The power of connections is at the core of Read Alliance’s model, especially the connection between the young reader and their teen leader who serves as their reading tutor as well as a role model. We also view it as our responsibility to connect Teen Leaders with role models in various sectors in order to continue their growth as professionals as part of our Teen Leadership Program.
This winter, Read Alliance’s new partner, Penguin Random House, hosted three Teen Leader Development workshops featuring career paths within the publishing world. Teen Leaders learned about the thriving digital sector of publishing and the professionals who take print to digital screen, met editors and artists who combine their passions for art and literature to produce book cover art, and explored marketing and publicity strategies.
"I think the work Penguin Random House does with audio books is significant because some people are visual learners and some people are auditory learners," said workshop participant and Teen Leader Elisabet C. "I also saw that the work they do takes a lot of time and taps into other career areas such art and media production."
"We were excited to see a high level of engagement from teen leaders during our workshops," said Dannalie Diaz, Penguin Random House's Associate Manager of Digital Operations. "They asked a lot of insightful questions about our work, the industry at large, and how to apply for our internship program. Our partnership with Read Alliance allows us to fulfill Random House’s mission to inspire new generations of readers and, specifically through career-focused outreach, a new generation of future publishers."
