by Alli Inglebright
Students in professor Nancy Mitchell’s honors seminar built a campaign strategy for a nonprofit across the world during their first semester of college.
The students teamed up with RSO Resilient Women to create an advertising campaign for the Uganda nonprofit Child Mother’s Initiative. The nonprofit works to empower teen mothers by creating sustainable opportunities for them and their families. The mothers in the organization design and make a wide selection of beaded jewelry, and the profits from the jewelry are used to cover the cost of school fees for the mothers’ children. CMI is trying to sell its jewelry in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The students met with Jennifer Achiro, the director of CMI, to formulate a plan to spread awareness about her organization in Lincoln. The students spent a month working on their strategic plan to raise awareness about CMI and how to sell the jewelry on campus and in Lincoln.
“I’m a big proponent of learning inside the classroom and taking it outside the classroom,” Mitchell said. “Students learn more with their work is applied. This partnership is a nice way to make sure their ideas are implemented.”
Achiro was a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow and had the opportunity to visit University of Nebraska–Lincoln during the summer 2017. She earned her bachelor’s degree in law from Makerere University in Uganda.
The students presented their ideas to Achiro via Skype Dec. 7. Also present to provide feedback to the students were: Linda Moody, director of service learning for the Center for Civic Engagement; Maricia Guzman, program coordinator for Oasis; and Kacey Tegtmeier, vice chancellor for student affairs.
The team with the winning campaign will see it implemented on campus by Resilient Women. Students will also have the opportunity to work with the RSO to see its implementation.
“This is an opportunity for students to get real feedback on their work,” Mitchell said.
The majority of the students in the class were not CoJMC students. Jared Long, a freshman student studying political science and journalism, enjoyed being able to mold the class to fit his interests.
“As a political science major, I was able to analyze ethical issues in political advertising during an extended project,” Long said. “The class also offered real-world experience by allowing us to develop an advertising campaign for a non-profit in Uganda. This class challenged me to improve my critical thinking and analyzing skills, which will be beneficial throughout the rest of my academic career and eventual professional career.”
