NEW YORK — Mission North is rolling out an industrywide DEI initiative backed by agency partners and PRSA.

The Foster the Future program is designed to provide organizations tools and resources to boost their teams’ diversity, while supporting BICOP students with scholarships and paid internships.

Method Communications, LaunchSquad and Agean PR are working with PRSA on identifying BICOP students interested in PR to participate in the educational component of the program. The four agencies will be providing more than $60,000 in scholarships and stipends to participants, as well as paid internships.

Mission North is seeking additional agencies to partner in the effort. Applications for students will be accepted here through March 17.

“To foster something means to nurture and to develop something-- it means to create the pathway for the sustainable evolution of the PR and comms industry. It's about being growth-minded with the specificity and intentionality to disrupt inequities while pivoting toward what's next,” said PRSA Foundation President Dawn Christian.

“The PRSA Foundation is excited about the Foster the Future fellowships because they are designed to deliver a broader perspective. They are defined by the talent, skills, and voices that thrive to breakthrough margins, resonate culturally inclusive viewpoints, and will curate new narratives that reflect all of who humans are in the world. That's what makes the Foster the Future fellowships so dynamic and impactful,” she said.