Advertising students are using their creative skills to address a difficult but critical issue: preventing child sexual abuse.

Through “Imagine a World Without Abuse: Advertising for Social Change,” a long-running class project in the advertising course Advanced Creative: Media II, students develop public awareness campaigns in partnership with the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center. The initiative, led by Ross Chowles, professor of practice in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, has been recognized with the 2026 Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Teaching.

The award honors Chowles’ efforts to connect classroom learning with real-world impact through a senior-level course where students design campaigns aimed at raising awareness about child sexual abuse prevention.

“This project becomes very real, very quickly,” Chowles said. “Students realize they’re not just creating hypothetical campaigns. They’re working on an issue that affects communities and people they know.”

Since introducing the project in 2018, Chowles has incorporated the work into his ADV 428 course each semester, giving students the opportunity to present their campaign ideas directly to leaders from the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center. Some of those concepts have gone on to inform outreach efforts at advocacy centers beyond Michigan.

The project encourages students to explore different approaches to prevention messaging, from helping communities recognize warning signs to emphasizing collective responsibility for protecting children.

For students, the assignment can initially feel daunting — but it often becomes the most meaningful work they produce in the class.

“When I first learned about the project, I remember feeling a little intimidated,” said Alivia Dunn, a junior advertising student who participated in the campaign. “It felt like such a big and important topic that I wasn’t sure how we, as students, could meaningfully contribute. But as I started developing my project, it became clear just how impactful communication and advertising can be when used for social change.”

Dunn said the experience changed how she thinks about the role of advertising beyond traditional marketing.

“It showed me that advertising can be more than just promoting products — it can be a tool for advocacy, empathy and real social impact,” she said.

The classroom environment also played a role in shaping the experience for students.

“He made students feel heard and encouraged us to share our ideas,” Dunn said about Chowles. “The class genuinely felt like a place where I belonged and where people wanted to see each other succeed.”

For Chowles, recognition of the project is about more than the award itself.

“What I’m happiest about is that it brings attention to the topic and recognizes that our students are doing incredible work,” he said. “A lot of what students create in the classroom isn’t always visible, but when people see it, they realize how powerful it can be.”

This story originally appeared on the College of Communication Arts and Sciences website.