VR Knife Crime Programme launches in Warwickshire
It's to help educate young people on the dangers of carrying a knife.
An Innovative Virtual Reality Knife Crime Programme has been launched across Warwickshire
A new virtual reality programme will be used across Warwickshire to educate young people on the realities of carrying a knife and how they might become pressured into doing so.
The new programme has been supported and funded by members of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board including Warwickshire’s five borough and district councils, Warwickshire County Council and The Office of the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Virtual Decisions knife crime programme specifically helps young people explore the dangers and potential consequences of “carrying” a knife without “telling” them what to do, with the experience being led by them.
Students are immersed in a virtual scenario centred around knife crime and invited to make decisions in response to the scenes that they witness, which in turn shapes the course of their VR experience.
The programme is designed by award-winning VR specialists, Virtual Decisions, who specialise in theatre, drama, and tech in education. Since 1992, Virtual Decisions has worked with over 200,000 young people delivering projects across the UK and internationally.
Councillor Andy Crump, Chair of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board and Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said: “In the age of TikTok and Snapchat, the Virtual Decisions knife crime programme embraces young people’s appetite for engaging with digital content, using virtual reality as a tool to bring difficult subjects to life for students.
"It is engaging and challenging, educating young people about the dangers and consequences of knife crime.”
Councillor Natalie Gist, Stratford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Law and Governance, who attended the launch event, said: “This is a very exciting project to help young people, all of whom are most at risk of being affected by knife crime, understand choice and consequence without being talked down to by older people.”