1000's of Teenagers Join EE’s Half Term Interactive Festival of Learning

During last week’s half term break, EE launched EE Learn Live, its inaugural festival of learning designed to empower and inspire secondary school students.

Hosted by TV presenter and journalist, Stacey Dooley, the free event saw over 3,000 secondary school students from all over the UK tune in to watch and engage in a range of sessions from best-in-class mentors, that were designed to spark curiosity and unlock the potential in everyone.

The interactive learning event, which took place at 180 Strand and was livestreamed on YouTube, included sessions such as:

• Gaming to grow, with Sidemen’s Tobi Brown, esports star Spencer (GIANTX) and presenter, YouTuber and gamer, Elz the Witch – discover how your gaming passion can turn into a set of valuable life skills
• Winning in life, with England’s men’s football manager Gareth Southgate and former English football player, Fara Williams – acquire essential emotional and social skills for future success through sports roles models
• Master wellbeing, with renowned nutritionist, Emily English and wellness and fitness expert and author Shakira Akabusi – gain skills to grow healthier and happier through actionable wellbeing techniques
• Confidence Workouts with Michael Ward, ‘Top Boy’ lead actor Ashley Walters and winners of BAFTA’s Young Presenter competition, Precious Assah and Braydon Bent - unlock the transformative potential of drama classes and confidence building, with quick and accessible exercises to help in your everyday life
• History of the future, with disabled content creator, Eliza Rain and founder of The Sole Supplier, George Sullivan, entrepreneur and TV personality, Deborah Meaden –​be empowered to grasp and influence the future

Guests also had the opportunity to use EE tools, resources from the wellness app Calm - the leading app for meditation, sleep, and relaxation, and VR and AI activations from EE's partners Meta and Samsung. Attendees tried out interactive virtual reality learning spaces via Meta's Horizon demo, alongside learning tools Gravity Sketch, TRIPP and Cubism. They were also able to learn more about how to use AI safely, picking up tips and tricks from Samsung AI pros.

Bringing to life EE’s LearnSmart platform – a digital tool that provides a safe space for children to acquire new skills – EE Learn Live celebrated both life and school skills, with the aim of igniting passions and liberating learning outside of the classroom, while also providing parents with insights on how to maximise the potential of online learning.

All of the speakers who featured during the event filmed bespoke skills sessions which will be released on the EE LearnSmart platform over the coming months. In total, the activation to date has driven a 600% increase in traffic to the EE LearnSmart platform.

Kelly Engstrom, brand and demand generation communications director, EE, said, “Our inaugural EE Learn Live is a brilliant way for us to demonstrate our commitment to liberating learning outside of the classroom and making it fun and accessible for all. The festival, alongside our EE LearnSmart platform, gives students and parents alike the opportunity to learn new skills, follow their passions and unlock their potential”.

Lucy Basden-Smith, managing director, Havas Play UK says, “EE Learn Live gave teenagers the unique opportunity to hear from some of the country's top talent across sport, the arts, gaming, wellbeing, sustainability and more. By giving students hands-on access to interactive learning tools, via VR and AI experiences, we looked to inspire and engage them as they approach the run-up to exams this year. It is our hope that EE Learn Live will be the first of many experiences that demonstrates EE's commitment to kids learning.”

EE Learn Live is the first experiential activation supporting EE Learn – EE’s commitment to focus on teens learning and development – following the launch of new EE in October last year. It is the latest in a series of events that brings to life new EE, following the first EE Game Day in November, and also forms part of EE’s ambition to become the UK’s most personal customer-focused brand.

The EE Learn Live activation was supported by an integrated campaign across online, targeted social and PR. The experience was conceptualised, produced and delivered by EE’s brand experience & partnerships agency, Havas Play. Digital content was developed by EE's digital agency, Digitas London, with PR handled by M&C Saatchi Talk.

To watch EE’s Learn Live festival, see here.  

For downloadable skills content, visit EE LearnSmart here.