Social Media Strategy Course Partners with Westmoreland Non-Profits on Volunteering, Communication Strategy Work
Students are partnering this semester with the Westmoreland Land Trust and Westmoreland Cleanways to research and design social media strategies that help local non-profit organizations reach their existing business goals.
One section of Catie Clark-Gordon’s Social Media Strategy course is working with the Land Trust to promote conservation and community connection, with particular interest in reaching young adults and young families in the Westmoreland region. Another section is working with Cleanways to better understand the audience that is currently using the recycling facility, and then to expand awareness of the organization and its services.
Volunteering is another part of getting to know the organizations and their missions. In October, students working on the Land Trust project spent time at St. Xavier Nature Preserve in Latrobe helping to prepare young trees to survive the winter. The class working with Westmoreland Cleanways gave patrons of the recycling facility a survey over three days to better understand the audience dropping off recyclable materials and their preferred communication methods.
“I had a great time working with the Westmoreland Land Trust,” said senior Allison DePalma, a graphic & interactive design major with a concentration in photography. “I love being in nature and being able to help benefit a local institution with such a great cause, especially as I am familiar with their mission due to my social media strategy project.”
Clark-Gordon, an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing and Communication in the School of Business, has used the strategy of service-learning in her Social Media Strategy course since starting on the Hill. Students are partnered with local nonprofit organizations as clients, working in teams with the organization during the semester to create a social media strategy centered around the organization’s goals. In addition to the work for their class project, the students often volunteer with the non-profits throughout the semester – and even beyond.
In incorporating these real life experiences, Clark-Gordon has seen positive results from her classes: the students appreciate both getting to know organizations within the Greensburg community and having real opportunities to work on projects that interest them and benefit the community. These experiential education projects grow students’ professional experience, preparing them for their time after Seton Hill.
Through this community-engaged learning experience, students are applying professional communication strategies, such as content planning, audience analysis, and creative storytelling, to help raise awareness about the Land Trust’s efforts to preserve outdoor spaces and encourage residents to explore the natural beauty of the region and promote the mission to protect, restore, and maintain the environmental qualities of the county by Westmoreland Cleanways.
“Working directly with the Westmoreland Land Trust and Westmoreland Cleanways gives students a deeper sense of purpose behind their assignments,” said Clark-Gordon. “Their volunteer experiences in the field directly inform the content and strategies they create in class, helping them see how social media can serve the greater good while strengthening their professional skills.”
One section of Catie Clark-Gordon’s Social Media Strategy course is working with the Land Trust to promote conservation and community connection, with particular interest in reaching young adults and young families in the Westmoreland region. Another section is working with Cleanways to better understand the audience that is currently using the recycling facility, and then to expand awareness of the organization and its services.
Volunteering is another part of getting to know the organizations and their missions. In October, students working on the Land Trust project spent time at St. Xavier Nature Preserve in Latrobe helping to prepare young trees to survive the winter. The class working with Westmoreland Cleanways gave patrons of the recycling facility a survey over three days to better understand the audience dropping off recyclable materials and their preferred communication methods.
“I had a great time working with the Westmoreland Land Trust,” said senior Allison DePalma, a graphic & interactive design major with a concentration in photography. “I love being in nature and being able to help benefit a local institution with such a great cause, especially as I am familiar with their mission due to my social media strategy project.”
Clark-Gordon, an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing and Communication in the School of Business, has used the strategy of service-learning in her Social Media Strategy course since starting on the Hill. Students are partnered with local nonprofit organizations as clients, working in teams with the organization during the semester to create a social media strategy centered around the organization’s goals. In addition to the work for their class project, the students often volunteer with the non-profits throughout the semester – and even beyond.
In incorporating these real life experiences, Clark-Gordon has seen positive results from her classes: the students appreciate both getting to know organizations within the Greensburg community and having real opportunities to work on projects that interest them and benefit the community. These experiential education projects grow students’ professional experience, preparing them for their time after Seton Hill.
Through this community-engaged learning experience, students are applying professional communication strategies, such as content planning, audience analysis, and creative storytelling, to help raise awareness about the Land Trust’s efforts to preserve outdoor spaces and encourage residents to explore the natural beauty of the region and promote the mission to protect, restore, and maintain the environmental qualities of the county by Westmoreland Cleanways.
“Working directly with the Westmoreland Land Trust and Westmoreland Cleanways gives students a deeper sense of purpose behind their assignments,” said Clark-Gordon. “Their volunteer experiences in the field directly inform the content and strategies they create in class, helping them see how social media can serve the greater good while strengthening their professional skills.”