ADVERTISING

Communities In Schools

Being Present Matters

Agency: M&C Saatchi SS+K

Description

“We printed 15 million names on a roll call sheet – one name illustrative of every chronically absent student in the U.S.”

So begins “Being Present Matters,” a powerful new public service campaign from Communities In Schools® (CIS®), the national organization that has worked for the past 47 years to ensure every K-12 student, regardless of their ability, zip code or socioeconomic background, has access to the resources they need to realize their full potential in school and beyond.

In this latest series of Public Service Announcements created by award-winning agency M&C Saatchi SS+K, young women and men take attendance in empty schools across the country while a larger-than-life, six-foot-tall “Longest Roll” etched with the names of 15 million absentee students barrels down a vacant school hallway and campus. It represents the millions of children whose lives are affected by not showing up to school, which was exacerbated by the global pandemic in 2020. Also addressed in the PSA are the obstacles that lead to their lack of attendance: “Transportation absent; WiFi absent; childcare for siblings absent; housing absent, healthcare absent; mental health support and anti-bullying absent.”

The solution for these 15 million kids at risk of being left behind? Being present matters for both students and adults. Caring adults can make a huge difference in a student’s life. That’s why CIS Site Coordinators are trained to be the ultimate caring connectors. “With chronic absenteeism growing in America, the work Communities In Schools does is more important than ever,” said Stevie Archer, chief creative officer, M&C Saatchi SS+K. “They not only make it easier for kids to show up, but help 99 percent of them graduate. We were inspired to bring that story to life with a huge, 15-million-name roll call. It helps people understand the scale of the issue, with real CIS Site Coordinators showing how they help fight that massive problem.”

From school-wide initiatives to intensive, individualized support, site coordinators work one-on-one with students at various levels of involvement and are the reason 99 percent of students show up ready to learn every day, stay in school, and graduate – demonstrating not only the program’s impact, but also the urgent need to support its critical services.

“Students who attend school regularly from the onset have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who are chronically absent or tardy,” said Anya Harrington, vice president, marketing and communications, Communities In Schools. “This compelling new campaign shines a spotlight on this nationwide epidemic, which affects millions of children and the solutions CIS offers to eradicate it.”

CIS hit a critical milestone in 2024: It has provided a wide range of services to two million students across 3,460 schools nationwide – including attendance initiatives, mentoring, life-skills workshops, supportive guidance, academic enhancement and enrichment, health and human services, parent and family engagement, college and career readiness – helping K-12 students improve attendance, test scores, and graduation rates.

In addition, 200,000 students benefited from targeted and intensive support through one-on-one case management with 90 percent or more remaining in school, progressing to the next grade or graduating from high school. This was made possible through strong relationships with families, school leadership, teachers, counselors and close to 9,000 community partnerships and 17,500 volunteers.

The “Being Present Matters” PSA will be featured across broadcast, print, out-of-home, and digital media. For more information on how to help students show up for school, please visit communitiesinschools.org.

This professional campaign titled 'Being Present Matters' was published in United States in August, 2024. It was created for the brand: Communities In Schools, by ad agency: M&C Saatchi SS+K. This Film medium campaign is related to the Public Interest industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted about 1 month ago.

Credits

CLIENT: Communities In Schools
Chief External Engagement Officer: Charles Thompson III
VP, Marketing and Communications: Anya Harrington
Director, Marketing: Jack Hardy

AGENCY: M&C Saatchi SS+K
Chief Creative Officer: Stevie Archer
Creative Director: Margie Chidley
Creative Director: Lucas Crigler
Associate Creative Director, Art Director: Benita Noble
Associate Creative Director, Writer: Rick Morrison
Managing Director, Production + Operations: John Swartz
Executive Producer, Art: Shawn Smith
Executive Producer, Film: Chris Lenz
Senior Producer: Tamara Treu
Managing Director, Strategy: Kevin Skobac
Strategy Director: Elena Claro
Managing Director, Client Services: Amy Frisch
Group Account Director: Mike Andreozzi
Assistant Account Executive: Kate Chlopak

PRODUCTION CO: Sweet Group
Director: Dorothy Allen-Pickard
Executive Producer: Shelly Townsend
Head of Production: Jennifer Brisick
Line Producer: Joseph Falasca
EDITORIAL: Cut and Run
Editor: Ethan Mitchell
Producer: Marcia Wigley

MUSIC: Interval
Composer: Michael Dragovic

PHOTOGRAPHER
Courtney Sofiah Yates
Agency/Production: East Photographic
Producer: Evan McCormick

RETOUCHER
Williams Inc.

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