The Ojai Post

Gen Com’s winning entry was the “Quit” campaign, created to encourage Ventura County residents to quit smoking. A team of youth and their adult mentors conceived, designed and created this campaign, a unique expression of what came to the mind of teenagers to spread the word about quitting smoking.

The campaign’s goal was to promote a “quit” smoking phone number to Hispanic 18-35 year olds. It consisted of posters displayed in all public buses throughout Ventura County reaching 3.2 million riders; 8.5” x 11” counter cards with 4 versions of 4” x 5” “rave” cards (a common form of communication among the target market) distributed to Latino neighborhood stores reaching 30,000 people; and ads placed in Ventura County publications reaching 90,000 readers. All materials were in Spanish and English. The campaign measurably increased the reach and impact of anti-smoking education and services dramatically in Ventura County.

Gen Com program director, Bobbi Balderman, commented, “We are so pleased to receive this award. We were able to see all of the entries and there was an enormous amount of competition from around the country. So many of them were of the highest quality.” You can view all the winners and runners-up on the Adobe Show Your Impact website: showyourimpact.org/adobe

In Gen Com, youth work with adult mentors in after-school internships to effect change in communities utilizing social marketing techniques. This unique program gives youth an opportunity to share their voice while developing career skills by learning the principles of graphic design, writing, public speaking, marketing, and website development. For further information about Generation Communication’s intern programs and summer workshops, contact Bobbi Balderman at 805 640-9555.