FLExing Our Impact: An Update from the FLEx Study Team
This year we’ve been intensifying our efforts on the Film Learning Experience (FLEx) Study, and it’s paying off! Our Research & Evaluation (R&E) and Adolescent Health (AH) teams, as well as staff from other programs have been working diligently as we wrap up our first year of enrolling youth into the study with our partners at The Policy and Research Group who are conducting an external evaluation of the Study.
Since the FLEx Study began last September, we’ve screened over 2000 youth for eligibility and enrolled 88 youth in 24 states! In order to manage the demand, the FLEx Study Team works with a variety of folks on staff, receiving invaluable support from folks like Brieze and Emily, who are a part of the Collective for Healthy Communities (CHC) team. Within the R&E team, FLEx counts on crucial logistical support from our Manager Amber, and from our Coordinator Lydia, who organize recruitment events and enroll participants. Recently we also collaborated with our Communications Department to write, shoot, and edit new media content starring our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) members. We created three reels (one live action and two animation) which are shared on social media as promotional ads encouraging youth to see if they are eligible to join the Study.
In this iterative process, we have adapted and enhanced our strategy and improved how we promote the study based on observations from previous efforts. Some of the adaptions include:
ramping up text and phone communication and sending mass text-blasts to former study participants or community members
attending more community events to spread the word around New Orleans and build trust, events such as the NOLA Health Block Party, Dancing Grounds’ Dance for Social Change festival, and health/career fairs at local universities like Xavier and Tulane
working with the digital marketing firm BUMP to increase the reach of our social media ads to boost the visibility of the promotional content
increasing the participation incentives and more than doubling the total amount earned for completing all study activities (from $110 to $270) to encourage young people to enroll and stay engaged with the study over its 10-month duration.
partnerships
We are particularly enthusiastic about our continuing partnership with JJIC, where we’ve had eight successful sessions since January of this year. We visit JJIC monthly to provide the youth housed at the facility with the opportunity to screen for eligibility. If they are eligible, they can start participating in study activities and earning incentives immediately; they can even use their incentives while still housed at JJIC!
Since New Orleans is a very social city, one of the best tried and true tactics for program recruitment is to attend events, especially those hosted by our partner organizations. Our partnership with NOYA enabled us to participate in multiple community events, with one of our favorites being the Artivism Club 2025's Narrative Premiere of 'The American Dream New Orleans.' That event in particular was very heartwarming as our R&E Director Ayesha met a former FLEx participant who shared a glowing review of the program, particularly the meaningful discussions she had with the other participants and our R&E Coordinator Kimberly that facilitated the session.
The FLEx Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has also had quite a busy year! YAC members have been working diligently to promote FLEx by posting about the study on social media, distributing flyers in their communities and on college campuses, and spreading the word among their friends and family. But it’s not only about what the youth can do to help the study! Our R&E team also introduced a monthly “Guest Speaker Series” to enrich their experience and expand their knowledge. This series has featured staff across IWES departments and included a talk by a local workforce development expert, as well. To reflect on the program as a whole and how this mix of both opportunities to give back to their peers and to learn has been going so far, we talked with the YAC about their thoughts, feelings, and hopes for the future. They reflected on their own performance, shared their favorite memories, and suggested some exciting potential programming for the upcoming FLEx year.
One of the YAC's favorite activities from this year was collaborating with our Comms team to create the above-mentioned reels to promote FLEx. Before those three reels, we also created another reel starring YAC member Bri Robertson, and three of the YAC members participated in a photo and video shoot to generate material we could use in any other ads and/or promotional materials. The three ads are being promoted by BUMP, which has led to more youth taking the eligibility screener and many new sign ups. To get your chance to watch the ads, make sure you’re following @iwes_nola, because this week in conjunction with these posts, we’re premiering them on our timeline! You can also check out the new FLEx landing page we created specifically for youth who have questions about the program and are interested in enrolling (feel free to share!!), which features of the photos our COMMS Team took with Bri and two of our other YAC members, Sienna Green and Byron Perkins.
The dramatic increase in FLEx enrollment numbers, the hard work of our YAC, and the positive response from our New Orleans community and current study participants truly shows what a successful year we have had! Yet while we've made outstanding strides in our progress recently, recruitment is still open and we want to reach more youth with this amazing opportunity to learn about their health, help themselves make healthier decisions, and help create something useful for their peers. For more information about how you, your organization, or someone you know can get involved in the FLEx Study or join our Youth Advisory Council, email the team at AH@iwesnola.org or text/call Lydia at (504) 233-8248. We’re always looking to expand our network and connect with organizations, parents, youth mentors, and other supportive adults around the country!!
