Ann Garcia
Download PDF
Published on May. 20, 2025, last updated May. 20, 2025.
In the Spring 2025 semester, from January to April, the EVC completed a service-learning project with ODU StratComm students Ann Garcia, Morgan Anderson, and Bladen Puentes. This project consisted of the development of an outreach campaign for the EVC’s platform, Place4Us.net, and their project called The Story.
The campaign’s goals included producing 5 different outreach materials, sharing those materials with 15 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), recruiting 3 new contributors to The Story, and establishing 3 new Virtual Community Centers (VCCs). The 5 outreach materials initially listed were flyers, a short-form video, a political cartoon, a brochure, and a slideshow.
Ann, Bladen, and Morgan met with EVC co-founders Dr. Hans-Peter Plag and Dr. Barry Clemson weekly to discuss campaign progress. Through these meetings, the ODU students were better able to assess the organization’s needs and adjust their campaign to fit those needs. They also served as testers for many of the platform’s features, and their suggestions brought about the implementation of new features on the homepage such as buttons in place of hyperlinks, featured VCCs, and three different buttons in the top right corner. Respectively, these buttons (from left to right) lead to the campaign’s outreach materials, the list of current VCCs for easier perusal, and The Story.
The team sent one student to represent them at an event being held on ODU’s campus. This event was The Art of Environmental Justice, hosted by ODU’s Environmental Justice Club, and it featured several local organizations. It was at this meeting that the team’s first outreach material was distributed: a card which promoted Place4Us and provided a QR code for easy access to the platform. Along with Bladen’s pitch, a few organizations were persuaded to consider Place4Us as a virtual space for their environmental activist efforts.
By the end of the campaign, the EVC/ODU team developed a different set of outreach materials. Though the flyers, short-form video, and political cartoon remained, the students produced two different cards instead of a trifold brochure for easier printing and distribution. In place of a slideshow, the students created digital signage to be posted around their university’s campus. Additional materials were produced as well: a simplified pager for the homepage of Place4Us, three personal statement videos, and a list of usability survey questions for new/current Place4Us users to share feedback on how they’d like the platform improved for their uses.
The list of NGOs was expanded from 15 to 24, and potential The Story contributors included a couple of craftivists and two ODU students, one of which was team member Ann Garcia. It remains to be seen if these NGOs will make their own VCCs on the platform, but the team is determined to put forth their best effort to show others why we need a Place4Us.
