Queen¡¯s Academic Launches VR Drama to Educate Young People about Consent
An academic from Queen¡¯s University Belfast has launched an immersive virtual reality (VR) drama titled ¡®The Afters¡¯, designed to educate young people about the importance of sexual consent.
The Afters is two interrelated VR narrative dramas told from the perspectives of a 17-year-old girl and boy. Designed primarily for schools, college and university students for relationships and sex education, this first-of-its-kind VR narrative will help inform young people on the subtleties of verbal and non-verbal communication regarding sexual consent. It also encourages conversations around empathy and awareness with peers to help them safely navigate intimate situations in the future.
The Afters is part of the ‘Informing Consent’ research project, led by , Lecturer in Film Practice from the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s and Founder of , in collaboration with Politics in Action and Queen’s Student Welfare.
Speaking about the VR drama narratives, Miss Baxter, who also serves as the Director, Writer and Producer of The Afters, said: “We’re really proud of these films, having worked with young people to ensure their authenticity and relatability. VR allows the user to deeply empathise with the internal experience of characters and can explore grey areas to tease out important discussions around consent.”
Explaining the use of VR as part of the project, Gavin Peden, VR Creative Director of ‘The Afters’ remarked: “We are delighted that with The Afters we were able to use the possibilities of filmic storytelling, alongside the personal immersive experience of VR to create a piece the provokes conversation around such a timely and pressing topic.”
The project is running a research trial with , , students, schools across Northern Ireland and frontline education and community workers.
Dr Thérèse Cullen, Project Manager at Politics in Action commented: “VR is a really impactful tool for learning about consent. When young people step into these immersive stories, they don’t just hear about consent — they feel it. It’s an incredible tool for opening up honest conversations, helping young people see the power of communication, respect, and body language. These conversations matter — and young people should be at the heart of them.”
Media
Media enquiries to Zara McBrearty at Queen’s Communications Office on email: z.mcbrearty@qub.ac.uk