The remote village of Kinlochbervie is the most northerly port on the west coast of Scotland, 2.5 hours from the nearest large town. The area is facing significant depopulation and has been identified as an area facing multiple deprivations, meaning that many young people leave never to return. Services available to children and young people in the area are minimal and broadband access is poor. There are few job opportunities and those available tend to be traditional trades relating to the land and sea.
This project will offer an exciting opportunity for High School pupils and staff to learn new skills to enhance digital literacy and foster creativity through immersive and interactive learning experiences. It will impart an understanding of potential careers available to them and offer the possibility that they do not need to leave the area but could work remotely in emerging technology roles. It is hoped that the pilot project can be duplicated in other remote areas of the UK.
This innovative pilot project aims to:
Connect Local Learners Globally: Utilise digital platforms to bridge geographical barriers, providing young people in an extremely rural area with access to a world of educational and vocational opportunities without leaving their community.
Promote Digital and Immersive Skills: Implement specialised training programmes to cultivate digital literacy and immersive technology skills among the young people giving them equal access to the latest online and virtual reality online trends.
Foster Social and Creative Engagement: Create a vibrant digital space for social interaction and creative expression, encouraging young people to engage with their peers locally and globally.
Pilot VR Youth Exchanges: Launch pioneering VR exchange programmes that connect local young people with peers from different regions, fostering cultural exchange and global understanding through immersive experiences. Possible connections include VR Youth Communities in Aland Islands Finland, Phoenix Arizona and Dublin Ireland.
Preserve Cultural Heritage: Undertake projects to digitally capture and preserve important cultural artifacts from the region, bridging the gap between tradition and technology.
Nurture Digital Citizenship: Educate young people on responsible and ethical digital behaviour through immersive experiences, emphasising the importance of being informed, engaged and respectful digital citizens.
Enhance Vocational Training: Introduce cutting edge tools and methodologies for practical, vocational training, making it more interactive and relevant to modern workplace demands.
Explore Future Employment Opportunities: Utilise VR and digital tools such as AI to expose young people to diverse career paths and emerging job markets, widening their knowledge of careers that they could enter whilst living in the area and preparing them for future employment in tech driven industries.
Cultivate a Future Ready Community: Prepare the younger generation with the skills and experiences needed to thrive in a digitally advanced world, while maintaining their roots in their local community.
Team
Barry Haughey – Digital Artist and STEM Educator, Founder of HoloGen
Sara Harkins – TV + Film Training Consultant/Project Manager and Land Management Consultant