Social networking is so much more than just checking your Facebook and Twitter. Forty-seven students from VCU and the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange program (IYLEP) will prove that when they show off their skills to the Social Media Club on Thursday, July 29, 6 p.m., at VCU’s Student Commons Theater. The event, which is sponsored by Richmond.com, will start off with a networking reception at 5 p.m.
The 47 students, both American and Iraqi, have spent the last month working with 10 local non-profits to develop social media strategies for the organizations. The event will showcase all of the projects and attendees will vote on the winners of this "social media showdown."
For the past four weeks, undergraduate and graduate VCU students have been studying and discussing social media with Iraqi students. The result of this work is a campaign dedicated to non-profit organizations around the Richmond area. The organizations that will be represented at the event are ConnectRichmond, CultureWorks, Dream Academy, Family Lifeline, Greater Richmond SCAN, Hilliard House, Richmond Virginia Public Arts Commission, Greater Richmond Urban League, YWCA of Richmond and Voices for Virginia’s Children.
These non-profits were chosen from a list of more than 70 organizations that applied for help from this summer social media course. All of the non-profits had varying experience and levels of social media. It was the job of the students to improve upon or in many cases to design and implement a social media strategy for the organizations.
The Iraqi students are in Richmond as a result of the IYLEP grant, financed by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which was implemented by the Academy for Educational Development. VCU is one of two universities in the country that was selected as a host university and it is the only one that lets Iraqi and American students work side-by-side. To hear more about the Iraqi students and their experiences in the United States, please also read their blog here on Richmond.com.
Click here to register for free tickets to attend Thursday’s event.
Renee Perron and Lauren Boehnlein are both summer 2010 graduates of the VCU multimedia journalism program and part of the social media program this summer.
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