De Re Gallery, West Hollywood Design District (Photo credits: City Year Los Angeles)
challenge
Tutoring students in math and English, and providing near-peer counseling are essential to student success, but often lack the emotional and visual elements that typically attract attention from potential donors and the media.
To present a fresh, innovative perspective, we asked nearly 300 AmeriCorps members to document their year of service by taking photos on their smartphones and posting them to Instagram.
The raw, inspiring images collectively told a powerful story about what it’s like growing up in L.A.’s highest-poverty neighborhoods. A ‘pop-up’ gallery event brought AmeriCorps members, donors, media and key stakeholders together for a common cause one spring night in June.
the work
Curation of 5,000+ images from 26 Instagram feeds; 25 photographs chosen for the exhibit and custom framed.
Planning and logistics for ‘pop-up’ gallery event, including location scouting and vendor selection.
Press materials and media pitching.
impact
Event attendance exceeded projections and included notable Angelenos in the fields of entertainment, politics and education.
6 key newspaper and magazine articles, including El Clasificado and Southern California Life.
Sale of art pieces and merchandise covered nearly all of the event costs.
U.S. Peace Corps contacted City Year, expressing interest in the event.
GOAL ACHIEVED: Increased awareness about City Year and its efforts to help students graduate from high school
2015 PRism Award Winner, Los Angeles Chapter