Project Diversity takes shape

The two-week meetings of the Office for Human Resources and Administrative Management, the Office for Integration and Diversity and skip are beginning to bear fruit. In the last few weeks, intensive work has been done on the completion of a first preview version of the diversity project that is currently being developed. Filming with the 360° camera and programming the control elements as well as post-processing, the "stitching", resulted in a first version to be played through. Mareike Halbach, Office for Human Resources and Administrative Management, and Fabian Stangier, Office for Integration and Diversity, were represented by the City of Cologne and discussed with the skip team what could be instinctively improved after the first samples.

The upcoming project will use gamification to test whether the learning experience and self-reflection can be improved through identification in relation to unconscious bias. Diversity training is becoming more and more important so that future city leaders can deal with citizens without prejudice, or learn to leave out the comfortable stereotypical thinking in professional dealings.

For Mr. Stangier as well as for Ms. Halbach it is clear: playful, yes, but one should not fall into role-playing, as this would stimulate the process of stereotyping again. Stereotypes should not be reinforced. But Stangier sees the biggest obstacle in empathy for the new technology. Gamification is all well and good, but can people be familiarised with the technology in such a way that everyone can handle VR intuitively?

This project is only just beginning to take shape and there will be frequent insights into the state of play here on the website.
So we can already look forward to upcoming video footage and the first test phases in public spaces.

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