Round Midnight’s Virtual_Decisions Empowering West Yorkshire’s Violence Reduction Partnership in Groundbreaking VR Initiative
[Birmingham, 05.02.2024] – Round Midnight, a leader in innovative educational solutions, announces a groundbreaking collaboration with the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) to implement its multi-award-winning VR films, Virtual_Decisions: GANGS and Virtual_Decisions: KNIVES. These immersive experiences aim to educate and empower young people in a trauma-informed manner, addressing topics often glamorised and shrouded in mystery.
The West Yorkshire VRP joins a growing number of organisations embedding Virtual_Decisions in their programs, leveraging it as an early intervention and safeguarding tool to support young and vulnerable individuals across the UK. The initiative is fostering intergenerational connections and understanding by using Virtual_Decisions in schools, community centres, and out-of-court disposal sessions nationwide.
Key Details of this Partnership:
– No limitations on the number of local young people impacted by Virtual_Decisions with the West Yorkshire licence.
– West Yorkshire VRP’s commitment to making long-term, tangible impacts in their community.
– The cohort of 70 professionals trained by Round Midnight’s expert team ready to deliver the interactive experiences across the region imminently.
Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Berry, Director of the West Yorkshire VRP said:
“The virtual reality scenarios are built on the actual experiences of over 1200 young people and are a fantastic engagement tool. By educating young people in this way about the consequences of their actions, we can do more to change attitudes and behaviours around knives.”
Claire Downes, CEO and Founder of Round Midnight, said:
“The team of dedicated professionals at the West Yorkshire VRP have made an invaluable choice by bringing the Virtual_Decisions universe to the region – there’s infinite opportunity for the 70-strong team of trained staff to create an ethos of empathy and understanding within their communities. These complicated issues are often topics that people shy away from – but that risks a perpetual cycle of pain for anyone whose life has been impacted by knife crime. We’re truly thrilled to be working with such a proactive and passionate team and we’ll be supporting their implementation of these programmes every step of the way. Virtual_Decisons will change the lives of young people in West Yorkshire for the better.”
The Programmes:
Round Midnight’s Virtual_Decisions programmes offer a range of 180-degree, real-world, interactive VR experiences, followed by creative workshops and extended learning packages. These initiatives provide an opportunity for participants to explore scenarios in a safe virtual environment without real-life consequences while generating a deeper understanding of the issues.
Round Midnight aims to empower the next generation to make informed decisions, caring about consequences. The proactive approach of Virtual_Decisions workshops is designed to reduce risks and improve outcomes for young people.
For further information on this project, please reach out:
Jessica Melia
Head of Digital Communication
Round Midnight