Leeds City College

The Mayor of West Yorkshire paid a visit to Leeds City College’s Quarry Hill campus to explore an immersive virtual reality (VR) session that confronts issues like knife crime, gangs and anti-social behaviour.

On 10 March Tracy Brabin joined students at Quarry Hill campus in the immersive sessions which are part of a programme called Project On Guard run by Suffia Hussain from Gushukan Karate Academy in Bradford.

Over 25 sessions surrounding personal safety have been delivered across West Yorkshire. Learners wear a VR headset which puts them face-to-face with real life scenarios to encourage open conversations around consequences and decision making.

The sessions run alongside a range of projects, including sessions from UniteHer Girls Club on self-defence and Better Man’s Project, which is creating opportunities for male learners to discuss prominent topics whilst engaging with outdoor activities.

There are also Switched on to Women’s Safety sessions, which are delivered to all male students across Quarry Hill Campus.

Tom Griffiths, Interim Head of Public Services at Leeds City College, said: “This project has been a fantastic opportunity for our learners. By providing access to state of the art VR technology, we have been able to engage them in topics that both relate to keeping themselves safe, as well as exploring topics that relate to careers in the emergency services and armed forces.”

Image credit: West Yorkshire Combined Authority