Giving a Voice to Nashville’s Children and Youth

THE CLIENT

The Nashville Child and Youth Collaborative (NCYC) elevates the needs and voices of Nashville’s children and youth (birth to age 21) through community initiatives and public awareness.

THE TEE UP

Nashville’s economic boom has transformed it into a bustling hub, but the needs of children and youth have often been overshadowed. In the lead-up to the 2023 municipal elections, we joined forces with NCYC to make youth issues a central topic in the election for Nashville’s next mayoral administration.

THE STRATEGY

We collaborated with NCYC to host For Nashville’s Future, a candidate forum designed to provide a platform for mayoral candidates to discuss youth-related issues and bring related concerns to the forefront. Our objectives were to:

• Craft and promote a meaningful event
• Attract a full house of voters and youth
• Secure media coverage

THE ACTION

We executed the strategy with a multi-faceted approach that included:

• Youth Survey to guide forum content: For people aged 13-21
• Forum Research: Evaluation and summary of other similar forums in Nashville during that time
• Forum Scripting and Q&A Development: A detailed run of show, question themes, and support of Youth Council Members addressing candidates
• Forum Execution: Event logistics, a detailed run of show, scriptwriting and on-site support

• Media Outreach and Partner Collaboration with WPLN (NPR affiliate): Essential to the success of the event

THE RESULTS

For Nashville’s Future made a significant impact by bringing youth concerns to the forefront:

• Over 300 attendees, with 400 RSVPs (most well-attended forum)
• Media placements in top six outlets/targets to reach the greatest potential audience (estimated 10 million)
• Live WPLN coverage and two 1-hour podcast episodes on This is Nashville
• Widespread engagement across social platforms

This campaign not only raised the visibility of youth issues but also demonstrated our ability to drive meaningful civic engagement through a community-first approach.