On the same day that two people were stabbed at Dene High School in La Loche; at Wanuskewin, Saskatchewan Polytechnic was highlighting a research project about using virtual reality technology to connect with youth in rural and remote communities who are looking for mental health and wellness supports. The research team has been working with La Loche youth.
Research Chair of Cultural Empowerment, Lindsey Boechler, says through her experiences as a paramedic she has witnessed the barriers youth face, especially in rural and remote communities when they are trying to access care. Her original idea was to have health care professionals communicate using virtual reality, but during this project, Boechler says, the students have been very innovative and creative, which she considers inspiring because these are the people her team is hoping to help.
She says, “Working with the youth, they had a much larger vision of how the headset could be used, and it’s really a more holistic kind of approach to it. They envisioned ways of sharing their community and their culture with others.” The students created a VR set where they are sitting around a fire, which symbolizes storytelling, and then it transitions to recordings of the lake, on the water, and an Elder telling the story of the Legend of the Lake Monster in Dene. Another example of how the VR technology could be used to help with mental well-being is creating a favourite place. Boechler gives the example of a canoe on calm water and listening to the nature sounds around you. It’s something the youth can access if they are having a bad day.
The students also came up with the idea of facilitating workshops through VR and having access to educational resources. The research team highlighted the project at Wanuskewin on Friday and is looking for support to take it further. They still want to offer counselling through VR, so the Saskatchewan Health Authority would need to be on board. What the research team needs now is funding to be able to create, develop and do trials on this virtual reality wellness initiative, so the hope is to find some business partners and supporters to help with that. Boechler notes that once the platform is made, it is very cost effective, but the initial building platform is quite expensive.
