Wednesday, January 21, 2009

VIP Mentees visit Ambassador Magazine




On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, seven mentees from VIP Mentoring made a trip to Ambassador Magazine to celebrate the efforts of another influential African American – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There, they met with six staff members and co-publisher Dennis Archer, Jr. to learn the intricacies of the magazine publishing trade.

The youth divided into six groups, partnering with at least one Ambassador staff member to focus on marketing, editing and graphic design with the end goal of producing a newsletter about the day’s visit. VIP Mentee Fifteen year old Cheryl met with Ambassador managing editor Rebecca Stevens and editorial assistant Rian English to produce the main story for the newsletter.

“Mentoring is valuable because it teaches students how to rise to many careers that meet their interests,” Carlisle wrote. Another VIP mentee, 16 year old Darnell learned about public relations and marketing in the magazine world from Ambassador’s marketing and public relations coordinator Lauren Elizabeth. She taught him about pursuing advertisers that fit the publication’s readership, creating timelines and the importance of organization. He created a mock timeline for Rolex and brainstormed ways to pitch the perks of advertising in Ambassador.

The magazine’s graphic designer, Adriana Lagrou, worked with several mentees to produce the newsletter’s layout. It was topped by the Ambassador masthead and featured Carlisle’s work. It also included the names of the VIP mentees who participated and as well as the magazine staff. A black-and-white sketch of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. complemented the page and tied it into the national holiday.

Jerry Dash, VIP Mentoring CEO said “We are excited about our new partnership with Ambassador and we look forward to future opportunities and events to be co-championed by Denise Ilitch and Dennis Archer, Jr.

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