USU STARS! GEAR UP Takes Stage at National Conferences
The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) hosted the GEAR UP Capacity-Building Workshop from February 14 - 16, 2022. This annual event brings together leaders, practitioners, and partners.
GEAR UP Capacity-Building Workshop was held virtually this year on Feb 14-16.
Last July, Jeannine Huenemann, Zach Stocks, and Jenne Talbot presented on animated video creation at the NCCEP National Conference.
This year USU STARS! GEAR UP’s very own Jeannine Huenemann presented at the GEAR UP Capacity-Building Workshop. Jeannine is a marketing manager with our program, currently supporting three GEAR UP partnership grants.
The mobilize workshop titled Follow Your Heart: Grow Your Communications Passion was organized by Emily Jeffries, director of government relations at NCCEP. It focused on new skills and approaches for communicators. Jeannine joined GEAR UP professionals from the New Hampshire GEAR UP Alliance, Arizona GEAR UP, KU Center for Educational Opportunity Programs, and GEAR UP Kentucky. The speakers shared their expertise on photography, Canva template transformation, persuasive online writing, strategies for GEAR UP TikTok, and animated video creation.
Jeannine’s presentation on animated video creation was based on our GEAR UP Guides series on our YouTube channel, used to communicate with students and families. Last July, a team from USU STARS! presented on animated videos at the National NCCEP Conference. Zach Stocks, web developer, and Jenne Talbot, site coordinator at Clearfield High School, joined Jeannine to talk about their experience using Vyond animated videos to solve challenges in our GEAR UP program. The presentation held virtually was well-received and generated positive feedback from the audience.
In addition to presentations, Jeannine is serving a second term on the national GEAR UP Communications Advisory Committee led by NCCEP. During her time on the committee, she has helped to create practical resources for communicators including toolkits. This has also given her experience presenting at virtual professional development sessions at national conferences and sharing knowledge and resources across programs.