Theme: Empowering the new Generation in Virtual Worlds
Metaverse Safety Week 2024 celebrates the pivotal role of youth in shaping the future of immersive and emerging technologies. As digital natives, young people are consumers and creators of our digital world, bringing novel perspectives on how technology should be developed and used. This day will explore practical and achievable ideas to empower youth to become responsible creators, critical thinkers, and ethical leaders in the digital age. We will discuss the challenges and benefits of immersive technology for youth and assess and analyze the importance of digital literacy, multi-disciplinary education, and co-designing to enable their participation in the technology in a safe and meaningful way. By proactively embracing change and using a whole-of-society approach that harnesses the potential of the younger generation, we can create a more inclusive, innovative, and responsible digital future.
Key Objectives
- Understand Youth Needs: Analyze insights on youth requirements for secure and meaningful digital engagement.
- Responsible Design of Immersive Experiences: Develop responsible approaches to creating immersive experiences that foster digital wellbeing, creative expression, and inclusive engagement through design practices.
- Community-Led Youth Centric Digital Futures: Equip the youth’s community-guardians, educators, and other stakeholders- with strategies to guide them towards safe, secure, and meaningful use of immersive technologies.
Key Stakeholders
- Youth leaders and innovators
- Technology companies and developers
- Child psychologists and developmental experts
- Parents and guardians
- Youth-focused NGOs and non-profits
- STEM and other multidisciplinary education advocates
- Career counselors and vocational training professionals
- Gaming and social media companies
- Child rights advocates
- Policymakers focused on youth and education
Time and Agenda Details
| Agenda Item (duration) | Session Start Time | Session End Time |
|---|---|---|
Overview and Introduction (10 min) Valentino MegaleXRSI Europe | Softcare Studios  Sunita PatelXRSI - X Reality Safety Intelligence | Micron | 09:00 am PST 12:00 pm EST 17:00 pm GMT | 09:10 am PST 12:10 pm EST 17:10 pm GMT |
Opening Remarks of the Overall Theme by the Keynote Speaker (20 min) Catherine dionne HenryCognitive Future Foundation | 09:10 am PST 12:10 pm EST 17:10 pm GMT | 09:30 am PST 12:30 pm EST 17:30 pm GMT |
Context Setting by Featured Speaker for Objective 1: Understanding Youth Needs – (10 min) Monika Fuchs-BrantlHospital School Vienna | 09:30 am PST 12:30 pm EST 17:30 pm GMT | 09:40 am PST 12:40 pm EST 17:40 pm GMT |
| Thematic Discussion and SWARM Intelligence Gathering on Understanding Youth Needs – (40 min) Assess whether youth want to be empowered to have safe, secure, and meaningful engagement in immersive technologies. If yes, identify key areas of concern and opportunity in youth digital empowerment as perceived by guardians, educators, policymakers, and industry professionals. In this session, a diverse community of multi-stakeholders will use Swarm AI® technology to aggregate and analyze perspectives on safe, secure, and meaningful engagement in immersive technologies by our youth. Participants will address questions about key areas of concern and opportunity in youth digital empowerment. This session aims to derive valuable insights that can inform strategies for safe, secure, and meaningful youth engagement in immersive spaces. | 09:40 am PST 12:40 pm EST 17:40 pm GMT | 10:20 am PST 13:20 pm EST 18:20 pm GMT |
| Conclusion of Swarm AI Session (5 min) | 10:20 am PST 13:20 pm EST 18:20 pm GMT | 10:25 am PST 13:25 pm EST 18:25 pm GMT |
| Break (10 min) | 10:25 am PST 13:25 pm EST 18:25 pm GMT | 10:35 am PST 13:35 pm EST 18:35 pm GMT |
Context Setting by Featured Speaker for Objective 2: Building Responsible Immersive Experiences – (10 min) Natalie ChyiMeta | 10:35 am PST 13:35 pm EST 18:35 pm GMT | 10:45 am PST 13:45 pm EST 18:45 pm GMT |
| Thematic Discussion and Community Session on Building Responsible Immersive Experiences – (40 min) Discuss innovative, forward-thinking strategies for developing and deploying immersive technology ecosystems that prioritize youth empowerment, safety, security, and inclusion. Evaluate how adults and children can proactively build and shape the digital landscape to better serve the needs and aspirations of young people. Focus on responsible approach to designing immersive experiences that foster digital wellbeing, creative expression, and inclusive engagement through design practices. This segment will feature expert-led presentations and discussions focused on how adults and children can proactively shape the digital landscape to better serve the needs and aspirations of young people. The goal is to create actionable plans for building youth-centric immersive technology ecosystems, and responsible approaches to creating immersive experiences that foster digital well-being, creative expression, and inclusive engagement through design practices.  Catherine KnibbsChildren and Tech  Jessica StoneVirtual Sandtray, LLC  Jonathan Kennedy SowahInovTech STEM Center  Azadeh JamalianThe GIANT Room  João Francisco de Aguiar CoelhoInstituto Alana (Alana Institute) | 10:45 am PST 13:45 pm EST 18:45 pm GMT | 11:25 am PST 14:25 pm EST 19:25 pm GMT |
| Conclusion of Community Session (5 min) | 11:25 am PST 14:25 pm EST 19:25 pm GMT | 11:30 am PST 14:30 pm EST 19:30 pm GMT |
| Break (20 min) | 11:30 am PST 14:30 pm EST 19:30 pm GMT | 11:50 am PST 14:50 pm EST 19:50 pm GMT |
Context Setting by Featured Speaker for Objective 3: Community-Led Youth Centric Digital Futures – (10 min) PERRIGUEY GéraldineXR PEDAGOGY | 11:50 am PST 14:50 pm EST 19:50 pm GMT | 12:00 pm PST 15:00 pm EST 20:00 pm GMT |
| Thematic Discussion and Thinkscape Intelligence Gathering on Community-Led Youth Centric Digital Futures – (20 min) Examine principles and strategies for deploying products and experiences that empower youth as active participants in virtual worlds. Evaluate approaches that enable the creation of experiences that respect young individuals’ agency while protecting them from dark patterns and manipulation. In this session, participants will engage in the Thinkscape exercise, a real-time conversation platform designed to optimize group insights and amplify collective intelligence. This interactive session will help in examining critical aspects for equipping guardians, educators, and other stakeholders with knowledge and tools that enable them to empower youth as active participants.  Chris HornbostelUnanimous AI | 12:00 pm PST 15:00 pm EST 20:00 pm GMT | 12:20 pm PST 15:20 pm EST 20:20 pm GMT |
| Conclusion of Thinkscape Session (5 min) | 12:20 pm PST 15:20 pm EST 20:20 pm GMT | 12:25 pm PST 15:25 pm EST 20:25 pm GMT |
Concluding Remarks & Adjourn (5 min)Valentino MegaleXRSI Europe | Softcare Studios Sunita PatelXRSI - X Reality Safety Intelligence | Micron | 12:25 pm PST 15:25 pm EST 20:25 pm GMT | 12:30 pm PST 15:30 pm EST 20:30 pm GMT |
Chairs:
Valentino Megale
XRSI Europe | Softcare Studios
Sunita Patel
XRSI - X Reality Safety Intelligence | Micron
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