Over the last year, organizations and educational institutions across the world encountered both momentous challenges and monumental changes—and VE was no exception. While the 2020-21 school year included two celebration-worthy achievements—VE’s 25th anniversary and reaching the milestone of having served 200,000 students since 1996—our focus was fixed on ensuring that students remained engaged in their VE classes despite the move to remote and hybrid learning environments.
Due to the versatility of VE’s program delivery, we were able to pivot quickly at the start of the pandemic to adapt our curriculum and meet the evolving realities of remote learning. In doing so, VE helped to ensure that students’ learning continued uninterrupted during the 2020-21 school year. Similarly, we arranged virtual meet-and-greet sessions between VE classes and business professionals and launched an online trade show platform that enabled students and teachers to take part in one of VE’s signature learning experiences despite not being able to interact in person. By quickly implementing these changes, VE stayed on track and helped transform the lives of 18,000 students from 441 schools—half of which were in under-resourced areas.