The canvas of the future is digital, and we're teaching our youth to paint it.
Addressing the Digital Skills Divide
The Social Media Academy, a key initiative by Charity Services Midwest, tackles the crucial leg of digital literacy in the three-pillared approach to overcoming today's digital skills divide. Discover how we're making a difference.
Discover Social Media Academy: Where Creativity Meets Strategy
Building Skills, Brands, and Community Partnerships
Driving Success Together: Small Business Partnerships with Social Media Academy
Social Media Academy offers a comprehensive educational program designed to empower students with advanced digital skills through hands-on experience in social media marketing, graphic design, and related fields. Our curriculum encompasses classes on brand development, crafting a unique tone of voice, and content creation, complemented by data analytics training that enables students to evaluate and refine the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
Each semester, we select and vet a small business to collaborate with, focusing particularly on those in economically disadvantaged areas that often lack formal business education and strategic planning. To address these challenges, we introduce these businesses to our 'New Business Incubator' program, which equips them with the necessary skills in brand development, target audience identification, and the setting of realistic quarterly goals.
After completing the incubator program and achieving certification, these businesses gain access to our training platform, allowing our students to apply their skills in a real-world setting. This collaboration not only offers the businesses valuable marketing expertise and resources but also enables our students to practice their learned skills in brand development, content creation, and performance analysis, thereby creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the academy and the local business community.
Introduction to the Social Media Academy
The Social Media Academy, an initiative of Charity Services Midwest, is a cutting-edge after-school program dedicated to bridging the advanced digital skills divide. We focus on empowering young individuals from underserved communities, providing them with the advanced digital skills essential for today’s technology-driven world. Our curriculum covers advanced digital marketing, content creation, graphic design, and data analytics, shaping students into adept digital creators, strategists, and leaders.
Program Overview
Curriculum Highlights
In our dynamic, collaborative learning environment, students are immersed in project-based learning, working in teams to tackle real-world digital marketing challenges. This hands-on approach not only enhances their technical skills but also fosters critical thinking, creativity, and digital innovation, fully preparing them for the complexities of the digital marketplace.
Our unique program teaches young people to market small businesses within their communities, allowing them to apply their skills in real-time and generate effective campaigns that produce tangible results. This practical experience is vital, affecting real people, families, and businesses in their neighborhoods, thereby cultivating a sense of ownership and pride in their contributions.
By nurturing homegrown talent and leveraging local potential, we demonstrate to our students their inherent capability and leadership. Our mission is to create a more equitable digital space, ensuring every student can navigate, contribute to, and lead in the digital age, thereby fostering a sense of empowerment and innovation.
Program Structure
Our 16 - 20 week program is tailored for after-school engagement, with classes held twice a week. Designed to be interactive and engaging, each session challenges students with real-world digital projects, fostering creativity and teamwork. By simulating professional digital marketing campaigns from start to finish, we equip students with the skills and confidence for future success in the digital domain. Through this immersive learning experience, students emerge ready to innovate and lead in the digital world.
Our Core Focus Areas: Unleashing Your Digital Superpowers
Influencer Mastery: Dive into the limelight and master the art of captivating audiences on camera. Become the influencer you've always admired.
Scriptwriting Wizardry: Unleash your inner storyteller by crafting scripts that grab attention and don't let go, for videos and podcasts alike.
Video Production Skills: Take control of the narrative by learning to shoot and edit videos that weave compelling visual tales.
Content Marketing Strategies: Discover the secret to creating content that resonates, engages, and spreads like wildfire across the digital landscape.
Digital Analytics Insights: Decode the digital world with analytics skills that let you pinpoint exactly what captivates your audience.
Web Design and Development: From concept to launch, learn how to build websites that are not only functional but also visually stunning.
Affiliate Marketing Techniques: Enter the dynamic world of affiliate marketing, where promoting products can turn into a lucrative skill.
SEO Mastery: Elevate your content to the top of search results, ensuring your voice is heard loud and clear in the crowded digital space.
Team Leaders and Problem Solvers: "Think you can lead a digital revolution?" Develop leadership skills that empower you to navigate and solve complex challenges in the digital landscape.
Portfolio Power-Up: "Dream of showcasing your work to the world?" Elevate your digital portfolio, making it your ticket to academic and professional success.
Transforming Learners Into Leaders
The Social Media Academy, a key initiative by Charity Services Midwest, tackles the crucial leg of digital literacy in the three-pillared approach to overcoming today's digital divide.
Discover how we're making a difference.
