Mek BIPOC
Project management, creative strategy, brand partnership management, copywriting
What happens when an official space for BIPOC employees (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) doesn’t exist at an agency? I decide to create one.
A space for those who hesitated to speak up during client meetings, because of their accent. A space for those who looked around during their lunch break, and realized that no one shared their skin color. A space for those who felt a whisper out of place because of their ethnic background. Mek BIPOC was created to give BIPOC employees at Mekanism the opportunity to connect, grow professionally, and have a safe space to exist unapologetically.
What started as a mere Slack channel truly took off. And even upon my departure, the group continues to grow. It makes my heart happy that new talent will have a space to call home. #MekBIPOCForever.
Weekly Newsletters
Monthly Virtual Events
Members could expect at least one event monthly, complete with thought-provoking group discussion, ice-breakers, group activities, team prizes, and exclusive discounts with brand partners such as Adelitas Apparel (recently re-branded as Barrio Drive).
I also never wanted attendees to leave meetings feeling oppressed or drained, so we always ended each event with a group activity. And to encourage participation, fun prizes were always at stake; granting attendees the opportunity to win a variety of things from free pints of ice cream to Target giftcards.
Sent via email, these newsletters were jam-packed with a variety of content from compelling Ted Talks and fun facts, to a list of resources specifically for people of color in advertising (salary transparency, non-profit support, etc.).
TESTIMONIALS
TESTIMONIALS
*from anonymous group members
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"[What did you like about this event] ... the engagement, the creativity with Kahoot, the fire playlist."
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"Thank you for creating and head-spearing such an awesome inclusive space. It was something that I didn't even realize [that] I really needed as an outlet."
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"I love this. Thanks for taking initiative."
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"...It was a fun way to end the week."
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"...Fun and a relaxing way to see some familiar faces and meet some [people] that I haven't worked with or met yet."
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"[What did you like about this event] ... connecting, small groups, fun cultural references, etc. Sydney's just infectious energy! All the gifs/videos that made me lol."
Member Feedback
You can’t sustain any group or organization without looking at the numbers. Especially if there are over 30 members, 75% of whom are consistently engaged. Anonymous data from platforms such as Google Forms, Publicate, and polls from Google Meet, helped to keep a pulse on the impact and overall success of events, group activities, and newsletter content.
Members’ willingness to provide feedback determined the direction of Mek BIPOC initiatives and improved the overall effectiveness of the group. Newsletters, for example, were opened an average of 42.14 times, with 5.42 clicks on average after evaluating which elements group members found the least and most helpful.
Our Soundtrack
Events are no fun without music! Songs that featured artists from around the world were always played during Mek BIPOC meetings, which not only introduced members to new artists, but also to new languages and cultures.
Explore this Spotify playlist at your leisure, and dive into [a small collection of] members’ favorite songs from the year.
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