Obama Foundation
The programme was run by CreativeLab, Ravensbourne’s in-house creative agency that was established to provide real-world opportunities for our students to work on exciting projects and briefs with major brands.
It was made possible thanks to a partnership with two other collaborators – The Obama Foundation is a US organisation, founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, that provides opportunities, facilitates networking, and grants scholarships to inspire, empower, and connect young people.
The third partner is Vault49, a creative agency based in New York City and London that has its roots in street art culture.
The project was designed to provide students from marginalised communities and underrepresented backgrounds in London and Chicago – or those who are the first in their families to attend university – A once in a lifetime opportunity to collaborate and broaden their life experiences and creative networks.
In total, nine students from Ravensbourne and four students from Chicago were brought together for this project. The US participants were nominated by the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance, a branch of the Obama Foundation that supports young men of colour in Chicago.
“I’ve always sought to provide students with opportunities to travel and experience different cultures, the cultural exchange program alongside Ravensbourne, the Obama Foundation and Vault49 continues to do this.
Lawrence Lartey, Ravensbourne’s Director of Innovation, Industry, and Enterprise, was the founder and leader of the project.
This has been a life changing experience. There’s nothing like exposure, and particularly for young men and boys of colour. We don’t often get the chance to cross borders and be exposed to different cultures.
Trey Baker, MBK Program Participant
They were briefed by Nike’s Jordan brand in Europe to create a campaign that captures both London and Chicago’s cultures through the lens of basketball.
As part of the project, the students came together on both sides of the pond, first in London and then in Chicago, to immerse themselves in both cities and research how basketball has influenced them through fashion, music, and street art.
The trip, which took place over the summer, saw them meet players from the Detroit Pistons basketball team; Don C, the Chicago Bulls creative director; Tinker Hatfield, the influential Jordans sneaker designer; and John Glasgow, co-founder of Vault49.
The students also met face-to-face with Colin Kaepernick, the inspirational American football player who originated the ‘taking a knee’ movement against racism.
During the project, the students worked together to develop a creative strategy and key messages that they then translated into visual assets and a campaign.
The students combined their talents to create a fully rounded overall package, including logos, custom basketball jerseys, and a short film. The film is also narrated with a powerful poem written by the students.
