High School outreach goes virtual during COVID-19
A Creative and Thoughtful Way of Giving Back
PRSSA lists all the requirements to be named an outstanding Chapter. But, do we really know what it takes? It takes vast amounts of hard work, determination, and articulate communication, but mainly compassion and perseverance by students who are immersing themselves in their education and community. Obtaining the title of Star Chapter is an honor to all of the members and advisers of that specific Chapter. The most honorable attribute of this title is understanding the urgency to provide and support their surrounding communities.
Changing Times
The nation-wide shut down of multiple occupational fields, specifically, the education industry, has caused some significant changes. As we already know, most forms of communication are virtual or online. Unfortunately, almost all of the schools across the nation have closed their doors to in-person teaching. This means that parents are becoming first-time homeschoolers and teachers are struggling to alter their curriculums so that their students are still being provided with the best education possible. The fear of providing the best possible modes of teaching and showing students that there are still multiple resources here to support them is very real among educators. In hopes to combat this, many PRSSA students of Star Chapters are doing their part to give back.
Here’s an Idea
Knowing this, many PRSSA Chapters are finding creative and fun ways to push inspiration and excitement back into the minds of their younger peers. Specifically, the Grand Valley State University PRSSA Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (GVPRSSA) and members from the Nationally Affiliated Student-run Firm, GrandPR, wrote and produced informational videos to teach high school students lessons on topics spanning professional development, leadership, volunteering, and the public relations industry.
These videos are providing assistance and reassurance to the students who haven’t reached the collegiate level, but who potentially will in the near future. This time is likely to induce isolation and loneliness, so they found that seeing friendly new faces was the best way to connect with these upcoming students. This creative way to give back to the community was derived from the minds of these GVSU students in hopes to alleviate some of the hardships their community is facing. Pre-professional development for younger peers is an excellent use of time during the hardships our community is living through.
To see the full playlist of GVSU PRSSA videos, check out their channel here.
Ella Rechner is a third-year student at Grand Valley State University, studying advertising and public relations with a minor in writing. She proudly serves on the GV PRSSA executive board and plans to continue her involvement with PRSA upon graduation in December 2020. Her favorite experience in the past year was competing in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) finishing in fourth place at the National level. In her free time, you can find her drawing, painting, and watching the latest documentary on Netflix.
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