ISSUE
Ceisler Media and Issue Advocacy was retained by JEVS Human Services to provide communications support as JEVS launched its new summer youth employment program, Career Connected Learning (C2L-PHL). The C2L-PHL program was established on an extremely short time frame (six weeks from grant award to opening of enrollment) and Ceisler Media’s work to promote C2L-PHL was executed on an equally speedy schedule. In the summer of 2024, close to 50 employers (or “providers”) at 250 sites across Philadelphia who were selected through RFP to participate in C2L-PHL worked with JEVS and Ceisler to fill more than 7,000 paid work experience slots for students aged 12-24.
STRATEGY
Our work on behalf of JEVS and C2L-PHL included developing and executing a communications plan for applicant recruitment. This included outreach to media outlets, social media toolkits for the program’s 44 provider agencies, social media content for JEVS channels, blogs for the C2L-PHL website, and staffing recruitment events. Ceisler Media also oversaw a paid advertising campaign for recruitment that included paid social and radio ads.
Once the recruitment phase was complete, our team shifted to outreach and messaging about the success of the program. This work included visits to providers to gather material for blogs and social media, pitches to reporters to solicit profiles and other coverage, and development of collateral material for participants spelling out options on how to get paid. The final phase of this seven-month engagement involved media pitches once programming ended in September. We also provided communications support for an end-of-summer convening of providers, which included preparing a sizzle reel to be presented at the event, sending out a media advisory, capturing photos and b-roll, and following up with reporters after the fact.
RESULT
The paid ad campaign earned 856.4K impressions, 6,513 clicks to the website, and 495 social actions, including reactions, comments and shares on social media.
Our quick-turnaround campaign resulted in interest from 14,000 young people, and more than half enrolled in the program.
Along with coverage during the summer from WHYY, WURD, Technical.ly Philly, and KYW’s podcast Bridging Philly, we secured hits on KYW and 6ABC for the end-of-summer convening with providers.