When we asked a group of students from Raw Art Works (RAW) what they want to to be when they grow up, we got a lot of answers. Naturally, several of these talented young artists wanted to become graphic designers. A few more were interested in communications and marketing. The rest of the group was either undecided or interested in other creative fields like film and photography.
It came as no surprise that these young adults did not say “I want to work in print”. But at Shawmut, we’re working hard to change that. This year, we formed a partnership with RAW to help support their organization’s programming and the future of our industry. We want to ignite creativity in all forms and believe that with the right information, young people can see the print industry in a whole new light.
Last week, Shawmut had the pleasure of welcoming eight high school students to our facility. We took them on a tour of our office, the production floor, and our wide format department. We also hosted a Q&A session with some of our employees—giving students a chance to ask questions, get career advice, and hear from those who had grown up in the print business.
During the tour, we saw a lot of shocked and curious faces.
“I don’t think any of the kids expected it to be so big and complex,” said Masiel Encarnacion, Director of Project Launch for RAW. “There is a whole world of possibilities here that they’ve never been exposed to.”
Located in Lynn, MA, RAW uses the power of art to inspire thousands of young men and women and help them transform their lives. They offer a variety of programs including visual arts, a print shop, film school, leadership development, and teen employment. Each year their programs support nearly 2,000 youth at-risk and help them find the desire to create and the confidence to succeed.
In addition to hosting the tour, Shawmut is supporting RAW throughout our 2016 campaign. Each quarter, we are highlighting a RAW artist and program that ties back to what we do at Shawmut—because we believe these kids can be part of our industry’s future. Through our cross-media campaign we hope to inspire our network of marketing professionals and print buyers to help us support RAW. When they respond to any of our direct mail, email or social media messages, Shawmut will make a donation on their behalf to RAW. And if they place a new order with us for a qualifying service, Shawmut will also donate a percentage of the proceeds of that job to RAW, so it’s a win-win!
“This year we wanted to do something a little different with our annual marketing campaign and find a way to give back,” said Michael Peluso, president of Shawmut Communications Group. “There are many great organizations, but RAW’s programs were a great fit with our industry and the services we provide. I am confident that we’ll not only hit our fundraising goal but hopefully inspire some young kids to get involved in print.”
In our first quarter mailer, Shawmut featured a young man who was a part of RAW’s Good2Go mural program. In Good2Go, students design, sell and install murals that help local businesses bring their brand to life. In the process, they learn business skills and how to use their creativity in ways that would easily apply to wide format printing applications. Next quarter, we’re featuring our favorite RAW program, the print shop, where students learn how to typeset and produce their artwork!
Everyone at Shawmut is excited about our partnership with RAW. We’re eager to continue supporting RAW and look forward to showing young artists why print is not only exciting, but a vital part of how we communicate.