In May 2025, filming for VR4Empathy unfolded in Corinth and Athens, transforming real stories of displacement — from Asia Minor refugees to today’s unaccompanied minors — into immersive VR experiences designed to bring empathy into the classroom!
The filming in Corinth focused on the historical experience of refugees from Asia Minor, who, following the events of 1922, settled in the area and built what became known as the refugee settlement of Corinth. Their stories of displacement, resilience, and community rebuilding offer a powerful entry point for students to explore how past experiences of forced migration continue to shape local identity and collective memory.
The second day of filming in Athens shifted the focus to the present, capturing the lived realities of unaccompanied minor refugees in Greece today. The filming was carried out in collaboration with The Home Project, an organisation dedicated to supporting children who arrive in Greece alone, without family or guardians.
Through its work, The Home Project provides safe accommodation, education, psychosocial support, and pathways to integration for vulnerable minors. Many of these children have faced displacement, loss, and uncertainty, often after long and difficult journeys. Their stories highlight not only the challenges they encounter but also their strength, hopes, and efforts to build a new life in a different country.
By bringing together these two narratives — historical and contemporary refugee experiences — the VR4Empathy videos aim to help students develop a deeper understanding of migration as a human experience that transcends time. The immersive nature of VR allows learners to engage emotionally and cognitively, fostering cognitive empathy and critical reflection.
The scenarios are based on the first lesson plan developed by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) and on scripts co-created with secondary school teachers during the project’s co-design process, ensuring strong alignment with classroom needs and pedagogical goals.
The filming was carried out by project partner KHORA, in close collaboration with the IEP team and local contributors, whose insights were invaluable in authentically representing both past and present realities.
These VR resources were integrated into a broader educational framework, including lesson plans and teacher guidance, and are being piloted in schools as part of the pilot phase of the project.
Stay tuned as VR4Empathy continues to explore how immersive technologies can bring meaningful, human-centred learning experiences into the classroom.
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