How metaverse technologies help to work with children affected by war.
The Problem.
According to the most optimistic estimates, 15,000 children have been affected by the war during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These are those who have directly faced the hostilities, the consequences of the occupation, and war crimes. However, the number of children affected by the loss of parents or loved ones can be measured in hundreds of thousands.
In addition to basic humanitarian needs, society must address the problem of socialization, working through mental trauma, and educating child victims of war. And often, traditional methods are not enough for this.
The Technology.
MaPanda technology allows you to communicate with your child in a metaverse format. During a video call, the child speaks with a teacher or psychologist who appears as a magical character. Thus, the communication and learning process occurs in a relaxed atmosphere, making the interaction between the child and the teacher more accessible and reasonable. As a result, the child does not experience additional stress from communicating with an unfamiliar adult, and learning is perceived as a fun and exciting game.
Methods.
Based on augmented reality technology, we have developed a teaching methodology best suited to this interaction format. Based on the extensive experience of our methodologists and teachers, we have created full-fledged courses that develop communication and socialization skills to help to understand ourselves and the environment. In addition, studies in fundamental academic disciplines (basic math, school readiness, etc.) are helpful.
The combination of technology and carefully designed courses allows us to work with different categories of children, so we decided to cooperate with the Ukrainian Children of Heroes Foundation, which works to rehabilitate and support children who lost family members during the war.
Solution.
Together with the specialists of Children of Heroes, we have developed a unique adaptation of our courses for the foundation's wards. The transformation was designed to consider the particular circumstances of the children's lives and whether they have experienced or are still experiencing severe psychological trauma. We paid specific attention to an important aspect: trauma is experienced by children and their guardians.
In practice, the children were very willing to make contact with our teachers and were very actively involved in the learning process. Augmented reality and the right approach to communication helped stimulate interest in learning. Judging by the feedback, children were eager to interact with teachers and were looking forward to new lessons. During the classes, our teachers identified children who should have received more attention from specialized professionals (psychologists, defectologists, etc.). The opportunity to "open up" to a magical character allowed children to give more critical signals that could be missed using only traditional methods of communication. This way, the foundation's specialists could identify children needing more specialized help.
Results.
TThe cooperation with the Children of Heroes Foundation lasted for six months.
During this time, MaPanda conducted 1017 entertaining and educational calls.
Cooperation with the foundation allowed us to help children and establish more effective interactions between specialists and wards. According to the survey, 98% of parents rated their experience with MaPanda as "very positive" and were satisfied with the teachers' technology and work. Another crucial positive effect was the impact on the emotional state of the children's parents.
The MaPanda team continues to develop technology and teaching methods to help Ukrainian society cope with the enormous challenge of rehabilitating and educating children affected by war. Our experience can be helpful for various vulnerable groups of children, including those outside our country.
