DAMN Digital Studio and Sports Cipher Partner to Employ Youth

Brooklyn, NY, September 28, 2012 --(PR.com)-- It’s no secret that youth unemployment has skyrocketed. To help combat the epidemic of youth unemployment, DAMN Digital Studio, an interactive and branding agency in New York City, partnered with Sports Cipher, a community of sports enthusiasts, to launch the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

A summer initiative, that DAMN Digital and Sports Cipher hope to continue throughout the year, involves employing out-of-work youth and teaching them the skill of sports journalism. The program partnered with organizations throughout New York City to cover sporting events and tasked local youth with reporting from the events to enhance their journalism skills. The youth participants shared their stories online at

http://www.summer.sportscipher.com.

DAMN Digital worked with Jaamal Braithwaite, co-founder of Sports Cipher, to brand its digital presence at http://sportscipher.com. Additionally, DAMN produced print collateral for the company, highlighting the company’s original sports content.

“We were excited to work with Sports Cipher on its branding and the SYEP,” said Danii Oliver, co-founder and Chief Digital Officer, DAMN Digital. “There is a great need for more organizations to participate since many NYC youth are being omitted from the workforce, leaving them without critical work training and pay.”

“It’s a great feeling knowing that the Sports Cipher team is doing its part to employ and educate youth who otherwise, may not be exposed to these opportunities,” said Braithwaite. “We’ve had the pleasure of working with organizations such as Street Soccer USA and Gotham Girls Roller Derby team, reporting live from their events and sharing information with the Sports Cipher community.”

Intern Renaldo Francis had this to say about SYEP: “At Sports Cipher, I was able to cover both local and national sporting events incorporating photography, video and written content. The ability to be on the front lines of sporting events was inspiring. The seven-week program went faster than I expected. At the end of the program, I’d fine-tuned my writing skills and also learned about photography, editing, and the art of conducting a live interview.”

If you have a sports related event that Sports Cipher should cover, contact info@SportsCipher.com. Potential interns can also contact Sports Cipher for employment opportunities.

DAMN Digital Studio, LLC.
Interactive and branding agency DAMN Digital Studio, based in Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York’s Digital District, has a motto of: “We help digitize brands.” The agency designs and develops for emerging technology platforms in the digital space. DAMN Digital’s latest project, The Nick Versus Series (http://nickversus.com), follows a seven year-old boy growing up in the city as he faces new challenges. For more information, visit http://www.damndigitalstudio.com. Connect with DAMN Digital at http://twitter.com/DamnDigital or http://www.facebook.com/DamnDigital.

Sports Cipher
A community for sports enthusiasts, SportsCipher provides audiences with the opportunity to dialogue with and read about different opinions from their peers, professional athletes and community leaders regarding the sports industry. For more information, visit http://sportscipher.com.