Tong Portfolio

For this assignment, I chose to review the Instagram page for The Bridge Teen Center. I chose to review this page because I am interning here this summer and have been keeping a close eye on their social media pages.

The Bridge is an organization that provides a free space and activities to the teens of the community. It was started by founder Priscilla Steinmetz with initial plans beginning as early as September of 2005.

One of the first things I notice about their page is the bio. Their bio includes very clear and concise statements explaining what it is, who it’s for, where it is, and a link to it’s other half, the thrift store. Right away, anyone who views the page has a good idea of what this organization is about.

Moving down, they have four highlighted stories- one for weekday hangouts, one for volunteers, one for Friday nights, and one for free programs. The highlighted stories are a great idea and give an early glimpse into the different types of programs they offer. However, when clicking through the highlights, it seems they haven’t been updated in 40 some weeks. While great ideas, keeping them updated is important.

One thing I have been really impressed with as I’ve kept up with their page, is their response to COVID-19. While it would be easy to simply shut down during this time, the Bridge has responded with creating “the Bridge at-home kits” and staying on top of their social media. They have posted nearly once a day with updates on things students can be doing while they’re stuck at home. They have also been intentional to announce winners in many of their competitions, creating some audience engagement. The at-home kits were available to pick up at the Bridge and they have also offered downloadable “kits” which they have advertised on their Instagram page.

Several posts have also been thank-you’s to several of their sponsors. As the Bridge offers free services, they have many sponsors around the community to support them.

Overall, the Bridge has a very strong Instagram page. It has great community involvement, it’s constantly being updated, and it is very clear and easy to understand even to someone new to the Bridge.