Strategic Media Plans & Service-Learning

This spring semester two Service-Learning courses, Advanced Writing for the Technical Professions and Interpersonal Communication, partnered with HandsOn Tech Boston in order to develop social media plans. 

Who is HandsOn Tech - Boston?

HandsOn Tech is located at 281 Summer Street, right in downtown Boston. Their staff consist of three amazing AmeriCorps VISTAs Sam, Rachel, and Chelsea. Together this dynamic staff of three work to help small non-profits with technology development. HandsOn Tech provides a variety of services such as giving Salesforce trainings, providing volunteer engagement, and technology assistance. Their two project spearheads, Chelsea and Rachel, work as the liaisons between Northeastern Service-Learning students in these two courses and their clients, the Summer Fund and Healthworks Community Fitness.

From left to right: Chelsea, Sam, and Rachel 

Who are the clients?

Summer Fund - is an organization that provides grants and resources to nonprofits that offer summer camps and programs to underserved and low income youth in Greater Boston. Healthworks Community Fitness - is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing fitness opportunities and health education for women and children in low-income neighborhoods. Both organizations came to HandsOn Tech requesting assistance in creating a strong social media presence. 

What exactly is the student project? 

Students in the Service-Learning courses created strategic media plans for both the Summer Fund and Healthworks. Each course went about this in two distinct ways. The Interpersonal Communication  course worked on answering the questions, "What kind of relationship does the organization want to have with the client? and "How does one go about developing this relationship via social media?" The students went to Healthworks and interviewed the women there to learn exactly what they use social media for, what they want from the gym, and how they want to be engaged.  The Summer Fund students interviewed individuals who donate regularly to organizations. Based off the data they collected, students were able to write up recommendations on how the two organizations can maximize their social media presence with their clients.

The students in Advanced Writing for the Technical Professions wrote proposals for social media usage for both clients. Split into two groups, the students collaborated to research social media strategies, answering questions from "How should the organizations interact with their clients on social media?" to "What type of texts or fonts should one use for a post on Facebook?"

With their multi-page proposals, these groups showed the Summer Fund and Healthworks where they were lacking in their online presence. Students made suggestions for posting everyday, how to use a variety of posts to engage clients, or perhaps to even create a newsletter. Students did more than just make recommendations in a formal document; by developing a website, the students provided useful templates for Healthworks to use.  

Why Service-Learning?

Referring to the difference with this Service-Learning project and a typical project, Professor Akbari says, "...things get messy and you sort of have to fill those gaps based off what you know. Where as with an assignment it says do this, the third step is this so it is sort of pre-processed for you....So there will be some messy and that's good." And good it was indeed. By collaborating outside of class and using the infamous Google docs, students proved to be resourceful and innovative.  It is apparent that when students work with real-life clients they benefit greatly, especially with conflict resolution skills. By the end of their projects our Advanced Writing students were able to enhance their professional writing skills by creating these proposals; the Interpersonal Communication students were able to learn how communication facilitates positive relationships.

Professor Akbari
Course: Advanced Writing for Technical Professions
Q: What class do you wish had Service-Learning
when you were a student?
(giving a variety of suggestions) something with
translating literature for elementary students or
working with a professional theater program

Professor Speed
Course: Interpersonal Communications
Q: What class do you wish had Service-Learning
when you were a student?
It would have been nice to have a math class
with Service-Learning tutoring young girls.

Thank You to all our participants