A Social Impact Build Fest

Immersive technology is a very powerful tool being used in the fight for social justice. While the perception of immersive experiences is that they are difficult and complex to create, there are many accessible platforms that allow anyone with basic technology skills to create powerful experiences with significant positive impacts.

Over the course of a weekend-long Build Fest, we want to bring together immersive design students, students passionate about Social Justice, and adult mentors with expert understandings of social issues in order to create unique, sensitive, and truly impactful digital experiences that address a wide variety of social issues.

We will start the event with a brief lesson that will explain how to design and build immersive experiences using one of three easy-to-use technology platforms (more info below). Teams will be formed at the event, giving all participants ample opportunity to connect and collaborate with others. Teams will then be guided through the ideation, design, and production processes in order to present a functional immersive experience at the end of the weekend.

After presentations, judges will choose winning teams to receive prizes such as funds to continue the development of the project as well as the opportunity to present their project at their own booth during SXSW!