Immersium Studio is excited to share our revamped experience on sustainability that we are developing for United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC).
Partnership with UNSSC
In 2021, we created an experience titled “A Story of Transformational Change for Sustainable Development” with the United Nations System Staff College. This experience was designed to train political and technical leaders within the United Nations on ecological transition and sustainable development practices. Having those same goals in mind, along with the aim of updating the experience to assess current conditions surrounding sustainability, Immerisum Studio and UNSSC have crafted a refined version of the original experience.
The Refreshed Experience
In this updated version of the experience, the user engages in a simulation that highlights the complexities of sustainable energy. The user’s role is as an Advisor to a fictional Mayor Carolin Schultz. Through interactive quizzes and reflections the user will be confronted with the challenges of sustainable development transformations, the effects of these transformations on stakeholders, and the impact that city policies have on sustainability, all while trying to best consult the Mayor and support her goals for sustainable development.
In this experience, the user will encounter many different parties all with varying interests in the scenario:
- PATRICK, a United Nations staff member, will greet the user and give an introduction on sustainable development in today’s world. He will also guide and explain the role that the user plays in this virtual reality experience.
- MAYOR CAROLIN SCHULZ is the new town mayor, she is in her 50s and is passionate about her town, its residents, and staying committed to sustainable development. The user will be tasked with advising the Mayor on the steps to sustainable development throughout the experience.
- BERND, a mining representative in his 40s, will highlight a new perspective on mining and emphasize the importance of environmental restoration and renaturalizing mines.
- ANNA, who is a crane operator in her 30s, has been working as a machine operator for years. The mining history, work, traditions, and community have been a part of her life since she was small. She is unsure of her future as the city makes plans toward a more sustainable future.
- ASHA, a former mine worker and current small business owner in her 40s, advocates for closing the remaining mine operations and focusing on the value in tourism and petitions for further government support of small business owners in the area of the old mines.
- MATTHIAS, a member of the local Civil Society Organization in his 30s, understands both the negative impacts of the mining industry and the consequences that closing the mines will have on the community members who rely on the mine for employment and housing.
- SARAH, a young activist in her 20s, advocates for environmental safety and closing the mine due to its pollutive environmental impact.
- JUTTA, a 65+ elderly resident of the town, explains a perspective of loss as the city plans to implement new infrastructure and plans where the mines used to be. Her home, family, and memories were all connected to the mining industry and she is skeptical of the Mayor’s plans for the future.
Through this experience, the user will be immersed into the various challenges and perspectives of making sustainable development decisions. Working toward sustainability in communities is not as simple as it may seem, the experience highlights how important it is to consider all perspectives and make the best decision for all involved stakeholders.
