LIVE's VR experience provides dynamic decision-making moments aimed at growing inclusive l - aetc.af.mil

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – Air Education and Training Command officials are successful the process of rolling retired a virtual world acquisition designed to assistance turn inclusive-minded leaders.

In enactment with the command’s effort to incorporated digital-age exertion crossed the command, the Leading Inclusively Virtual Experience, oregon LIVE, programme is simply a modernized learning instrumentality that consists of a mixed virtual world acquisition that uses a operation of interactive scenarios with authentic, real-time dialog to situation individuals to prosecute successful hard diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) conversations.

“The LIVE sessions connection dynamic decision-making moments and empowers the learning of cognitive skills, specified arsenic affectional intelligence, empathetic listening, and captious connection successful a supportive environment,” said Maggie Laws, AETC’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “Through the experience, front-line supervisors physique skills engaging successful hard DEIA conversations. These types of experiences volition assistance afloat make the Airmen who are our competitory vantage successful strategical competition.”

The LIVE acquisition consists of a first-person enactment with an actor-controlled avatar followed by a facilitated discussion. 

“While 1 Airman oregon Guardian participates successful the learning experience, different members are engaged arsenic observational participants,” Laws said. “This plan provides an experiential learning accidental for each participants successful an audience.”

A trained LIVE facilitator volition pb a treatment pursuing the script wherever experiences, perceptions and ideas are shared successful a brave space, enabling learning and ultimately, reflection to occur, Laws said.  

“This is simply a large instrumentality that should beryllium considered for in-person portion grooming days, team-building and nonrecreational improvement opportunities,” Laws said. “Other options see courses similar MAJCOM squadron enactment courses, SNCO/NCO nonrecreational improvement bid courses, archetypal sergeant symposiums, formation commander’s enactment courses, and civilian improvement courses.”

Facilitators volition beryllium nominated by commanders and should beryllium those an E-7 oregon higher grade, O-3 oregon higher grade, oregon a GS-11 oregon higher grade. Nominees should beryllium assured nationalist speakers who besides person erstwhile acquisition instructing, teaching oregon facilitating, Laws said.   

If selected, facilitators be a three-day people funded by SAF’s Diversity and Inclusion bureau astatine Air University’s Eaker Center located astatine Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. 

In 2022, 3 facilitator grooming courses were executed, grooming 52 facilitators crossed the Air Force.  In FY23, the squad volition big 8 courses, grooming 160 facilitators astatine 20 students per course.