Virtual Reality helps Ukrainian journalists prepare for dangerous war zones
The 2402 Foundation uses VR to train Ukrainian journalists to report from war zones — an innovative approach to safety training.
The nonprofit 2402 Foundation is using Virtual Reality to train Ukrainian journalists to report from war zones. The VR training is designed to help them better understand the risks of such assignments and how to mitigate them in an emergency.
In addition to lectures, workshops, and emergency response training, the immersive VR experience is designed to help participants better understand their emotional and physical responses to stress and danger. This will help them develop better decision-making skills in real-life conflict situations. In addition, VR training allows participants to make mistakes in a safe, controlled environment and learn from them.
“When you end up in an extreme situation, you can’t think properly,” says Katerina Sergatskova, co-founder of the project. “In a virtual situation, you realize how you would feel, and you can imagine the kind of decisions you will make,” the veteran journalist explains.
More than 500 journalists trained
The 2402 Foundation's training program simulates real-life conflict situations in VR in ten to fifteen-minute sessions. These were developed by Head Set, a company specializing in VR safety training that works closely with organizations, journalists, and experts.
Since its inception, the 2402 Foundation has trained nearly 500 journalists. In the future, the work will be extended to non-journalists, such as employees of NGOs and non-profit organizations in Ukraine. Cooperation with Head Set Immersive will also be intensified, including the joint development of VR and AR training scenarios.
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