DREAAM
DREAAM (Driven to Reach Excellence and Academic Achievement for Males) is a nonprofit organization based in Champaign, Illinois, focused on closing the opportunity gap for boys and young men of color. It provides educational, social-emotional, and career development programs aimed at fostering academic success, leadership, and personal growth. The organization works to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and increase access to higher education and career opportunities for underserved youth.
Who: Champaign county residents with a desire to give back to their community, specifically African-American children and parents who benefit from DREAAM’s services.
What: Announcing a new building as DREAAM’s headquarters and spreading the word about their program via flyers and brochures with iconic figures who have discussed their dreams, and details about the program itself and their mission.
Why: DREAAM’s goal of fostering the youth of Champaign county are important, but not as well known as it should be. To bring attention to the program as a whole and the new HQ, DREAAM had focused on physical marketing material to provide at community events.
How: As a final capstone project during my time at the University of Illinois, my Advertising program had partnered with local nonprofits to create a campaign in teams of five to spread awareness and bring attention to their cause. Working with five others and the DREAAM founder, I’d taken on the role of our team’s Art Director and created variations of the flyer and brochure above that go on to serve as promotional material for DREAAM.