Colleges and schools are being encouraged to support a huge digital prom to make sure students leaving them this year do not miss out.
Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, many college students will leave their institutions without the usual celebrations, and so former NUS president Shakira Martin has set up a virtual celebration, #digiprom, to pay tribute to their hard work and resilience during this time.
It is hoped the event will attract at least 1 million students – and the aim is for students from every school, college and university to take part.
Ms Martin said: “Colleges have such a diverse range of students, but each has their own story of hard work, perseverance, and achievement, and we cannot let their milestone moment go by without a party.
“#DigiProm is going to be like nothing education has seen before, but it’s going to be a day that the class of 2020 will never forget. Make sure your students don’t miss out.”
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#Digiprom will be a two-part digital event, a live feed from 6pm attended virtually by actor, rapper and comedian Michael Dapaah, mathematician Bobby Segal and radio 1xtra DJ Ace, and then an afterparty hosted by well-known radio DJs. More names are yet to be announced.
The event is being hosted in partnership with the Association of Colleges, BBC Creative Diversity Team, TikToK, the NUS, universities admission body Ucas, SCFA and Jisc, among others.
The event will also be a launchpad to capture volunteers to take part in a longitudinal research study on the impact that Covid-19 will have on the social, economic and educational opportunities of the class of 2020, bringing together academics and researchers across the education landscape.
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges said that the AoC was proud to be a part of the event. He said: “Marking the end of college is a rite of passage that millions of us have enjoyed. Students leaving this year deserve that same moment to stand tall and proud, celebrating the things they’ve achieved, and looking forward to their bright futures ahead. The Association of Colleges is proud to be part of the class of 2020.”
The event will take place on Friday 17 July, from 6pm until 10pm.
