To say it’ll be unusual and scary for U.S. students to return to school during a pandemic is an understatement. Teen Vogue is hoping to offer them some helpful, professional guidance for the fall semester with its latest virtual event.
The Condé Nast-owned publication will host its first virtual Teen Vogue Orientation on Aug. 14, with conversations tied to three career fields and entrepreneurship.
Teen Vogue editors will moderate conversations with Council of Fashion Designers of America designer Christian Siriano on fashion and media; HBFit founder Hannah Bronfman on beauty and wellness; and Black Lives Matter co-founder and activist Opal Tometi on politics and culture. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) will also present a special message for attendees.
Hosted via Zoom, the webinar is free and open to students of all ages who register on a custom event landing page.
Orientation kicks off Teen Vogue’s Road to Summit, a series of ticketed, monthly virtual workshops that will also address the same three themes. The series will lead up to a virtual edition of the annual Teen Vogue Summit in December. Initially scheduled for May, the summit was postponed due to Covid-19.
Teen Vogue editor in chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner said the objective with the kickoff event and series is to support and engage students—who will either be learning from home or heading back to classrooms with enhanced safety protocols this fall—with a semester’s worth of educational talks and workshops.
“Our hope is that Orientation will inspire our audience to start the school year with a fresh outlook and optimism—even though this school year itself will look very different,” Wagner said.
“Beyond access to the inspirational messages from our speakers, what attendees are looking for most are more ways to interact with each other and the incredible talent we bring to each experience, so the Road to Summit will offer more opportunities for active participation,” she added. “There will be some Q&A opportunities at Orientation, but we’re especially looking to ensure that the upcoming workshops and Summit will provide intimate virtual opportunities for small group discussion and interaction among attendees and speakers.”
Teen Vogue Orientation comes after the brand held its first virtual prom and commencement in the spring after the pandemic canceled those milestones for students across the country.
“Even though we can’t gather in person, our audience is still very eager to connect with other like-minded young people,” Wagner said. “We want these events to truly make an impact and to provide what attendees specifically need right now, whether that’s offering a new perspective or an opportunity to gain knowledge about an area they’re already interested in.”
