Brock Co-op Students of the Year Massine Bouzerar (left) and Paul van der Merwe will be recognized March 24.

Fourteen thousand #Brockcoop mentions in five days.

That’s how many social media hits there would be if each of Brock’s 2,800 Co-op students hashtagged #Brockcoop once a day.

Will that be enough tweets to break Twitter?

Probably not, but it would certainly be enough to raise national awareness about Brock’s successful co-op program.

That’s the goal of Brock’s Co-op Programs Office.

It is spearheading Brock’s social media participation in National Co-op Week, which is organized by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE), which runs from March 17-21.

Cindy Dunne, director of Co-op Programs, wants Brock co-op students, staff, faculty and employers to share their photos, thoughts and tips about the co-op experience on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Posts should be tagged with #Brockcoop and #coopweek.

She hopes to have the highest number of social media mentions on Friday, March 21 during the “Social Media, Surgite!” day.

“National Co-op Week is a way of celebrating co-op programs and fostering awareness of co-op among new audiences,” says Dunne. “Our theme this year is “Brock Co-op, Surgite!” and we want our students and employers to get online and highlight the benefits of Brock’s co-op experience.”

As part of National Co-op Week, CAFCE is running a social media contest.

Co-op students that participate in the CAFCE’s online daily challenges will have the chance to win daily and grand prizes that include $100 gift cards to popular retailers.

Brock’s Co-op Programs office will also be giving daily prizes to students that mention #Brockcoop in their posts.

As an added bonus, Brock co-op students that win one of CAFCE’s grand prizes will be entered into a draw for a 30-minute information interview with a top co-op employer.

Co-op is a key component of the Goodman School of Business.

“I believe in the value of the co-op program for our students,” says Don Cyr, Goodman School of Business dean. “We have over 1,000 current co-op students and thousands more that are successful grads of the program. Their success is a testimony to the outstanding work the Co-op Programs office does.”

The program is also celebrating National Co-op Week offline:

From March 17-21, students, faculty and staff can drop by the Co-op Programs office in MC A336 during business hours for a surprise treat.

On March 19, relationship manager Dan Hess will be leading a table discussion on “Attracting Emerging Talent“, an event hosted by the Niagara Sustainability Initiative and NEXTNiagara.

On Monday, March 24 from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., the awards for Co-op Student of the Year will be awarded in the Sankey Chamber.

Co-op students Massine Bouzerar (Goodman School of Business) and Paul van der Merwe (Oenology and Viticulture) will be recognized for their contributions to the co-op program, their co-op employers and to the community.

The event is open to co-op students, faculty and staff.

Follow Brock Co-op on Twitter.