#WeDoExist
LifeWorks and Texas Appleseed have partnered to produce a month-long campaign to help raise awareness about the numbers of youth experiencing homelessness in the state of Texas.
The We Do Exist (#WeDoExist) campaign aims to shine a light on the issue of youth homelessness and addresses the complexities surrounding the issue, including aging out of foster care, gaps in provided services and ways to increase school-based resources to help youth experiencing homelessness so that they don’t fall behind in their education.
The campaign also offers tangible ways for members of the Austin community to get involved to help end youth homelessness, such as the means to inform and petition the Texas legislature. Volunteer opportunities will be featured in the near future.
Learn more about the campaign at [www.wedoexist.org]www.wedoexist.org.
Follow us on social media at @wedoexistTX on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Have you seen us? Event Recap!
The Austin Youth Collective held its first #haveyouseenus benefit concert at The Buzz Mill on October 4th. The concert, which was attended by Austin Youth Collective members, LifeWorks staff and members of the community, was the first large event in the group’s efforts to raise awareness of youth experiencing homelessness.
During the event, members of the public performed a spoken word or musical piece and the AYC members were also able to talk about the impact experiencing homelessness had on them and their families. Additionally, the night was highlighted by iamgrut and The Human Circuit!
Thank you to all those who came out to support the AYC! To learn more about the AYC, and their work with the City of Austin to end youth homelessness, visit their website!
Changemaker Series: Event Recap!
Earlier this summer, LifeWorks was selected as one of three nonprofits to participate in the American Institute of Graphic Arts’ (AIGA) Changemaker Series.
The series united teams of creative professionals with nonprofits and social change organizations to use design thinking, sustainable frameworks and creative tools to help advance their mission. This is the first time the AIGA Changemaker Series has come to Austin, and we’re proud to have been part of the inaugural group (LifeWorks, Foundation for the Homeless and Texas Appleseed) selected to participate in such a unique opportunity.
On September 25, we celebrated the culmination of our research with a special project showcase centered on advocacy through design for people experiencing homelessness in Austin.
Our centerpiece project included an infographic with the steps LifeWorks is taking to end youth homelessness in Austin by making it rare, brief and non-recurring. We are continuing to work with the members of our design team to brand and develop a campaign around ending youth homelessness. Campaign elements include a logo, a webpage, videos and a new photography portfolio.
As part of the Changemaker Series, research around our Legacy Circle, LifeWorks core donor base, was also conducted to learn ways to increase philanthropic donations.
Research revealed that LifeWorks donors hold three principles of value:
How their contributions to LifeWorks are making an impact;
Presenting ways they can get involved with LifeWorks; and
Providing them with the content (photos, social media posts, etc.) they need to share our story among their personal and professional networks.
With their feedback, we are also continuing to work with members of our design team to improve the Legacy Circle member experience by updating our application, creating better engagement events and more.
To learn more about the series and AIGA, click here.