D&AD partners with Hackney Council to launch teen education initiative
D&AD has partnered with East London's Hackney Council to launch a new pilot education intitiative, aimed at introducing 14-18 year olds to the advertising and design industries.
NowCreate: Hackney, developed by the D&AD Foundation in conjuction with BBH, marks the first time the body has worked with young people in secondary education.
Drawing upon the principles of D&AD's New Blood programme, NowCreate: Hackney will challenge students to tackle a real, industry-led brief and use their creativity to drive social good.
Titled “How can we ensure older people are less isolated?”, students will be asked to draw upon their local knowledge to design a product or service that tackles social isolation in Hackney.
Paul Drake, director, D&AD Foundation, commented: “As they reach a crucial decision-making age, it can be difficult for students with great ideas or creative talent to identify how they might channel this into a career.
"Through the Foundation we’re broadening D&AD’s remit and focusing more attention on those who could benefit most from our support and attempting to remove the obstacles that are currently preventing them from flourishing."
To begin the challenge, D&AD will host a briefing day for local schools, with a range of creatives discussing what a role in the industry could entail, have the opportunity to listen to a ‘client briefing’ from Hackney Council and also take part in two interactive workshops on ideation, creative thinking, narrative and understanding different target audiences.
Following the briefing, students will have two weeks to work together and produce a two-minute film explaining their idea. A panel of industry experts will judge each film submission and shortlisted finalists will spend a day at digital studio UsTwo, working alongside creatives to further develop their ideas before preparing a final pitch to be presented to Hackney Council.