AKQA: SOMA+

SOMA+ AKQA is a platform focused on expanding professional knowledge of Black, Indigenous, and low-income students in Brazil. The platform is focused on three main pillars: education, internship, and transformation.

Firstly, the funding from this project will be used to run online classes in account management, production, strategy and creative. We will teach 1000 students, focusing on recent undergraduates in communications courses from public universities, serving students from different regions in Brazil. Five students will be selected to work in AKQA São Paulo’s office for nine months where they’ll have the chance to receive exclusive mentoring from senior professionals, who will assist in their skills development and outline their possible career paths.

In the final two months, students will take part in developing a special project based on their personal trajectory and background, identifying adversities they see in the world and proposing a creative argument and possible solution to that through the lens of communications.

This project will be supervised by their mentors to ensure they receive proper guidance and assistance. SOMA+ will also create a database of the curricula and portfolios of participating students, providing a talent pool for agencies and production companies to recruit from. Walking through these three main phases, we will assure that people can learn new things, live new realities, and leave a legacy.

By doing that, AKQA and WPP will help to create a better future, including people and using creativity to transform the world.

Apply for the 2022 AKQA SOMA+ programme here: spo.soma@akqa.com