LaunchSquad

A few weeks ago, LaunchSquad’s Monica Miller and I had the opportunity to spend time with two 5th graders from Monarch Academy in Oakland. Patricia and Francisco made a trip to downtown San Francisco for a job shadow to see the ins and outs of a day’s work at a technology public relations firm.

Francisco and Patricia sat in on a conference call with a reporter, saw recent client stories that we placed in publications and experimented with tools we use regularly around the office. They even had a chance to play a company favorite video game called Penguin Diner – a game sponsored with ads from our client and 5th floor neighbor, Mochi Media. Mochi was kind enough to invite the students on a mini-tour of their office space, too. Thanks especially to Margaret at Mochi!

Both Francisco and Patricia came to LaunchSquad prepared with questions and tape recorders, putting us on the spot with thoughtful interviews. They interviewed the partners about LaunchSquad with questions ranging from what changes the shop has faced in its eight-year history and current issues facing the organization to how LaunchSquad impacts the people with which we work. They also asked Monica and me about our daily responsibilities and the attributes needed to succeed in the field of PR.

At the end of the day, spending time with Francisco and Patricia was a nice opportunity to reflect on our work and its relevance to our clients and the media industry as a whole. Whether developing a presence in social networks or getting covered in an industry trade publication, it really all comes down to strategically impacting our clients’ business in the way that makes the most sense for them. We realized just how tricky it is to explain that to a 5th grader!

We very much enjoyed having both Francisco and Patricia in our offices for the day and look forward to participating in this program again in the future. If you would like to host a college-bound 5th grader from Monarch Academy at your work place, please contact ROPES coordinator, Jennifer Del Checcolo at 510-568-3101 or email at jennifer.delcheccolo@aspirepublicschools.org.