Pre-Engagement as Method: An EmbodiMapTM VR Experience to Explore Lived Experience of People from South Sudanese Refugee Background

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of pre-engagement as a method to introduce EmbodiMap, a Virtual Reality (VR) tool to a group of South Sudanese refugees in Sydney, Australia. The aim of the pre-engagment is to understand how currently available support for the mental and emotional wellbeing of the refugee population can be further supported through psychosocial engagements using purposefully developed tools. The EmbodiMap tool and experience, developed by the felt Experience and Empathy Lab (fEEL) at UNSW Sydney, is a creative approach that potentially offers a transformative experience as participants virtually reach into their bodies and draw or register their immediate or persisting feelings, sensations and emotions. As an arts-based approach, EmbodiMap provides an innovative alternative to approaches that rely heavily on words, thus helping amplify the participants’ self-expression. Pre-engagement is used as a psychosocial engagement method, allowing for a small group of participants to experience EmbodiMap first-hand and engage ‘hands on’ with the technology before providing insights into how the tool may be adapted, developed, or codesigned further to facilitate a meaningful experience for use with the broader community. The pre-engagement with a small group of South Sudanese community members revealed scope for further engagement with the broader community, while adapting to the needs and issues identified.