Around one hundred young people take part in a competition to raise awareness of unwanted loneliness among young people through virtual reality
Around one hundred young people take part in a competition to raise awareness of unwanted loneliness among young people through virtual reality
Around one hundred young people take part in a competition to raise awareness of unwanted loneliness among young people through virtual reality
The initiative incorporates the learning and entrepreneurship approach of Mondragon Team Academy (MTA) and LEINN, based on teamwork, experimentation and the creation of solutions with social impact
Nearly one hundred students from different vocational training centres across the Basque Country took part this morning at Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) in the new edition of Googaz, an initiative promoted by Mondragon Unibertsitatea that encourages youth participation and awareness, using immersive technologies as a tool to reflect on the social challenges affecting younger generations.
In this edition, Googaz has focused on an increasingly prevalent reality among young people: unwanted loneliness. In a generation that is permanently connected through social media and new technologies, feelings of loneliness, isolation and disconnection continue to be a reality for many young people. The challenge set for this edition aims precisely to encourage young people themselves to reflect on the causes and consequences of this issue and explore new ways of raising awareness in society.
The event was supported by the Mondragon Team Academy (MTA) ecosystem and its official degree programme, LEINN (Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation), which provide a methodology based on learning by doing, teamwork, creativity, experimentation and the development of solutions to real-world challenges.
Innovation and entrepreneurship to address social challenges
The central focus of the event was a Hackathon, in which young people from different centres and with diverse backgrounds worked in teams to respond to the challenge. Through creative, collaborative and prototyping activities, participants competed to develop the script for a virtual reality video game capable of immersing audiences in different situations related to unwanted loneliness.
The challenge therefore brings together two fundamental dimensions of Mondragon Unibertsitatea’s approach: developing the talent and leadership of young people and seeking innovative responses to the social challenges in our environment.
The Mondragon Team Academy and LEINN approach places young people at the centre of the process, making them protagonists of their own learning and empowering them to identify problems, work collaboratively and turn their ideas into concrete proposals. In this case, virtual reality becomes a tool for experiencing different situations first-hand and fostering empathy towards those experiencing unwanted loneliness.
The winning proposal will serve as the basis for the second phase of the initiative, Googaz Create, during which the virtual reality video game will be developed and the winning project of this edition will be selected.
Young people at the forefront of social transformation
Through this initiative, Googaz reinforces its commitment to creating spaces where young people can identify issues in their environment, understand them from different perspectives and develop innovative solutions.
The project also highlights the potential of immersive technologies not only as tools for technological innovation, but also as instruments to create experiences, evoke emotions and promote a deeper understanding of complex social realities.
The initiative is promoted by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and involves the Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Mondragon Team Academy and LEINN ecosystem, reinforcing the university’s commitment to an education connected to the real challenges facing society and to developing young people capable of driving transformation and innovation processes with impact.