Educators in VR is honored to support Girls S.T.E.A.M. Institute and their upcoming 2021 Inaugural Girls Virtual Reality Team Business Challenge July 29-30, 2021.

The two-day event highlights three teams of high school age girls coming together online to develop a business with viable concepts to remedy Mental Health Issues in line with the United Nationals Sustainability Goals for Wellness and Mental Health. The girls chosen represent diversity in geography, age, culture, and academic experience.

Thursday, July 22, is an Open House in AltspaceVR today that is free and open to the public to meet the speakers, judges, and team members, and learn more about this powerful educational, startup-style program.

The free two-day event begins July 29 in Zoom with preparing the girls for the project and their teams. July 30 is when the magic happens as the girls finalize their presentations. As they prepare, join the Girls in S.T.E.A.M. Institute to celebrate their accomplishments with amazing speakers and keynotes.

The day begins with Dr. Tom Furness and Ray Kruzweil taking to the stage to discuss the future of technology and its impact on solving mental health challenges. Dr. Tom Furness of the Virtual World Society and Ray Kurzweil are renowned inventors, scientists, educators, researchers, and authors who’ve changed the world of immersive technology and artificial intelligence.

Then Lorelle VanFossen explores the impact of virtual reality on the spirit and mental health in a highly interactive presentation showing you how to land with dignity and style when taking risks. She is the co-founder and director of Educators in VR and long-time expert, educator, author, and trainer in digital storytelling, virtual reality, social media, and web publishing.

Dr. Angelina Dayton is next to discuss the impact of VR on mental health, diversity, and sensitive communities. She is known as the The VR Lady and senior research scientist at the Virtual World Society and director and founder of Students in VR, and has put more than 10,000 students into VR through her innovative leadership programs in schools across rural Oklahoma and Arizona.

The closing Presentations and Awards event in AltspaceVR features the teams presenting their mental health business challenges to the judges. The award-winning team concept will receive mentoring and support to develop their plan as a viable business, potentially changing the lives of millions.

You may attend the events in AltspaceVR on a Windows 10 or Mac desktop or laptop, or with a VR headset that supports Steam, Oculus, Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, and HP. For information on how to attend the event in VR, please see our instructional guide.

By participating the the Girls in S.T.E.A.M. Institute business challenge, the girls and their parents have an opportunity to meet and learn from business owners and industry leaders in the STEAM fields. Many are familiar with S.T.E.M. programs for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. S.T.E.A.M. returns the power of the Arts into the mix.

Members of the Girls in S.T.E.A.M. Institute have been changing their lives and the lives of others through many challenge activities, and career and entrepreneurship opportunities since 2018. Lead by Diane McClelland and her twin sister, Suzanne Lackman, the Institute focuses on building personal and professional skills as business leaders in S.T.E.A.M. fields with fun collaborative team building educational programs for high school age girls from around the world. Repeated research shows the addition of the Arts in education “fosters the creative intelligence of the heart which encourages visionary innovation and better understanding of critical thinking.”

To learn more about their programs and how to get involved, and even donate to support this worthy non-profit, check out their Girls S.T.E.A.M. Institute Programs.