COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH
GETTING STUDENTS INVOLVED.
As much as possible, it is important to get your local students involved in your efforts. Not only can they play a key role in your speakers' bureau, but they are very effective at spreading the word about Career Academies by word-of-mouth to their friends and to their networks. Additionally, they can help in other ways. Leverage their natural talents, interests and know-how to help reach a greater number of students and parents. This is a critical component for the success of any Career Academy network.
Any students who are part of Career Academies related to communications are natural choices to help. By assisting you, they will also be learning new ways to market and communicate using the latest technology and media. Of course, students of other Academies will be able, ready and willing to assist. In our experience, those who have experienced Career Academies firsthand are your best "evangelizers."
- Work with your Career Academy students to help promote your programs using the latest technology. As an example, you can ask for their help in creating pages for your Career Academy network on MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter. Then, work with the students to manage the regular updates as to what your network is doing. Users will be able to see what their friends are doing at the Academies in real-time. Of course, you'll want to oversee the process so that your content and updates are managed and your messaging controlled, but with some oversight, this can be a very helpful and useful way to market your Academies and to increase awareness and exposure. Some of the other elements students can assist with include website design, development and maintenance, as well as podcasts, blogs, etc.
- Work with Career Academy teachers to assign student projects that are relevant to their classes and curriculum design that will help you achieve the goals of your Career Academy network. As an example, the Career Academies of St. Johns County engaged Academy students to create videos to engage 8th graders and inform them about the various Programs of Study in a video/DVD format. This project was very successful for St. Johns County and it not only provided an exciting opportunity for students to participate, but it also alleviated some burden on the staff of St. Johns County. A smart and very efficient approach!
- Host events for students and parents. This could include a Career Academy Career Fair, or in the case of the Career Academies of St. Johns County, they hold an annual event for high school students called the High School Showcase and for middle schoolers, the Middle School Blitz. These two very popular events are always well-attended and help to get the word out about the county's available Career Academies. Please see the downloads below for tools that can assist with event planning.
Downloads/Links:
Promotional Video Assignment for Students
Event Checklist
Event Email
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