Long Island high school students develop marketing campaign to help victims of bullying

More than 200 Long Island high school students were challenged to help their peers who are experiencing bullying by creating a marketing campaign for a new texting platform in Adelphi University’s “Apprentice Challenge” held recently at the university’s Garden City campus.

The teams are given a real-world assignment: develop a marketing campaign to launch a new texting platform from the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying (LICAB) designed to connect young people experiencing bullying with resources and support.

“We know they’re not gonna pick up the phone and call, but they do love to be on their phone and kind of do that passive reach out via the text message,” said Joe Salamone, executive director of the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying. “More than two-thirds of Long Island students surveyed say they observe or experience bullying in middle school.”

The students developed strategies for introducing the new platform, reaching young people and building awareness and trust around the resource. They then pitched their campaigns before a panel of judges, with the top teams advancing to the final round.

Salamone says the texting hotline will be officially unveiled in early 2027.