NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
National, non-profit organization Get Schooled has been named the winner of the 2017 Shorty Awards in the Social Good category for its Major Keys Campaign, beating out 48 entries. Through an innovative digital campaign, Major Keys has reached and millions of young people and engaged tens of thousands, arming with them the skills they need to succeed in college and beyond. The program was formed in partnership with Viacom, using creative produced by Viacom Velocity, the company’s in-house creative content agency, and stars motivational speaker, social media guru, and Get Schooled’s national spokesperson, DJ Khaled.
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The Shorty’s Best Social Good Campaign Award honors a brand or non-profit's excellence in running a social good campaign. Objectives may include increasing awareness for a cause, inspiring action for a cause, crowd funding for a social good project and promoting philanthropic work.
“DJ Khaled, Get Schooled and Viacom have come together to create a campaign that integrates the best of media and entertainment to capture the attention of young people,” said Alexandra Jannello Tuck, Viacom’s Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “We are honored for the recognition and even more excited about the impact we have had.”
The Major Keys Campaign aims to help students who want to go to college, but have little access to information or support to get them to and through a postsecondary education. Research suggests that first generation college students face a range of barriers upon enrolling in college including: academic unpreparedness, low academic self-esteem, familial support, and little financial stability. The campaign aims to address these challenges by giving students access to support, tools and information in an engaging and compelling ways, including leveraging social media, digital badging and gamification.
“Young people know that a postsecondary education is an important step in securing the future they want, but many students enter college unprepared,” said Marie Groark, Executive Director of Get Schooled. “Through our partnership with DJ Khaled and Viacom, we have been able to expose students to the information and inspiration they need to succeed.”
Students have completed more than 20,000 digital badges since the campaign launched in the Fall of 2017. Of those students who have completed the badges, more than 2/3 are from low-income families and 75% are African American, Native American or Latino. The campaign has had an impact on the students who need it most:
- 86% of Get Schooled users who have completed one or more Khaled badge say that Get Schooled helped them realize they could actually go to college;
- 76% say it helped them figure out how to pay for college;
- 86% said it presented opportunities they didn’t even know were possible
For more information or to access the “keys” visit GetSchooled.com.
About Get Schooled
Named a 2017 Fast Company Most Innovative Company in the gaming category, Get Schooled is a non-profit organization that directly engages and motivates students to graduate from high school and succeed in college. Get Schooled offers low income students a range of supports including college advisor text help and digital content. Get Schooled has developed a track record of success because it engages with young Americans using the media, technology, and popular culture that is an integral part of their lives. Get Schooled’s work is boosted by partners like Viacom, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information visit www.getschooled.com.
About DJ Khaled:
A major force in the music industry, mogul, executive, mega producer and recording artist, DJ Khaled, known as the "Anthem King" and commonly referred to as the "Quincy Jones of Hip Hop & R&B", has made dozens of chart topping hit records featuring JAY Z, Kanye West, Drake, Chris Brown, Ludacris, T.I., French Montana, Future, Big Sean, Rick Ross, John Legend, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, among others. In 2006, he launched innovative label deals and started We The Best Music Group. His 2010 hit song "All I Do is Win" went 3x platinum, sold over 3 million singles, and crossed over all music genres to become a mainstream hit, solidifying him as a force to be reckoned with. That same year he also released “I’m On One” feat. Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. Khaled went on to release the hit single "No New Friends" featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, which reached gold status and has sold over 500,000 singles worldwide. DJ Khaled has sold over 15 million singles in his career.
About Viacom:
Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling television programs, motion pictures, short-form content, apps, games, consumer products, social media experiences, and other entertainment content for audiences in more than 180 countries. Viacom's media networks, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, BET, CMT, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., Logo, Nicktoons, TeenNick, Channel 5 (UK), Telefe (Argentina) and Paramount Channel, reach over 3.9 billion cumulative television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.
For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom's blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/viacom.
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