vlogu presentation day
Vlog University is an innovative program unlike any other and is making a difference for organizations and businesses. VlogU; The FIRST Social Media Marketing Agency Run By High School Students, is teaching the youth of the Northside digital information literacy, career development, and effective online leadership. VlogU pushes the students to express their personality, interests, and encourages them to seek attention.
With the youth of today growing up on social media -- VlogU’s mission is to prepare them for the modern economy and provide them opportunities to work with non-profit organizations who are usually under-resourced when it comes to marketing.
Over this 6-week accelerated program, each student engaged in activities that taught them how social media algorithms work. They learned how to identify fake news and form inspiring online movements.
The students created their own agencies and each agency worked with a specific Northside non-profit organization. After completing brand audits, each agency met with their clients and proposed various online services with confidence. They then spent their efforts creating high-quality, thoughtful promo videos to bring awareness and scale the impact their clients are making.
On presentation day, 4 VlogU students were offered jobs to continue running social media campaigns with businesses and organizations.
Thank you to the Buhl Foundation, Hillman Foundation, and Grable Foundation for all of their support!
results
Each student was tested to measure their progress over the course of the program and every category below is graded on a scale that ranges from 0-100. The percentage shows the increase in the students ability to explain how social media algorithms work and how fake news is spread as well as the rise in their ability to inspire others digitally, build online movements, and obtain careers in social media.
social issues
Vlog University students were encouraged to build their personal brands and talk about certain issues that they see everyday. In this video, VlogU students are pushing a movement for equality of Women’s rights and the pay gap.
Vlog University worked with the One Northside Initiative and had the opportunity to showcase all of the important work that Pittsburgh Public Safety is doing, but a tragedy prevented them from making the video. One of the VlogU students decided to talk about the situation and how the community can come together.
Nonprofit Marketing
Vlog University students worked with the Perry Hilltop Citizens Council to put together a video that showcases the important work that the organization is doing to improve the quality of life in the community.
Students had the chance to work with Learn & Earn, a summer employment program for youth in the city of Pittsburgh. The students involved all happened to be participants in the program as well, so who better to provide the marketing assets and be able to appeal to youth and show it’s more than a summer job? Thank you Learn & Earn.
One of the VlogU clients that students worked with was Auberle, the employment pillar of the One Northside Initiative. VlogU students traveled to several of their worksites and held interviews with employees to show what an experience in the Auberle program can do for individuals.
APOST, or Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School worked with VlogU students to get high quality content to promote the after school opportunities available in the area. Thank you APOST.
Thrive 18 and Project Destiny are making a great impact on the Northside of Pittsburgh. VlogU students went to their facilities to talk with some of their outreach workers and show how much they care about what they do.