Highly innovative VR

In the Horizons project, youth workers effectively enhance their support and interventions by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technology into their practice. Young people engage in varied, interactive exercises through VR headsets. They undertake simulated job interviews and guided relaxation sessions, and participate in debates designed to build confidence in expressing personal views. The sessions are streamed to external screens, allowing youth workers to monitor progress in real time and offer tailored support. This enables them to link each activity to specific elements of the young people’s individual action plans, fostering deeper understanding and relevance. The young participants express how these sessions build their confidence, help them prepare for real-life scenarios such as interviews, and provide tools to manage anxiety more effectively. The active involvement of staff in contextualising the experiences is key to the programme’s impact, with young people clearly valuing both the technology and the personalised guidance.

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