiring creativity, strengthening emotional wellbeing, and giving visibility to children’s realities through art, technology, sport, and community engagement.

“Kids & Sparks was born from an earlier photography initiative, Tour Photo, where talented individuals were carefully selected to collaborate and create meaningful work.
That experience showed us how creativity can transform lives.

Although that project was designed for adults, seeing my own children grow through it revealed a simple truth: creative expression builds confidence, curiosity, and human connection.

Today, we give talented individuals the opportunity to pass on their knowledge to the children who need it most.
We partner with schools and communities worldwide to provide photography, storytelling, and sport-based programs that strengthen wellbeing, resilience, and equal opportunity.

Every child deserves the tools to learn, grow, and share their story with the world.”

— Thomas Ueberschlag

Why We Exist

Pencil vs Camera : a group of people standing in a room with Ben Heine and Arthur

Pencil vs Camera : Ben Heine drawing and Arthur

As an example, these photographs were taken during a Tour Photo stop at Pavillon M in Marseille. They feature Arthur Ueberschlag, a young emerging talent, alongside renowned visual artist Ben Heine, during a Pencil vs. Camera workshop—an artistic experience that merges photography and drawing to spark creativity and self-expression.

This moment perfectly reflects the spirit of Kids & Sparks: passing on knowledge, passion, and creative energy to the next generation.

Rationale

Yet many schools, especially in disadvantaged communities, lack access to structured creative programs such as photography, arts, or sport-based learning.
Research from UNESCO and OECD shows that these activities are often underfunded or missing from curricula, limiting children’s opportunities to explore creativity, build confidence, and develop resilience.

Kids & Sparks exists to fill this gap.

Our Strategy

Kids & Sparks develops a simple, scalable model to bring meaningful, lasting art and sport-based experiences to disadvantaged children.
Our strategy is built around three pillars:

1. Build Local Capacity

We work directly with teachers, community leaders, and local organisations to develop practical skills they can reuse long after our workshops.
Our approach is designed so activities continue to live inside schools — even when we are no longer present.

2. Deliver High-Impact Workshops

Through sports, creativity and social-emotional learning, we create spaces where children can explore their potential, build confidence, and discover new talents.
Each workshop is structured to be inclusive, low-cost, and adaptable to rural or underserved environments.

3. Strengthen Sustainable Partnerships

We collaborate with schools, NGOs, public institutions, and responsible private partners to ensure long-term support and scalability.

Our partners help us:

Reach more communities
Provide materials, equipment, and expertise
Create bridges to opportunities rarely accessible to children in rural areas

Long-Term Goal

Our model aims to become a replicable framework that can be implemented in 50 schools by 2030, empowering thousands of children with tools to grow, dream, and thrive.

We’re here to listen and help you connect with our mission.

Hello@kidsparks.org

About us

We are photographers, athletes, educators, and volunteers who believe in creativity as a force for change.

We leads the KIDS & SPARKS initiative to support and uplift disadvantaged children.

Kids & Sparks governance and management uphold strict safeguarding and ethical standards, aligned with international child protection guidelines.

Building Impact Across Borders

Kids & Sparks: Global Workshops, Local Partners

Step by step, we bring workshops to children worldwide through trusted local partnerships.
Projects launch progressively as local frameworks are secured, and we prioritize using local resources and facilitators to ensure authentic, sustainable impact.

“Growing global impact through strong partnerships and local engagement.”

Global Organization (in development)

This label identifies activities developed within our Environmental Commitment.

“Kids & Sparks acts responsibly for the planet, fostering awareness of climate, biodiversity, and plastic-related challenges with respect and humility.”

Founded in 2011 by Thomas Ueberschlag, TOUR PHOTO was a public-interest philanthropic organization that uses photography and creativity to inspire and educate.

"The effort invested in organizing and executing the program has been fully reflected in its successful outcomes."

Thomas Ueberschlag
CIO and Founder

★★★★★

Over the past years, more than 1500 artists have participated in photographic collaborations (TFP) organized by TOUR PHOTO. We have received support from numerous partners in the form of services, equipment, and financial assistance.