Round Midnight, an award-winning creative arts company, recently delivered a virtual reality workshop to students at Solihull College & University Centre addressing a range of societal issues.
The immersive workshop, which took place at the College’s Woodlands Campus in Smith’s Wood, creatively engaged students in conversations around key issues impacting their lives including knife crime.
The College regularly delivers sessions to students to prepare them for lifelong learning and employment and inspire confidence so that they are better able to navigate life outside of their home and college environments.
Head of Personal Progress and Development, Beth Tite, explains: “I invited Round Midnight to support students in discussing concerns around the increase of knife crime within our society. Round Midnight discussed the impact of carrying a knife, the ripple effect of knife crime and, by using their immersive technology, how to make a decision in a limited timeframe.
“The immersive technology places students in real-life scenarios where decisions need to be made within 10 seconds. Each decision allowed the scenario to adapt and ultimately show what the impact would be. The students were able to discuss their decisions within a safe environment, allowing them to become more aware and equipped with how to stay safe.”
Tutor Hayley Ridewood comments: “Usually when students are delivered training on societal issues you get grumps and groans from them but all of them were really positive about this workshop and did not hesitate to let me know how good they found the training.”
This workshop was the first in a 6-part curriculum throughout which students will have the chance to continue discussing societal issues and develop resilience to overcome a range of challenges.
Engineering student and Woodlands Officer, Joe Pedley, shares his thoughts on the workshop: “The way they [Round Midnight] interacted with us was great because they talked like us and were relatable. They helped me see things from a different point of view.”
