Lots of exciting things have been happening with the Career Awareness Initiative that we can’t wait to share with you. The purpose of the campaign is to help high school and college students who are interested in a career serving others see the multitude of possibilities available from a career in POP. POP stands for Prosthetics, Orthotics and Pedorthics, and behind this catchy new acronym is a new brand representing a fresh way of thinking. If we are to capture the hearts and minds of Gen Z, those 15-24-year-olds who are preparing to enter the workforce en masse in years to come, we must quickly learn how to communicate with these digital natives impactfully. As part of this effort, we have launched a new website, ramped up social media outreach, created digital advertising and built a cadre of over 30 OP&P professionals to act as Ambassadors for the profession.

The new WhatIsPop.org website launched the end of June and has already attracted more than 4,000 visitors to the site. In addition to the interest in the website, we’ve had impressive traffic on social media channels, including over 500,000 views on TikTok. 

This is only the beginning. Digital advertising will continue to ramp up in 2022, social media activities will increase and new tools for Ambassadors will be introduced. We will also continue to expand the POP Ambassador program, where dedicated young POP professionals volunteer to share their stories with students to inspire a rising generation.

Ambassador Toolkit NOW Available!

To make it easy for POP Ambassadors and any interested POP professional to connect with students around the country, we have developed a toolkit featuring ways professionals like you can engage with students in your local communities.  The toolkit includes resources to help you better understand the campaign and talk about it impactfully.

You will find information about the campaign, research points on
Gen Z, ideas for guest speaker opportunities, sample social posts, email templates, a PowerPoint presentation template and so much more. The toolkit also offers a storefront with free materials you can use during presentations, such as a visual aid, a one-pager on the profession, career path trading cards and business cards to leave with students. Each component of the toolkit includes instructions on how you can best implement these materials into your own outreach. Whether you are speaking to students at your local high school, promoting POP at a career fair or sharing the campaign with friends and family, the toolkit contains examples and resources to prepare you. Through personalized support and encouraging feedback, we are very excited to set potential POP ambassadors like you up for success. Access the Ambassador Toolkit here.