Exciting news! We have our first external talk from Virtual Decisions, who are coming to campus to talk and showcase their lines of experiences that they have developed. The talk session is on Wednesday 20th from 13:00 to 15:00 so do please come by when you can; it would be great to some people checking out what sort of things they've been up to! :care:
Virtual Reality educational intervention to prevent child criminal exploitation, violence and gang involvement
- Sami Neale (sami.neale@virtualdecisions.co.uk) - Head of Development at Virtual Decisions.
- Dr Stephanie Burnett Heyes (s.burnettheyes@bham.ac.uk) - Assistant Professor at School of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health and Centre for Developmental Science, University of Birmingham.
Award winning local Ed-Tech company Virtual Decisions creates immersive, engaging VR experiences that allow young people to control realistic scenarios and navigate consequences in safe simulation. Seeing the consequences of difficult decisions play out in a virtual environment starts discussions in educational workshops, enabling young people to reflect on emotions and consequences.
The VR experiences use haptic feedback and 180˚ social interaction to immerse participants in unique live-action scenarios developed and filmed with local young actors. Following the VR experience, expert facilitators run trauma-informed creative arts workshops that explore the issues raised in more depth with accompanying follow-on PSHME curricula developed with public funding, including regional Police forces and central government-funded Violence Reduction Units.
The talk showcases a set of linked VR experiences exploring gang involvement and weapon carrying. Students will experience Virtual_Decisions: KNIVES via VR headsets and learn how the experience was developed and how it is used. The session will showcase testimonials from educators and young people, as well as academic research conducted at UoB evaluating this innovative intervention approach.
Questions? Contact Sami or Stephanie (email addresses above) or email us!