2016 has been heralded as the “year of virtual reality” but few people know about its potential outside of a futuristic gaming technology. However, a market-driven VR ecosystem spanning multiple sectors – from real estate to human rights advocacy – has bloomed, turning the former “threat to civilization” into the hope of journalism, education, and diplomacy.

With its ability to transport individuals into unique environments, VR has been dubbed “the ultimate empathy machine” and emerged as an unlikely educational tool for cultural exchange. Less expensive than a field trip and more intimate than an ethnography, virtual reality video, like Global Nomads Group‘s “One World, Many Stories” series, uses a single headset to put youth in Queens into the shoes of a 19-year old in Jordan. With so much potential, the question remains: can this technology affect real change?

Join New America NYC and Global Nomads Group as we celebrate the launch of their Virtual Reality Lab and for a discussion on how VR pushes the boundaries of storytelling and bolsters the virtues of global citizenship.

From 6 PM – 7 PM, join us for our VR Playground, where attendees will be able to directly experiment with various types of VR technology and media.

PARTICIPANTS

Grace Lau  @grace_c_lau
Director of Virtual Reality, Global Nomads Group

Debra Anderson  @debraeanderson
Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Datavized

Daanish Masood  @DMasoodie
Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
Investigator, BeAnotherLab

Dr. Monica Bulger  @literacyonline
Senior Researcher, Enabling Connected Learning initiative, Data & Society