Generation Success campaign launch

Boston Opportunity Agenda

For the past three years, Spitfire has supported the Boston Opportunity Agenda (BOA) in advancing the adoption and implementation of a definition of “College, Career and Life Readiness (CCLR)” that reflects the knowledge, skills and experiences that are essential to student success after high school graduation. While the definition already received buy-in and collaboration from leaders around the city – from the mayor to superintendents – BOA needed to formalize its ownership of the campaign, bring in new partners and create an actionable campaign around the definition. It approached Spitfire to activate the definition on the ground by engaging the entire education ecosystem. 

Spitfire brought together nonprofit leaders from Boston neighborhoods representing the broadest, most racially and ethnically diverse communities as possible. We facilitated discussions for nonprofit leaders to impact the definition itself and the eventual campaign. Our team designed student and parent focus groups in multiple languages and trained youth and community members to run these creative sessions. After analyzing our findings, we designed a full communications plan, including messaging and outreach phases, and solidified our pathway to success.  

We partnered with Digsite – a qualitative and quantitative digital research platform – to test the draft messaging and campaign name with youth and their parents and caregivers through online focus groups. Pre-pandemic, youth said that they felt lonely and unsure of their way forward and wanted to be successful on their own terms. Their caregivers wanted them to have the tools to do so. We chose “Generation Success” as a campaign name to speak to these feelings and sharpened our messaging engagement plan accordingly.  

In October 2020, we conceptualized and executed a seamless virtual launch to get industry leaders to create and/or expand programs for high school students, which included partner recruitment strategies, a branded Zoom background, recorded performances and statements before a live panel, as well as a campaign webpage, a brightspot toolkit for industry leaders and a new grant program to incentivize companies’ actions.  

After the event, we wrote and placed a multi-partner op-ed in the Boston Business Journal on the power of this approach, gathered videos for a social media ad campaign focused on teens, and launched a city-wide school-based challenge (Class of 2024 Challenge) to encourage Boston Public School guidance counselors and high school freshman to complete their post-high school plans – even in the midst of the pandemic. The Class of 2024 Challenge ultimately doubled the rate of completion (from 2019 to 2020) for post-high school plans with ninth graders across Boston Public Schools in 2021. 

Throughout our partnership, Spitfire also supported BOA in cultivating relationships with industry, education and nonprofit leaders. Together, we launched several ongoing working groups to collaborate, align and discuss city-wide initiatives and programs seeking to prepare students for life after high school.  

In the coming year, we will continue to pursue new Generation Success initiatives and inspire key audiences to act, and adjust the campaign as needed so the work continues to scale up and create big impact with students, caring adults and industry/nonprofit leaders.