Public Relations Campaign for the Latin American Youth Center Presented by Jess Stone, Maria Piessis, Ami Patel December 4, 2008

The Latin American Youth Center is a multicultural community-based organization that supports youth and their families in their determination to live, work, and study with dignity, hope, and joy. Volunteer Program Overview and Structure The LAYC after-school mentoring program is geared toward bi-lingual and non- English proficient students. The program meets 3 days a week from 3:30 to 5:30 pm throughout the school year. In the first hour trained volunteers offer tutoring and homework assistance The second hour is for educational enrichment activities and workshops

Project Overview After auditing the current LAYC communication strategy, we observed that although many of their efforts are well-intentioned, they do not use their resources and outreach to their full potential. We, as Jam Consultants, have formulated a workable plan that can be implemented beginning in summer of We have suggested specific strategies that will lead to a more successful volunteer program. Our plan will extend through the academic year, concluding with evaluation at the end of the 2010 spring semester.

Literature and website are not engaging Better publicity – video video No ready-to-go volunteer recruitment kit (movie, slideshow) Not enough volunteers Lack of resources Understaffed Lack of organization More structured volunteer training Challenges

to inform...local universities, students, and teaching organizations about the LAYC and their volunteer opportunities - Establish mailing list of 250 people for monthly newsletter - Create an engaging video/slideshow, an informative brochure, and a eye-catching flyer for presentations - To have at least 1 publicized community outreach event in the fall semester Goals and Objectives

to persuade...students to volunteer at the LAYC - Establish a “LAYC Campus Representative” at each DC university each school year - Conduct at least 1 class presentation at 5 DC universities each semester - Create partnerships with 5 DC universities that will lead to the implementation a 1-credit volunteer program Goals and Objectives

to increase.…student volunteer participation at LAYC - To gain 30 new volunteers each semester - To retain a minimum of 10 volunteers from the fall to spring semester - Create structured framework for an intensive weekend-long training program Goals and Objectives

Target Audience Primary: Potential college-aged volunteers Secondary: Local university professors, coordinators, and program directors of clubs, organizations, and volunteer programs Tertiary: Local public and media

Partnerships Local Universities -American University -George Washington University -Georgetown University -Howard University -Catholic University -University of the District of Columbia -University of Maryland Community Service Offices Spanish Language Departments Education Departments Career Centers Latino Clubs and Organizations University media and local media

Hire a communications intern - Stipend or college credit Create more engaging recruitment materials - Slideshows/videos, fliers, brochures Designate a “LAYC Campus Rep” at each DC university Training program development - Making sure each volunteer is actually ready to take on tutoring responsibilities and is comfortable in the setting Altruistic output - Community event that the students can gain community service hours for Incentives - Monthly raffles for volunteers, appreciation parties, etc. Other recruitment outlets - Volunteer fraternities, churches, community meetings, radio, newspaper, metro, career centers… Keeping ties with volunteers - Monthly updates, social gatherings, outings, etc. Strategies

One-credit volunteer program - Spanish or Education Department -Program entails 40 hours of on-site volunteer work per credit hour during a semester. Students attend seminars and discussions for a better understanding of the Hispanic culture, and are expected to keep a journal and write a final paper. LAYC Campus Representative - Semester-long position -Representative acts as liaison between LAYC and their campus community. The student gives class presentations and distributes outreach materials. Communications intern - Semester-long position -Manages the online communication outlets, including Facebook and MySpace. Campus representatives report to the intern who schedules class presentations. University Outreach

Social Networking Sites (Facebook and Myspace) - Increase usability and make the sites more interactive. A forum should be implemented to generate ideas for events and obtain feedback. It should also be a mode of recruitment, or direct marketing. Website upgrade ( LAYC-DC.ORG) - The site should be more interactive with links to videos, photos and forums. An application page should be added where one can download a volunteer application. An events calendar would allow the public and participants alike to know the schedule of enrichment activities per week. The site should be more informative and engaging overall. E-newsletter - A monthly newsletter sent out to the LAYC mailing list. The newsletter should include an events calendar, photo blogs, articles, volunteer journal entries, and links for feedback forums. New Media and Internet

R: - Informational interview with After-School Program Coordinator Larissa Jackson on November 6 at Woodrow Wilson H.S. - Researched LAYC’s current online communication outlets including their website, Facebook and YouTube.com - Created a list of possible contacts - Researched comparable programs, like DC Reads O: - Established measurable objectives with the overall goal of gaining more volunteers ROPE

P: - Specific tactics for integrating LAYC into university programs, updating web publicity, strengthen outreach materials, and improve communication strategy E: - SurveyMonkey.com evaluations -Volunteer evaluation, training -Student evaluation -Campus rep evaluation -Coordinator evaluation - Volunteer statistics evaluation ROPE

Evaluation

Timeline: Fall 2009 July - Create materials, contact appropriate people to carry out creation of materials - Establish “Campus Reps” through contacting prior volunteers and other contacts August - Train campus rep - Conduct class presentations - Begin implementation of monthly e-newsletter September - Confirm volunteer schedules - Weekend training session - Commence program October - Continue establishing new enrichment activities - Host community service event November - Begin volunteer outreach for spring semester December - Online volunteer evaluation - Evaluation of volunteer statistics - Update campus reps and contact lists

Timeline: Spring 2010 January/February - Adjust program and recruitment as necessary according to volunteer evaluations - Class presentations - Confirm volunteer schedules - Weekend training program - Begin program March/April - Continue establishing new enrichment activities - Host community service event May/June - Online volunteer evaluation - Evaluation of volunteer statistics - LAYC employee meeting to evaluate the program

We, as Jam Consultants, created this PR Campaign to increase volunteer recruitment and enhance awareness for the Latin American Youth Center. We hope that LAYC implements our campaign and sees significant results. For more information please contact Jam Consultants: 1200 Wisconsin Ave. NW Suite 250 Washington, D.C