Leveraging VR Technology for Understanding.
Since the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961, generations of volunteers have committed themselves to the principle of building sustained bonds of friendship and understanding through international service.
Inspired by these shared values, the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is collaborating with the educational technology start-up Kinful to implement a pilot project that leverages virtual reality (VR) technology to build intercultural understanding and social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies in Ukrainian youth.
At various camps in summer 2018 throughout Ukraine, the Alliance will support currently serving Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and their Ukrainian counterparts in developing students’ competencies in responsible decision-making, self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills within a variety of lessons in the SEL curriculum. Based on five different competencies as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), this curriculum aims to strengthen students’ emotional intelligence and to equip them with the tools to be conscientious, responsible citizens.
Additionally, the PCVs and their counterparts will have the opportunity to connect their students with other classrooms around the globe by using the VR technology provided by Kinful. Through this immersive technology, Ukrainian students will gain a window into the lives of students in other countries by viewing video content created by students from various cultural settings, and they will even have the opportunity to contribute to the dialogue by uploading videos of their own.
Through this partnership with Kinful, the Alliance is excited by the opportunity to support PCVs, their counterparts, and their students in continuing to foster intercultural understanding and communication in this increasingly globalized world.