Learning with a public purpose has allowed students to do authentic learning with the community in which they live.

This project allowed students to develop leadership and academic skills through the process of creating a business brochure, video, and developing professional relationships with local business owners.

Students were divided into advertising teams in which they had to come up with an advertising team name and slogan.

Students were linked with a local business in which they would create a video (advertisement) and a brochure for that business. The students developed questions and held a business meeting with the business owners of the business they had been matched up with to determine what the business owner wanted/needed in their promotional package.

This project culminated with public presentations to the business owners revealing the students completed brochures and videos which in hand demonstrates their true mastery of marketing skills and knowledge and value in their community. The business owner evaluated the students, the video, and the brochure. If changes are needed on either the video or the brochure the students were then required to make the appropriate changes. In the end they have produced a final project that can be used in the real world in the community.

This project involved students in work that was challenging, complex, and filled with student choice and decision-making, and promoted collaborative working partnerships between youth and adults. The students really learned a lot about their community, the importance of encouraging people to shop at local businesses in their community. Students could actually see the value in completing the project, knowing that their work will be used in their community.

I would like to thank the following people that have helped make this project possible:

As a teacher it is not easy to take on a project like this because you don’t always feel like you have control, or all the answers, and you don’t necessarily know what the outcome will be. With that said, I truly want to thank all involved with this project for being cooperative and understanding as we all learned and worked through this project together.