Rockin' Health Management: The Empower Campaign
Campaign EMPOWER Receives Communicator Award of Exceptional Quality
It's no secret that asthma remains a pretty common health issue among the youth, messing with their health, school attendance, and daily lives. To tackle this, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) teamed up with Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) to create the Empower campaign-a rad multimedia educational adventure that motivates young asthma warriors to call the shots on their health with proven self-management skills!
This badass campaign recently snagged the Communicator Award of Excellence for Innovation & Strategic Achievement-Social Impact-the golden trophy given by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA). Running for over three decades now, the Communicator Awards celebrates mighty marketing and communication victories, saluting efforts that foster a deep bond through gripping narratives and savvy designs.
"We're mad proud to see this campaign honored by the Communicator Awards!" said Sara Espinoza, big cheese of NEEF. "Partnering with Hip Hop Public Health has been an absolute game-changer. Together, we've cooked up something that really connects with kids, families, and healthcare professionals, and helps them handle that asthma thing in a way that feels comfy and practical."
Empower made its grand entrance in 2023, bringing eight original tunes and animations to the party, each showcasing a vital aspect of asthma self-management as signified by the Empower acronym:
- Environment: Keeping things neat and tidy in your world.
- Medication: Knowing your meds like the back of your hand.
- Plan: Crafting a personal game plan to handle asthma like a boss.
- Open communication: Talking things over with docs, friends, and fam.
- Well-being: Feeling fabulous All. Day. Long.
- Extinguish: Learning to dodge those pesky triggers.
- Resilience: Staying strong and bouncing back when asthma throws a curveball.
Sara's not the only one thrilled with the outcomes, Hip Hop Public Health's chief program and ops officer, Lindsey Harr, chimed in, "We're stoked to receive this award, hangin' out with our amazing pals at NEEF!" said Lindsey. "Over at Hip Hop Public Health, we believe in the almighty power of music to shatter barriers, fire up curiosity, and make learning 'bout health all about fun and accessibility for every community. This team-up reflects our shared passion for empowering young peeps with the know-how and self-assurance to rule their health!"
For the complete lineup of Communicator Awards winners '25, check out the Communicator Awards website.
Keen to get your hands on the Empower collection? Head on over to the HHPH Learning Studio to check it out anytime, and for zippo cost!
- The Empower campaign, an innovative multimedia educational initiative, focuses on environmental education and health-and-wellness, specifically targeting chronic-diseases like chronic-kidney-disease and respiratory-conditions, such as asthma.
- This nonprofit campaign, backed by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH), promotes education, self-development, and personal-growth, with a strong emphasis on mental-health and fitness-and-exercise.
- The campaign's tools encompass therapies-and-treatments, nutrition, and mindfulness practices, offering skills-training for better self-management of medical-conditions.
- In 2023, the Empower campaign launched with eight original tunes and animations, categorized under the Empower acronym, which stands for Environment, Medication, Plan, Open Communication, Well-being, Extinguish, Resilience, and Education-and-self-development.
- The Empower campaign's animation on Resilience teaches people how to bounce back when facing challenges caused by their medical conditions, displaying key aspects of mental-health and personal-growth.
- The campaign received the Communicator Award of Excellence for Innovation & Strategic Achievement-Social Impact in 2025, given by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA).
- This award honors powerful marketing and communication triumphs that foster connections through effective storytelling and visually pleasing designs.
- The Celebration of Communicator Awards winners '25 can be found on the Communicator Awards website, highlighting the successful partnership between NEEF and HHPH.
- To utilize the Empower collection for one's health-and-wellness journey, interested individuals are encouraged to visit the HHPH Learning Studio, available free-of-charge online.
- Along with asthma self-management tips and resources, the Empower collection delves into online-education, career-development, and lifelong-learning opportunities, emphasizing the synergy between wellness and personal growth.
- With the Empower campaign, NEEF and HHPH continue to work collaboratively, fostering a healthier and more resilient community that bridges education, self-development, and overall wellness.
