Minnesota Company Utilizes
VR to Highlight Racial Inequity
Immersive technology like virtual reality (VR) is well on its way to fundamentally changing and innovating the way we work, learn, play and socialize. Minnesota-based company REM5 For Good focuses on utilizing VR for positive change and social good.
Since 2017, REM5 For Good has focused on revolutionizing two things; K-12 education and cultural competence as well as emotional intelligence education and training for enterprises such as Target, General Mills, Boston Scientific, Cargill, Eaton, Piper Sandler and the University of St. Thomas. Having worked with over 15,000 users across their businesses, REM5 For Good is recognized as a global leader for using immersive technology for impact.
Utilizing WebXR technology, REM5 For Good has created the world’s first truly virtual exhibition space — 1 City. 2 Realities. — highlighting racial inequalities in our nation and community. Similar to a real-life exhibition, the intention is to use this medium to both deliver content in an engaging way and create a forum for social interaction and discussion around this critical topic. With the ability to access from any modern computer right from a web browser, this immersive experience is just as accessible as a Zoom call from home.
“We created this space to help get past ‘Minnesota Nice’ and into a place where we can address the systemic inequality in our community head on,” said Amir Berenjian, REM5 Co-Founder. “We’re always looking for creative ways to leverage immersive technology to tell stories and ultimately bring the conversations around equity into more meaningful places.”
For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, local companies like Target and General Mills offered access to 1 City. 2 Realities. to employee groups through a partnership with St. Paul-based nonprofit HandsOn Twin Cities.
“At HandsOn Twin Cities, we believe that it’s important for volunteers to consider well-known, painful examples of harm perpetrated by institutions and how they have impacted the community’s viewpoint, and subsequent relationships with those institutions.” said Tracy Nielsen, Executive Director of HandsOn Twin Cities. “The 1 City. 2 Realities. experience provides volunteers a safe, accessible space for people to learn, process, and reflect. Facilitated debrief sessions give them a chance to vocalize their learnings, hear from others, and put into words how they will take action.”