Meet Your Instructor
Champion of Digital Empowerment
With a teaching philosophy rooted in the conviction that education should transcend traditional boundaries and ignite a lifelong passion for learning and innovation, Ms. Grant is dedicated to equipping students with the skills they need to thrive in a digitally interconnected world. Her approach is characterized by a unique blend of professional expertise, community spirit, and a fervent passion for education, making her not just an instructor, but a mentor, guiding students through the digital landscape with enthusiasm and dedication.
Join Ms. Grant at the Social Media Academy, where every lesson is a step towards a brighter, more prosperous future, and where students are inspired to become the creators, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow.
Unlock the secrets of digital mastery and transform your future – dive into a world where content creation meets innovation, and you are in the driver's seat!
What Sets Us Apart: Hands-On Digital Mastery
The Dawn of a New Era in Education
At the Social Media Academy, we're not just teaching theory; we're immersing students in the real world of digital marketing and content creation. Unlike traditional programs that may lean heavily on textbook learning, we place our students in the driver's seat from day one. Here's how we stand out:
Practical, Hands-On Experience: While traditional programs focus on theory, we place our students in the driver's seat from day one. Students dive into practical projects, crafting digital marketing campaigns, creating content, and analyzing data from actual campaigns. This hands-on approach ensures that by the time they complete our program, they're not just familiar with the concepts but have applied them in real-world scenarios.
Immediate Application: Every lesson, every project, every assignment is designed for immediate application. This means our students can start building their digital portfolios from the get-go, making their learning journey as impactful as it is educational.
Tuition-Free Access to Cutting-Edge Skills: Imagine getting the keys to the digital kingdom without the financial burden. For selected students, our program offers an unparalleled opportunity to gain advanced digital skills — from content creation to digital marketing strategies — all tuition-free. This opens up a world of possibilities without the worry of student debt.
Industry-Standard Tools and Techniques: Our students learn with the tools and platforms currently used by professionals in the field. This direct experience with industry-standard technology prepares them for the expectations of the digital marketing world and gives them a competitive edge.
Learning by Doing: Our philosophy is centered around experiential learning. Students aren't just working on hypothetical projects; they're creating, launching, and analyzing campaigns in real-time, dealing with the same challenges and opportunities they will face as professionals in the field.
In essence, what sets the Social Media Academy apart is our commitment to providing a hands-on, practical education that equips students with the skills, experience, and confidence to excel in the digital age. We're not just preparing students for the future; we're putting them in control of it.
Unmatched Value: Tuition-Free Digital Education
At the Social Media Academy, we're redefining the cost of cutting-edge education. Imagine this: elsewhere, a brief immersion like the Digital Media Academy's Global Innovation Race might set you back $8,000, and pursuing a Social Media bachelor's degree? That's a $16,000 hit annually, often without the promise of hands-on experience. But we're flipping the script.
Our program is not just another course—it's an intensive, real-world journey into the heart of digital innovation. Here, students don't just learn; they apply their knowledge in tangible projects from day one. And the best part? For selected students, this transformative experience is offered at no cost. That's right—free access to advanced digital skills training, minus the hefty price tag, setting our students on the path to success without the burden of debt.
This is where value meets opportunity. The Social Media Academy opens the door to a future where our students are not just participants but leaders in the digital age, all without the burden of student debt. Our program is an investment in tomorrow's leaders, offered freely as our pledge to their potential, generously covered by us.
Unlock Your Potential: Begin Your Digital Adventure
How To Apply
Ready to start your journey with us?
________________________
Social Media Academy Application
Applying is easy and takes just a few minutes. Click the link below to access our application form. The form is straightforward and will ask you about your interests, your ideas for digital projects, and why you want to join our academy. We're especially excited to hear your creative ideas, so there's an option to submit a short video as part of your application.
FAQs
More information about the Social Media Academy.
What ages do you work with?
When can you enroll?
Is it free?
Charity Services Midwest breaks the Cycle of Poverty
with community programs that build a bridge to a better tomorrow.
At Charity Services Midwest, we're committed to breaking the cycle of poverty through impactful community programs. Our Fresh Produce Pantry and delivery service provide essential nourishment, fostering health and unity within the community. We're also excited to introduce our latest initiative, the Social Media Academy, designed to equip the youth of Greater Kansas City with advanced digital skills, opening doors to future career opportunities and empowering them to be active creators in the digital world. Together, these programs embody our dedication to nurturing community pride and fostering sustainable growth.
Charity Services Midwest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID Number 85-4352320
Our Story Digital Skills Divide Charity Services Midwest Donate Contact
National Office: 4050 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO | T 1.816.359.0190
© Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved. Charity Services Midwest. | LEGAL
Charity Services Midwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with Tax ID 85-4352320.