Digital Inclusion Virtual Reality Intern

BACKGROUND: Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee is a leading, non-sectarian, non-profit organization providing emergency relief, protection, rehabilitation assistance, resettlement services, and advocacy for refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict.Domestically, our 26 offices across the U.S. ensure new arrivals have food, shelter, and clothing, and work with refugees to help them gain self-sufficiency.

The Digital Inclusion Program operates within the IRC SLC’s Education Program and supports digital skill development for newly arrived refugees and New Americans. The program provides clients with access to technology and cultivates a set of fundamental tech skills to improve their lives and livelihoods. This includes providing initial smartphone and data plans, affordable home broadband internet access, ongoing tech support, youth digital skills workshops, and core resettlement services with integrated digital skills.

SCOPE OF INTERN WORK: With oversight from the Education Program Supervisor, the Digital Inclusion Virtual Reality (VR) Project Intern will work with IRC SLC’s local University of Utah partners to incorporate Virtual Reality (VR) in its newly-arrived refugee resettlement Cultural Orientation (CO) Module. CO is a comprehensive training for clients on navigating U.S. society, including U.S. Laws, available services, health, transportation, education, and overall positive adjustment. VR will enhance this existing training and aid in reinforcing the learning objectives specifically associated with the U.S. education system and navigating a new school. The main activities include post-production support (editing, and balancing aesthetics with user experience) and designing and implementing staff-facing training tools for using VR with clients.

COMMITMENT: August 30^th 2021 – December 17^th 2021, 15-20 hours per week

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• To deploy and adapt new technologies, specifically VR, that support refugee and New Americans integration.

• Develop staff-facing training resources for IRC SLC to support the implementation of VR technology into CO modules.

• To evaluate the effectiveness of using VR technology to reinforce learning in CO through interviews and follow-up surveys with participants.

• Work with Education Program team to seek out and build relationships with new community partners that are able to support increased access and use of technology (example: Digital Matters at the University of Utah).

• Support College and Career Readiness Specialist in facilitating and creating digital skills and tech career exposure workshops for refugee youth.

• Other duties as assigned (front desk coverage, office support, etc.)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. The intern will gain professional experience in working with diverse groups of clients.

2. The intern will deepen understanding of the balance of aesthetics and user experience as it pertains to new refugee client arrival’s Cultural Orientation modules.

3. The intern will gain experience with methods and technology used to disseminate learning for refugee and New American communities, specifically in the area of design and workflow of graphic overlays for immersive environments.