SAN FRANCISCO — A small group of grinning children sit in a sparkling clean classroom with fresh wooden walls in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, as a woman writes on a board in front of them. “My biggest joy is when a child has a complete change in their life; when they are more comfortable,” teacher Sister Amira explains.
This is a scene from Catholic Relief Services’ first 360 degree video, a virtual reality format that allows viewers to control their own experience as they tilt their heads or spin their chairs to see different parts of the room. When they put on a headset, they are immersed in a particular place and time.
Paul Eagle, head of marketing and communications at CRS, told Devex his strategy focuses on ways to create empathy. CRS can talk to people about its education work with Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley, but it is hard to convey what it is like to see children feeling like children again without putting someone in the room. 360 degree video and virtual reality have emerged as powerful tools to do that.