How Unity Is Using Tech To Make Creativity More Inclusive

Songs of Cultures, Imagine Grant Winner | UNITY

Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content. Creators, ranging from game developers to artists, architects, automotive designers, filmmakers, and others, use Unity to bring their imaginations to life. I sat down with Jessica Lindl, Vice President of Social Impact and Education at Unity to talk about their Unity education platform, and some recent winning projects from the prestigious Unity for Humanity grants programme. 

“Unity is committed to inspiring and equipping creators, from diverse backgrounds, to create the future with the power of real-time 3D technology. We partner with schools and nonprofits to provide free access to learning and prepare learners for high-growth jobs. Plus we’re partnering with organizations innovating with real-time 3D technology to revolutionize the 21st century workforce, “ said Lindl. Unity has equipped over 450,000 students and educators with resources to propel real-time 3D learning. Here are some of their education solutions.

Jessica Lindl, Vice President of Social Impact and Education at Unity | GENE X HWANG/ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHY

Unity believes the world is a better place with more creators in it. Creators are changemakers, and Unity is their platform for making an impact. People around the globe are using Unity to tell stories or build tools that will have a positive and meaningful impact on society, their communities, and the planet. “We founded Unity for Humanity to celebrate and support their journey to change lives and improve our world. Whether providing educators with the resources they need to bring Unity into their classes, or empowering students with the tools needed,” she added. 

Here’s Unity’s approach to make ‘creativity more inclusive’:

Building the Future 

Creativity and technology are converging, spawning unlimited opportunities in every industry imaginable. Real-time 3D content is dynamic and responsive and Unity is the leading platform for creating and operating this type of media. Global brands and organizations are turning to Unity to help them create and build anything they can imagine in RT3D, from the next generation of office buildings to self-driving cars to the video games enjoyed by millions of people around the world.

Making creativity more inclusive

Change happens when all voices are heard. That’s why Unity is investing time, money, and resources into making Unity education more accessible, creating economic opportunities for underrepresented creators, and maximizing the impact that their work has on local communities and the world.

Providing access to Real-Time 3D Learning 

Equitable high-quality education is essential to make learning accessible to all types of learners. Regardless of technical ability, Unity educational resources equip all students with engaging, highly scaffolded learning experiences that are accessible in school or at home. They build the framework for educators, including best practices and tools to start a RT3D curriculum or leverage Unity curricular frameworks to build upon their existing programs.

Preparing Creators for the Metaverse Workforce 

The 21st century workforce is one that uses the convergence of technology and creativity to become agile in shaping the future. Roles that utilize Unity skills are growing at a much faster rate than the job market overall with the biggest demand in AR/VR and gaming roles. Through Unity, educators around the globe have prepared students with the critical thinking and vision-forward skills necessary to disrupt the 4th industrial revolution. Universities and colleges have used our technology to build innovation hubs to train the next generation in medicine, engineering, and more. 

When asked what projects she is most proud of, Jessica replied, “We want anyone, anywhere, to have access to the resources they need to make the world a better place. We partner with students, educators, and institutions to bring real-time 3D learning into schools, universities, and classrooms. Some of the projects I’m most proud of include upskilling High School creators through our Urban Arts, New York partnership and transforming learning with VR classrooms at Morehouse College, Atlanta.”

Recently in March, Unity announced the winners of the prestigious Unity for Humanity grants programme. Each winning project will receive funds in addition to mentorship, marketing and technical support to progress their Unity-based experiences. In 2021, Unity announced a brand new extension of the Unity for Humanity Grant: The Imagine Grant, awarded to the project that best inspired audiences to “Imagine a Better World” and specifically chosen by Emmy, Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist, actor, author and activist, Common. “Each winning project was evaluated for its vision, impact, inclusivity and viability of the production and distribution plan,” explained Lindl.

The Unity for Humanity Grant: The Imagine Grant is awarded to the project that best inspired audiences to “Imagine a Better World” and is specifically chosen by Emmy, Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist, actor, author and activist, Common.

Unity for Humanity 2022 winner and awardees are: 

Songs of Cultures (Imagine Grant Winner) : A gamified learning experience that unfolds fantastic musical worlds through an augmented reality app. The project's goal is to facilitate the integration of children and migrant families, developed together with educators and parents to empower open-minded thinking and diversity awareness in an entertaining and fun way.

Augment Therapy: Children with cancer experience extreme anxiety before and during radiation treatments, requiring them to be sedated. This experience will allow children to familiarize themselves with radiation treatment rooms and machines before their treatment. On the day of their appointment, before their treatment, they will do AR exercises designed to reduce anxiety and increase comfort to improve general comfort and relaxation. 

Darkening: An interactive VR experience that explores how the world is perceived by someone with depression. Viewers enter the world of Darkening, showing the dark images of the mind and calming techniques. Through animation, combining a stylized form of the environment and abstract images of emotions, the viewers will experience and understand what it is like to live with this illness, how to tackle it, and what mechanisms are used by people with depression to feel better.

My Lovely Planet: An eco-friendly mobile game aiming to create a community of 100 million people who can actively protect the environment while having fun. The free game transforms actions from the game into real positive impact in the world. If players plant trees in the game, the creators donate to causes, which plant trees in the real world, if players clean plastic waste from the ocean, the creators donate to causes which clean plastic waste in our world

TOGUNA - The Accelerator of the Imagination: A hybrid digital and mixed media art installation, fusing storytelling and future thinking, which aims to provide an interactive public forum for a pan-African conversation on the future of the African continent. This experience presents an optimistic scenario of the future, built from dreams harvested through a series of future-thinking workshops, which consider potential solutions to some of the major challenges facing the African continent today.