Virtual Reality for Healing among Anishinaabe Youth
The Great Lakes have been a place of gathering and resistance for Indigenous people since the beginning of time.
However, many Anishinaabe youth no longer live on their homelands and do not have access to the cultural wealth and identity security that land can provide. This separation has implications for youth understanding of identity, impacting their mental health and cultural healing.
This project is led by Madeline Gupta, a Yale Master's student who aims to use technology to connect youth with tribal lands regardless of their physical location. Madeline is working with her tribe, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and the Yale School of Medicine to create a virtual reality video game of Mackinac Island, Michigan. Her goal is to provide tribal youth with immersive visual and audio experiences of their lands and culture to create positive effects on their mental health, wellbeing, and cultural strength.
The initiative is funded by Unity for Community and XRPeds, supporting student-led projects. Madeline's work has been recognized by the United Nations and the Yale Bassett Award. She continues to advocate for cultural preservation through innovative technology.