As part of her Reach Higher Initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama is announcing a new public awareness campaign, Better Make Room, to target young people ages 14—19.
The campaign is aimed at celebrating education, changing the national conversation, and reaching students directly where they are, to give them a space to create content while also helping them to navigate the college-going process.
[Related: Michelle Obama Calls on Top Female Executives to Support Girls Education]
The first lady developed the Reach Higher Initiative about two years
ago to inspire all students in the U.S. to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, community college, or a four-year college or university.The Better Make Room campaign will leverage traditional and new media platforms to celebrate student stories in the same way that we often celebrate celebrities and athletes. With partners in the business, philanthropic, media, and education realm, this campaign will stretch across the country to inspire students and give them the tools they need to reach higher for college. Â
Launching Better Make RoomÂ
Better Make Room celebrates students. It acknowledges that things aren’t always easy. It elevates their stories, their bravado, and hard work. It tells their stories through a lens normally reserved for star athletes and celebrities. In an information-saturated world where fame means followers, likes, and re-posts, the campaign brings celebrities and influencers to the platforms that today give star power to their peers: those without the luck or talent of some of today’s biggest names.
Better Make Room says that students reaching toward higher education deserve attention and support. Through an integration of celebrities, peers, influencers, and partners who step outside their own accomplishments to help others aim high, the campaign gives achievement, smarts, and reaching higher the spotlight they deserve.
More than 20 such partners include Vine, Mashable, The CW Network, Pearson, A&E Networks, Lumina Foundation, and American Eagle Outfitters. Better Make Room focuses on the possibility of a better education, a better career, and a better future.
The campaign does this while also making sure that young people understand the steps, tools, and resources available to help them, such as registering for the SAT and ACT, visiting a college campus, filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and completing at least four college applications. The first lady’s Reach Higher Initiative supports President Obama’s efforts to increase the number of college graduates in the U.S.
For more information, go to BetterMakeRoom.org.