Our Thursday February 25 meeting was hosted by our own Morning Star Rotarian, Dr. Bill Hunter, Director of International Outreach at Lehigh University. He was joined by Kristin Gutekunst, Project Manager, United Nations Sustainable Development Action Campaign. Per Bill’s earlier proclamation, “We will be the first Rotary Club in the world to view these films.”
Kristin addressed the Goals of United Nations Virtual Reality
- Promote empathy and understanding for the world’s most vulnerable
- Inspire leaders to take bold actions
- Reach new audiences
- Support the UN’s advocacy by building multi-stakeholder partnerships
- Showcase the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the lens of different global crises
Virtual Reality promotes empathy & understanding by allowing you to experience someone else’s truth. This we saw first-hand as we were transported to another reality in two very moving films.
Clouds over Sidra transports viewers to the Zaatari Refugee Camp, which is home to 80,000 Syrians fleeing violence and war. The film tells the story of Sidra, a young girl who has been in Zaatari since the summer of 2013 as she tries to find normalcy in her new surroundings and hold on to the remnants of childhood. She takes us on a tour of the camp, providing her thoughts on school, her family’s makeshift tent, boys and football, and closing with her hopes for the future.
Virtual Reality changes perceptions & allows for individual and collective experiences.
Waves of Grace captures a young woman’s tale of love, loss, and rebirth amid the Ebola epidemic. In the film we accompany Decontee Davis, a native of West Point, Liberia, as she guides us through the streets of her township, into schools, hospitals, abandoned buildings and burial grounds. She finds solace by using her immunity to help patients, care for those orphaned, fight stigma, and in the faith of forgiveness.
Virtual Reality has proven extremely effective to support fundraising efforts.
You can experience these VR films anytime, anywhere. All you need is your smart phone. Download the Vrse App for iOS or Android http://vrse.com/.
You will find yourself right there with Sidra and Decontee experiencing their realities.
Please join us on March 3rd when Jen Wanisko will speak to us on the YWCA Bethlehem TechGYRLS program. They are a Morning Star Community Grant Recipient. See you then!
If you would like to learn more about either Bethlehem Morning Star or Rotary International, please contact Ron Searfoss at rsearfos@ptd.net or 610-504-1460.
Be a gift to your world!
President Ron
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