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AVENUES

The Arrk Virtual Experience Solution: Immersive learning to increase empathy and reduce bias.

AVENUES VR solution: What it is

Public sector workers make important decisions every day that have significant impact on people’s lives. It is a responsibility that demands certain skills and experience in understanding human dynamics. AVENUES is a learning method that harnesses the power of technology to transform the hiring, training, and continued skill development for frontline staff across the public sector. ​

AVENUES aims to help users come to a deeper understanding of their own thought processes in terms of how they make decisions and develop opinions. Left unexamined, those processes can lead to decisions that are made in the flash of an eye. AVENUES is an opportunity to broaden each worker’s ability to observe, inquire, interpret, and reflect in a way that informs a more robust and firmly grounded professional opinion.

How it works

Immersion: AVENUES immerses users into highly realistic scenarios designed to evoke a response. It uses actors filmed on green screen and stitched into carefully dressed locations. The experience is voice activated so that users have the sense that they are sitting across the table from another person who is looking them in the eye and conversing.​

Reflection: Next, we bring groups of users together in carefully curated seminars. These interactive workshops prompt reflection about how each of us behaved in the headset and create an opportunity for users to learn from one another.​

Analysis: Finally, AVENUES is maintained on a platform that leverages user analytics. This gives us the ability to see how large groups of people are behaving in the headset and drive future learning agendas.

Why it matters

It opens up AVENUES for all of us to:​

  • Train our empathy muscle ​

  • Be more aware of our own bias​

  • Step into positive behavior change​

Benefits of learning in virtual reality

31%

reduction in turnover.

69%

of experienced workers report improved observation, inquiry and interpretation skills.

40%

reduction in training time compared to traditional training.

75%

reduction in training resource costs.

THE IMPRINT WEBINAR

Taking on Racial Bias in Child Welfare

READ MORE

Awards and recognition

2024 Anthem Awards: AVENUES – Metaverse for the Public Sector awarded SILVER for Responsible Technology and SILVER for Workforce Transformation. Winners in these categories demonstrated best-in-class products, innovation or services driving impact in the Responsible Technology space, along with improved employee learning, development and engagement through their use of technology and data.

2022 Anthem Awards: Advancing Race Equity in VR (Tory's Home Visit) awarded GOLD for Best Special Projects, for projects that raise awareness via Responsible Technology. The project received SILVER for Innovation, which identifies new and innovative techniques advancing and improving the community.

VR Social Impact Award: AVENUES – Race Equity in Child Welfare recognized by AIXR (The Academy of International Extended Reality) in 2021 for achievements in human services.

GSMA GLOMO Awards: AVENUES awarded “Best Mobile VR or AR” in 2019. The GLOMOs are a testament to the incredible innovation and ingenuity shaping our industry.

SXSW Interactive Innovations: AVENUES was a finalist in the 2019 SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards, which recognizes the most exciting tech developments in the connected world.

AVENUES in action

AVENUES offers a content library that’s universally applicable across the public sector. It is currently used by government agencies and universities specializing in child welfare, mental health and addiction services, public assistance, childcare, and health and human services.

Sophia

An opportunity to practice observing, inquiring, and interpreting human behavior, especially when what people say and what they do don’t match up. Learn more.

Monica

An opportunity to practice navigating power dynamics and managing conflict, particularly when it might rise to the level of violence. Learn more.

Tory

An opportunity to deepen our understanding of how and when race bias enters our decision-making process. Learn more.

Alayna

An opportunity to focus on how trauma impacts us over generations and to consider ways to help people begin to heal. Learn more.

Ms. Garcia

An opportunity to practice understanding what young children are trying to tell us when they are not using words to do it. Learn more.

Kat

An opportunity to provide whole person care to complex families. Learn more.

Devon

An opportunity to experience a difficult series of meetings with a caseworker from a parent’s point of view. Learn more.

Rachel

An opportunity for those considering  careers in human services to experience the dynamics of fieldwork. Learn more.

Jordan

An opportunity to practice difficult conversations with children in a developmentally appropriate way. Learn more.

Darius

An opportunity for new police officer recruits to improve communication with citizens (US & UK versions). Learn more.

Scotty

An opportunity for police officers to improve their ability to think critically on their feet in tense environments. Learn more.

Jessica

An opportunity for health professionals to improve their understanding of the increased mortality rates among pregnant black women. Learn more.

Sam

An opportunity for health professionals to improve their ability to discern pain levels in telehealth appointments. Learn more.

Andres

An opportunity for health professionals to improve their working partnerships with their patients. Learn more.

Case studies

San Diego County wanted to address error rates in eligibility decisions that affect whether families get the essential benefits needed to access food, health care and basic needs. The County recognized that new caseworkers needed more “real world” experience to help them conduct interviews to validate eligibility.

San Diego County selected AVENUES to train eligibility caseworkers so that they can feel confident on day one by creating a new learning module for the AVENUES program that focused specifically on eligibility.

Learn More

The Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) sought to accelerate the pace with which their child welfare caseworkers could build the experience and confidence to make the tough decisions faced daily.

 

Solution
Georgia DFCS partnered with Arrk to pilot AVENUES as supplemental training for their child welfare workers. Through VR, users are transported into real-world scenarios where they practice making tough decisions in stressful situations. Followed by a carefully curated seminar, users work together to evaluate their approach and increase their ability to observe and interpret human behavior.

 

Result
During the initial phase, approximately 250 DFCS caseworkers and supervisors (15% of frontline staff) completed the learning cycle. Preliminary feedback suggests the training should be incorporated into the new case manager training academy in the future. The State of Georgia sees much promise in this training platform as a way to improve decision making and child safety.

AVENUES in the news

Using VR to improve child welfare services

Facing a high turnover rate, Indiana's Child Services Department used VR to better prepare family case workers for a tough job. Read more.

Virtual reality can improve employee retention

Indiana Department of Child Services decreased staff turnover by 31% and laid the foundation for a data-centric transformation. Read more.

Arrk wins GLOMO award for VR mobile app

The Arrk Virtual Experience Solutions (AVENUES) has won “Best Mobile VR or AR” at the GSMA GLOMO Awards 2019. Read more.

Our leaders

Molly Tierney

Managing Director – Public Service, Child Welfare, North America
LinkedIn

Naomi Wass

Senior Manager – Arrk Song, Public Service Customer Experience
LinkedIn