As Winter 2016 winds down, I am amazed at the great social justice-themed final projects submitted by COM 4270 Group Communication students. These four groups worked tirelessly during the semester with an external client organization (based in the Metro Detroit area), identifying specific needs and implementing complicated projects, ranging from tactical strategy-building to fundraising, and from marketing to volunteer-generation.
Warriors313, composed of Erika Clark, Mepa Rahman, Zainab Beydoun, and Stephanie Slifco, worked with Young Detroit Builders, which offers support services, counseling, and leadership development for the youth of Detroit. The Warriors team helped set up YDB’s social media platform, created flyers and brochures for the organization, recruited Wayne State students as volunteers for YDB, and significantly re-designed and expanded its summer tutorial program.
JLAN, comprised by Jennifer Birgbauer, Lily Koss, Antonio Harris, and Naomi Shangle, got in touch with Gleaners Community Food Bank, which manages more than 500 facilities in Wayne, Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, and Monroe counties in Michigan. The JLAN group organized a massive canned goods food drive for Gleaners at Wayne State on April 18, collecting 45 lbs of canned food, and distributed 60 flyers for garnering volunteers for the organization.
AACJV, made up of Angelica Mickens, Alaina Davis, Chevelle Harper, Jesse Chuba, and Vanessa Petros, worked with startup Keep it Real Ministries, to create a branding plan with a new logo, design an easy-to-use website for the long run, and organize two community outreach events. The group created and distributed publicity for a community choir event, and volunteered with the Eastern Michigan Food Bank during relief operations at Flint, MI.
Finally, The Profits, constituted by Asha Akinyele, Liz Diviney, Shane Gibson, and Sam Tate, worked with local collegiate church New Life Detroit, providing research and tactical advice on how to set up a for-profit subsidiary that would help the ministry obtain funding, while staying true to its mission of helping underprivileged folks. The group provided New Life a detailed life-cycle strategy plan, including organizational development research, employee recruitment agenda, targeted marketing comparisons, and the outline for a potential advertising campaign.
Honestly? I’m stunned at their hard work, tenacity, creativity, and strategy skills, and I know their client organizations are as thrilled as I am!
Rahul Mitra 