Gabriela, Elie, Arvin, and Abou “look ahead” to their futures outside The Castle Group office.
On Wednesday, August 8, 2018, students from Teens in Print’s Summer Journalism Institute participated in an annual Job Shadow Day. The teenagers visited various companies across Boston, shadowing professionals, participating in workshops, and exploring potential career fields. Partnering organizations included CTP Boston, MullenLowe, Takeda, The Boston Globe, The Castle Group, and ThinkArgus.
At CTP Boston, a digital communications agency located in Boston’s North End, students explored the agency and engaged in conversations with staff members from four different sections: PR, Branding, Copywriting, and Social Media. Students critiqued commercials and read website copy created for a variety of clients. The afternoon concluded with a lunch and a Q&A with CTP staff.
After arriving at MullenLowe, a global creative boutique, students met with employees to discuss the company’s goals and mission. Representatives from Copywriting, Strategic Planning, and Accounting offices also made appearances, detailing how writing plays a role in telling a story, creating a persuasive brief, and communicating business goals.
Ivy, Clinton, and Rebecca hear from MullenLowe employees at their office in downtown Boston.
Takeda, a global pharmaceutical company, welcomed visiting students with a virtual tour of their company’s communications. Student received an overview of different channels and types of communication that the Takeda team uses from nearly a dozen different communications professionals. Students learned about elevator pitches, branding and design, PR, thought leadership, social media, internal communications, and the elements of storytelling.
Our long-time partners at The Boston Globe led students through their offices, describing departments and workflows throughout the space. After an enlightening Q&A with reporters, students explored two sessions: one with the product/development team, and the other with the STAT news team, exploring different methods of producing a story. Students were particularly excited to meet the staff, as The Boston Globe prints the physical Teens in Print newspaper.
The Castle Group, a digital and social PR firm focused on event management and marketing, was selected as one of Boston Business Journal’s 2017 Corporate Citizenship Partners of the Year due to their partnership with WriteBoston. Continuing their strong devotion to our work and mission, the company gave students the opportunity to practice their elevator pitches before a workshop on professionally engaging social media. After a break outside to explore local monuments, students learned how to craft the perfect press release and left with their own copies of the AP Style Book.
At ThinkArgus, a Boston advertising agency, students explored the company’s office and received breakfast. With full stomachs, they were given an accounts overview before developing a mock-timeline of deliverables for a selected mission-based organization. Using what they learned, students brainstormed custom taglines for a mock campaign focused on young pet owners. ThinkArgus staff mocked up storyboards to visualize the student campaigns (pictured below).
Jamarri, Jesse, and Jacob pose with their finished campaign posters at ThinkArgus.
Kelly, a student in the Summer Journalism Institute, summed up what she learned from the event by saying, “There is this notion that majoring in English or Creative Writing can only land an individual a job/career as an English teacher, author, novelist, or journalist. From experiencing and listening to the stories, introductions, and presentations given by the passionate and gifted staffs, I have a new view on the career choices one can choose when pursuing writing… It is possible to land a job/career as a writer anywhere.”
WriteBoston thanks all our partners for their help in creating another successful Job Shadow Day!
WriteBoston’s Teens in Print Summer Journalism Institute is a summer enrichment and job opportunity for Boston teens. The six-week program offers young people the opportunity to gain in-depth experience in the field of journalism. In addition to receiving expert adult mentoring, teens learn how to interview, fact check, write news stories, meet other teens across the city, and attend weekly field trips.
