Advocacy and Community Building for the Family & Children First Council of Trumbull County
This advocacy course focused on the children and citizens of Trumbull County, Ohio, a community that has been devastated by unemployment, family poverty, food insecurity and the ravages of opioid addiction. Each of these factors contributes to and exacerbates the trauma that results from child neglect, child abuse and family hardships.
In coming together as communicators, creators and advocates, we had the opportunity to tell stories about childhood trauma and how it impacts one community in Northeast Ohio. It felt good working towards making a constructive contribution to alleviate the suffering of children and families.
Advocacy and Community Building for the Family & Children First Council of Trumbull County
This advocacy course focused on the children and citizens of Trumbull County, Ohio, a community that has been devastated by unemployment, family poverty, food insecurity and the ravages of opioid addiction. Each of these factors contributes to and exacerbates the trauma that results from child neglect, child abuse and family hardships.
In coming together as communicators, creators and advocates, we had the opportunity to tell stories about childhood trauma and how it impacts one community in Northeast Ohio. It felt good working towards making a constructive contribution to alleviate the suffering of children and families.
Advocacy and Community Building for the Family & Children First Council of Trumbull County
This advocacy course focused on the children and citizens of Trumbull County, Ohio, a community that has been devastated by unemployment, family poverty, food insecurity and the ravages of opioid addiction. Each of these factors contributes to and exacerbates the trauma that results from child neglect, child abuse and family hardships.
In coming together as communicators, creators and advocates, we had the opportunity to tell stories about childhood trauma and how it impacts one community in Northeast Ohio. It felt good working towards making a constructive contribution to alleviate the suffering of children and families.
Advocacy and Community Building for the Family & Children First Council of Trumbull County
This advocacy course focused on the children and citizens of Trumbull County, Ohio, a community that has been devastated by unemployment, family poverty, food insecurity and the ravages of opioid addiction. Each of these factors contributes to and exacerbates the trauma that results from child neglect, child abuse and family hardships.
In coming together as communicators, creators and advocates, we had the opportunity to tell stories about childhood trauma and how it impacts one community in Northeast Ohio. It felt good working towards making a constructive contribution to alleviate the suffering of children and families.
Advocacy and Community Building for the Family & Children First Council of Trumbull County
This advocacy course focused on the children and citizens of Trumbull County, Ohio, a community that has been devastated by unemployment, family poverty, food insecurity and the ravages of opioid addiction. Each of these factors contributes to and exacerbates the trauma that results from child neglect, child abuse and family hardships.
In coming together as communicators, creators and advocates, we had the opportunity to tell stories about childhood trauma and how it impacts one community in Northeast Ohio. It felt good working towards making a constructive contribution to alleviate the suffering of children and families.
Timeline 5 months
Team Caitlin Albright, Jenaya Jones, Rebecca Joseph, Marissa Nichol
My Role
Audience Research, Ethnography, Stakeholder Consultation, Graphic Design
Tools Used
Google Suite, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
Inspiring Resilience in Children, Families, and the Community
Tasked with creating a campaign that sought to inspire resilience in families and children, my team's research began in the broader community of Trumbull county. We found that people need to feel like they belong in order to be resilient. In addition, Trumbull's residents feel a sense of community more often in moments of tragedy than in celebration.
Our campaign centered around engaging people in activities around the county. In order to promote the power of healing, initiating change, and rising collectively, we developed interactive tactics to increase a sense of community and promote positivity within Trumbull County.
Individuals build resilience when they contribute to their community.
Individuals want to see unification and physical change in their community.
Individuals feel like they belong when they participate in group activities.
Key Audiences & Tactics
Warren Family Public Housing Residents in Fairview Gardens and Trumbull Homes
Awareness: Showcase the potential opportunities for community engagement and involvement.
Behavioral: Increase communal pride through participation in service projects.
First Christian Church in Niles, Progressive Baptist Church, Niles Christian Assembly and St. William Catholic Church
Awareness: Showcase the importance of sharing messages of community and strength with their congregants.
Behavioral: Increase the promotion of programs and activities that build strength and resilience by clergy members.
Warren City Council, Niles City Council and the Board of Trustees in Howland
Awareness: Showcase the importance of sharing messages of community and strength within their communities.
Behavioral: Increase advocacy for support programs and resources that promote programs and activities that build strength and resilience within their communities.
The First Tactic: Community Month of Service
The community month of service is meant to bring the community together to heal, change, and rise. We found plenty of service projects in our secondary research that go on throughout this community.
Based off of this, we urged our client to partner with churches, schools, media and businesses to promote the community month of service. This provides them with the opportunity to involve residents from Warren, Niles and Howland in projects large and small.
All booth volunteers will be handing out wristbands, t-shirts, yard signs, buttons and brochures.
The brochures are important for extending the experience for those who aren’t able to reach the web so easily. It prominently features the community poem on the front. There’s more information about the community service month inside of it.
Distributing the yard signs is particularly important for including public housing in this community-wide project. The yard signs would be used to connect volunteers around Trumbull to residents of public housing as indicators that they want their spaces beautified.
The Second Tactic: Trumbull Community Poem
The second community wide tactic creates a community poem that serves as a means of self expression for Trumbull County Residents. The first line of the first stanza reads:
“This is how we build a common home”
It will be displayed on chalkboards outside of four key event locations– Warren Homecoming, River Rock @ The AMP, Hollands Farmer Market & Harry Stevens Day and Niles in 2019.
Volunteers from Family and Children First Council, church members and elected officials of each host city will be at each site to encourage residents to contribute to the poem.
We received a lot of positive feedback from churches on getting involved in community initiatives. Lines of the community poems are meant to be collected in church bulletins to complete stanzas.
Once the poem is completed, the client should seek media outlets like the Tribune Chronicles to publish it. It should also be promoted throughout the city on utility boxes and the sides of buildings.
Contact me.
I'd love to chat with you. Please send an email for any inquiries.