Spin Foundation
Positive Spin Magazine is a new publication and companion website that will be produced by Jefferson High School in Edgewater, Colorado. The first of four annual issues will be distributed in August 2006. The majority of the articles contained in the magazine and on the website will be written by students age 12-19 living in the Denver metropolitan region.
While many popular teen magazines are very gender-oriented, Positive Spin will focus on promoting a positive, healthy self-image among both male and female readers. It will feature news stories that highlight teens that are making good decisions and having a positive impact on their world.
Because Positive Spin is a regional publication, it will also recognize area students by including honor rolls and other news of student achievement.
How is Positive Spin different? Positive Spin is about bringing young readers the information they want in a way that will be visually and intellectually appealing. The overall "look" of the magazine will be very similar to widely-read teen magazine such as Teen, Cosmo Girl, and Teen Vogue.
What makes Positive Spin different is that it will be written primarily by teens for a teen audience. The articles will all take a hard look at issues relevant to teenagers - from bullies in the halls at school to teen pregnancy to interviews with celebrities. Positive Spin will also take readers behind the scenes at concerts and sporting events, interviewing musicians and sports stars about issues that really matter (not just how many touchdowns they made or how many records they've sold).
The work of professional writers will also be included to make sure a broad range of perspectives is present in the treatment of each subject matter.
Who will read Positive Spin? Initial distribution will be 25,000 copies to students in Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Aurora counties in Colorado. Additional copies will be distributed via Boys Clubs of America, Girls Inc., and Boy Scouts, and through various religious and civic organizations. As popularity and sponsorship of the publication grows, distribution will grow to 200,000 copies.
What kinds of articles will be featured? In addition to featured stories, the following outlines specific "themes" of articles that will be found in each issue and mirrored on the companion website:
- August/September 2006 - back to school, how-to study
- October/November 2006 - runaways, teen pregnancy
- December/January 2007 - culture clash
- February/March 2007 - graduation, higher education and career choices
Funding / Budget The magazine and website will be funded through a combination of grant monies and advertising revenue and sponsorships. Because the goal of the magazine is to include content that promotes healthy choices, only selected businesses and service providers will be included as advertisers.
During the first year of operation, Positive Spin will have an operating budget of $82,011. Private funding will provide a projected $57,791 in total annual revenue and advertising will generate a projected $16,512 per issue.
The Jefferson Foundation has already committed a lead gift of $1,500 in support of the project. Additionally, the U.S.A. Track & Field Colorado Association has committed $1,000 for the project.
Distribution Channels Many free magazines distributed in schools are easily neglected or discarded by their recipients. That said, Positive Spin magazine will be distributed directly to students who complete a registration card. This will be achieved through a combination of direct-mail and through in-school distribution. Subscriber information will be maintained in a database that, in turn, allows Positive Spin staff to follow-up with subscriber groups in ways that help evaluate the impact of the program over time.
A small number of copies (approximately 5%) will be drop-shipped to libraries across the state of Colorado and made available to library patrons, many of whom subsequently become subscribers.
Project Managers Positive Spin Magazine is the brainchild of Robert Hawkins, founder of the SPIN Foundation. Mr. Hawkins holds a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and is a social worker at Jefferson High School in Lakewood, Colorado, a west-central suburb of Denver.
Hawkins' interest in journalism began while playing professional football in Oakland and St. Louis. Through this, he became aware of the need for student athletes to receive support in making wise choices and began to form an idea for a publication that would do just that. Positive Spin is modeled after an earlier publication called B.A.S.E. (Basic Athletic Support and Education) also founded by Mr. Hawkins.
Also involved in the project is Karen Shumaker, English and journalism teacher at Jefferson High School. Ms. Shumaker holds a Master's degree from the University of Colorado and has worked as a correspondent reporter for several national publications.
Finally, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, a nationally-accredited art and design college that is also located in Lakewood, Colorado, is providing professional design and technical support for the project.
+ SPIN