A practice lab for budding PR professionals
 Recent projects |
Each year – from July to November - AUT’s final year PR students run their own Public Relations Agency called Outside the Square. This unique programme has helped hundreds of not-for-profit organisations achieve excellent PR results often for little or no budget.
Working in teams of 2 - 5, the students can draw up and implement a communications strategy, plan a large event or fundraising activity, write reports, news releases or newsletters or even launch a product. They’ll tackle anything with energy and enthusiasm.
They work on a voluntary basis, and only with not-for-profit clients, or in partnership with a PR consultancy. The projects should be ones they can ‘own’ from the start and complete in the time frame.
Senior AUT Communications staff and handpicked professional PR mentors closely monitor their work so that clients can feel confident they are benefiting from a high standard of work.
In fact, three recent projects have won PRINZ Awards for pro-bono work – a truly singular achievement for student work.
Some happy clients…..
Some of the many projects recently handled successfully by the students include: relationship building events for Leukaemia and Blood Foundation and Dress for Success, a communication strategy for The Leadership trust, the largest outdoor public midcity BBQ for Kidscan, a ‘spot the tot’ safe driveway campaign, a website called “One for the Girls” to encourage young girls to seek HPV immunisation, a nationwide photo competition for Habitat for Humanity, and many others….
The scale of the campaigns range from $5000 to $20,000 in value
To register your interest as a client or mentor, or for further information, please contact:
- Aline Sandilands (Senior Lecturer) on aline.s@xtra.co.nz
- Joseph Peart (Principal Lecturer) on joseph.peart@aut.ac.nz
