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- Study guide
- Module 1
- Topic 1: What is Student Digital Civic Engagement?
- Topic 2: How is Digital Civic Engagement Impacting Universities (and Beyond)?
- Topic 3: What Competences do Student Civic Engagers Develop?
- Topic 4: What does Student Digital Civic Engagement Look Like in Practice?
- Evaluation test for module 1
- Resources and further studies (Module 1)
- Module 2
- Topic 1: Problems that need solving – spotlight on global issues
- Topic 2: Improving your community through civic engagement
- Topic 3: Taking a service-learning approach to an DCE project
- Topic 4: DCE is building your competency levels. Here are the opportunities
- Evaluation test for module 2
- Resources and further studies (Module 2)
- Module 3
- Topic 1: What Do Great Digital Civic Engagement Projects Include?
- Topic 2: Getting Involved In Your First Digital Civic Engagement Project/ Initiative
- Topic 3: Using Technology To Enhance Your Civic Engagement Work
- Topic 4: Designing/ Delivering Digital Civic Engagement Solutions
- Evaluation test for module 3
- Resources and further studies (Module 3)
- Module 4
- Module 5
- Topic 1: Estimating Project Costs And Financial Needs
- Topic 2: Spotlight On Lean Start Up and Sustainable Business Model Canvas
- Topic 3: Crowdfunding Your Civic Engagement Projects /Causes
- Topic 4: Leveraging the power of corporate social responsibility
- Evaluation test for module 5
- Resources and further studies (Module 5)
- Module 6
- Topic 1: Why Building Credibility, Trust and Relationships are Key
- Topic 2: Cultivating and Growing a Student Civic Engagement Community
- Topic 3: Spotlight on Mission Marketing
- Topic 4: Technology Tools to Help You Share and Spread Your Civic Engagement Work
- Evaluation test for module 6
- Resources and further studies (Module 6)
Topic 2: Cultivating and Growing a Student Civic Engagement Community
This topic covers information on ways to help increase a civic engagement community within their university. The learning objectives of this topic are for students to gain an understanding of the importance of storytelling in marketing, and how this can generate word of mouth publicity and support.
Cultivating and Growing a Student Civic Engagement Community
The next step to ensuring the message of your DCE project is established is to cultivate and grow your DCE project.
By ensuring that your community is aware and talking about your project, it can ensure that your project’s mission will become established and guarantee the continuation of the project.
But how can we create and foster and environment where a DCE project is discussed and word of mouth spreads?
Creating a Positive Environment
As we saw in the previous topic, by establishing trust, we can help create an environment for both students and communities that is positive.
A positive environment will also help to create a positive environment where word of the project will spread naturally.
A positive environment can also help to establish other methods of marketing your project.
Creating a Positive Narrative
One type of DCE project can be service or knowledge exchange. We saw in the GMIT case study that the interviewees suggested that without the student’s help, some community groups may have ceased to exist. The fact that this DCE project helped to ensure the establishment and growth of certain community projects and businesses is a fantastic message that future DCE groups could use.
When developing your DCE project, think about what it is that your project offers. It is important during any PR activities, or any marketing activities that you do, that you create a narrative that promotes the positive aspects of your SDCE project.
Storytelling is one way that a DCE Project could do this.
“The most powerful person in the world is the story-teller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”
Steve Jobs
How to Use Storytelling as a Narrative?
Storytelling is a powerful way to promote certain narratives. These can be used to the project’s advantage. One way of doing this is by creating stories of success. By having the stories on your project website or social media, you can help to influence others to either want to join in on your DCE project, or to promote/ recommend your DCE project.
Why does this work? People love to hear stories as it triggers feelings of empathy, and empathy can help to create human connections between us. By telling the stories of the people your project has helped, as well as telling the stories of the people behind the project, it can help to attract new volunteers, and ensure the success of your DCE project, whilst perhaps event attracting new stakeholders.
Utilizing Social Media
Many projects could help spread the stories from their project on their social media platforms.
This could be done in several different ways, perhaps by creating promotional videos on their social media, and by having a version of testimonials of members of the group.
This can be combined with other promotional aspects of social media such as keeping followers updated on project goals as well as using livestreaming as a form of promotion.
Find out more about the power of storytelling from the video “The magical science of storytelling” by David JP Phillips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj-hdQMa3uA
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